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SA Orthopaedic Journal
On-line version ISSN 2309-8309
Print version ISSN 1681-150X
SA orthop. j. vol.11 n.2 Centurion Apr. 2012
CD White MBChBI; S Dix-Peek MBChBII; AL van Huyssteen MBChBIII; EB Hoffman MBChBIV
IFCS(SA)Orth, MMed Registrar From The Maitland Cottage Paediatric Orthopaedic Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Cape Town
IIFCS(SA)Orth, MMed Consultant From The Maitland Cottage Paediatric Orthopaedic Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Cape Town
IIIFCS(SA)Orth Orthopaedic surgeon in private practice, Panorama Medi-Clinic Cape Town
IVFCS(SA)Orth Associate Professor From The Maitland Cottage Paediatric Orthopaedic Hospital and Groote Schuur Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Cape Town
BACKGROUND: Late-onset Blount's disease is subdivided by age at onset into juvenile (4-10 years) and adolescent (≥ llyears). Recent literature recommends the use of external fixation with gradual correction of tibial varus and simultaneous correction of associated femoral varus.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 36 patients (43 knees) treated from 1990-2005. Of the 36 patients, 22 were female and 61.1% were obese. Seventeen knees were in juvenile and 26 in adolescent patients. Pre-operatively and at follow-up patients were assessed clinically and radiographically. Pre-operative mechanical axis ranged from 8-55° varus. Seventeen of the 43 knees (39.5%) had femoral varus (lateral distal femoral angle >90°, range 94°-102°). Surgery involved a tibial barrel-vault osteotomy, acutely correcting the overall mechanical axis, internal tibial torsion and procurvatum. Fixation was with Steinmann pins and plaster.
RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 4 years (38 knees to maturity), 33 knees (76.7%) had a good result. In three juvenile knees the varus recurred after initial correction to 0-4° valgus. Joint line obliquity ranged from 4°-12°.
CONCLUSION: Tibial osteotomy alone with limited internal fixation can achieve good results in late-onset Blount's. In juvenile knees overcorrection to 5-10° mechanical valgus accommodates recurrence secondary to persistent growth inhibition.
Key words: Late-onset Blount's, limited internal fixation
Proximal tibia vara in childhood is due to growth disturbance of the proximal medial tibial physis. The condition was critically analysed by WP Blount1 in 1937 who was the first to sub-classify the condition into two broad groups: an infantile form with onset of bowing in infancy which was later sub-classified by Langenskiöld,2 and an adolescent form with onset between 6 and 12 years.
This late-onset form of the disease was later sub-classified by Thompson et al3 into a juvenile form with onset at 4-10 years and an adolescent form with an onset at or after 11 years of age. Both differed from the infantile form in radiological appearance. In late-onset Blount's the physis was irregular; there was less medial epiphyseal wedging; and minimal increased prominence or 'beaking' of the proximal medial tibial metaphysis. The juvenile group was categorised as a separate entity due to the high rate of recurrence of the varus deformity following surgical correction.
Late-onset Blount's disease classically occurs in obese patients with characteristically wide thighs, with a male:female ratio of 4:1 and over 90% of patients obese and black.3-11 There is a well-documented association with slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE).4,12,13
Late-onset Blount's disease has been noted to have an association with concomitant distal femoral varus with a reported incidence of 19%-60%.10,13-18 It is postulated that the medial femoral physis also suffers growth inhibition due to the high loads through the medial knee joint particularly in older obese patients with a 'fat thigh gait'.10,17-20
The treatment of late-onset tibia vara has evolved over time, although the mainstay remains high tibial osteotomy as it was when Blount published his review in 1937.1 Methods of fixation of the osteotomy however have changed, from plaster alone1 to include limited internal fixation with Steinmann pins5,14,21 or stable internal fixation with compression plates.22 Due to the difficulties associated with obesity in late-onset Blount's disease, external fixators have become a popular fixation method, including monolateral8,23 and circular fixators.7,9,24,25 The deformity correction using external fixation can be done either acutely or gradually. Gradual correction with a circular fixator has become increasingly popular and authors report that a more accurate correction is achieved than with acute correction.24,25 Lateral tibial hemi-epiphyseal stapling has also been used but does not address the associated internal rotation or procurvatum deformities.26,27,28
Recently authors have recommended simultaneous correction of distal femoral varus if >5° outside the reference range. This is achieved by simultaneous distal femoral valgus osteotomy (held with a blade plate or external fixator) or lateral distal femoral hemi-epiphyseal stapling.16,23 This is done to prevent knee joint line obliquity which occurs when both the tibial and femoral mechanical varus are corrected by tibial osteotomy alone.29 In some advanced cases distal tibial valgus also occurs.7,16
The authors recommend that this deformity be simultaneously corrected by hemi-epiphyseal stapling or distal tibial osteotomy which is held with an extension of the tibial circular external fixator.
We have treated all patients with late-onset Blount's between 1990 and 2005 with acute correction by means of a high tibial barrel vault osteotomy alone held with Steinmann pins and plaster. We did not correct concomitant femoral varus, but corrected the overall mechanical varus by overcorrecting the tibia.
Materials and methods
We retrospectively reviewed 36 patients (43 knees) treated for late-onset Blount's disease from 1990-2005. Of the 36 patients, 31 (86%) were black and 22 were female (M:F ratio 2:3). Of the 36 patients 15 (17 knees) were juvenile (4-10 years old at presentation) and 19 (26 knees) were adolescent (11 years or older). Twenty-two patients (61.1%) were obese (weight for age >95th percentile). Eight of the15 juvenile patients (53.3%) were obese and 14 (73.6%) of the adolescent patients were obese.
All patients were assessed clinically at presentation and at final follow-up. Presenting symptoms were bowing with or without pain (Figure 1a). Twenty-two (61.1%) of the 36 patients had some form of bilateral genu varum: seven patients had bilateral late-onset Blount's disease, seven patients had contralateral late presenting infantile Blount's and a further eight patients had contralateral genu varum <5° which did not warrant corrective osteotomy. All patients had intoeing due to internal tibial torsion (Figure 1b). The mean thigh-foot angle was 10° internal rotation (range 0°-25°). All patients were Siffert-Katz negative (no increased deformity demonstrated with varus stress in 20° flexion as is found in late presenting infantile Blount's).30
Ten patients had associated pathologies: seven contralateral late presenting infantile Blount's, two peroneal spastic flat feet and one SUFE.
Radiographs taken pre-operatively and at final follow-up included a mechanical axis antero-posterior (AP) standing radiograph with the patella pointing forward and a lateral radiograph of the tibia. These were measured using the methods of Paley and Tetsworth.29 On the AP mechanical axis (MA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA normal = 87°, range of 85°-90°), medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA normal = 87°, range 85°-90) and lateral distal tibial angle (LDTA normal = 89°, range 86°-92°) were measured. On the lateral the posterior proximal tibial angle (PPTA normal = 81°, range 77°-84°) quantified the procurvatum. Post-operatively mechanical axis AP views and lateral tibial views were taken. At removal of the plaster AP and lateral tibial views were done to confirm union.
Pre-operative mechanical varus ranged from 8° to 55°. All patients had tibial varus.
Femoral varus was defined as an LDTA >90°. Distal femoral varus occurred in 17 (39.5%) of the 43 knees. Femoral varus ranged from 4° (LDFA 94°) to 12° (LDTA 102°). This quantifies the potential joint line obliquity in these knees as the mechanical varus was corrected with a tibial osteotomy only.
Of the knees with distal femoral varus 88% were in obese patients, compared to 42% obesity in those patients who did not have femoral varus. Distal femoral varus occurred in 50% of adolescent knees and in 23.5% of juvenile knees.
There was no pre-operative ankle valgus in this study.
The surgical technique was the same in all cases. Preoperatively the centre of the femoral head is determined with fluoroscopy and marked with an ECG electrode. Through a mid-fibular incision a lateral compartment fasciotomy and an oblique osteotomy of the fibula was done. Through a second incision below the tibial apoph-ysis and after anterior compartment fasciotomy, a low energy tibial barrel vault osteotomy was performed just below the apophysis. To achieve a comfortable correction 1 cm of shortening was done. Through this osteotomy the mechanical axis of the limb was corrected to 0°-5° valgus in adolescents and 5°-10° in juveniles.
This was done with intra-operative fluoroscopy using the electrocautery cord from the centre of the femoral head represented by the ECG electrode. The internal tibial torsion was corrected to 10° external tibial torsion and the procurvatum to a PPTA of 80°. No patient had a distal femoral or distal tibial osteotomy. The corrected barrel vault osteotomy was held with two to three crossed 2.4 mm Steinmann pins and the leg immobilised in an above-knee plaster for 6 weeks. The patients were then weaned of crutches and partial weightbearing over 4 weeks.
There were no cases of compartment syndrome, infection, delayed or non-union or peroneal nerve palsy.
Patients were followed up for 2-8 years (mean 4 years) and 38 of the 43 knees were followed up to physeal closure (either secondary to maturity or epiphysiodesis in the case of the seven patients with contralateral late presenting infantile Blount's). Results were graded clinically and radiologically using a modification of the criteria described by Schoenecker et al.21 A good result had no pain, a mechanical axis ≤5° varus or valgus and a procurvatum deformity <10° (PPTA ≥70°).
Thirty-three (76.7%) knees had a good result (Figure 2) and ten (23.3%) a poor result (Table I).
All patients had adequate correction of the internal tibial torsion to thigh foot angles 10° to 15° external rotation. No patient had ankle valgus clinically or radiologically (LDTA 86°-90°). No patient had a leg length discrepancy of >2 cm.
Analysis of the radiological measurements of the 33 knees with good results (Table II) showed that although the overall mechanical varus of 8-55° had been corrected to within 5° of neutral, the average MPTA was 94°, reflecting tibial valgus. This is because both the femoral and tibial contributions to the overall mechanical varus were corrected by a tibial osteotomy alone, and is a reflection of the mean distal femoral varus (LDFA 93°) (Figure 3).
When the 12 knees with femoral varus are excluded, the mean post-operative MPTA is normal at 88° (Table III; Figure 2).
Eight of the ten poor results were attributable to not obtaining accurate deformity correction at surgery. Five knees required re-operation: two knees for over-correction to >10° mechanical valgus and three juvenile knees which were initially only corrected to between 0°-4° valgus and recurred to >5° varus, due to ongoing growth disturbance of the proximal medial tibial physis (Figure 4).
The five knees with poor results who did not have further surgery included four knees with under-correction to between 6° and 10° mechanical varus and one with under-correction of procurvatum (PPTA 60°). These five patients were satisfied with their cosmetic outcome and refused further corrective surgery.
The pathology of Blount's disease is due to abnormal endochondral ossification with resultant growth inhibition of the medial proximal tibial physis. This growth plate abnormality manifests histologically as column disorganisation with clefts and fissures.4,12,14
The aetiology however remains unknown and is probably multifactorial.11 Davids et al19 postulated that obese adolescents had a 'fat thigh gait' with resultant difficulty adducting the hip in stance, which together with swing limb circumduction results in increased forces across the medial side of the knee causing physeal growth inhibition.
Demographic data from the USA show that 80% are black, 75% male and >90% obese patients.3-11 Although 86% of the patients in our study were black, the male:female ratio was 2:3 and only 61.1% of the patients were obese. The 'fat thigh gait' alone does not explain late-onset Blount's disease in patients of normal weight and in the 39% of patients in our study who did not have any form of bilateral involvement. The theory however, is supported by the distribution of the femoral varus which occurred in 39.5% of the knees in our study. Older or adolescent patients (50% femoral varus) and overweight patients (88% femoral varus) were twice as likely to develop femoral varus when compared to juvenile (25%) or normal weight (42%) patients.
Three orthopaedic conditions that occur in overweight children are Blount's disease, SUFE and idiopathic peroneal spastic flat foot. SUFE has a similar histopathology of the growth plate as Blount's.12 Idiopathic peroneal spastic flat foot which occurred in two patients in this study has not previously been described in Blount's.
Over the last 20 years the treatment of late-onset Blount's disease has evolved away from the more traditional high tibial osteotomy alone held with limited internal fixation. This is due to difficulties with managing the very obese patient in plaster and achieving exact correction of the deformity under fluoroscopy. The literature reflects an evolution of the surgical technique towards more complicated techniques such as internal fixation with a plate and external fixation with monolateral and ring fixators.
Acute correction and compression plate fixation was used by Martin et al.22 It was never widely used because it required greater soft tissue stripping and did not allow lateral translation at the osteotomy site. Monolateral external fixation with an Orthofix fixator was described by Gaudinez et al8 and Stanitsky et al.23
It allows for simultaneous lengthening although in our study leg length discrepancy was not a problem. Similarly circular external fixation allowed simultaneous lengthening and weightbearing throughout treatment. Coogan et al and Stanitsky et al described gradual correction with a hinged Ilizarov-type external fixator. The fixator was on for an average of 19 weeks.
More recently the Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) has allowed correction with a circular fixator and six-axis deformity analysis. Feldman et al21 used the TSF in chronic mode for gradual correction and reported 100% good results. They also published a comparative study where they compared the patients treated with gradual correction in a TSF to a group treated by acute correction. They concluded that the gradual correction was more accurate.25
Advantages of our technique are that it is relatively simple to perform and that the equipment is much cheaper than the external fixator devices. The surgical time is less and bilateral cases can be done at the same sitting. The plaster is removed at 6 weeks, compared to a mean of 19 weeks for gradual correction in an external fixator.
The maximum weight in our study was 114 kg. The study by Gordon et al16 reported a mean weight of 112 kg with a maximum of 178 kg! Since the completion of our study in 2005 the degree and the incidence of severe obesity in mainly adolescent patients has increased significantly. These severely obese patients are difficult to manage in plaster and we are now utilising a monolateral Orthofix fixator. The juvenile patients and the adolescent patients who are not severely obese are managed as described in this study.
Intra-operative assessment of mechanical axis and alignment
All our poor results not due to juvenile recurrence were due to inaccuracy of correction at the time of surgery. Using the electrocautery cord for alignment in an obese patient is a crude instrument at best. Sabharwal et al31 have shown that this method is accurate only in patients with a normal body mass index, <2 cm of mechanical axis deviation and <3° of joint line convergence angle on the standing AP radiograph. Saleh et al32 developed a grid with wires to accurately align the tibial mechanical axis. A longer grid has since been made with a wire from the hip to the ankle but still has to be verified.
Distal femoral varus
Distal femoral varus occurred in 17 (39.5%) of all the knees and in 12 (36.3%) of the good results. The adolescent (50% vs 23.5%) and obese patients (88% vs 42%) were twice as likely to develop femoral varus, lending weight to the theory that increased forces across the medial femoral physis in an overloaded varus knee contribute to this secondary deformity.10,17-20 This is different from late-presenting infantile Blount's. In late-presenting infantile Blount's the more pliable epiphysis of the medial joint line becomes depressed, necessitating an elevating osteotomy while the femur is unaffected.4
Gordon et al16 describe a comprehensive approach to late-onset Blount's disease. They simultaneously corrected the femoral varus by means of lateral distal hemi-epiphyseal stapling (if there was enough growth remaining) or with an osteotomy and blade plate, in order to avoid residual distal joint line obliquity which could possibly lead to degenerative joint disease. They corrected the femoral varus if it exceeded 5° (LDFA >95°).Twelve of the 33 knees with good results in our study had residual joint line obliquity between 4° and 12°, due to residual femoral varus with a LDTA >90° (the upper limit of normal). There are to our knowledge no long-term studies into adulthood to assess whether this amount of joint line obliquity results in significant degeneration. It may well be that in these obese patients who cannot normally adduct in the stance phase, the joint line is parallel to the floor in stance although not perpendicular to the mechanical axis. We currently will correct the femoral varus if it exceeds 10° (LDFA >100°).
Ankle valgus
There was no ankle valgus (LDTA <86°) pre- or post-operatively in our study. Myers et al18 also found no ankle valgus. This is difficult to explain especially in those limbs where the tibia was overcorrected into valgus to correct the tibial and femoral varus. Gordon et al16 in their comprehensive approach corrected ankle valgus with a varus osteotomy or medial distal hemi-epiphyseal stapling if the LDTA was<86°.
Since the completion of this study we follow the osteotomy rule of Paley and Tetsworth29 to lateralise the tibia after the proximal tibial osteotomy. The osteotomy is distal to the centre of the deformity which occurs at the growth plate, and translation of the tibia laterally limits overcorrection into valgus and prevents a 'dog leg' deformity.
Recurrence in juvenile knees
Juvenile recurrence due to ongoing abnormal endochondral ossification is a well-recognised problem with reported rates between 25% and 50%.3,13,14 Our study was no exception. Three (17.6%) of the 17 juvenile knees required re-operation due to recurrence following initial correction to <5° valgus (Figure 4). No juvenile knees that were corrected to between 5° and 10° valgus recurred into varus. We therefore recommend that patients <11 years old at surgery be corrected to 5°-10° valgus to allow for this recurrence.
Limitations of this study are that the follow-up was relatively short and the long-term effects on the knee could not be assessed; five knees were not followed to maturity; and it has the bias of a retrospective study.
Tibial osteotomy alone held with Steinmann pins and plaster is a simple and cheap option and can give good results in the treatment of all juvenile patients and adolescent patients that are not severely obese. In juvenile knees overcorrection to 5°-10° mechanical valgus accommodates recurrence secondary to persistent growth inhibition.
The content of this article is the sole work of the authors. No benefits of any form have been or are to be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article. The research has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee, Health Sciences Faculty, University of Cape Town (ref: 349/2008).
1. Blount WP. Tibia vara. Osteochondrosis deformans tibiae. J Bone Joint Surg 1937;19:1-29. [ Links ]
2. Langenskiöld A, Riska EB. Tibia vara (osteochondrosis deformans tibiae). A survey of 21 cases. J Bone Joint Surg (Am)1964;46-A:1405-20. [ Links ]
3. Thompson GH, Carter JR, Smith CW. Late-onset tibia vara: A comparative analysis. J Pediatr Orthop 1984;4:185-94. [ Links ]
4. Wenger DR, Mickelson M, Maynard JA. The evolution and histopathology of adolescent tibia vara. J Pediatr Orthop 1984;4:78-88. [ Links ]
5. Loder RT, Schaffer JJ, Bardstein MB. Late-onset tibia vara. J Pediatr Orthop 1991;11:162-67. [ Links ]
6. Henderson RC, Kemp GJ, Greene WB. Adolescent tibia vara: Alternatives for operative treatment. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 1992:74-A:342-50. [ Links ]
7. Coogan PG, Fox JA, Fitch RD. Treatment of adolescent Blount's disease with the circular external fixation device and distraction osteogenesis. J Pediatr Orthop 1996;16:455-60. [ Links ]
8. Gaudinez R, Adar U. Use of Orthofix T-Garche fixator in late-onset tibia vara. J Pediatr Orthop 1996;16:455-60. [ Links ]
9. Stanitsky DF, Dahl M, Louie K, Grayhack J. Management of late-onset tibia vara in the obese patient by using circular external fixation. J Pediatr Orthop 1997;17:691-94. [ Links ]
10. Sabharwal S, Zhao C, McClemens E. Correlation of boby mass index and radiographic deformities in children with Blount disease. J Bone Joint Surgery (Am) 2007;89-A:1275- 83. [ Links ]
11. Sabharwal S. Current concepts review. Blount disease. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 2009; 91-A:1758-76. [ Links ]
12. Carter JR, Leeson MC, Thompson GH, Kalamchi A, Kelly CM, Makley JT. Late-onset tibia vara: A histopathological analysis. A comparative evaluation with infantile tibia vara and slipped capital femoral epiphysis. J Pediatr Orthop 1988;8:187-95. [ Links ]
13. Thompson GH, Carter JR. Late-onset tibia vara (Blount's disease). Current Concepts. Clin Orthop 1990;225:24-35. [ Links ]
14. Van Huyssteen AL, Davies JQ, Hastings CJ, Roche SJL, Hoffman EB. Late-onset Blount's disease: an epidemiological, radiological and histological study. J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 2001;83-B (Suppl 1):4. [ Links ]
15. Kline SC, Bostrum M, Griffin PP. Femoral varus: An important component in late-onset Blount's disease. J Pediatr Orthop 1992;12:197-206. [ Links ]
16. Gordon JE, Heidenreich FP, Carpenter CJ, Kelly-Hahn J, Schoenecker PL. Comprehensive treatment of late-onset Blount's. J Bone Joint Surgery (Am) 2005;87-A:1561-70. [ Links ]
17. Gordon JE, King DJ, Luhmann SJ, Dobbs MB, Schoenecker PL. Femoral deformity in tibia vara. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 2006;88-A:380-86. [ Links ]
18. Myers TG, Fishman MK, McCarthy JJ, Davidson RS, Gaughan J. Incidence of distal femoral and distal tibial deformities in infantile and adolescent Blount's disease. J Pediatr Orthop 2005;25:215-18. [ Links ]
19. Davids JR, Huskamp M, Baglett AM. A dynamic biome-chanical analysis of the etiology of adolescent tibia vara. J Pediatr Orthop 1996;16:461-68. [ Links ]
20. Gushue DL, Houck J, Lerner AL. Effects of childhood obesity on three dimensional knee joint biomechanics during walking. J Pediatr Orthop 2005;25:763-68. [ Links ]
21. Schoenecker PL, Meade WC, Pierron RL, Sheridan JJ, Capelli AM. Blount's disease: A retrospective review and recommendation for treatment. J Pediatr Orthop 1985;5:181-86. [ Links ]
22. Martin SD, Moran MC, Martin TL, Burke SW. Proximal tibial osteotomy with compression plate fixation for tibia vara. J Pediatr Orthop 1994;14:619-22.
23. Stanitsky DF, Srivastava P, Stanitsky CL. Correction of proximal tibial deformities in adolescents with the T-Garches external fixator. J Pediatr Orthop 1998;18:512-17. [ Links ]
24. Feldman DS, Madan SS, Koval KJ, van Bosse HJ, Bazzi J, Lehman WB. Correction of tibia vara with six axis deformity analysis and the Taylor Spatial Frame. J Pediatr Orthop 2003;23:387-91. [ Links ]
25. Feldman DS, Madan SS, Ruchelsman DE, Sala DA, Lehman WB. Accuracy of correction of tibia vara: Acute versus gradual correction. J Pediatr Orthop 2006;26:794-98. [ Links ]
26. Blount WP, Clarke GR. Control of bone growth by epiphyseal stapling. A preliminary report. J Bone Joint Surg (Am)1949;31-A:464-78. [ Links ]
27. Mielke CH, Stevens PM. Hemiepiphyseal stapling for knee deformities in children younger than 10 years: A preliminary report. J Pediatr Orthop 1996;16:423-29. [ Links ]
28. Park SS, Gordon JE, Luhmann SJ, Dodds MB, Schoenecker PL. Outcome of hemiepiphyseal stapling for late-onset tibia vara. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 2005;87-A:2259-66. [ Links ]
29. Paley D, Tetsworth K. Mechanical axis deviation of the lower limbs. Preoperative planning of uniapical angular deformities of the tibia or femur. Clin Orthop 1992;280:48-64. [ Links ]
30. Siffert RS, Katz JF. The intra-artricular deformity in osteochondrosis deformans tibiae. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 1970;52-A:800-804. [ Links ]
31. Sabharwal SW, Zhao C. Assessment of lower limb alignment: supine fluoroscopy compared with a standing full length radiograph. J Bone Joint Surg(Am) 2008;90-A:43-51. [ Links ]
32. Saleh M, HarrimanP, EdwardsDJ. A radiological method for producing precise limb alignment. J Bone Joint Surg (Br) 1991;73-B:515-16. [ Links ]
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text:
Weather will now affect several aspects of Pokemon Go. This page serves as a complete collection of all known weather effects on the game, though currently un-released. A summary is shown below followed by a detailed discussion.
Note we have updated the battle sim so you can see the effects of weather on battle.
For the 7 weather types shown below, the associated Pokemon/move types are affected in several ways:
Niantic has stated that Pokemon of matching types will be more likely to be encountered in the wild during the different weather types. It's unlikely we will ever know by how much, and Niantic will certainly play with the effects from time-to-time, but this is a stated effect.
Niantic stated during its developer update on weather effects that "These Pokémon are more likely to have greater potential in battle". Early research indicates the Pokemon spawning in appropriate weather are 5 levels higher than they would have otherwise been, making it possible for wild Pokemon to spawn at level 35 and raid bossses to spawn at level 25. It is suspected that IV's my also be higher but this is unconfirmed and pending further data.
Niantic has stated that Pokemon of the matching type will yield bonus stardust when caught during appropriate weather. It appears from leaks provided by Serbeii that this is a 25% boost to stardust. It's not known if this effect stacks and if any stacking would be multiplicative or additive. E.g. Catching a Sabelye (both dark and ghost) during fog could be +25% dust, +50% dust or +56% dust (1.25*1.25).
Niantic has stated that "Move types that match certain weather conditions will deal extra damage in battle." The image below from the publisher's Japanese website indicates that this is a 20% bonus to move damage
Focussing on combat, the 20% buff to damage is quite significant. All types have an associated weather under which they are buffed. Considering the size of the buff, weather now plays a signficant role in who your best attackers and defenders might be.
This is of course dependant on your locality but for a town like Sydney Australia with 236 sunshine days per year, this would appear to be a semi-permanent buff to fire, bug and ground moves by 20%.
We'll continue to update this page as the weather effects are released and further research is done. PA is happy to see a new depth and dynamic added to the game.
If you like Poke Assistant and the free services it provides, the best thing you can do to give back is to recommend it:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Chautauqua County, Kansas
Chautauqua County was organized on June 1, 1875, by Richard Stater; William Bowden; O. Hayson; H. S. Halliday; Alexander Sawver; George M. Ross; John W. Morris; and John Sutter. These men were all land promoters who soon left the county after organization. It contains the cities of Cedar Vale, Chautauqua, Elgin, Niotaze, Peru and Sedan, and was named for Chautauqua County, New York.
The county seat dispute between Sedan, which had been named by the legislature as the county seat, and Elk Falls, where some officers remained with the county records, continued for nearly two years. Sedan offered to construct a courthouse with private funds if it was to be the county seat. By 1877 the building was completed and Sedan was the county seat.
The first school was organized in Elgin in 1870. The county fair is held in Sedan, but the origination date is unknown.
- See our Kansas Counties database for statistics in the county.
- Search our Register database for historic sites in the county.
- Search Kansas Memory for historic items from the county.
- Read more about the High Plains region where this county is located.
For more information see the Chautauqua County website.
Entry: Chautauqua County, Kansas
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: February 2010
Date Modified: October 2015
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.


