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Until a few years ago, developers used desktops and laptops as their primary working platforms. Docking stations with dual-DVI monitor ports multiple USB ports for mice, keyboards, and other peripherals provided the human interface. From there, everything rocked and rolled happily. Even thought this was the default programming set up, there were exceptions at either end of the computing scale. At the high end were developers with unique needs that typically required huge amounts of data in memory that was rendered quickly to the screen via advanced graphics capabilities. These users were disproportionately from the oil and gas exploration, financial services, and security sectors. They used workstations as their primary device and ran with upwards of 96GB of internal RAM driving multiple multi-GB video cards.
At the other end of the spectrum were developers attacking problems that were amenable to being run on small, low-power servers. The first of these, that I became aware of, were startups with small teams of developers who pushed code and tested their wares on stacks of Apple Mac Minis. The Minis were sometimes configured as inexpensive clusters. At other times, they ran as individual components of the build cycle. One hosted the SCM, a second ran the build, a third ran the tests and generated reports. Improving capacity or performance cost $750 an instance, and because everything ran Mac OS X, installing and configuration was plug and play.
In addition to being inexpensive, the Mac Minis also had the benefit that they consumed very little energy, were completely silent, and never broke down. Those are compelling advantages.
Today, though, Mac Minis are fighting very capable competitors for the ultra-low end. In this week's features, you'll find Mike Riley's description and review of a low-cost, low-power server he's using as his development back -nd. His system runs a dual-core 1GHz ARM-based Tegra chip from Nvidia, had robust Nvidia graphics (HDMI), 1GB RAM, a 32GB SSD or a large capacity HDD, and all the USB and other ports you could possibly want. It costs less than $200 and runs Ubuntu Linux. Not bad, eh?
Mike uses it as the back-end for his experiment of coding in the post-PC era; namely it's the back-end that holds his code and build, tests, and reports on it when he saves his code. For this, it's an ideal one-man project server.
I've been running a similar experiments using an Acer Aspire Revo, which I bought from Amazon for $300. It's a somewhat more powerful machine, with a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom chip, 2GB RAM, 250 GB SATA, HDMI, 6 ea. USB, Wifi, and GbE. It runs unmodified Windows 7. These energy-sipping boxes were intented to be used as media servers in the home, but they work fantastically well as build servers, especially on small to mid-sized projects. Check in code and they can build, test, and run reports in fact, your whole CI cycle with no difficulty. With an upgrade to 4GB available, you can even improve performance further by putting your tools and libraries on a RAM disk. (I'll cover that in a separate editorial.)
What you don't get is the immediate CI feedback. Even though Agile exponents suggest shortening the feedback loop on defect reporting to as little time as possible, I find that discovering an error after 5 minutes, rather than 2 minutes of build and test, does not materially (or at all) change my ability to dive back into the problem and fix it.
And if the box is not sufficiently powerful, adding a second one will certainly deliver the brawn I need inexpensively.
This model of low-cost, low-power devices is the way of the future. What I am describing here is not terribly different than building your own personal cloud from inexpensive machines. If you had chosen to keep the $300, you could have gotten this much from Rackspace's cloud server: 512MB RAM and 20GB HDD running Linux. That's not close to as much horsepower as my machine delivers However, it gives you two advantages: You have no additional ongoing costs (power consumption, parts replacement), and because it's off site, you have an instant off-site backup of your code base. Other companies, such as IntoVPS.com, give you about twice Rackspace's resources for the same price. Eventually, the pricing of cloud options will drop to close to the low-power, on-site devices, I expect.
The low-power, low-cost small machines are, I believe, going to start taking over. Sites are going to find them cheaper to run, powerful enough for non-database activities, and easy to manage. When Intel's MIC architecture ships this year (consisting of numerous, stripped down cores), these machines will be even more capable of handling higher throughput, and so will move to center stage as the principal replacement for the pizza box servers due to their more favorable pricing and lower power consumption. You owe it to yourself to grab one of these little systems and test it out. Just like Mike and I have, I expect you'll like what you find.
— Andrew Binstock
Editor in Chief
[email protected]
Twitter: platypusguy


