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We've had our albums of the year and our tracks of the year, and here DiS bids you adieu for 2007 with some of our favourite features of the past twelve months, for your instant-click consumption and eye-aching reading pleasure.
From Gallows to Björk, The Shins to Panda Bear, PJ Harvey to The Dillinger Escape Plan, LCD Soundsystem to Kate Nash and El-P to David Shrigley, DiS has chin-wagged with the great and the good and everyone in between. Click the headlines for links. See you in 2008.
(Click here to browse more feature content.)
Sticky Fingers: Animal Collective (pictured) discuss Strawberry Jam
"We're all fairly different kinds of people so an Animal Collective song isn't really an Animal Collective song until we've all put our combined personality and character into a song."
Arcade Fire on the festival circuit: "It's kinda crazy"
"It's, for me, the final straw in driving the point home that this band is actually quite well known! Which I'm admitting only one hair at a time, but last night in Portugal it was sooo… the crowd was so great, and the crowd was so big… I just had this moment: Ooooh, I'm in a famous rock band!"
For one night only: a day with Band of Horses
"Take that music snobbery and shove it up your butt. We'll take the people who don't give a shit, who are out there to have a good time and can see the forest from the trees and not pick every leaf apart."
Battles' Tyondai Braxton talks Mirrored, and the "neutrality" of his band's music
"I've heard that we sound like Fela Kuti, I've heard that we sound like more abstract bands and hip-hop groups, and it's great to hear all that because what people are saying is that they hear an element of something and they're trying to reduce it to something understandable. Here's what I think: I feel that the way we make music, there's a neutrality to it. The music is not telling you how to feel, it's really just reflective of yourself."
Beirut: inspiration is an old piano
"It took me a long time to accept the Gulag Orkestar album for what it was – I was shooting for the stars and fell pretty short."
"I'm just doing my best to escape boredom": DiS questions Björk about Volta and beyond
"Ten or twenty years ago it was more presumed that if you went on stage you were up for being available to strangers 24/7. Not anymore – now you have all kinds of celebrities, on all different levels of interest from the paparazzi. They leave the ones who don't want it alone."
Deerhunter: troubled Atlantan souls brighten 2007's album horizons
"We never thought we'd get as many people coming to the shows, so it's well beyond what we thought. They've been really fun, and we've managed to meet loads of new people."
The Dillinger Escape Plan: calculating aggression vs multiplying melody
"I think the bands that will continue to go on and produce something special are those unafraid to adjust the mechanics. The point is to not do something simply because you can, but to do something because it furthers your vision and gives you another tool to create this vision."
El-P: "When I run out of my magic pills, I'll lose my sh*t"
"If I was to get caught up in the gut impression, in the immediate interpretations people have of the lyrics, I would get frustrated. But I really only have myself to blame for that."
Gallows: the Shape of Punk in 2007
"Christmas last year, we were playing a show in Norwich in the back of a bar to, like, 50 kids. And it got cut short after three songs, and it was freezing cold. And now, a year later, here we are sitting at Brixton Academy, and we've toured the world, basically, in a year. So, it's been good!"
A blindsiding project, not a 'side project': DiS meets Grinderman
"It's not a new band – people know Nick, y'know. It seems like a continuation of a musical quest, of a musical development and that. The day you feel like you're not bettering what you've done, maybe it's time to stop… that, or you're satisfied doing the same old crap over and over."
PJ Harvey: "There are no rules, and you can make anything up you want"
"The song is much more to do with the thought that's gone behind it, the words I've slowly collected, the atmosphere and visuals that I have. Songs are very visual for me, almost like little films that I see, and characters that I see in them. I want to make this atmosphere happen; I'm very filmic in that way."
French Touch: chain smoking in the church of Justice
"Club music is something we discovered really late, when we started to DJ really. It was never open to us before. We are just trying to make pop music but with the tools of today – because the tools of today make it sound modern and also allows you to make everything from beginning to the end. There are reasons why it sounds electronic but our main concern is just to make music you can listen to at home or in the car."
The Knife: Swedish purveyors of alien synergy
"It's hard to say what will happen next time, if there will be any next time. I see everything we have done as different projects, where we wanted to try new things. The live thing was a project, and I am not sure we will do it once again, since we now know what it's like."
DiS meets LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy; asks about Daft Punk; gets the brush off
"I come from this punk rock background where every major label was the same and you kind of have these Machiavellian ideas about these things. But you get in to the way labels work and you realise that it's not actually organised enough for it to be Machiavellian. There's something Keystone Cops-ish about it."
Les Savy Fav: more quality, less quantity
"We play shows to surprise ourselves, and we have no control over the audience. We hope they are having a blast because we are. I think this recording shares similarities with our live shows. Our shows can be chaotic and exciting and so was the process of recording Let's Stay Friends. It was like a roller coaster: big ups and downs, jostling, but we were strapped in."
Jeffrey Lewis answers your questions... with crayons
"What is the best way to wear an octopus?"
Milk tooth tales: Liars discover their inner-child
"Things are based on very personal experiences to generate songs that have universal connections, and you draw from what you know and it becomes something people connect to more, maybe removing your source of connecting to that experience."
M.I.A.: "I'm not gonna stay on my couch in Norwood 'til George Bush works out how to beat Bin Laden"
"What pisses me off in music is that ultimately you do have to work within the format, y'know you go on MTV and they'll ask if my video can be played between Beyoncé and Rihanna which pisses me off, then I go, 'Fuck you, I don't wanna go on MTV then'... now you can check it up on Youtube and on MySpace and you're not so dependent on those formats but there is one all the same, you know..."
Dear hearts, precious time: Maccabees awkward in an ironic present
"Thamesbeat – the only ridiculous thing with that was when people tried to give it a name. Mystery Jets, Jamie T – some of the best bands in the land came from that, but it wasn't that together, more just a bunch of people we met along the way."
Get into the spirit: DiS enjoys a nice pre-Christmas chat with Múm
"I haven't had a TV for five years because I don't like the idea of being fed but I love feeding myself. I love what I do and I keep on doing it. So a good way for me to relax is to lose myself in a hypothetical world where I have no say in anything."
Why you being a dickhead for: Kate Nash hits out at her critics
"I've been hurt but I think you should wear your heart on your sleeve. I'm not afraid of being stupid or of someone seeing me at my weakest and then leaving me or whatever, I think human beings will do that to each other, you know you hurt the people you love the most. But I'm very optimistic and I love people, I just acknowledge there's gonna be bumps along the way."
The National: "We nearly lost our minds making Boxer"
"I don't think we'd do it again, the way we did Boxer, because it was nearly a disaster. We came very close to giving up."
DiS meets Panda Bear: "I feel like the music I like the best is exclusively pop stuff"
"What really excites me about making music: to try and make something that really surprises me and maybe doesn't make sense to me at first, but makes sense to me later if you know what I'm saying. So, I'm not too interested in using formulas and blueprints… I like to try and fuck things up and see what happens. That's more fun to me."
Drinking the Knights Away: DiS meets The Shins' James Mercer
"We're not worried if we don't sell as many records as we could have done, but more about the people who really give a crap about the music still being with us and buying it. I figure that will happen. Nobody wants those noisy jocks you get shouting at Modest Mouse gigs."
"No Wands": David Shrigley dissects Worried Noodles
"My criteria is that as long as what I am doing is good then it's fine to do it. As long as I'm having a good time and I feel what I am doing is interesting and not shite then that's good and I'm going to continue. I supposed there is a fashion aspect to what I am doing, and perhaps I will go out of fashion at some point. But, again, there's not a lot I can really do about that."
The Twilight Sad: bright horizons follow fifteen winters
"I've always kinda felt that, if we went out and played a gig that sounded exactly like the album, you may as well have just stayed at home and listened to the album. We don't find it interesting to perform that way, so when we do play live, we usually make everything noisier – it's a big wall of noise for an hour, and then we walk off."
Coming in January: Magnetic Fields, The Mountain Goats, The Mars Volta, White Denim and more. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and all that jazz.