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Is it okay that 'Biggest Loser' is now focusing on 'incredibly sensitive' obese teens?
"The Biggest Loser" will return in January with the weight-loss show's first young teen participants and trainer Jillian Michaels back on duty.
The show's 14th season will take on a new "mission" against the national increase in childhood obesity, NBC said Tuesday. Youths between the ages of 13 and 17 will join teams trying to shed pounds and get fit.
Unlike adults competing for a $250,000 prize, the teenagers won't be subject to elimination from the show and will not be weighed for the broadcast, NBC said.
The show's producers discussed adding teens at length and are "incredibly sensitive" to safeguarding them, Michaels said.
"It's brave, it's bold and I'm sure it's going to be controversial, and we'll do the best we can to handle it in the most positive and effective way possible," the usually tough-talking fitness expert said.
The goal is to focus on the kids' health rather than their weight, Michaels said, adding, "It's about getting them on the softball team, not into a size four."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past three decades, with about 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 considered obese based on height and weight measurements.
The season's 18 contestants will be divided into six-member teams, each including at least one youngster.
Michaels, who took a break from "Biggest Loser" to pursue adoption of a daughter, will join trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince in working with the young contestants, with medical staff and childhood obesity experts also involved.
The hard-driving trainer, who also has an infant son with her partner, says it remains to be seen whether motherhood will alter her overall approach toward adults who are "killing themselves" with bad health habits.
"I am a different person, motherhood changes your DNA. However, being a mom and doing this job are very different aspects of my life and personality," she said, adding, "I'm not going to make any promises."
"Biggest Loser" will return in early January, NBC said, but a debut date was not announced.