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Half-Life 2 Walkthrough :
This walkthrough for Half-Life 2 [PC] has been posted at 03 Mar 2010 by FlavaFlav and is called "FAQ/Walkthrough". If walkthrough is usable don't forgot thumbs up FlavaFlav and share this with your freinds. And most important we have 18 other walkthroughs for Half-Life 2, read them all!
Walkthrough - FAQ/Walkthrough
___ __ .__ _____ .____ .__ _____ ________ / | \_____ | |_/ ____\ | | |__|/ ____\____ \_____ \ / ~ \__ \ | |\ __\ ______ | | | \ __\/ __ \ / ____/ \ Y // __ \| |_| | /_____/ | |___| || | \ ___/ / \ \___|_ /(____ /____/__| |_______ \__||__| \___ > \_______ \ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ __ __ .__ __ __ .__ .__ / \ / \_____ | | | | ___/ |_| |_________ ____ __ __ ____ | |__ \ \/\/ /\__ \ | | | |/ /\ __\ | \_ __ \/ _ \| | \/ ___\| | \ \ / / __ \| |_| < | | | Y \ | \( ) | / /_/ > Y \ \__/\ / (____ /____/__|_ \ |__| |___| /__| \____/|____/\___ /|___| / \/ \/ \/ \/ /_____/ \/ Author: Greg Turnage Email: email@example.com Comment: Please email me with any suggestions, questions, and anything else you have in mind. Thank you. Version: 0.5 =Table of Contents= 1) Distribution and Hosting Rules 2) Disclaimer 3) Author's Introduction 4) Walkthrough (IN PROGRESS) -Chapter 1: Point Insertion -Chapter 2: A Red Letter Day -Chapter 3: Route Kanal -Chapter 4: Water Hazard -Chapter 5: Black Mesa East (COMING SOON) -Chapter 6: "We don't go to Ravenholm..." (COMING SOON) -Chapter 7: Highway 17 (COMING SOON) -Chapter 8: Sandtraps (COMING SOON) -Chapter 9: Nova Prospekt (COMING SOON) -Chapter 10: Entanglement (COMING SOON) -Chapter 11: Anticitizen One (COMING SOON) -Chapter 12: "Follow Freeman!" (COMING SOON) -Chapter 13: Our Benefactors (COMING SOON) -Chapter 14: Dark Energy (COMING SOON) =Distribution and Hosting Rules= You may distribute and host this walkthrough freely so long as you email me and let me know prior to doing so. I do not even care if you take the walkthrough and stick it in your pants, so long as you notify me. ;) =Disclaimer= This guide is based on the Hard difficulty setting. If you are playing with an easier setting, it is possible that some things may be different for you. Being something that guides you through the game step by step, it is necessary that this walkthrough contain certain spoilers. I can't very well help you if I cannot tell you where it is you will be going and what will happen when you get there. While I must spoil some of your gameplay, I will try my very hardest not to include any STORY spoilers. For example, I do not think this guide requires that I tell you how Freeman dies in order for it to be successful. Just kidding, Gordon doesn't die ;) =Author's Introduction= Greetings, and thank you very much for using my walkthrough. I have put a lot of time and effort into writing it and I appreciate any comments and suggestions I may get back in return. I will try to leave out spoilers, as stated above, and I will be as specific as possible. I apologize ahead of time if it's a bit repetitive, but when you analyze the game with such detail as I have, you'll notice that Valve made it that way. After all the stairs, boxes, Overwatch guards, and aliens you encounter, you'll start to suspect things were set against you deliberately. ;) I have separated most paragraphs by loading screens so as not to have too many of them and because it provides almost an equal amount of information per paragraph. Each section is defined by its chapter. I have purposefully left out such FAQs as Weapon, Enemy, and Friend guides. My reason for doing so is because in my opinion it is better for you to learn these things on your own while you play the game. I'm not sure how knowing them beforehand will help in any way and once you discover them yourself, I don't think there's a need for explanation from me. However, I will be more than happy to add such sections and anything else if they are requested by numerous people. Also notify me if I have missed anything and I will have it updated the very next day! I will be updating and revising constantly. Once again, thank you for putting to use what took me much time and effort. :) =Walkthrough= =Chapter 1: Point Insertion= You are playing the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist whom 15 years earlier (Original Half-Life) was a participant in an experimental incident involving teleportation at a place called Black Mesa. A portal to an alien world was opened and aliens started appearing on Earth, starting with Black Mesa. Gordon - not only a scientist, but also Superman apparently - helped resolve the situation through strength of arms and with his MIT trained mind. In other words, he kept finding weapons and ammo lying around at convenient locations. At the end of his perilous journey, Gordon meets a mysterious man known only as The G-Man, who offers him a job..or death. Of course, he chooses to become an employee of The G-Man and is put into a stasis until a time when he is needed (Half-Life 2). When the game begins, The G-Man is awakening you and giving you a little speech. Suddenly, you are on a train with two others. When the train stops, the doors will open. To the right is a dead-end so you'll be going left towards the big screen in the air with the old man talking on it. When you reach the wall, you can once again go left or right. And once again, right is a dead-end. To the left you'll notice what appears to be a guard being a big meanie-head to some guy similar to those that were on the train with you. Note: The guards will hit you if you pester them, but you will not be harmed. Go through the metal turnstile and a lady will speak to you and you'll learn that the guards are called the Overwatch. At this point, if you're anything like me, you'll want to play with the physics a bit if you haven't already. Go ahead, throw something for fun. When you're ready, go left and you'll be in a wide room with a few people sitting and walking around. Continue on and you'll walk through a caged area - a waiting line - until you reach a few guards. They'll have you move to the left where another guard will come out of a door and ask you to follow him. Follow him down a hall until he orders you into a torture room. Once inside, he unmasks himself and you discover that he is an old friend undercover. After a little talking, he'll shoo you out a back door. Climb up the ladder then place a box in front of the window using the 'E' key. Jump on top of the box, and leap out the window. If a friend asked you to jump out of a window, would you? In this case, YES. To your right will be a partly opened door. Go through it. ~Loading~ Go up the stairs and to your left and you'll encounter another meanie guard. He'll make you pick up a can he knocked down and throw it into the trash can. I personally threw it over his head and into the next area for hurting my fragile ego. Needless to say, I was thrown a beating but didn't shed a tear. Once he moves out of your way, you'll continue on into another wide room and go all the way down and to the left. There will be a door and it will lead outside! Out here, there will be a couple of Overwatch guards with the ability to knock you out. This means that they'll hit you, your screen will flash white, and you'll be a few steps back from where you were, with no harm actually done. When you get outside, you can wander around and admire the graphics but ultimately you're going to end up going the path to the right of the door you came out at. Keep your eyes pealed because when you reach the shield fence force field at the end of the path with the tank and a few guards, you'll have the opportunity to see a Strider, which is a tall alien with three large, long legs. It will pass by quickly, so pay attention. You'll have one more chance to see it if you're not slow in doing the following steps. From that location, back up just a tad towards where you came and you will see a small passage at the corner, like an alley with a fence at the end. Jump atop the dumpster, climb the ladder, get on the platform on your right, and jump down the gap. You'll be on the other side of the fence. Head straight and you'll again have the choice to go either left or right. Left is another dead-end but has an example of what I mean when I say they knock you out plus it's where you get the second chance to see the Strider, if you weren't too slow. To the right will be a small courtyard and playground. If you get on the carousel and press 'E', it spins a little. :) Head straight and you'll only be able to go through a door on the left side of the building. ~Loading~ Continue straight and then you'll see some stairs. The door to the right of them is another dead-end (linear game, isn't it?) so go up the stairs. At the top, you'll see some soldiers kick in a door. There isn't much in the rooms on the right but in the second one you can look out of the window and see some Overwatch running along and a tank pull up. Go down the hall past the door that was kicked in and you'll reach more stairs. Go up until you reach a floor where a guy tells you to get in his room. Once inside the room, you'll have to head to the roof quickly to escape the guards. This is when the game begins. If these guards hit you enough times, you'll be killed and restarted at the last load point. Keep going throughout the rooms in a straight fashion and you'll reach more stairs where you'll see soldiers coming from below. You'll want to quickly go up to escape them until you reach another guy asking you to get in his room. He'll hold the door against the guards once you're inside. Continue on. ~Loading~ Up the stairs and out into what appears to be an attic. Go straight and you'll hear the door below crash open and the man holding the door get hurt. The Overwatch are coming and they have guns and will use them. You are unarmed. Run. Go straight through the attic area and out the opening in the wall. You'll see a ship fly above you. Go across the rooftop and up the wooden board to the next rooftop, take a left, walk down the side of the building, go across the two thin wooden boards, and head alongside the ledge of the building. A tank will pull up below and a guard will be shooting at you further on, but below you as well. Continue following the ledge until you reach a gap. Go through the window on your right and you will see a door and stairs leading down. The door is locked so take the stairs. You'll come out into a hallway and there will be doors on both your left and right. They will both bust open and out will pour Overwatch. AND YOU WILL DIE. Just kidding. You will be rescued! And by a cute girlie ;) Warning: Be careful! Girlies have cooties! Follow her into the elevator when you get to it and she'll introduce herself. When the elevator stops, she'll get out and walk on some more. Follow her. ~Loading~ =Chapter 2: A Red Letter Day= Continue following Alyx and she'll buy you a drink ;) She'll take you to the lab where some dialogue will take place. At any point, you can walk up to the center monitor on the left wall from where you entered the lab and press 'E' to switch the camera's view. The first time you press it, you'll get a G-Man sighting. In case you didn't play the original Half-Life, you should know that periodically throughout the game there will be G-Man sightings. You never know what he is doing or where he is going. Nor do you know why no one ever attacks him like they do you. Eventually you'll get your Suit and then enter the room with Dr. Kleiner's teleportation device. Not long after, things go amiss as usual. You'll find yourself outside on a platform in no time. Once there, go ahead and jump down to the ground below. Go through one of the openings in the fence then through the next fence and up the stairs. Through the door and then through another fence. ~Loading~ Walk on until Barney calls out to you and gives you your crowbar. You'll use it immediately to break the boards blocking you from walking through the gap in the fence. Continue and you'll have to break a box to get through a passage that leads you out onto a chain-link fence. Jump down and go left. You'll have people shooting at you, but you won't get hurt too much if you take cover when you can and move quickly. If the flying camera machines bother you, just give them a whack with your nifty crowbar. When you get to the train car at the end with the open door, hop inside. Break the boxes and go to the door on the opposite side of the one you entered from. DO NOT GO OUT YET. Just poke your head out and then back in. A train will come by and if you're in it's way, you'll be killed. Once it has passed, hop out the train car. Go to your right following the train but do not touch it while it is still moving or you will be killed. Keep moving forward following the train until there is a gap to your left. Go inside the gap and there will be a space between two trains on the left. Move through the space and on the end will be another open door with a small ladder to use to enter that train car. Once inside, there will be a ladder on the right, climb it. On top of the train, people will be once again shooting at you so you'll want to jump onto the roof of the train to your left and then over the fence. On the other side of the fence, you'll need to use your crowbar to break the boards denying you entry. Go down the stairs. ~Loading~ =Chapter 3: Route Kanal= Walk down the hall and be sure to stop to get some health on the wall if you need it. At the end of the hall, go left and you'll see two Overwatch attacking a couple of people. You'll have to beat them with your crowbar, so you'll probably want to kill the one with the gun first and then go after the one with the electric club. This is where you get your pistol! Continue on, break the boards, go up the stairs, kill the guard, down another hall, and up more stairs. You'll be outside. Take a left and through a gap in the fence and down some more stairs. Once again, watch out for the train. Once it has stopped, go back up the stairs a little bit and jump onto the train and then onto the platform on the other side. Go up the ladder, kill the Overwatch by shooting the barrels, and head towards the small house. Break the boards and go inside. Gather some health and ammo then go through the opening on the right. Shoot the barrels blocking the doorway in this room to clear it with style. Exit the house and immediately shoot the explosive barrels on the ledge forward and to your left to kill the guards there. Break the box for some ammo then walk through the fence and foward, turn left, and climb over the bent fence you find here. Continue to your right and then make another right between the two walls. Crouch using CTRL and crawl through the shaft, breaking the box inside for some goodies. Make yourself an exit with your crowbar, head right and then drop down onto the tracks below. Continue right, shoot the barrels, kill the Overwatch, and then get off the tracks to avoid the train. One of the Combine roll an explosive barrel down the stairs at you, so watch out. Climb the stairs, get what health you need from the wall, move on, up stairs, across platform, break boxes, down stairs, and down onto the tracks. They'll be another stop for health, boxes to break, and Overwatch to kill. Follow the tracks until there is an opening in the fence to your right. Jump onto the platform and a train will come. The door is just there for decoration so leap down into the filthy water. Swim through the opening in the metal gate and then through the next and onto land. Climb the ladder on the left side of the train car then drop down into it through the gap. Quickly, look at the tv screen and spot The G-Man once more! Here are some of the rebel friends you were told about. They talk to you for a bit and then you can go outside. Go forward and break the wooden pallet blocking your path. ~Loading~ Move forward and you'll see a wooden wall with a small rock that appears to be blocking a crawl space. You think to yourself, if only you could move that, you could crawl through...no. Instead, just knock the whole wooden structure down with your crowbar and continue on your way. You'll spot your first enemy alien up ahead, called a Barnacle. It's attached to the ceiling and hangs its tongue down to ensnare its food (i.e. you). You'll see it eat a bird. I wouldn't even waste ammo on these guys. If you get sucked up, just smack it with your crowbar and it will release you. Moving on you'll come to a part where you hear someone saying 'Don't shoot'. At this point, you'll have to kill a few Overwatch. One of them is behind a force field with a sentry gun, so kill him first. Also, they'll be a guard in the tunnel on your right. If you take your time and aim for the head, it'll be a breeze. When they're dead, go into the tunnel that's on your right when you're facing the sentry and then head left. You'll hear someone on the radio and be able to collect some health and shield. Climb the ladder up to where the sentry is, you'll be