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HOME > download > Download(Windows)
Download the client file from below.
GetAmped2 Game
|Standard System
|Recommended System
|Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7
*On Windows 7 (64 bit), the game will run using WoW64 (Windows 32-bit On Windows 64-bit).
|Pentium3 1.2GHz or higher
|Pentium4 1.6GHz or higher
|256MB or higher
|512MB or higher
|graphics board (*1)
|VRAM 32MB or higher
|VRAM 64MB or higher
|Windows Vista/7
|Pentium4 1.6GHz or higher
|Pentium4 2.0GHz or more
|512MB or higher
|1GB or higher
|graphics board (*1)
|VRAM 64MB or more
|VRAM 128MB or more
|DirectX9.0c or more(*1)
|Hard Disc
|800MB of hard disk space or more
|System Requirements
|128kbps or more(*2)
|1Mbps or more (*3)
|*Setting up the TCP/UDP will be needed for connecting at the application if you use firewall.
|Supported Devices
|USB game pad (8 keys or more)
|(*1) Graphic Board that provided with driver for DirectX9.0c
(*2) System that is available to access internet with speed TA/DSU or more and also support ISDN 64kbps
(*3) System that can be connected continuously with the Internet through ADSL or CATV/Optical Cable
If you have not yet downloaded the Direct X and the Video Card (Graphic Board) , please download the each driver at the link above.