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The Nation, March 21, 2012 by Patricia J. Williams
It's an interesting time to ponder the meaning of life and death in the eyes of the law. On one hand, Christian conservatives increasingly seek to sacralize embryos from the moment of conception. On the other, the Supreme Court just heard a case that, among other things, considers the extent to which the corporeal death of a parent is really the "end of the line" with regard to "survivor" benefits for children conceived by artificial insemination from the frozen sperm of a deceased father. On one hand, Citizens United granted First Amendment rights to corporations that are identical to—and some would say exceed—those of natural persons; on the other, the Second Circuit recently ruled that individuals, but not corporations, can be sued for human rights abuses.
It's interesting to consider the larger social anxieties at play when it comes to the "right to life" debates. Rick Santorum recently made a great show for personhood amendments, declaring, "Personhood is defined as an entity that is genetically human and alive." But unfertilized eggs are "genetically human." And sperm swim, so technically they're "alive." (Or, as an irreverent friend suggested: fellatio must therefore be a form of cannibalism.) If egg and sperm are sacralized even before they meet, it goes a long way to explaining why the evils of contraception are back on the table.
But if we push this figuration only a little, "conceptually," life begins with DNA. Conceivably, every cell in our body is brimming with generative potential, particularly given new technologies of assisted reproduction. Santorum's stance thus becomes a peculiar cross between the theological imperative to be fruitful and multiply and the fetishism of microbiological cellular promise.
The oddity of this discourse is best revealed by a recent rash of satiric bills pressed by clever female legislators. Virginia State Senator Janet Howell wrote an amendment to the requirement that women be subjected to vaginal probe before being able to have an abortion: "Prior to prescribing medication for erectile dysfunction, a physician shall perform a digital rectal examination and a cardiac stress test. Informed consent for these procedures shall be given at least 24 hours before the procedures are performed." (Her amendment was defeated, but by a satisfyingly narrow margin of 21 to 19.) In Oklahoma, Constance Johnson introduced the "anti-spillage" amendment, which holds that "any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman's vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child."
Frankly, I respect the Oklahoma Personhood Amendment's proposal that life is sacred, "regardless of place of residence, race, gender, age, disability, health, level of function, condition of dependency, or method of reproduction." But this expansive notion never seems to translate into policies that would provide actual food, shelter, healthcare or material succor for those precious lives, either pre- or post-birth. (In New Hanover, North Carolina, the County Board of Commissioners recently turned down a family healthcare grant, with one commissioner remarking that "if these young women were responsible people and didn't have the sex to begin with, we wouldn't be in this situation.") Those claiming to give "voice to the voiceless" entities within the womb pit the interests of conceptual life against the bodies of living women. In any event, I'm not sure why regard for incipient humanity should make us feel bound to breed like bunnies within marriage or be constrained from copulating outside of it—particularly given that 99 percent of American women use some form of birth control.
At the same time, there are important principles being tested in these debates: the degree to which we feel sex to be a natural bodily function, whether pregnancy is always wholly a woman's autonomous choice. Framed this way, our discussions of life and death seem oddly incoherent and disconnected. We love the very thought of life, but we disparage "anchor babies," "welfare children" and teens of color like Trayvon Martin. We spend billions on fertility treatments for the wealthy but speak of pregnancy among the poor in terms of economic surplus, burden, free rider.
These discussions also vivify proxies of personhood in much the same way that corporations are enlivened: our updated Puritanism about reproduction is peppered with overly deterministic images of what DNA "says" and with marketed avatars of human perfectibility. Cytoplasm has been personified and given life and active voice; you've got to probe a woman's body to see if there's a separate life in there in need of rescue. You have to show her pictures of her blastodermic vesicles in case she doesn't know.
Some anti-contraception arguments seem to cast birth control as actively harming real, microscopic little people, wee homunculi waiting to materialize, as though menstruation were a sinful waste. Eggs are people too! The maternal sanctity of the inspired neo-egg is posited in constant battle with the hot, sluttish moral disregard of any woman who has sex that is not at the behest of a husband's procreative mission. Thus it is that Sandra Fluke becomes pluralized into all the women in her testimony; and all those women are reduced to a throbbing red light of a single really dirty body part.
But this is not mere political hyperbole. If we are not yet a theocracy, then it seems appropriate to observe that Santorum's comprehensive invocation of "life" as a theological concept is, in the law, no more than a literary device—one that is employed when we construct legal fictions of all sorts. It is no different from granting "legal subjectivity" to a municipality or bestowing "personhood" on a corporation. This is not about what God endows. Rather, the law's concern is what we as a constituted polity choose to animate and what we don't. How "we the people" come alive in language, not merely in the womb, is the challenge of social justice: our love of life must not be locked away in the perpetually future contingent but fully engaged in the embodied present tense.