using it. More guards will start appearing. Shoot the ones on the ground first then shoot the barrel on top the bridge when Overwatch appear up there. There is a wooden platform to the left you can shoot when a guard is standing on it. There is also a wooden structure on the right you MUST shoot. It will collapse and make a path for you. When the Overwatch are dead and the tank is shooting heat-seeking missiles at you, make your way to the right on that path. Moving forward you'll be on the other side of some wreckage. You'll have to make your way through some small round tunnels and dodge some Barnacles. You'll find yourself out in the open once again. You'll see that tank drive across the bridge. Head towards the tunnel on your left and a lady rebel will stop you. When she's done playing cheerleader drama queen, go through the tunnel and soon you'll come out into a small opening where there will be another tunnel on your right. You'll hear Overwatch talking. They are above you, so you can shoot them if you like. Go through the tunnel that was on your right and walk into a water clearing with yet another tunnel on your right. This time the Overwatch will make the first move, however. They'll rain explosive barrels on you from above, so dodge them and swim to the bottom of the water if you need to. Keep an eye above and kill the guards when you can. When done, continue through the tunnel. You'll be outside again and to your right will be a few Overwatch that can be killed easily via a conveniently placed explosive barrel. Shoot the barrel under the wooden bridge to make everything collapse and cause the wooden wagon to fall. There will be some health and ammo for you to pick up. Walk forward past where everything collapsed and crouch to go through the small tunnel straight ahead. Once inside, roll the barrels down if you want the Barnacles in front of you to suck them up. Continuing on, you'll come to a place where there are a LOT of Barnacles. You can roll the explosive barrels down, wait for them to be sucked up, then shoot them. Or you can just walk forward and smack any of the aliens that try to eat you, with your crowbar. When you are past them, you'll have to crouch again to exit to outside. You'll have to kill some Overwatch from the water while having barrels thrown down on top of you. Once that's done, climb the ladder on the right up to the platform and jump onto the other side. More barrels will be dumped on you up ahead, so just keep swimming underwater all the way until the end and then walk up the ramp on the left. You'll have to leap from platform to platform while dodging barrels and killing guards until you are on the other side and can crouch to get through the tunnel there. ~Loading~ This is your first real physics puzzle, if you even consider it a puzzle. Basically, you have a ramp in front of you and you need to pile cinder blocks on the left side of the ramp so you can walk up it to get onto the raised path on the right. You'll only need five or six bricks on the ramp for it to hold. And trust me, that door you see on the raised platform..it doesn't work. I piled blocks up there and jumped on top of them and tried the door. Now you'll come outside and there will be a helicopter. This helicopter's going to be a little annoying because it'll be shooting at you the whole time you're out there. Hold SHIFT if you want to sprint. There are TWO ways you can continue on and they are, in fact, interconnecting anyway. If you need health, ammo, and shield, go left once you get to the helicopter. If you don't need those, you can get through faster by going to the right. I'll get more in-depth on that path in a minute. -Going left, walk up the board on the end, up the stairs, then through the door and down those stairs. Ahead of you is blocked by a metal gate. The ladder on your right leads down to some goodies. To the left is where you continue on. Again you can go left and right. On the left you can crouch and go under a low wall for some stuff. The right is the way to go when you're done. Deal with the Barnacles using the explosive barrel, then head straight and to the left and follow that passage. Take a right and kill more Barnacles then head left once more. You'll come out of a door which is where you would have been had you taken the right path at the helicopter. -Going right at the helicopter, you'll want to go all the way to the end and crouch under the debris. In this case, you WANT the helicopter to fire at you, because it will get rid of some boards above your head that you don't want there. Once they're gone, you can jump up with maybe a little difficulty onto the concrete walkway above which is where you end up with the left path as well. Continuing on, go straight, walking away from the helicopter and you'll find stairs going up and leading inside on your left. Once inside, head right, get some goodies, and follow the passage. ~Loading~ Go right and shoot the barrels if you want to clear the path the easy way. When you get to a wooden blockade, break some of the boards with your crowbar and a rebel will chat with you a bit. He'll open up a path for you and you'll see your first Manhacks, flying machines with saws that try to cut through you. Plus, the rebel says a naughty word. Tsk, tsk. You can climb the ladder on the right of where you came in at to get to the ledge above for some more stuff and walk across the board to get to the other side. Jump to the other ledge for a couple more things then make your way through the path he opened for you. More Manhacks will surface and you can shoot any explosive barrels you see to take them out easy. Follow the passage and make a right when you can. You will see a fence on the left but pass that up for a second to go to an opening at the end on the left that will have some stuff for you. Return to the fence and open it up. Kill the Overwatch and all the Manhacks that try to get you then continue on by going through the other fence door. You'll see a ladder below you but don't climb down it just yet. Instead, walk onto the pipe on your left, break open the airduct with your crowbar, crouch with CTRL, and go on through. There will be one Manhack in the airduct but he's well worth all the ammo you get on the other side. Return back to the ladder and go down and take a left. You'll fight some Overwatch guards but you'll get a Submachine Gun!! To the right of where the guards dropped down from should be a small tunnel near the ground that you need to crawl through. Do so for a grenade and a lovely "surprise" then come back out. If you keep following the path before you, you'll arrive at a little lake with a rotating wheel in the water. You don't even need to follow it like a turnstile, just go into the underwater doorway on the left. You'll swim a bit but there will be a stop for oxygen if you need it. In case you haven't already noticed, having no oxygen will lower your HP periodically. But once you start breathing again, the HP will rise once more to it's last state. When you come out of the water, there will again be a passage to follow. It'll lead you alongside a pipe and when you can, take a left up the stairs you find. Watch out here for the Barnacle on the ceiling. Some Combine will start shooting at you also, so dispense of them. Once up the stairs, don't worry about the door because it can't open. Instead, jump on top of the pipe and head left to kill some guards and get some stuff. Back on the pipe, head towards where you had originally come. Go right through the opening in the wall and continue along on top the pipe. You'll have to avoid steam and Barnacle tongues along the path. At the end of the pipe, you can look right and see an opening closed by boards. Of course break them with your crowbar and then crawl through. You'll dive into some more water and swim just a little until you're back outside, on the other side of the gate opposite the water turnstile thingy. There will be some Overwatch to kill and they will roll explosive barrels in your direction, but it's not like you haven't handled this before. Keep heading forward and you'll eventually see another passage on the right. Enter and head straight until you reach a gate. When you open it, you'll have quite a few Manhacks to fight. When you're done with them, you can continue on and go through another passage. You'll come to a small dark area with lots of ammo and a crawlspace. Break it open with the crowbar and go on through to the other side. You'll be in a room with lots and lots of explosive barrels and Manhacks. I suggest you snuggle in a corner and blow the barrels and then take care of what Manhacks remain. A ladder will be before you. If you go down, there will be nothing to do..yet. So go up and jump onto the pipe and follow it, crouching when you need to, until you're on the ledge on the other side of the room. Then through the passage until you see a ladder on your right. Do not go down the ladder yet, just walk past it and follow the platform to the wall and walk out onto the pipe on the left. Drop down onto the pipe below you on the right and then drop down once more onto a pipe below you until you can turn the wheel there using the 'E' button. The water will rise until it is level with the highest platform. Get on top that platform and return to the room you came from earlier. There will be some Manhacks. If you didn't notice earlier, when you climbed the ladder and walked on top the pipe, there was a ledge you couldn't jump to with a small crawlspace. I personally have not been able to get in there even though I tried with barrels, but I know there is nothing more than a small shield recharge in there, the item kind. Go down the ladder to the place where you couldn't do anything earlier. Now you can swim through the tunnel you weren't able to reach prior to raising the water level. Go through and you'll come out in another area. Swim down and smash the boards to cause everything below them to float to the surface. Then climb the ladder and jump onto the items that floated up until you get to the other side. You might have to swim to the items and push them where you want them to be, in order to get across. Once on the other side, continue on. ~Loading~ You'll have a fence ahead of you. Head left up the ladder there, jump to the ledge on the left, and walk across the planks until you are on the other side of the fence below you, then jump down. There will be two ways you can go. One way is a dead-end but there's a skull you can pick up and toss around if you're into that. The other way will lead you to some Combine. And a ledge with a passage. Jump on top of a barrel then on top of the ledge, get the ammo, then go through the passage. You'll have to kill some Manhacks. Yay. On the right will be a room with a ladder. Straight ahead is a room with some stuff and some Barnacles. Back to the room with the ladder, head up it and walk across the wooden planks until you're on the other side of the wall below, then jump off after getting some stuff. Following the passage will lead you into an open area. Beware of the radioactive liquid that will harm you if you step in it. From the ledge, drop down onto the ground, walk up the board on the left, jump on top of the pipe, walk on it across to the other side, and get some goodies. Then jump down to the ground again, avoiding the contaminated stuff, and continue on. You'll meet a rebel guy for a second or two, get some ammo from the chest and then keep moving forward. Hey wait..did that radio chick say..Airboat!? After a bit of going straight, you'll see some people and then what appears to be a rocket crash into the ground. You'll have lots of these little jumpy aliens known as Headcrabs to deal with in this part, plus a lot of radioactive liquid to avoid. Head left and you'll get to a fence and find out why those little buggers are called Headcrabs. You'll want to kill them with your crowbar to save ammo. Continue left and you'll see a couple of those guys infested with Headcrabs. These guys throw barrels and stuff at you if there are any near them. Just give them a few shots in the head then walk across the boards. You'll walk across more boards, trying not to get hit by the swinging electric wire. Now you can go left or right. Left will lead you back to where you were only a few moments ago, so head right through the train car. Be very careful not to touch the sides, or you'll get shocked. Across the board (watch out for a headcrab zombie that pops out of the water!) and through the fence and then along the wooden walkway. And it will lead..to more rebel friends and the ..the..the..Airboat! Hop in after the lady's brief talk and get driving! The Airboat can travel on both land and water. Just keep on driving forward until you hit a dead-end. You'll have to get out the airboat on the left and turn the valve to raise the blockade. Back into the airboat and through the passage. Note: You'll get whatever is inside any boxes you run over and break. ~Loading~ =Chapter 4: Water Hazard= Keep moving forward, but keep your eye on the right wall and you'll soon see a ladder. Get out of your airboat and climb it to get some ammo. Once back in your boat, move on and to your right will be a red building. Enter it and there will be a couple of headcrab zombies to kill. Climb the stairs and cross the beams, crouching and destroying boxes along the way. At one point a a headcrab will jump down on you. Also, you'll notice a helicopter pass by. Climb the stairs at the end of the planks you've passed and you'll be at the top of the building. There will be a cage containing items, hanging from the crane. Just jump at it and when you make contact, you'll get what's inside. You'll land in the water, so get back in your boat and move on. Next you'll encounter a wooden ramp. Looks sturdy, doesn't it? Just pick up some speed with your airboat and use the ramp to launch yourself over the baricade. A man will call down to you from a bridge ahead and throw some supplies down to you. After getting them and continuing on, you'll reach your second physics puzzle. This one is sort of like the first one. You must use items to weigh the ramp down so that you can use it to launch your airboat over. This time you'll be using blue barrels to do the trick. First, exit your boat and climb into the tunnel on your left, just under the bridge. You'll be crawling forward and suddenly there will be a right turn. If you hit a dead end, you only have to take a few steps back to get to the right passage. In the right tunnel, you'll come to two blue barrels. Throw them down into the water, and take a leap down there yourself. You'll need to take the blue barrels floating around in the water and move them underwater to what appears to be a cage underneath the ramp. You'll already see one barrel in the open cage, so just toss two more in there and you should be fine. The ramp should be ready to propel your boat, now. Once on the other side, you'll have to be careful because sometimes it won't be water you're driving through, but toxic waste stuff. You'll see an airship flying through the air, and ahead you'll have to kill some Combine. Get out of your boat, pick up what they dropped. You'll probably start hearing all sorts of sounds about now, but don't worry about them. climb into the tunnel on the right. Use the metal barrel in the area to get high enough to enter the tunnel. Just keep going through it until you see some stuff you can get. At this point, you'll be surprised by a headcrab zombie. Exit the tunnel when you're done. Back in your boat, continue onward. There will be some more Overwatch ahead. I just ram them with my boat. Either way, dispatch of them. There will all sorts of sounds again. You'll hear a lady announcing stuff, and you'll hear alarms and vehicles. Seems like something big is about to happen. There will be a ramp along the left wall you'll have to use to navigate over some high terrain, and then you'll have Combine shooting at you from a platform up ahead on the right. Just drive your airboat into the wooden platform to break it apart and kill the bastard. You'll have to pass under a bridge. You can cross under it from the left or right side, but the right part has two Barnacles that will grab you off of your boat if you drive under them. Keep moving forward. ~Loading~ **MORE COMING SOON**
Another Half-Life 2 Walkthrough :
• Moshi Monsters cheats, Android • Plants vs. Zombies cheats, NDS, XBOX 360, PS3, IPHONE, Android • Pokemon Heart Gold Version cheats • Pokemon Soul Silver cheats • The Lord of the Rings: War in the North cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Shogun 2: Total War cheats • BioShock Infinite cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Darksiders 2 cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cheats, PC, NDS, WII, PS3 • Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Torchlight II cheats • Borderlands 2 cheats, XBOX 360, PS3 • Temple Run cheats • Jagged Alliance: Back in Action cheats • XCom: Enemy Unknown cheats, XBOX 360, PS3