subset: commoncrawl


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Photodissociation of Molecular Oxygen (O2)
This movie shows how an ultraviolet (UV) photon can break apart an oxygen molecule. When the photon hits the oxygen molecule, it adds energy to the molecule. The extra energy breaks the bond between the two oxygen atoms, and the atoms fly apart. This is called photodissociation.
You need the latest version of the Flash player to see this movie.
Photodissociation of Molecular Nitrogen
Photodissociation of the Hydroxyl Radical
Last modified February 17, 2006 by Randy Russell.


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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:14:01 — 61.4MB)
AWWWWWWW YISS. It's THE WOLVERINE! AKA ALMOST ENOUGH SHIRTLESS HUGH JACKMAN! Trevon, Alan, and Aaron drunkenly barrel through the cinematic saga of the X-Men franchise to celebrate(ish) the latest entry in Fox's ongoing assault upon Aaron's entire childhood! We belatedly talk about Pacific Rim! Comic-Con! The wonders of old-timey Aerosmith.
This episode totally brought to you by Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Listen now or get your iTunes on!
{ Comments on this entry are closed }


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Galapagos Øybevaring - Frivillig Arbeid på Galapagos, Ecuador: Månedlige Oppdateringer
Ecuador Conservation update March - April 2016
The Conservation Team worked on the six main projects developed in the Galapagos. Introduced species control, maintenance of green houses, tortoise nursery and feeding related activities, wild life monitoring, coastal clean ups and petrel nest project activities. Extra activities were also performed in order to reinforce volunteers, commitment to the environment. Also, new Conservation staff Ramiro Adrian, joined Projects Abroad on April.
This facility designed to protect and provide home and safety to a population of tortoises needs permanent care. Galapagos National Park rangers are assisted by Projects Abroad volunteers on several activities. We cut down introduced specie lantana in order to remove obstacles that reduce the access to the whole breeding area. This activity also provides place for new nesting spots for the tortoises. We clean the feeding platforms and then feed the animals. Tortoises are fed with Otoy, also called elephant ears, a plant grown for this purpose by GNP(Galapagos national park Service). We monitored also the small individuals, in between 1-6 years old, measuring size and weight. We counted 72 individuals. This monitoring has to be done 3 times a year.
Iguana Monitoring
We have been monitoring marine iguanas on three different beaches. We give the volunteer the necessary information related to sex differentiation between individuals and the conservation objectives for the project. The volunteer has the chance to see and understand the natural and semi natural environment where iguanas live. The information collected is given to the Galapagos National Park for their use and projects. Also Projects Abroad keeps a database that helps for interpretation in different topics such as human impact on the trails next to their nesting areas.
Otoy Plantation and Future Green House
There is an area in the highlands, in a place called Goteras, which the Galapagos National Park designated for reforestation and conservation of native and endemic species. Volunteers and staff have been working in the maintenance of this area that is mainly an Otoy plantation (plant used to feed the land tortoises). We have worked on the control of the most invasive plant specie of all, the blackberry. This specie has special reproductive and growing skills that directly affect the other species survival status. We have also arranged a project that is going to clear a specific area, for reforestation of endemic trees and plants.
Petrels Nest Project
Petrels are endemic marine birds that nest on the highlands. They face a problem on their nesting areas due to rats, which feed on their eggs. Conservation team helps to place rat traps around the area and give maintenance to this system. We place poison, clean the traps and monitor the nests.
Coastal Clean Ups
The pollution due to human waste gets driven towards the coasts of the Galapagos. Several clean ups are developed each month to prevent animals dying because of plastic ingestion and other garbage related incidents. Conservation team assisted National Park rangers on cleaning the coastal line close to the populated area towards the north. GNP boats took us to the starting point and picked us up to collect the waste. We weighed 10k of garbage on this day.
Several other small clean ups were undertaken in order to keep beaches and populated areas clear. Also we started developing a campaign that wants to reduce and eventually stop waste being thrown on the streets and beaches. It will embrace previous campaigns and organizations.
Sea Lions Project
Monitoring sea lions is a permanent activity that we carry out in order to have a complete database. GNP uses the information provided to develop projects and to understand and give interpretation to different processes. We monitor the beaches that surround populated areas every day in the morning. We commit volunteers to the task as it is a very important project for sea lion conservation.
Green House Development
We are developing an area located close to the highland town El Progreso. We work on organic agriculture and preparation of soil to make compost and sustain the production independently. Crops of native and endemic plants are grown on the area and given maintenance weekly. We started preparing the place for building composters and a larger scale green house close to the agricultural sites in order to become a pedagogic natural place to promote conservation and environmental friendly activities.
Other Activities
Among the other activities, conservation has organized some interpretation walks around the visiting sites near the populated areas. The objective is to engage the volunteer with the environment from the inside. We explain and expose ecosystems and species to reinforce the knowledge and love of nature. These walks have allowed our volunteers to visit some of the most precious sites and enjoy diverse activities such as snorkelling, bird watching, fruit picking, and others. Also we water reforested plants in some areas like Loberia, Playa de los Marinos and others.
Ramiro Adrian
Conservation Project Manager