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Ford System Status
FordEtis performance metrics for system availability measured as system uptime can be accessed from the link below. The metric which will be published weekly shows the previous weeks performance in detail and a 12 week view. Additional metrics will be available soon.
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Ford's Parts Catalog for Ford genuine parts.
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NEW YORK, N.Y. — An actor who for two decades played a scheming patriarch on the daytime drama General Hospital has died in Los Angeles. ABC says John Ingle was 84.
Ingle took over the role as the ruthless Edward Quartermaine in 1993 and made his final appearance in an episode airing last week. He died Sunday.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, he had acting credits in TV shows including Days of Our Lives, Big Love and The Drew Carey Show and in films such as Batman and Robin and Heathers.
The native of Tulsa, Okla., was a graduate of Occidental College. He taught at Hollywood High School, UCLA and Beverly Hills High School.
His wife of 57 years, Grace-Lynne Martin, died in February. He is survived by their five daughters.


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The right-wing nutjob (from Florida, of course) who sent at least a dozen pipe bombs or pipe-bomb replicas to several prominent members of the Democratic community (not one of which actually reached its addressee in person, to my knowledge [mail to prominent individuals is screened — duh!]) is, of course, a big supporter of "President" Pussygrabber. He is shown above at a Pussygrabber KKK rally in Florida.
CNN has rounded up all three recent hate crimes in the United States into one article, titled "72 Hours in America: Three Hate-Filled Crimes. Three Hate-Filled Suspects."
It begins:
Consider the past week in America.
Wednesday, a white man with a history of violence shot and killed two African-Americans, seemingly at random [it wasn't really random, since he was hunting black people, very apparently], at a Kentucky Kroger store following a failed attempt to barge into a black church.
After mail bombs were being sent to people who'd been criticized by the president, a suspect was arrested Friday — a man who had railed against Democrats and minorities with hate-filled messages online.
And [yesterday] morning, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people attending Jewish services.
Those three incidents in 72 hours shared one thing: hate.
The pipe-bomb douche — a body-builder who apparently shaves his armpits and reportedly once was a male stripper (not your usual MAGA-cap wearer) — of course is a well-documented supporter of the "president."
What I'd like to know is whether he never intended a pipe bomb to go off or if he wanted one or more to go off but is too fucking stupid to have been able make one that actually works.
And I knew that it was a wingnut who had sent the pipe bombs or pipe-bomb replicas — that is wasn't a "false-flag" operation — when I saw the image of the package that he sent to former CIA Director John Brennan, supposedly from former Democratic National Committee head Debbie Wasserman Schultz, on which he misspelled Brennan's surname as "Brenan" and misspelled Schultz as "Shultz." (Gee, that wouldn't be a tip-off, the sender misspelling his or her own name!)
Wingnuts, including our "president," are known for being unable to spell and for making typos.
On that note, the pipe-bomb douche put "Florids" instead of "Florida" in the return address on at least two of the packages, and he used a ridiculously large font and unnecessarily put the word "to" in front of the address and "from" in front of the return address, which only a fucktard who doesn't know how to properly address a package (that is, a Pussygrabber voter) would do.
The pipe-bomb douche is a mixed-race man (Italian and Filipino), apparently, who is 56 years old and apparently was living in that van covered with anti-Democratic and pro-Pussygrabber signs and stickers.
In the less-publicized Kentucky incident, a 51-year-old white man targeted and shot to death two black people, a man and a woman, very apparently because he wanted to kill black people. Here is a lovely news photo of him, apparently escorted, ironically, by black law enforcement officers:
Associated Press photo
After this white-supremacist genius couldn't get inside of a black church in order to shoot it up Dylann Storm Roof style (those inside wisely had locked the doors) — he opted instead for the nearby grocery store, where he very apparently went hunting for black people.
Yesterday's massacre at the synagogue in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, was the deadliest hate crime of this past week, with 11 shot dead and six more injured.
The synagogue shooter is a 46-year-old white man —
AFP photo
— who reportedly isn't actually a fan of "President" Pussygrabber because he deems Pussygrabber to be too cozy with Jews.
(I don't get anti-Semitism. I am an atheist and so I reject Christianity, Judaism and Islam, not just for their hocus-pocus, Santa-Claus-like bullshit, but also for their long history of patriarchy, misogyny and homophobia, but as long as someone doesn't try to oppress me with his or her bullshit religious beliefs, I believe in live and let live, and if we're going to judge someone, we should judge him or her upon the content of his or her character, paramount, probably, in regards to how he or she treats others.)
Still, this anti-Semite who acted upon his hatred in Pittsburgh isn't a "man" who would vote for a Democrat, and Slate.com points out correctly that Pussygrabber for years now has stoked the current toxic environment in which for resentful, stupid, mostly middle-aged white males (and the stupid white women who support them), there are plenty of scapegoats to blame for the fact that they are losers: there are the "illegals" (Pussygrabber's favorite scapegoats), Jews, blacks, Democrats, socialists, gays, feminists, transgender individuals, Muslims, et. al., et. al.
This is the sociopolitical (and sociopathic) background in which the nation will go to the polls in only nine days.
Those who might one day find themselves to be one of the victims of these hate-filled, white-male losers — and those who care about these hate crimes — might want to be sure to vote, because, no matter what "President" Pussygrabber's treasonous, insane-by-definition supporters might claim, hatred indeed is on the November 6 ballot, and it's up to each and every one of us to vote for it or to vote against it.


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Mini is calling the 2013 Paceman a "Sport Activity Coupe," though you could probably just refer to it as a Countryman minus two rear doors and with a slinkier roofline. While photos ofthe Paceman were leaked online ahead of its official debut at the 2012 ParisAuto Show, we've only just gotten the full scoop regarding what's lurking beneath the sheet metal of Mini's newest model.
In many European markets, the Paceman will be available with two diesel engine options, though don't bet on those being offered here in the U.S. Our standard engine is likely to be a 122-bhp 1.6-liter inline-4, along with an optional turbocharged variant pumping out 184 bhp. A 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox will be available with either engine. The base Paceman is front-wheel-drive, though Mini's ALL4 four-wheel-drive will be optional with the Paceman Cooper S (turbocharged) model.
The Seventh Mini Model
At 161.7 inches in total length, the Paceman is exactly the same size as the boxier Countryman crossover. Overall height of the Paceman is nearly two inches lower, however, thanks to its sleeker roofline. Passenger room is identical, since the wheelbase stays the same between the two models, though the Countryman should maintain a notable edge in rear headroom compared to the Paceman. Mini has opted to equip the Paceman with two individual rear seats, separated by a center rail storage and attachment system, versus a more traditional bench seat arrangement. Mini says this creates a "lounge style ambience."
The Paceman represents the seventh distinct model in the Mini U.S.A. lineup. That number could jump to eight, if Mini opts to bring its smaller and very well received "Rocketman"concept to production (possibly by 2014). Pricing for U.S. versions of the Paceman will be released closer to its on sale date, scheduled for early-2013.