subset: commoncrawl


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Corsair Carbide 200R Case Review: How Low Can You Goby Dustin Sklavos on December 15, 2012 12:01 AM EST
- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Corsair
- mid-tower
Noise and Thermal Testing, Overclocked
The limited cooling capabilities of a budget case keep our expectations in check, but it's important to keep in mind that historically enthusiasts were about getting the most bang for their buck they could (essentially the purpose behind overclocking in the past). By that token, it's important to see if the Corsair Carbide 200R leaves your system any room to stretch its legs. Theoretically an end user should be able to take an inexpensive unlocked Vishera or Trinity CPU and motherboard, a solid budget cooler like one of Cooler Master's Hyper 212s, and get a healthy amount of performance for their dollar.
You're not liable to get much extra latitude out of your video card in the Carbide 200R, and SSD temperatures continue to be incredibly problematic, but you can definitely score some additional mileage out of your CPU. The Carbide 200R's CPU performance isn't stellar, but it's strong enough.
Fan speeds aren't ideal, but they're at least still on the lower end of competitive.
Noise levels also aren't particularly good, but they're not awful, either. Nobody's going to accuse the Carbide 200R of being a quiet enclosure. That's not what it's designed for, though, so we can let a little bit of noise slide.
25 Comments
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Grok42 - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkI like to see good clean looking case designs like this at a low price point. Given the price I would expect some compromises and honestly it could have been a lot worse. I think the industry needs more experimentation with how internal drives are mounted so I applaud any effort even failures. Hopefully they will come back with something better next time around. Maybe next time they will save some money by killing the external bays and putting the resources into the internal bays. Reply
versesuvius - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkThe only time one needs a tool for a case is the hard drive and other storage parts. The problem is not that people do not know how to use a screw driver, but that it has screws on the two sides of the case. As it is right now, you have to go through more trouble with the toolless case than you have with traditional ones. The answer lies not with the case manufacturers, but with internal storage manufacturers. It is very ease to design a hard disk casing so that it needs screws only on one side, and not two. Yet after maybe 30 years of hard disks, the casing has not changed a bit. Even the SSD casing design has adopted the same philosophy. As far as backward compatibility goes, the casing can be designed to accommodate old cases as well. Anyway, I agree with the article about the drive cage. It is a stupid decision in all cases to begin with and it is stupid here too. After all, how many drives one changes during the lifetime of a PC? Two? As long as the case has to be opened that amounts to 10 during the lifetime of a case, while the extra accumulated heat is there all the time. Reply
arthur449 - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - link"How many drives one changes during the lifetime of a PC?"
I have a Coolermaster ATCS-200 case I bought in 2000 still kicking around the house. While it only has 80mm fans, it remains a very attractive and functional case for 'that random frankenputer' one generally has after a few years of building their own PCs.
How many times have I changed the drives in that case? More times than I can remember. Some of them due to drive failures, some due to SSD / SAS experimentation, and many times for just cramming old drives in there and doing some bare metal testing of the latest silly OS that trickles down the MS TechNet vine.
A good case will survive multiple generations of hardware, and (since its target audience is already building their own computers) will more than likely put up with many drive swaps as it's handed down to friends, relatives, or simply demoted to closet server duty. Reply
Lonyo - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkI still have my ACTS 200 or 201, and the next gen replacement case for it, but neither are in proper use.
The motherboard tray from one is in use for a makeshift computer elsewhere where I can't use the full case.
The drive cages in both are hideous though, compared to modern cases. We have come a long way from the old days. Reply
piroroadkill - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkI won't buy a case with an open top.
Too much chance something will spill in it, or dust will settle on my gear.
Copy Lian-Li and Fractal Design - give us a simple option to use the holes or not. Reply
Blibbax - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkThat'd add cost. It could sold as an accessory though - I too avoid open top or even open side cases. Reply
Tech-Curious - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkToss some sound dampening material over the fan mounts you don't intend to use; it works like a charm. The only problem, in my experience, is that the adhesive on sound dampening material is so strong that your decision is basically permanent.
It's funny, I bought a box of sound dampening material, just for kicks, like seven years ago and I never used it as it was (presumably) intended to be used -- but I've used bits and pieces to great effect. And I still have some left.
Cut out four tiny little strips of the stuff and place it on the borders of your fan mounts, and vibration basically disappears. That silly-sounding trick single-handedly resurrected two positively ancient (circa 2002) jet-engine-sounding cases (6+ 80mm fan mounts each) that were sitting in my basement, collecting dust. Reply
Tech-Curious - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkThat said, I agree that the proliferation of computer cases featuring fan mounts in every available space is somewhat annoying -- especially given that those cases typically only come with 2 fans out of the box.
Likewise, I'd love to see more cases with the old fashioned top-mounted PSU design. I understand the benefits of the alternative, but even with a filter, a bottom-mounted PSU is less than ideal on my carpeted floor. Reply
Blibbax - Saturday, December 15, 2012 - linkAgreed on all accounts. Reply
TekDemon - Sunday, December 30, 2012 - linkI think it's actually great since it's the cheapest case that appears to support the H100 cooler, which was the main reason I bought my Carbide 400R (which I love-it's an awesome case). I wouldn't have been able to use this case though since I have a super long pci-e card. Reply


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The money line is Buchanan asserting that she did the smart thing politically since Birthers are, after all, a chunk of the GOP base and all she really defended was their right to ask questions. Ace made a similar point today: Politics is politics, so if you have to toss a small bone to your fringies now and then to keep them focused on your broader agenda, so be it. Eh, I don't buy it. I agree that being snotty to your fringies is dumb and likely to lose you votes, but there are ways to tactfully disagree with them. E.g., "It's great to see the public intent on holding the president to the letter of the Constitution, but I think the certificate of live birth satisfies the natural-born requirement." She's not going to lose anyone's vote with a polite rejection like that (except maybe Alan Keyes's), especially since no other GOP candidate will end up endorsing Birtherism. She might, however, lose votes for having given the answer she did, especially if she wins the nomination and Democrats start pitching to centrists by calling her a crank. Why play to the base when she, more than any other Republican, already has the base — and Birthers — in her hip pocket? It's moderates she needs, not "true conservatives."
If this is a smart political move, then conceivably it'd also be a smart political move and nothing for the right to get exercised over if, say, Biden or Al Gore or some other top Democrat started head-patting Trig Truthers like Sullivan. The issue ultimately goes to her credibility, so in theory the more doubt they can sow about who Trig's mother really is, the more discredited she'll be. And yet, no liberal of any greater prominence than Crazy Andy himself ever touts the Trig Truth crap, mainly because (a) the science is, to any rational person, settled, and (b) they'd stand to lose more politically by encouraging the theory than they'd gain. Remember when Maurice Hinchey went on MSNBC a few days ago and asserted that Bush deliberately let Bin Laden escape? Even a Bush-hating nutroots hero like David Shuster instantly flipped out on him. Conspiracies simply don't play well in the mainstream, even on the DNC's pet channel. (Well, before 8 p.m., at least.)
The key point isn't whether voters have the right to ask questions but whether a question is fair after a certain amount of evidence has been provided. That's where Palin got in trouble last night, I think. Of course Truthers have the right to be skeptical about 9/11, but does anyone think it's fair that they still are? Where you come down on the Birtherism debate depends on whether you think that level of evidence has been reached yet, and Palin's initial comments to Humphreys — it's a "fair question," it's "fair game," potentially something worth raising in a debate — made it sound like she didn't. Calling it a "stupid conspiracy" later on Facebook clarified that she did. Controversy over, let's hope.


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==IMAGE 3 Documentation==
==IMAGE 3 Documentation==
Revision as of 14:51, 28 June 2013
IMAGE 3 Documentation
IMAGE is an Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment.
The IMAGE model is developed by the IMAGE team under the authority of PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
What is IMAGE ?
IMAGE is an ecological-environmental framework that simulates the environmental consequences of human activities worldwide. It represents interactions between society, the biosphere and the climate system to assess sustainability issues like climate change, biodiversity and human well-being. The objective of the version of IMAGE described here (version released in 2013) is to explore the long-term dynamics and impacts of global change as the result of interacting demographic, technological, economic, social, cultural and political factors.
Reading tips
Something about addtional information like Glosssary, Acronyms, background data etc.
Something about availablity and use of models and data
This site
This website is your companion to the IMAGE 3.0 book. Continue with one of the following components according to your interest:
- Overview of Image framework
- Policy Relevance
- Components as in the main component Agriculture and land use


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Pre Owned: 2007-2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser
It could've gone either way. After its launch as a 2007 model, the Toyota FJ Cruiser might easily have become a darling of the genteel SUV set by virtue of its cute retro-inspired styling and decent on-road manners. Alternatively, all the off-roading heritage brought to us by the letters F and J had a chance of grabbing genuine mud-mashing, dune-dashing types. Fortunately (though Toyota's accounting department might beg to differ), the second crowd became the FJC's champions.
It has the right ingredients: body-on-frame construction, ground clearance of 9.6 inches, wading capability of 27.5 inches, 34-degree approach angle, 31-degree departure angle, a tough-wearing and easy-to-clean interior, a 4WD system proven on vehicles like the 4Runner, and a dependable 4.0-liter V-6.
Starting off with 239 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque, this engine was updated in 2010 to 260 hp and 271 lb-ft. The revision meant slightly better fuel economy when using 91-octane fuel, which is recommended for tougher duties. Both iterations can still run fine on 87 octane. Towing capacity is 5000 pounds.
There are rear-drive versions with slightly less ground clearance. Toyota connects a five-speed automatic transmission to these models, but also offers a six-speed manual in 4WD versions.
Although the old and well-loved FJ40 Land Cruiser provided a design direction for the FJC, white roof included, this newer model still ended up with a few substantial blind spots as well as rear-hinged rear passenger doors that aren't quite as practical as its makers might have hoped. Opening the rear door always means opening the corresponding front door.
Within this shell is a cargo volume of 66.8 cubic feet, or 27.9 cubic feet with the second-row seats in place. Options include a 115-volt power outlet. And there is a whole section of the aftermarket dedicated to the FJ Cruiser where enthusiasts may obtain roof lights, snorkels, skidplates, suspensions, protection bars for various areas of the vehicle, exhaust systems, winches, shifter knobs, and rearview cameras (this last item takes care of one blind spot; cameras became a factory option for 2009), plus a slew of other items too numerous to mention.
A design flaw resulted in cracked and/or warped fender aprons inside the engine bay of 2007 and early 2008 models. This has since been rectified, but take an extra good look under the hood while considering a purchase. The majority of recalls have been in relation to exterior lighting and seatbelt issues, as well as certain TRD (Toyota Racing Development) optional brake kits.
Other than that, coolly logical thinking is the order of the day when looking to buy a pre-owned FJ Cruiser. Check for damage caused by accidents or going too gung-ho off-road, leaks around the engine or front and rear differentials, maintenance records and receipts -- the usual procedure. If in doubt, get a Toyota tech to give it the once-over. One member of fjcruiserforums offered this little nugget of advice: Make sure the auto transmission doesn't shudder between second and third gears at around 35 mph. That could indicate a problem with the torque converter.
A 2008 FJ Cruiser in good condition, with four-wheel drive, automatic transmission, and power driver's seat, is valued at $19,900. A 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the same kind of spec has a book price of $18,035. A similar 2008 Nissan Xterra comes in at $18,820.
|2007-2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser
|Body type
|4-door SUV
|Front engine, RWD/4WD
|Driver, front passenger, side curtain (std 2008 on)
|4.0L/239-260 hp DOHC V-6
|Brakes, f/r
|Disc/disc, ABS
|Price range, whlsl/retail (KBB)
|Too many to list; see motortrend.com
|NHTSA frontal impact rating, driver/fr pass
|Five stars/four stars