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Giants stick with Tom Coughlin as coach
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tom Coughlin is going to get another chance to make the Giants a champion again.
Giants co-owner John Mara told the 67-year-old Coughlin on Monday morning that he wants him to return for an 11th season with the team that he led to Super Bowl titles in 2008 and 2012 despite a disappointing 7-9 record this season.
It marked the fourth time in five years that the Giants have missed the postseason, but this might have been one of Coughlin's better coaching jobs. He held together an injury-plagued team that lost its first six games and won seven of the final 10, closing the season with a 20-6 victory over Washington.
"Do we have unfinished business? Yes!" Coughlin said Monday. "We have a lot of unfinished business. We'd like to get to the winner's circle again. That's what this thing is all about. Do you think I'm disappointed? Yes, I'm disappointed."
There are some issues that have to be finalized later this week when Mara and Coughlin sit down with co-owner Steve Tisch and general manager Jerry Reese. Coughlin, whose contract will expire next season, may get an extension so he does not enter next season as a lame-duck coach.
There is also going to be an evaluation of the season and a frank discussion about the coaching staff. The offense and special teams struggled, so those coordinators — Kevin Gilbride and Tom Quinn — will be on the hot seat, as will quarterback coach Sean Ryan in the wake of Eli Manning's dismal season that featured a career-high 27 interceptions.
"I have great confidence in this group of men that we've had here as a coaching staff," Coughlin said, "and I believe in them very strongly."
However, expect changes. Mara and Reese were both very disappointed with the season that Mara said was as disappointing as any in his memory. He had told reporters before the season that this might have been one of the most talented rosters the Giants have had.
"Nobody is happy being 7-9," Mara said. "Our fans deserve better. With that, we'll do everything."
Injuries hurt the Giants. Twelve players finished on injured reserve, not counting defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who missed the final five games with a shoulder injury, and Victor Cruz, who was out the last two with a knee injury. Center David Baas, guard Chris Snee, halfback David Wilson, safety Stevie Brown and cornerback Corey Webster — all starters when training camp opened — were lost to injuries.
The injuries to the offensive line affected the running game and allowed defenses to put Manning under pressure all season. He finally succumbed to it in the final game, spraining his left ankle and missing the second half.
Fixing the offensive line is a must. First-round draft pick Justin Pugh had a solid first season at right tackle. Left tackle Will Beatty is a concern because he broke a leg Sunday.
Reese believes he will be ready for next season. Guard-center Kevin Boothe, who started all 16 games, is a free agent. Snee and David Diehl might retire, and backup Jim Cordle is a restricted free agent coming off knee surgery.
Jerrel Jernigan emerged in Cruz's absence and Rueben Randle showed flashes in his second season. Hakeem Nicks is a free agent who had a bad season.
Tight end Brandon Myers was inconsistent, so the Giants may void his contract to save salary-cap room.
Wilson suffered a neck injury in the first half of the season and his status for next season is uncertain. Doctors are hopeful the injury isn't career-ending.
Even with a sub-par Pierre-Paul, the defense was the strength of the Giants. It finished eighth overall, making major improvements with the run defense with the addition of Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson and rookie Johnathan Hankins in the middle.
There are 23 unrestricted free agents, with the most significant being defensive end Justin Tuck, middle linebacker Jon Beason, defensive tackle Linval Joseph and placekicker Josh Brown.
Finally healthy, Tuck had his best season in years with 11 sacks. Beason solidified the defense after being acquired in a trade with Carolina.
"I really don't think that we are that far off," Tuck said of the Giants' future.
The Giants need another cornerback to play opposite Prince Amukamara, while the safety situation is solid with Antrel Rolle, who had a career high six interceptions, and Will Hill back.
Reese said the blame for the past season can be shared. He didn't provide the right personnel. The draft wasn't good enough. The team and the quarterback didn't play well enough, and they had no chance after losing their first six.
"We want to be a team that goes in every year and has a chance to win the tournament," Reese said. "The last couple of years we haven't been able to do that and that bothers me.
"Our standards are high around here."


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PEOPLE: Want to know how they choose their cover stories? We could tell you from our own experiences, but we'll let The New York Times do it for us. While they don't exactly portray the mag in the best light, it is pretty accurate–which is an improvement from the article last winter.
Jon & Kate Plus 8: Not that we didn't already know this, but a media firestorm can really drive up ratings. The Jon & Kate premiere more than doubled last year's audience. Now let's see if they can keep it–and their marriage.
Real Housewives: Planning another spin-off, this time in Washington, D.C. How many do we need? Aren't they all the same after a while?
Twitter: Is all publicity good publicity? Time will tell, especially now that Twitter is taking heat from users (including Ashton Kutcher) about it's supposed reality TV plans.
Twitter Pt. 2: Just discovered TruthTweet, which looks to be a great resource for identifying real celebrities and impersonators on Twitter.
New York Times: Named its very first social media editor. A step in the right direction for a traditionally traditional news outlet, no?
STILL SIZZLING: This overseas singer who (arguably, of course) can barely dress herself will be designing a fashion line.


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Below you will find answers to some of Santa's most frequently asked questions regarding registration, packet pick up, race day, course, volunteering, and our ambassador program.
Registration Questions
Why should I run the Santa Hustle® Indy?
Because it is the most magical time of the year! So, come experience the magic of the Santa Hustle® Indy on Sunday, December 18, 2022!
What time does the race start?
5k: 9:05 am
Kid's Dash: 8:30 am
*Start times are subject to change.
How much does the race cost?
Half Marathon:
$59.99: Jun. 1 - Jun. 30
$64.99: Jul. 1 - Aug. 31
$69.99: Sep. 1 - Dec. 3
$74.99: Dec. 4 - Dec. 17
$80.00: Race Day
$39.99: Jun. 1 - Jun. 30
$44.99: Jul. 1 - Aug. 31
$49.99: Sep. 1 - Dec. 3
$54.99: Dec. 4 - Dec. 17
$60.00: Race Day
Kid's Dash:
$10.00: Jun. 1 - Dec. 17
$20.00: Race Day
Are there child's rates?
What are the shirt sizes?
Click here to view the sizing chart.
Are there any age restrictions?
No. Any age can run/walk the race.
Do I have to register my child who is in a stroller or just wants to run/walk with me?
Strollers are allowed, and you only need to register your child if they want to be timed and get all the gear.
I can't make the race. Can I get a refund or transfer my bib number to a friend?
Packet Pick Up Questions
When and where is packet pick up?
Pre-race packet pick up will be available at the following location(s).
Omni Severin
Saturday, December 17, 2022
11:00 am 6:00 pm
Race day packet pick up will be available at White River State Park on Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 7:30 am – 8:45 am.
Race day packet pick up will close at exactly 8:45 am, so Santa says to come early and be prepared for long lines!
Can I pick up my friend's packet or have my friend pick up my packet?
Yes. You can pick up a friend's packet during packet pick up and vice versa, a friend can pick up your packet. You can either bring an email confirmation ticket, or know the correct spelling of your friend's last names.
Is packet pick up available on race day? What are the other packet pick up options?
Race day packet pick up will be available at White River State Park on Sunday, December 18, 2022 from 7:30 am – 8:45 am.
Race day packet pick up will close at exactly 8:45 am, so Santa says to come early and be prepared for long lines!
Pre-race packet pick up will be available at the following location(s).
Omni Severin
Saturday, December 17, 2022
11:00 am 6:00 pm
I have a large group. Can you put my group's packets together in advance?
Yes! This makes packet pick up go much smoother for everyone. If you have a group of 15 or more please contact us with your list of names, and we'll put your group's packets together for one person to easily pick them up.
Race Day Questions
What time should I arrive for the race?
Please arrive early and allow plenty of time to park. The roads will begin closing at 8:30 am.
What if the weather is bad?
The event will take place rain, shine, or snow. However, if the weather is threatening (lightning, storms, etc.), please check for email and/or Facebook announcements with further information.
Do you have any information on parking?
What are the post race awards, age groups, and when will the awards be presented?
The top three male & female finishers in each age group for the 5k and Half Marathon will receive a customized Santa Hustle® medal. The top three overall male and female finishers will receive a Santa Hustle® personalized award. Age groups are as follows: 10 and under, 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 and over.
Awards will be presented on-site at the Awards Ceremony!
- 5K Awards Ceremony: 10:30 am
- Half Marathon Awards Ceremony: 11:30 am
All Finishers will receive one of these awesome Half Marathon or 5K finisher medals!
Awards will also be handed out for the following categories:
- Best Group Costume
- Best Individual Costume
Will gear check be available to participants?
Gear Check will be available for all race participants starting at 7:30 am.
Before the race starts, you can leave a bag with your personal items at our Gear Check tent. Please make sure to use the provided tear off on your race bib and zip tie it to your bag. Our volunteers will need this so they can quickly and easily help you claim your bag after the race is over.
Any gear not picked up by 12:00 pm on race day will be transported to our main office in Palatine, IL. Items not claimed within 30 days will be donated to a local charity.
*Santa Hustle® is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged items.
Where should I wear my timing chip?
We will be using the bib tag system. Your timing strip is on the back of your bib. Please wear your bib on your front chest with nothing covering it. The bib must be on the outside of all clothing, jackets, etc. to receive an accurate time.
Does the benefit any charity?
The Official 2023 Santa Hustle® Indy Charity is Little Red Door Cancer Agency.
Little Red Door Cancer Agency, where our mission is to make the most of life and the least of cancer. We offer services for cancer patients, resources for those in need and information on cancer prevention.
Mission: Fighting cancer is tough enough, but it's even harder when you don't have medical insurance or the resources to afford proper care. Little Red Door Cancer Agency strives to make the most of life and the least of cancer by reducing the physical, emotional, and financial burdens of cancer for the medically undeserved residents of central Indiana.
When will the race results be posted and where can I find them?
Results will be posted on-site as soon as possible following the event, and official results will be posted on the results page of the website within 24 hours.
Can I sponsor the race?
For more information about sponsorship opportunities please contact our Sponsorship Director, Maria Miller.
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 913-221-6077
Course Questions
Where are the start and finish lines located?
Please visit the course page to view the start and finish line locations.
Is this a USATF Certified Course?
The course is measured, but not certified.
What is the course like? Is it hilly or flat? On trails or roads?
Is there a time limit for the Half Marathon?
Yes. All Half Marathon participants will need to keep around a 15 minute mile pace or a 3:30 Half Marathon. The course will close completely at 12:30 pm.
Are headphones allowed on the course?
Yes. You may use headphones during the run. Just please be aware of your surroundings and the others around you racing.
Are strollers allowed?
Yes. Strollers are allowed. However, we ask that anyone using a stroller please start behind all runners.
Is walking allowed?
Yes. Walking is allowed. However, we ask that anyone planning to walk the race, please start behind all runners. Typically, around 1/3 of the participants are solely walkers in the 5k. If you plan to walk the Half Marathon, you MUST keep a 15 minute mile pace. If you do not keep this pace, you will be asked to move to the sidewalk and follow normal pedestrian rules for safety reasons.
Are dogs allowed?
Although we love your fur babies, dogs (or any other type of animal) are not allowed on the course. However, they can help cheer you on from the sidelines!
How is the starting corral set-up?
There will be signs at the start line that indicate various mile paces. Please line up accordingly to your pace – minute per mile. Please be in your corral at least 15 minutes before your race begins.
Where are the aid/water stations located?
Please visit the course page to view the aid/water station locations.
Volunteer Questions
What are the different options for volunteering?
Please visit the volunteer page for a full list of volunteer descriptions. We will need volunteers for packet pick up on from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm at . We will also need volunteers on race day at White River State Park from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm.
What do I get for volunteering?
Can you sign off on my volunteer hours?
Yes. Anyone who needs us to sign off on hours or write volunteer letters we are more than happy to help.
Where do you typically need the most volunteers?
If you have even just an hour of time to donate for packet pick up, that is where we tend to be short on volunteers. Please contact email@example.com to sign up!
If I volunteer at the race can I get a free entry?
Unfortunately, no. We appreciate your support, however, we do not allow volunteers to run the race for free.
Ambassador Program Questions
How do I get my exclusive promo code?
The Santa Hustle® crew will reach out to you via email after receiving your application, and will assign you your own promo code.
How will I know what tier I'm at for the perks?
We'll be able to track your progress throughout the series. Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on your numbers! As you soon as you've reach your tier, we'll follow up with an email regarding your new perks.
How and when will I receive my gifts?
When you reach a checkpoint that includes free registration for the Santa Hustle®, we will reach out and give you access to your free tickets right away. For any prizes and goodies, we will email you with the gifts you are eligible for and will ship your perks to you after the series ends (January).