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Jeff Betz, Science Communication Program, Laurentian University
Cyndy Parr, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Birds form a class of animals that includes over 10,000 species worldwide (Clements 2007). These species were traditionally divided into 30 orders (Peters et al. 1931–1987) but more recent lists (in part based on molecular studies) group birds into 23 to 40 orders (Clement 2007, Gill and Donsker 2012). Passeriformes, commonly called perching birds or songbirds, are the most diverse order.
Birds range in size from the Small Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) to the large flightless Ostrich (Struthio camelus). Compared to mammals, which range in size from shrews to the blue whale, birds that fly have a restricted size range. This restriction is imposed by the mechanical constraints of flight: the larger the bird the more muscular energy needed to stay airborne. Flightless birds have no such limit. Some extinct flightless birds, such as Diatrymia gigantean, were 7 feet tall, and the giant carnivorous ground birds of South America, the phororhacids, were also large.
Habitat, Physiological Characteristics, and Behavior
Birds live in a wide range of environments, from tropical rainforests to the polar regions, though no one species is as widespread as Homo sapiens. The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is one of the more widespread species, found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. In the tropics, there are a large number of species that have a restricted range.
Birds are oviparous—they reproduce by laying eggs rather than giving birth to live young. These eggs are adapted to survive in a terrestrial environment, and have a porous shell made of calcium carbonate. Birds are also homoeothermic (warm-blooded)—a trait they share with mammals—but that evolved independently. They all have bills (beaks) and are toothless, and swallow food without chewing. They have two-part stomachs: a glandular stomach and a gizzard. Many species swallow rocks or shells that collect in the gizzard and pulverize food. Bird forelimbs have evolved into wings for flight. Their bones are hollow, decreasing their body weight. All birds also have feathers, something that makes them unique among living animals.
Feathers are made of keratin, just like human fingernails and hair. They may have evolved for thermoregulation and/or to trap prey, but later were adapted for flight. Wings made of feathers are adjustable, and their lack of blood supply means that birds don't lose a lot of heat through their wings. The rigidity of feathers gives wings the necessary stiffness to fly. A damaged feather is also easy to repair as it is renewed in the next molt. Different types of feathers serve different purposes. Rigid, long, contoured feathers help birds fly. Fluffy down feathers keep them warm. Colorful plumes attract mates. Feathers provide a windproof and waterproof covering.
Birds, like insects, reptiles (pterosaurs), and mammals (bats) have evolved the capability for flight. Most species fly, though a few, mostly island species, are flightless. Most small birds are flappers. Unlike aircraft that have fixed wings, these birds have moveable wings powered by muscles. Some birds, soaring birds like the albatross, can fly using fixed wings and air currents as a source of power (though they still have to flap their wings to get airborne). Many birds migrate. Because of low winter temperatures over large areas of Asia, northern Europe, and North America, there are relatively few birds that are permanent inhabitants. But during the summer months, hundreds of millions of birds from southern temperate and tropical areas migrate north. These travelers typically breed in one place and spend the winter in another, sometimes traveling thousands of kilometers to get back and forth. The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) spends its summers in the arctic and winters in the Antarctic.
Evolved from Dinosaurs
In the 19th century, Thomas Henry Huxley analyzed the skeletons of dinosaurs and birds, concluding that the two groups were closely related. Bird feet have three toes, reptile-like scales, and a hind claw, like bipedal dinosaurs. More recently Chris Organ, a molecular biologist at Harvard University, analyzed the proteins of a 68-million-year-old leg fossil from a Tyrannosaurus rex. The dinosaur proteins more closely resembled those from chickens than crocodiles (Organ et al. 2008). Today, birds are believed to belong to a clade named Maniraptora, a branch of therapod dinosaurs. Therapods were bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs. Some dinosaurs, even those not usually considered to be birds, had feathers. In spite of the enormous influence birds have on us—as sources of food such as the chicken (Gallus gallus), as pest controllers (many birds are insectivorous and reduce insect populations that would destroy human crops), or as plant pollinators—humans have decimated bird diversity. Over the past four centuries, over 100 cases of bird extinction have been documented. Human predation and habitat destruction, not to mention the introduction of invasive species like dogs and rats, have been responsible for 90% of these. There is evidence that the Earth is currently undergoing an episode of mass extinction. Unlike the asteroid that probably caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, the current mass extinction, that is destroying their descendants, has a different suspect.
Keystone Species
The Red-naped Sapsucker of the Rocky Mountains (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) is a keystone species in two ways. First, it makes a brand-new cavity nest each year, leaving last year's home available to another cavity-nesting bird. Up to seven bird species depend on sapsucker nests.
The sapsucker got its name from its diet of tree sap. It drills "wells" in aspen, willow, and other trees, then sips up the oozing sap. After it departs, other sap-eating animals flock to the wells. More than 40 species of butterflies, squirrels, and birds rely on sapsucker nests.
The hornbills (Bucerotidae) of Africa's forests help trees spread and grow. How? The hornbill visits a tree to eat its fruit, then flies away. The fruit seeds gradually make their way through the hornbill's digestive tract. When the bird excretes, the seeds are expelled (with built-in fertilizer, thanks to the bird's feces). With enough luck, one of the seeds will sprout and take root, and a new tree will grow.
Indicator Species
The Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) is a world traveler, migrating across Europe, Africa, and Asia and is used as an indicator species. Its numbers have declined in recent years. One cause may be the loss of its grassy breeding grounds to farmland.
Scientists are concerned about the steady decline of the Arctic-dwelling Greater Scaup (Aythya marila). Studies suggest that its life cycle may be interrupted by a warming climate. Scaup bodies also contain unhealthy chemicals due to pollution.
Model Organisms
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a common model organism and has been part of many research projects, including the study of diseases like AIDS and multiple sclerosis.
License: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA
Clements, J. 2007. Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th edition. New York: Cornell University Press. Available online at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist.
Gill, F., and D. Donsker. (eds). 2012. IOC World Bird Names (v 3.1). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org.
Hutchinson, GE. 1978. An Introduction to Population Ecology. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Organ, C, Schweitzer, M., W. Zheng, et al. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics of Mastadon and Tyranosaurus rex. Science. 320:499.
Peters, J.L., Mayr E., J.C. Greenway, et al. 1931–1987. Checklist of Birds of the World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Sibley, C.G., and J.A. Ahlquist. 1990. Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution. New Haven: Yale University Press.


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True warrior health is a mindset and a way of living. It is a deep respect for the body and a commitment to provide it what it needs each day. We call these needs the 5 Pillars of Warrior Health and they are the foundation of the BulaFIT Program. For more information about this program, see the BulaFIT Guide.
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"The keto shake is delicious and I was surprised that I could feel so good while 'dieting.' As I added other products and exercise I was surprised again how quickly my body started to change. This is truly is the 'feel good' diet!"
Mike Casperson - 43 lbs
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Carolyn McKeachnie - 50 lbs+
Typical weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. Please note that the causes for being overweight vary from person to person due to genetics, environmental factors, food intake, metabolism and differing levels of exercise. Because of this, results from the BulaFIT Program may vary. No individual result should be seen as typical.
The experiences mentioned are from Independent Ambassadors who have personally used the BulaFIT Program and products. Ambassadors may receive compensation from Wakaya Perfection for sharing and promoting its products and services.
Ketosis occurs when low levels of carbohydrates cause the body to switch to burning fat for energy. This metabolic process creates ketones as source of fuel. Ketones are also known to fuel and stimulate the brain. Think of ketosis as the state when your body is in a pure fat burning mode. In the ketogenic diet, approximately 75% of calories are obtained from fat, with 20% from proteins and 5% from carbohydrates.
Ketosis is a completely natural process and is generally regarded as safe. The "keto diet" is called the "feel good diet" because of the high amounts of energy that metabolizing fat provides. Ketones also fuel the brain and help to avoid "brain fog" caused by other low carb diets. Keto diets taste great and allow dieters to enjoy butter, cream, cheese, eggs, bacon and other guilty pleasures.
Eating less calories than what our bodies use to operate (calorie deficit) forces the body to burn its various stores of energy. The body's first source of fuel is glycogen (a form of sugar). Glycogen is quick burning and creates high amounts of energy but is only stored in limited amounts in the body. When glycogen runs low our bodies start converting protein to glycogen to continue fueling the body. Moderate protein consumption is necessary to avoid muscle deterioration in this phase.
As the body continues to lack enough glycogen from carbohydrates and proteins, it begins to metabolize fat to create ketones for energy. Ketosis provides high energy levels to the body and brain. During transition from glycogen to ketones, some people can feel a of lack of energy and or flu like symptoms, often called "keto flu". BulaFIT Burn Capsules can support energy and focus during keto transition.
To learn more about ketosis and the BulaFIT Program, download the BulaFIT Program Guide.
These statements have not been evaluat- ed by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Changing your diet and making great meal choices is easy with BulaFIT. The program will teach you the appropriate macro-nutrient ratios to support the ketogenic diet.
KetoFUEL™ Meal Replacement Shake
KetoFUEL is specially formulated to support the body's natural ketogenic metabolic processes. KetoFUEL has a delicious creamy taste that supports the idealcarb/protein/fat percentages needed to keep you in Ketosis. When combined with a healthy diet and exercise, KetoFUEL promotes high-impact fat loss.
BulaFIT BURN™ Metabolic Accelerator
Support your fat loss with a potent combination of herbs and extracts that help you manage appetite/cravings while providing sustained energy and heightened focus throughout your day. BURN Capsules help support a consistent, healthy diet.
These statements have not been evaluat- ed by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Adding to or improving your daily exercise routine can help you develop healthy habits that last a lifetime. Exercise can help increase fat burn and prevent a fat gain. Exercise also promotes a host of potential health benefits like healthy blood pressure, healthy cholesterol, improved brain function and much more.
The Warrior Workout™ with Owen McKibbin
Based on the principles of Zone Progression Training, the Warrior Workout has been created to help provide maximum results in each session. Each workout can be done at home without expensive equipment and provides fitness benefits that can rival those obtained from gyms and other commercial fitness establishments. BulaFIT Warrior Workouts are fun, highly efficient! Download the BulaFIT Program Guide for more details.
As you begin to incorporate each of the Pillars of Warrior Health, you will enhance your own understanding of your own body. Even better, you will begin creating new habits for lasting, vibrant health!
Your journey to warrior health with the BulaFIT Program begins with four simple steps:
Download the BulaFIT Program Guide for more details.
BulaFIT packs feature KetoFUEL and BURN in addition to essential superfoods and enhanced hydration. When used as part of the BulaFIT program, these products support optimal fat loss and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Provides the essentials to get started with the BulaFIT Program including KetoFUEL, BURN, Bula Hydration, and Pink Fijian GInger and Turmeric.
Enhance your BulaFIT experience with the Bula Nutri-Cap Hydration System in addition to BulaFIT KetoFUEL, BURN, and Pink Fijian Ginger and Turmeric.
An expanded pack that includes the essentials of the BulaFIT Pack with the addition of SlimCaps, DetoxCaps, Multi Essentials, and Bone & Muscle Support.
As a participant in the BulaFIT Program you have access to an encouraging community and ongoing tools to support you in achieving your health goals.
Get daily motivational and instructional posts by Owen as well as ongoing support, recipe ideas and encouragement. Search for Wakaya BulaFIT on Facebook to join the group.
Learn about the latest trends in health and fitness. Owen hosts this call each week as he talks the latest trends in health while answering questions from BulaFIT members.
All BulaFIT customers receive their own member login where they have access to educational resources, recipes, meal plans, and more!
A 90-day fat loss and fitness program to transform your body and life! BulaFIT Coach Owen McKibbin will motivate and encourage you with expert information, tips and videos. You'll also enjoy a fun positive community with recognition and even prizes!
Visit the Warrior Challenge page for information about the current or next Challenge.
BulaFIT Coach Owen McKibbin
• 30-year fitness veteran and Creator of the Warrior Fitness Program and Cover Model Workout
• Celebrity trainer for Blake Lively, Zac Ephron, Amber Valetta, Jessica Simpson and more
• 13+ time Men's Health cover model
*Owen McKibbin is a paid endorser of Wakaya Perfection products and services.


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It's a chick thing — As we begin a new day in Cashmere Sex and the Mafia City, the girls are gearing up to go into battle. For fashion-forward, fat-check paycheck, femme women, "gearing up" means arming themselves with just the necessities: wallets, cell phones and Crackberries, makeup, nail polish, enough hair product for three different weather conditions, appointment books, condoms and breath mints. The whole mess then gets tossed into a luxurious designer purse that cost more than my first car.
To celebrate her promotion to publisher at Barnstead Media, Mia has treated herself to a new Gucci bag. She lovingly opens the box, peels back the tissue paper and removes the dream purse from its protective cloth bag. Yes, her bag has a bag.
I, on the other hand, tend to travel light. Anything I can't fit in my pockets goes in my girlfriend's purse. And that's the world as it should be.
For Mia's first day as Publisher, she's also chosen a bob hairdo that reminds me of the toe-sucking scene in The Last Emperor. And her chiffon blouse? Captain Jack Sparrow called. He wants his shirt back.
First day on the job — At her new office, Mia is greeted by her assistant, a very cheerful young woman named Tracy. Tracy beams supportively as Mia swings open the glass door and surveys her new surroundings.
There are congratulatory flower arrangements and gift baskets everywhere. One creative well-wisher has sent a selection of sunglasses, arranged as topiary. The card reads, "Your future's so bright, you have to wear shades." Damn. Now I have to think of something else to send Sarah for Christmas next year.
The sunglass tree was a gift from Mia's former mentor, now subordinate, Grant, a tall, dapper fellow who has the head of the Muppet Guy Smiley.
Mia tells Guy Grant their first order of business is to secure exclusivity for one of the magazines with a hot, hot, hot photographer named Ian Weber. Mia's frantic to hit the ground running as publisher. Grant coolly assures her it'll all work out fine.
Just then, Mia's boss, Clive, stops by. He's heard that Jack called off the wedding and thanks her for not making him drink "stale champagne at some office baby shower" someday. Word.


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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas, December 11, 2013 (AFNS) – With the new year just around the corner, now is the perfect time for Airmen to double check and, if necessary, update their contact information, secure web account access and emergency records, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.
The traditional move season is over, so some Airmen may have outdated work and home email addresses, and family status may have changed for others, as well, said Timothy Clary, the AFPC Total Force Service Center director.
"We're a global force, and every day, especially during the winter, we face potential hazards, so it's important that we not only have accurate contact information, but more than one method of contacting Airmen," he explained.
One way Airmen can support that need is by providing alternate email addresses, which will ensure they receive important messages, on or off duty.
Military Airmen can update their official email address via the AFPC secure site and civilian Airmen can update theirs via myBiz. Both sites are accessible through MyPers. Updating personal email can be done through the member's myPers account profile, as well.
"In addition, Airmen who are housebound due to illness or inclement weather can still access their records, secure web apps and more if they take the time before a problem occurs to establish user identification and passwords for secure applications," Clary said.
For example, myPers is a secure site normally accessed with the common access card, but Airmen who have a user ID and strong password can access the site from their home computer. That will enable them to stay current on personnel programs, policies and processes that may affect their careers.
"A strong, 15-character password is critical to protect your privacy and to maintain a secure site," Clary said.
Since Airmen will be reviewing and updating information, the director suggested they also double-check their DD Form 93, Record of Emergency Data, the source document required by law to provide emergency contact information and beneficiary designations in the event an Airman becomes a casualty.
"The virtual form, or vRED, is accessible through the virtual MPF, so while you're in the site updating email, it makes sense to update the emergency data as well," he said.
Maintaining accurate, up-to-date access, contact and emergency information is part of every Airman's duty, and the new year ahead presents the perfect opportunity to get all the updates done and out of the way, Clary said.
To access vMPF, myBiz or your myPers account profile, go to https://mypers.af.mil. A link to the account profile is in the left column above the "contact us" link. The MyBiz and AFPC secure links are in the "I would like to" section.


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|Shereesa Moodley
Shereesa is a passionate writer who often delves into the world of social media, online trends and all things photography. She is also a journalism graduate of Rhodes University and can be found frequenting YouTube and Instagram.
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2020. Republish permission. ADSL & Web hosting proudly provided by Afrihost. Bizcommunity.com, its sponsors, contributors and advertisers disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, injury or expense that might arise from the use of, or reliance upon, the services contained herein. Privacy policy, Terms of Use, PAIA.


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Modern Rome
Fine art giclee print of the artwork Modern Rome by Joseph Mallord Turner, the famous English Romantic painter known especially for his landscapes. Available as a giclee print on paper or on canvas. Giclee prints display exceptional detail and vivid colour and are created using the finest digital printmaking technology available. Our custom picture frames will further enhance and preserve this great artwork. read more ... Fine Art Prints
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We sell only the finest quality prints, canvas prints and custom frames. See our Terms & conditions at the bottom of your screen for details of our money-back guarantee.
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Credit Card payments use the PayFast gateway. workART do not receive your credit card details. PayFast's business IS to manage your payment securely and reliably using the most sophisticated security.


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Nio - The Unforgettable Bluetooth Accessory
Description: nio protects your iPhone and other valuables from loss and theft. The nio Tag connects via Bluetooth to your iPhone to create a wireless chain between them. Your iPhone and nio Tag act like a buddy system alarming when they become separated by more than a safe distance, alerting you before one of them goes missing. Carry nio with you or attach it to your keys, camera, laptop or bag or anything else you want to keep with you. nio Tag is a Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Accessory and is compatible with iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPad3, iPad4 and iPadmini and connects to device using free nio App available at the App Store. Features of nio nio has many features that can be adjusted to fit any lifestyle including the Security Distance, Alarm Sound & Sensitivity and Anti-Theft option. A nio Premium App can also be downloaded from the App store with even more security features including Reminders, Alerts, GeoTagging and Mulit-nio Tag capability.
Price: $69.95


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William F. Laman Public Library is excited to announce the public availability of thousands of movies, television shows, music albums and audiobooks, all available for mobile and online access through a new partnership with hoopla digital - all you need is a valid library card!
Click Here to Create a New Account
Click Here if You Have Already Created an Account
William F. Laman Public Library card holders can download the free hoopla digital mobile app on their Android or IOS device or visit hoopladigital.com to begin enjoying thousands of titles - from major Hollywood studios, record companies and publishers - available to borrow for instant streaming or temporary downloading to their smartphones, tablets and computers.
hoopla digital has a simple sign-up and attractive, easy-to-use interface, so it's easy to get to your listening and viewing experience. There's also no waiting to borrow popular movies, TV shows, albums or audiobooks. And hoopla digital's automatic return feature eliminates late fees.
To access the system on your mobile device, you will need to first download the FREE hoopla digital app from the App Store on your Android or IOS device. There is no need to download an app or extension for your internet browser.
Once you have downloaded the app to your device(s) and/or clicked on the hoopla digital link on our website (www.lamanlibrary.org) you will be prompted to enter your email address, a password, your library card number, and your library card PIN number. The system will validate that you are in good standing with the library, so that you may begin to browse, borrow, and enjoy the content.
Come see what all the hoopla's about:
Video lends for 72 hours
Music lends for 7 days
Audiobooks lend for 21 days
Here are a few short videos to help answer some basic question:
If you still have questions, please feel free to call us at 501-758-1720.
We hope you enjoy this new service and encourage you to share your experience on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
to choose service
Need Help? Browse all our answers to your questions.
The Laman Library System:
2801 Orange Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114
Phone: 501-758-1720
Map & Directions • Hours
420 Main Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114
Phone: 501-687-1061
Map & Directions • Hours
Copyright © 2020 Laman Library System. All Rights Reserved.