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I awoke before first light, threw a coat over my nightgown and headed out to the beach. I wanted to catch that first liquid gold as it poured over the waves. The sand was cold under my feet as I topped the dune. As the light strengthened, I saw birds sleeping at the surf line. I fell to my knees and crept forward.
I knee-walked across the sand, then fell flat on my belly.
The light brightened and the willets roused.
They looked around blinking sleepily in the light. One yawned and stretched a leg and a wing.
The freshening tide swamped the delicate feet of the Willets, bringing with it renewed energy. The Willets now fully awake began probing the sand.
When the light turned from gold to silver, I lurched to my feet, cold, stiff and sand covered. The Willets fluttered further down the beach. With a parting shot, I headed in with gold-dazzled eyes and the promise of coffee in the air.


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Listen to the interview with Martha Johnson & Mark Gane from Martha And The Muffins for the reissue of Danseparc, during the interview they discuss their upcoming release which has finally arrived. Delicate was released on February 2, 2010.
Check out my blog for more information: http://retropolis-withdjwave.blogspot
Win a copy of Danseparc...
For everyone who signs up for MixCloud and joins as one of my followers then listens to this interview, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win the CD "Danseparc". You must be signed into MixCloud when you listen and must be on my Followers list in in order to qualify to be entered. Contest will end when I hit 50 unique hits/listeners!
Thanks for listening! DJ Wave
http://i.mixcloud.com/CGJK <--- Listen Here
Martha And The Muffins Interview & Win A CD
Announcements of any kind - CD releases, parties, club dates, whatever
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text: IBM released the OpenCL Development Kit for Linux on Power v0.3 and is available via alphaWorks. This updated offering is a fully conformant implementation of the OpenCL 1.1 specification. Other features of this release include a fully conformant implementation of the double precision extension, 32- and 64-bit atomic extensions, 64-bit application support, debugging improvements, as well as various performance improvements including full IBM POWER7* exploitation.


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Somewhere near Bouna Vista lies a peaceful and greenery-filled neigbourhood known as Wessex Estate. The old colonial-styled estate houses a total of 26 white and black low-lying blocks that were built more than 50 years ago.
These distinctive colonial apartments used to be the homes of British soldiers and their families from the fifties to the early seventies.
Today, with the government keen in developing this area as a focus for arts and design, some of the buildings are leased out to local and foreign artists, architects and creative designers.
Opposite of Portsdown, separated by the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), is another similar estate with many colonial houses, mostly for residential uses. The estate is situated beside the Hort Park.
There is a famous eating house in Portsdown known as Colbar (short form for Colonial Bar).
It was first built in 1953 at nearby Jalan Hang Jebat, and started off as a canteen to serve the British military soldiers who lived in Wessex Estate. The canteen has survived over the decades, and expatriates have gradually become its main customers after the British withdrew from Singapore in the late sixties.
In 2003, Colbar shifted to Whitchurch Road to continue serving the masses with its signature dishes in chicken chop and curry chicken.
Other similar estates in Singapore include Dempsey, Rochester Park and Seletar Camp. Dempsey and Rochester Park have transformed into high end food and beverage heavens whereas part of Seletar Camp is being reserved for the new Aerospace Hub.
Seletar Camp, popular for its peaceful and bucolic feel, currently has dozens of similar black-and-white colonial-styled bungalows leased to locals as well as expatriates.
The camp was completed by the British in 1928, as a means of air travel and air defense for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The name "Seletar" refers to the aboriginal tribes who lived along the coastal regions near the Johor Straits.
Between the fifties and seventies, the community living at Seletar Camp, made up of more than 2,000 RAF employees and their families, became better known as the Seletarville. It was visited by George Ward, the then-British Secretary of State for Air in 1957.
After 2006, the camp became increasingly affected by the rapid development of the Aerospace Hub, where almost half of the 378 original colonial houses have been identified to be demolished to give way to the new facilities.
Many of the houses bounded by Park Lane and Hyde Park Gate, now under Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), are left empty and awaiting for demolition. The conditions of these beautiful black and white houses are still in good shape.
There are also three huge mansions at Park Lane, one of which was the clubhouse. The clubhouse had many facilities, including a large swimming pool. It is unknown whether the other two mansions were formerly of residential use or other purposes. The designs of these mansions look to be a mixture of colonial and Malay flavours, with many pillars added to the first level of the buildings, much like a Malay attap house standing on stilts.
Fortunately for now, the houses at Mornington Crescent, Lambeth Walk and Maida Vale are spared from the modernisation. However, it remains unsure whether these occupied houses will be demolished after their leases expire in a few years' time. The Aerospace Hub is expected to be completed in 2018.
The Seletar Base Golf Course was built as a golf club for the British personnel in 1930. The National Sports Promotion Board (NSPB) took over the course in 1971 after the British Forces withdrew from Singapore, renamed it as Seletar Country Club. When the club moved to Lower Pierce Reservoir in 1995, the course became one of the few golf courses open to public. It had also shut down due to the development of the area.
Like the former British Air Base at Seletar, there are also many classic black and white colonial houses at the former British Naval Base at Sembawang (now Sembawang Shipyard). More than two dozens of the houses are scattered on both sides of Admiralty Road East and West.
There is a network of minor roads in the Sembawang vicinity that used to be restricted to public access in the past. The roads were mostly named after the Commonwealth countries and former British colonies, such as Canada, Kenya, Pakistan and Sudan. Some, like Auckland Road, Durban Road, Lagos Road and Wellington Road, were named after their cities. The rest had their names taken after the overseas territories of Britain. Bermudas, Falkland and Gibraltar are some of the examples.
While most of the houses are occupied and well-maintained, some are in poor conditions. Just a short distance away from the century-old Beaulieu House (now a restaurant) and the Sembawang Jetty, it is a serene and quiet environment for the current residents here.
Also read about the colonial houses at Wessex Estate.
Published: 13 December 2010
Updated: 22 February 2020


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Teachers Teaching Teachers #188 – A snow day in NYC gives us a chance to do some collaborative planning – 02.26.10
Because of a rare snow day in New York City, four NYC Writing Project teachers used some of our "found time" to do some impromptu thinking together. Our students are using Youth Voices, and recently we agreed to build a new curriculum this Spring. We got together on Skype today to discuss our budding plans for teaching "I-Search, Diigo, and Gaming."
What you will hear us discussing on this podcast is the beginning of a plan for a research and gaming curriculum and a proposal for a series of three or four professional development sessions this Spring that are focused on some portion of the game-playing and game-building curriculum that Global Kids has developed. We also have a plan for inviting other interested New York City Writing Project teachers to join us by experimenting with gaming themselves and by developing this curriculum with us.
What our small study group, the New York City Writing Project's "Tech Thursdays" group wants to do is to create a curriculum that has modules that can fit into different types of for classes, especially core subject areas. For now we are doing this work in the following content areas:
- Computer Arts (Susan Ettenheim)
- English (Paul Allison and Chris Sloan)
- Technology (Shantanu Saha and Madeline Brownstone)
- Art (Renee Dryg and David Marini)
We are creating a curriculum that assumes that teachers will be able to commit to doing it two times a week for at least 10 weeks (or similar parameters).
Those of us working on this curriculum this Spring will build successful collaborative game-based learning experiences for our students and we will learn from our failures. At the same time, we will be constantly building the rationales and the theoretical framework for including a curriculum like this into core classes in grades 6 -12. We are thinking about how we might involve other New York City Writing Project teachers in this work, perhaps in summer institue that integrates gaming into our current Advanced Summer Institute model. We are also planning for day-long workshops and regular study groups like our Tech Thursday groups in the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011.
We would also welcome your participation! As we say in this podcast, we will be using the What's Up? section of Youth Voices to have our student-gamers become more reflective about gaming, and we'll ask the students to contribute to the knowledge based of serious gaming by developing analyses by adding Discussions to Youth Voices, for example here are Comparative Essays from the first week of our new curriculum. If you have been looking for a way for your students to join Youth Voices, perhaps you could adapt, adopt, and contribut to this curriculum as well. Please join Youth Voices, and let us know!
In the meantime, we welcome you to eavesdrop on this impromptu planning session shared by four New York City public school teachers enjoying a rare snow day in New York City: Paul Allison, Susan Ettenheim, Madeline Brownstone, and Shantanu Saha.
Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.