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Wrexham FC
Obviously, we get to deal with a lot of football clubs here at European Football Weekends. Some of them leave lasting impressions on us, friendships are formed, cats end up kissing dogs and it all ends up happily ever after, just as we like it.
In this - part 1 of an occasional series - we take a closer look at one of the clubs who have left a lasting impact on these pages: namely, Wrexham FC.
When Wrexham visited the Dripping Pan, Lewes in February of last year, I for one expected them to come down with a high and mighty even aloof attitude. Nothing could have been further from that there truth. Dean Saunders took time out to talk to EFW, their fans were superb both on and off the park and in the WSA (Wrexham Supporters Association) they had an organisation to be proud of.
So EFW teamed up with Mark Griffiths of the aforementioned WSA this week to delve a bit deeper into Wrexham FC and amongst other things; their support, rivalries and of course where we can grab a nice beer if we were ever to visit their splendid old Racecourse Ground:
What is Wrexham's support like both home and away in terms of numbers and vocal support?
Impressive to be honest! Attendances have help up pretty well through the years of turmoil and even relegation to The Conference didn't dent the figures until our season went down the pan in March and April. In fact until that point although our attendances were down on last season, there were actually more Wrexham fans attending! It was the big drop in away support which pulled the overall figure down. I think there's a fresh loyalty created by suffering together which I feel rather proud of!
We take a good contingent to away games too - we're helped by the fact that there are lively supporters groups around the country, particularly the London Reds, who turn out in force down south. Relegation to The Conference must have been a godsend for them - every other week we're playing on their doorstep! In terms of volume, I think we're pretty good. Certainly a good cup tie at The Racecourse or an away match like Burton last year where we filled half the ground sends a tingle down your spine! The atmosphere was terrific on the first day of the season and it was a shock when the attendance was given at only three and half thousand as it felt and sounded more like five. The following Saturday we went to Crawley and the 200 away fans were considerably louder than the 800 home fans, although neither contingent could drown out the shouting of Steve Evans, sadly!
What is the away allocation given to teams at the Racecourse Ground and has anybody actually filled that in recent years?
Until about a year ago we used to give a whole stand to away fans, and once or twice a season it'd get close to capacity or full. Now we give a section of the main stand - I suspect it holds around 500 - and last season only one team (Altrincham) brought more than 200 fans.
It's still a nice ground - the terraces have been seated so it's an all-seater now as sadly The Kop has been closed. The development has divided the fans, who are understandably very sensitive about such schemes after what we've been through recently. It's making match day a little awkward as most of the club car park is closed and there's a huge red wall sectioning off the building work which stretches round a quarter of the ground. The concerns about the redevelopment are where the profits go - we've been told the club will benefit massively from it. but whether that's crafty legalese or genune's splitting supporters - and the fact that it's being done in stages, and a new stand's the final phase. Thus far there's no planning permission to build a replacement stand and therefore no guarantee there'll be one.
What's the Racourse ground like these days?
I've heard they want to do some work to the Kop!?
Who are Wrexham's main rivals?
Chester, Chester and Chester. We don't get along. Having said that, when Chester have been in difficulty off the pitch, we've always been concerned as we don't want to lose their rivalry. Likewise, when we were in danger of disappearing some of Chester's fans gave superb, highly visible support. Wrexham's fans find City's current problems worrying. No fans deserve the problems they've got a the moment. The thought of them going to the wall is horrendous.
As for other rivals, Shrewsbury Town is a derby of sorts, although I always feel it's more keenly felt at their end than ours, Port Vale games can get rather unpleasant off the pitch and Cardiff don't get much sympathy up here. When they got to the FA Cup Final and kept talking about how all of Wales wanted them to win it was pretty difficult for a lot of us to stomach! Mind you, I'm sure it would have gone down even less well in Swansea!
Is there an ultra culture in Welsh football?
Naturally things vary from club to club. Certainly at Wrexham we have a superb group of lads called "The Twelfth Man" who embrace the positive side of ultra culture, making lots of noise, bringing in banners and always coming up with new songs. They've arranged events like a scarf day where every fan going to a game got a free scarf and are a superb bunch.
Do many Wrexham fans follow the national team?
Yes, and you often see Wrexham banners at the away matches. Having said that, the fact that virtually all the games are now played at the Millennium Stadium makes attendance a lot more difficult. We all hark back to the good old days when internationals were shared between Wrexham and Cardiff.
On a recent trip to Wales, I was quite taken aback with the North/South Welsh divide. Does that rivarly manifest itself during Welsh national games?
It certainly used to: I remember being in Wrexham's Kop as a kid and hearing the fans chant for Wrexham or Cardiff rather than for Wales! I don't think it's as pronounced now, but I could be wrong. It's an issue which transcends sport though: politically we feel we've been by passed. It always seems like there's plenty of Welsh Assembly funding sloshing around for projects down south, whereas we are still waiting for a promised direct train link to Cardiff!
That's enough about rivals, do Wrexham have any 'friendships' with other teams?
We made a lot of links during our troubles. The support we received was wonderful and a Fans United day was held at The Racecourse which attracted seven thousands fans, many travelling across the country. Most obvious are Brighton, as a core of their supporters gave us wonderful support and drawing on their own experiences, gave us advice on what we should do. I'm very proud of my Wrexham/Brighton scarf. Personally, I have a genuine affection for Eastbourne and Workington after our trips there last season. I hope you're appreciating my bias towards Sussex!? (absolutely spot on, aside from Eastbourne - Ed).
Tell us a bit about the WSA. There really is some splendid stuff on that website with well written blogs and videos.
Cheers! We love doing them. We started off as a hospital radio broadcast back in the 1950's, run by Wrexham's Supporters Association. Recently we've looked to expand though: we do commentaries from all games for the club's website and produce podcasts after every game, plus chat show style podcasts every week with focus on Wrexham but often go off topic to discuss non-league or Welsh footy matters. We slap in the blogs for good measure too! It's all hosted on the Supporters Association website, of which I'm the webmaster. I'm currently completely redesigning it, which is a lot more work than I anticipated.
What is the best football ground in Wales?
As I follow Wrexham home and away, I don't get much chance to see grounds that we don't play at. Also, as Cardiff and Swansea have moved well out of our orbit in recent years, I haven't been to their new grounds, so I can't judge them really. Cefn Druids ground is quite nice - a bit like Lewes with grass banks around the pitch.
And the worst?
Let's just say there were good reasons for Swansea and Cardiff to leave The Vetch and Ninian Park!
Has the novelty of being in the Football Conference worn off?
Not for me - I'm really enjoying it (while obviously wanting to get for the good of the club!). The welcome you get at most clubs is terrific: Lewes, Eastbourne and Workington particularly stood out as memorable days out last season. That said, the totally random nature of the Conference refs and administrators is something that wears a bit!
Do you still harp on about those famous cup runs and the wins over Arsenal and Porto because I would!?
Absolutely! If you can't wallow in your past what can a football fan do? We were amazingly consistent in the cups. I remember us playing Ipswich in the mid 90's when they were in the Premiership and feeling beforehand with absolute certainty that we'd beat them - it just seemed so inevitable. And of course we did! The Porto game was perhaps more remarkable than the Arsenal game. Although everyone knows we'd finished bottom of the the league the season before and Arsenal were champions, the fact was that we were on the up - we were promoted the next season. In contrast, the side that beat Porto was genuinely poor. We were strapped for cash, lost every game between the two legs emphatically and struggled to stay mid-table in Division Four.
Who is considered to be Wrexham's best player of all time?
I guess it's a toss up between Tommy Bamford (every club has had one - a guy who played before the second World War with a phenomenal scoring record - over 200 goals approaching a goal a game) and Arfon Griffiths, who played the most games for us, either side of a spell at Arsenal. He was a Welsh international and went on to be our player-manager when we enjoyed our greatest ever season, winning the 3rd Division title, the Welsh Cup and getting to the quarter finals of both FA and League Cups.
The Red Dragons or The Robins?
Call me an old stuck-in-the-mud but it's The Robins for me.
What is Wrexham like as a City?
Got to be a stickler for accuracy and point out we're a town. We applied twice for city status in the last ten years but were beaten by Brighton (understandably) and Newport (less so). We were hit hard by the decline of the mining and brewing industries - we're a brewery and market town in essence. It's pleasant enough - St Giles Church in the centre of town is impressive - bit I guess most visitors here use us as a base to explore the surrounding countryside and tourist attractions.
We like a pre (and post - Ed) match beer on this site, can you recommend us any nice pubs?
The Turf is actually on the corner of the ground - in fact its attic was the changing room for decades and until the new stand was built in the late 90's fans could watch the game from its balcony. You can still see the balcony from certain angles, but it looks rather forlorn now as it faces a wall of corrugated metal!
The Turf - Right what's everyone having!?
* Beth sydd yna i ddim hoffi!? = What's not to like
- Feel free to post a comment below -