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Last week I was at PuppetConf in San Francisco, speaking about automating the build-test-release-deploy lifecycle for Puppet modules and how we use them. Check out the PuppetLabs blog The Puppet Forge: Modules From Design to Deployment and see below the original post at MaestroDev's blog and some (quite unrelated) pictures I took. More conference pictures in the official Flickr account.
Last week PuppetConf took place at the Fairmont in San Francisco, gathering Puppet users and enthusiasts from all over the world for five days of training, development and sessions.
MaestroDev was present at the event as we are heavy Puppet users, and contributors! We are currently the 3rd most frequent contributor to Puppet modules in the Puppet Forge and publish 30 modules, of the 50 that we use on a day to day basis.
Our architect Carlos Sanchez gave a presentation on How to Develop Puppet Modules: From Source to the Forge With Zero Clicks, showing how to apply an automatic build-test-release-deploy cycle for Puppet Modules, because, when you use Infrastructure-as-Code you have to apply the development best practices to your infrastructure. In a demo, he showed how we use Maestro to automatically build, test, release and deploy our Puppet modules to the Puppet Forge, triggered on each commit for a truly Continuous Delivery experience.
And, not only do we use Puppet to provide module deployment to the Forge, we also integrate Maestro with Puppet and Puppet Enterprise to automate Puppet updates across your Puppet agents. When you put these capabilities together with other development automation capabilities you achieve Continuous Delivery for both your applications and infrastructure.
Imagine you are building or releasing the latest version of your software and need to propagate an update through all the Puppet agents running, as well as any updates to config files or packages managed by Puppet. Instead of waiting for the next Puppet run to happen, Maestro can automatically deploy the Puppet manifests and modules to the Puppet master after being tested, and propagate those changes as well as the latest application built to all or a subset of the servers running with Puppet agents.
Thanks to all the Puppet Labs guys for a great event, and especially to Ryan Coleman for the work he is doing on the Forge and his help getting these Maestro integrations working. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next event!


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While more information is hard to come by it appears that there has only been one appeal of the merger deceision.
Case #081289
More detail when it becomes available
While more information is hard to come by it appears that there has only been one appeal of the merger deceision.
Case #081289
More detail when it becomes available
Tyler Savery
Satellite Standard Founder
I hope nobody is losing sleep over this. SiriXM are now joined, they have already started to combine, so I really do not see this being taken apart. The DOJ and FCC both ruled in favor of this.
Since the companies are already combined it is not like they will suspend any activity that they are currently working on. Even if they are ordered to do so( which is improbable) they will appeal and continue to go on their merry way. Worst case scenario this gets dragged into a couple years of litigation that has no effect on operations of the company but adds a couple of million dollars of expenses onto general and administrative expenses.
Think of this as a review of a play. Unless there is clear evidence that the call was wrong, the call stands. Now just times that by a 1,000 and that is the situation we are at today.
Case closed. This might be thrown out by Judge Judy, if it even gets that far.
I think the fact that it wasn't reported in any major financial headlines for SIRI speaks for itself.
"Michael Hartleib who?"
The Hartleib saga has played out in a limited number of forums for those of us who have paid attention, otherwise no one has heard of him before.
Turn On Your Harleib. Let it shine wherever you go. Let it make a happy glow for all the world to see. Turn on your Hartleib in the middle of a young boy's dream. Don't wake me up too soon. Gonna take a ride across the moon...
I agree with brandon, The appeal didn't smell right and fail quicker then the Family guy Spin off
There was a family guy spinoff?
kinda of spoiler preview where they explain it
It was a joke... get it... it failed so fast I didn't even know it existed? Throw me a bone here.
I wanted to repost what I posted in Mr. Hartleib's thread.
The reason is because this, and I know people will have fun with my post with the contrasts and bash me, but I dont care. I just feel this forum is full of users, about 98%, that just adore Mel, thinks he's some genius, well, for me, i need action, more shareholder respect, instead of insults, before I crown someone King.
This is what I posted:
****I will have to say, I am a supporter of the merger, I think.
I was a supporter of the merger before I saw how it was handled and how its being handled.
I guess I can contrast it to the Iraq war. I was for toppling Saddam Hussein, before I saw how our airhead president handled it, now IM against it, because it was a debacle and the job was done, Saddam was dead, but were still there, pouring 20-30 billion a month (and thats much cheaper than how it started at 100 billion a month) and have been there 4 years after the fact of his death.
Just like how I see this merger, it was not handled well by the FCC, they drug it out so long, like the war, that it is no longer in the shareholders and subscribers interest.
I have to say I have respect for Mr. Hartleib for challenging how this merger was handled and how it has resulted in shareholders losing millions of dollars.\
I now believe the merger was in the interest of Mel and his henchmen, but not the shareholders. Mel has even talked down to us on several occasions, repeatedly saying we are unsophisticated and we don't have any sense in this market. Well I say its all smoke and mirrors.
And as far as consumers and subscribers, here we are in the peak of sports season, which is a big chunk of SIRIUS subscribers, we have seen no advertisements, no revising of packages for the heart of sport season, NO WORD FROM MEL, the genius you guys speak of, nothing....
I feel now shareholders got screwed and I applaud the fact that Mr. Hartleib has the BALLS to stand up to SIRIUS and the FCC on the way they handled this whole process.
Thanks Mr. Hartleib, at least one of us shareholders has a voice.
Because of this merger and the 2+ year process, us shareholders have taken a beating, and we NEED ANSWERS NOW, not next year.****
Now I understand I will get a hundred, Jason is a dumbass, or I'm a f'n idiot responses from the staunch Mel/Sirius/Merger supporters, but eventually we will have to open our eyes and see it was not completely in the shareholders/subscribers interest, as we can see with the stock and lack of any news currently. And honestly, its my point of view, and I should have a right to say it and not get bashed for it.
And I want to thank Newman for being a unbiased moderator, he helps this forum be a valid discussion forum and not a one-sided forum.
-Jason L.
Last edited by JasonL; 09-08-2008 at 06:05 PM.


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Story by
Jamillah Knowles
Jamillah is the UK Editor for The Next Web. She's based in London. You can hear her on BBC Radio 5Live's Outriders. Follow on Twitter @jemi Jamillah is the UK Editor for The Next Web. She's based in London. You can hear her on BBC Radio 5Live's Outriders. Follow on Twitter @jemimah_knight or drop a line to [email protected]
The nostalgic hiss and crackle of vinyl records (ask your parents), the classic albums and gate-folds of yesteryear with built in scratch paranoia and occasional coffee cup ring imprinted on the artwork; all of this is usually thought of as a fond memory.
But although the trade in vinyl is now niche, there will always be ardent fans of the format, especially as the tactile aspects of music collections are lost when we turn to MP3 and other digital formats.
This doesn't mean that vinyl can't connect with modern technologies though, as Universal Music UK is exploring with the launch of a chain of virtual vinyl stores with fashion retailer Pretty Green and Mobile Money Network's instant mobile checkout app, Simply Tap.
The virtual stores will be open for business 24 hours a day in the windows of 10 Pretty Green outlets across the country from May 24 until June 10. Shoppers can choose from a dozen titles including The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street to Elbow's Seldom Seen Kid and Ian Brown's The Greatest.
Consumers who are feeling brave about getting records in the post will be interested to learn that the process is a deferred pleasure. Images of the album sleeves will appear in Pretty Green's window displays. Customers who have downloaded the Simply Tap app and registered their credit card details and delivery address can then make purchases with an iPhone or Android handset.
Take a photo or read a QR code through the app to buy and then wait for the postman to bring a hopefully unscathed record to your door soon after.
Universal Music UK's Commercial Division MD Brian Rose says, "We are seeing continued passion as well as new enthusiasm for vinyl through our online store Uvinyl and the great support the format gets from those indie music shops which are still flourishing, but by harnessing the latest technology we hope this partnership with Pretty Green will lead to much wider opportunities for selling music on the High Street."
Fashion and music have long danced together in marketing and culture, so this connection between the two and the addition of a little new technology makes for an interesting fit. Pretty Green already has a musical pedigree as it was established by Liam Gallager of Oasis and carries clothing highlighted by the 'Modfather' Paul Weller.
Whether vinyl and fashion fans are also fans of mobile money apps remains to be seen, but there is always the chance that early adopters are also nostalgic for music formats can be held in two hands.
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Review: Pendleton (Let 'er Buck) Canadian Whisky
Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 24, 2011
Pendleton (Let 'er Buck) Canadian Whisky is distilled and aged in Canada. The spirit is then transported to Oregon where it is brought to bottling proof by Hood River Distillers using the glacial fed waters from Mt. Hood. The whisky is named to honour the Pendleton Round-up, a well-respected rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon, and in fact, Pendleton Whisky sponsors numerous rodeos, including the aforementioned the Pendleton Round-Up, the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Walla Walla Frontier Days.
A few websites mention that the spirit is aged for 10 years in American Oak barrels, but I could find no age statement on my whisky bottle or confirmation of a minimum age on the Hood River Distillers website. I think it is probably more correct to assume the brand is blended to a specific taste profile and the actual age of the blend may vary from batch to batch.
Here is an excerpt from my review:
"…The whisky has a crisp and smooth delivery. Rye and light oak spices lead out in front. Sweeter flavours of honey and toffee follow which are rounded out by ginger and a light touch of vanilla. I also taste hints of grain and straw, and a light touch of corn…"
Here is a link to the full review:
Review: Pendleton (Let 'er Buck) Canadian Whisky
I have also included a nice cocktail suggestion at the end of the review called, The Canadian Mammy.
Please enjoy the review!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


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How to Welcome Spring in the Kitchen
Contest is now closed: Congratulations to Thomas Murphy who won the Wayfair.com Gift Certificate. I am so excited to give away a $100 gift card to Wayfair.com in this post! Make sure to read all the way to the bottom Continue reading How to Welcome Spring in the Kitchen


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The theme songs to Bond films have become a phenomenon all their own. Some of the biggest music superstars of all time have authored Bond themes. Paul McCartney, Madonna, Duran Duran. Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. Carly Simon. Chris Cornell. Sheryl Crow… Jack Black and Alicia Keyes.
Many of the songs have earned lives of their own in pop music, topping the charts, and/or becoming beloved classics. They're a highly anticipated, much talked about aspect of each new movie. Who will do the song, what it will be called, how good will it be.
It's yet another element of the series that sets it apart and above other movie franchises. NO other film franchise has the association with popular music that Bond does. There's a litany of incredible Bond theme songs that dates back into the 1960s, and continues to this day.
Read on to see the ten best!


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Massively multiplayer online gamers have different needs than those of first-person shooter or real-time strategy fans. They need social interaction. They need extremely comfortable chairs. They need all of the Cheetos.
But most of all they need buttons. So many buttons.
PC peripheral manufacturers have sensed this need and have responded with specialized MMO mice featuring so many buttons. Today we take a look at three of them — the Logitech G600, the Razer Naga 2012 and the Cyborg M.M.O. 7 from Mad Catz — to determine which is most worthy of your MMOney.
Each of our three contenders were used extensively for at (the very) least a full week by yours truly, with Funcom's The Secret World the primary punishment of choice. With only seven powers active at any one time it's a bit easy on these incredibly programmable devices. Perhaps a World of Warcraft raid healer would be a more tasking test, but alas, I am not raid healer.
Before we begin breaking them down, let's take a look at the basic statistics and acronyms that make an MMO mouse an MMO mouse. I started with the most important. It bears noting that each of these units features a braided cable, but only because I wish everything I owned had a braided cable, even things that don't need cables. I'm a fan.
|Razer Naga 2012
|Cyborg M.M.O. 7
|Logitech G600
|Max DPI
|Polling Rate
|Tracking Speed
|200 Inches Per Second
|200 Inches Per Second
|160 Inches Per Second
Impressive statistics, to be sure, but nothing (other than price) that sets one unit miles above the rest. The Logitech G600 features the highest DPI setting, for instance, but we're playing MMOs with these, not Call of Duty. The only modern popular MMO that even bothers with mouse-based aiming is Tera, and the hit boxes on its bad guys are so large you're probably sitting in one right now and don't even know it.
Adjusted for the realities of the genre, we're starting with a relatively even playing field. Let's fix that, category by category.
There is nothing wrong with looking like a standard gaming mouse with some extra buttons on the side; I do not fault the G600 or the Naga for this. They look fine, even in those pants. They've both got colored LED lighting, a feature dedicated Microsoft Office mice have traditionally shied away from. They look functional, and that's great.
The Cyborg M.M.O. 7 looks like it's about to transform and roll out. It's got shiny metal orange accents, grooved dials, and a quirky logo that looks like Deadshot from DC Comics. And yes, there is colored LED lighting.
Cyborg M.M.O. 7
This category is particularly fun, as the manufacturers of two of the three competitors have gone great lengths to ensure that any gamer's hand can rest comfortably atop their devices. Both the Cyborg ad the Naga come with extra bits that gamers can swap out, essentially letting them reconfigure the ergonomic profile on the fly.
The Naga comes with three different side panels so no matter what grip players prefer.
The Cyborg M.M.O. takes the customization a step further, providing two additional palm rests (one rubberized and one raised), two side panels (one rubberized and one with a pinkie rest) and a series of tiny weights for those heft queens out there.
Which one feels the best? Neither. The Naga feels nice enough and is perfectly well-suited for extended play. The Cyborg's futuristic style works against it here; it's just not a very comfortable device. There are pokey bits everywhere.
Meanwhile, the Logitech G600 feels wonderful out of the box, and none of those extra bits made either other mouse any more comfortable. It's the third button on the right keeping three fingers on the same level at all times that makes all the difference.
Winner: Logitech
Software / Programming
Each of the three contenders is fully capable of programming more macros and additional actions that you could ever possibly use in your standard MMO. They can all swap profiles on the fly. The Logitech's third top button acts as a shift key. The Cyborg has a two-position shift key and a three-position MMO mode switch. In short, if you're looking to make any button do any thing, all of these can do those any things.
It all comes down to how easy it is to make them do those many things, and in that department there is a definite winner.
The M.M.O. 7 software is very pretty and incredibly stylish, but a bit too unwieldy for my taste. In trying to be sleek and sexy it's sacrificed usability, a running theme for the unit.
Keeping with the theme of running themes, the Logitech G600 software interface is clean and neat. You've got buttons, you assign things to them. Pretty simple. Maybe a little too simple.
Which brings us to the happy medium.
Not too basic, not too complicated, the Naga uses Razer's Synapse 2.0 software for customization, and it is excellent. From profile creation to macro recording to customizing the LED lighting, everything is right here, easy to find and easy to operate without being so simple I feel insulted.
As an added bonus, if you've got additional Razer peripherals you can easily map mouse buttons to functions on those devices as well. I can use my Naga to set the mouse sensitivity on my Razer Taipan. I will never need to do this, but I find comfort that I can.
Winner: Razer
Ease of Use
And so we come down to the most important category. A mouse can be pretty, programmable, versatile and comfortable, but if you can't press the buttons it's just a fancy arrow moving device.
This is where the Cyborg M.M.O. 7 stumbles. It's got all the bells and high tech whistles, but it's a bitch to get used to using all the special buttons on its surface. There's a four-way switch that's also a button. There's a metal dial. There is a button on the top of the mouse that locks the unit to obscure functions that really screw up the normal day-to-day operation of your computer. A button that, until recently, users were unable to lock.
So that's a no on the Cyborg. This contest comes down to a knock-down, drag-out fight between the Razer Naga and the Logitech G600, two units that feature 12 buttons in four rows of three on the right side. Which unit's buttons are better?
You know I love you, Razer, but Logitech edges you out.
The G600's irregular ridged rubberized buttons are just a little easier to access in the heat of battle than the Naga's smooth, flat ones. Figure in the added stability provided by the third top button, and Logitech wins it by a nose.
Winner: Logitech
And the winner is...
The Cyborg M.M.O. 7 is an incredibly striking mouse whose distinctive shell houses some interesting ideas, but those ideas were implemented without much thought given to comfort or practicality.
The Razer Naga 2012 Edition is a fine piece of MMO mousing hardware. There is nothing overwhelmingly negative I can say about it. If not for the inclusion of the third pointing device, it might have taken home the non-existent Kotaku Hardware Battles trophy.
But then Logitech swooped in and stole it.
I must say I did not expect Logitech to perform as well as it did in this competition. Both Razer and Mad Catz go after gamers ferociously, aiming all of their marketing and design might squarely at the cutting-edge PC gaming crowd. Even the packaging screams "this is gaming gear!"
Logitech just quietly sits down next to the PC gamer, sets an unassuming box on the table and gently pushes it forward. Oh, you like playing MMO games? Maybe you should try this, it's pretty good. You might like it.
And I did.


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Essential Drawstring Joggers in Sea Salt
Essential Cotton Drawstring Joggers in "Sea Salt"
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Construction: Cotton/Spandex/Poly blend. Our premium textiles are locally sourced & designed just for us. Each and every one-of-a-kind item is handcrafted in Rhode Island.
Care: Hand wash using phosphate-free detergent, wash inside out to preserve color. Hang dry or dry on low heat. In a pinch, machine wash on cold.


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After decades of isolation, Burma is quickly becoming the place to be. Today, President Obama became the first U.S. sitting President to visit Burma and last Friday, multi Emmy-award winning singer songwriter Jason Mraz announced he will headline a historic MTV EXIT concert there on December 16th to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking. The free, live concert will be held at the Yangon People's Square, which lies at the base of the 2,600 year-old Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the country's most iconic and auspicious sites.
Launched in 2004, MTV EXIT is a public awareness campaign that uses the power of music and entertainment to educate young people about human trafficking. In addition to concerts, MTV EXIT and their partners use advertisements, hotlines, PSAs, music videos, documentaries, and youth training to reach at-risk communities. To date, MTV EXIT has produced 30 concerts across Asia, reaching tens of millions of people.
The United Nations estimates that at any one point there are 20 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, more than half of these victims are in the Asia – Pacific region. Human trafficking is the illegal trade of women, men and children involving force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. It is also one of the largest criminal industries in the world today, grossing an estimated $32 billion a year through forced labor, forced prostitution, debt bondage, and other forms of enslavement. In Burma, citizens are at risk of being trafficked within the country, across its borders, and internationally.
At an MTV EXIT media event in Burma to announce the concert, U.S. Ambassador Derek Mitchell spoke on a panel moderated by Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, Burmese pop singer and MTV EXIT Celebrity Ambassador. He was joined by Burma's Police Brigadier General Soe Myaing, AusAID Counsellor Michael Hassett, Nick Grono from Walk Free, MTV EXIT CEO Simon Goff, and OhnmarEiEi Chaw, UNIAP's Program Coordinator for Burma. Ambassador Mitchell reaffirmed the U.S. Government's commitment to combat human slavery, saying "Human trafficking offends the conscience of everyone." He also urged the young people of Burma to "be alert, be educated, and be empowered to make safe choices."
USAID has a long history of countering trafficking in persons (C-TIP) around the world and has been a dedicated supporter of the MTV EXIT campaign for six years. This year, the Agency released its Counter-Trafficking In Persons Policy to reinvigorate and focus Agency efforts to combat trafficking on concrete, measurable principles and objectives. We also announced Challenge Slavery, a C-TIP campus challenge that calls on university students to develop creative technology solutions to prevent trafficking, enable victims to escape from traffickers, and help survivors recover. Please join the community online and work with us to end trafficking.
On December 16th, the people of Burma will join the growing list of communities that won't accept human trafficking as the reality today. The concert will be broadcast nationally and will air across MTV's international network, available in more than half a billion homes. Raising awareness about human trafficking is key. If freedom comes from knowledge, then we all have the power to end modern slavery.