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The Barrhead Methodist church meets in the Barrhead Evangelical Church Hall
situated at 38 Cross Arthurlie St, Barrhead G78 1QW
click here for location map
The Sunday service is held at 11:00 - see the Circuit Plan for details.
Once an industrial town, Barrhead's situation in the rural landscape of Renfrewshire has made it an attractive residential suburb of Greater Glasgow. Yet, there is a still a strong sense of community in Barrhead and our church enjoys good relations with the churches of other denominations in the town.
On 1 May 2016 the doors of the old red sandstone building were closed for the last time after 112 years.
The building required major repairs, the cost of which would be too much for the congregation to raise. However, the congregation are happy in their new accommodation.
Here you will find traditional Methodist worship (with a Scottish flavour) where the praise is robust and the Gospel faithfully presented by the circuit superintendent minister or a methodist local preacher. The church is always warm and comfortable and if you are visiting or have come to live here you will find a warm hearted, welcoming congregation who will make you feel at home.
Notes about the location map links
These links direct you to a mapping site and show a map of the relevant area. The actual location is shown on the map by an arrow. You can either zoom in for more detail or zoom out to see the general area. The arrow should stay in the correct place.
Barrhead Methodist Church is a Charity – No. SC037951


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What types of events can I rent facilities for at Nyack College? Nyack College facilities are available for youth programs, exhibits, religious meetings (organizations and meeting content must concur with the Nyack College Statement of Faith), concerts, educational sessions, sports camps, board meetings, as well as various private functions.
Where is Nyack College located? The residential campus is located 25 miles north of New York City in Nyack, NY. The Manhattan Campus is located in Battery Park at 2 Washington Street. Maps and directions from all points are available.
How much does it cost to hold an event at Nyack College? One of the primary reasons why 90% of our clients are repeat customers is because of our affordable rates. We will be happy to provide you with a packaged quote for facility rates, service rates and food services. Most residential conference programs cost under $70 per day for three meals, facilities and support services.
When are Nyack College facilities available? Meeting facilities and dining services are available year-round. Campus accommodations are available from the end of May through the beginning of August.
Are there any restrictions for using Nyack College facilities? Smoking and alcoholic beverages are prohibited on campus. Conferences of a religious nature must concur with the Nyack College Statement of Faith.
How soon do I need to make facility reservations? We recommend that you book and contract your facility reservation no less than 60 days in advance. We are unable to entertain facility requests with less than a 30-day notice.


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A big, sustaining, hot sandwich with soup or salad makes an easy winter supper menu. Cowgirl Creamery Cooks (Chronicle/Raincoast, $41), by the respected California cheese company's founders, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, is full of tempting recipes, and ideas for cooking with cheese in general. The book's 75 recipes could easily be made with Canadian cheeses, whether of cow, goat or sheep milk. A page of tips for making grilled cheese sandwiches includes the suggestion to use three cheeses (one of them soft), slightly stale bread, which browns better, and a cast-iron pan on medium heat.
These women have backgrounds as chefs and know how to cook. It's an excellent book.
Classic Grilled Cheese
Serves 3
Spread the three cheeses, one after the other, on three of the bread slices, with the fromage blanc in the centre. Top with the remaining three bread slices, and butter the outside of each sandwich.
Heat a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Place sandwiches in heated pan (or cook one at a time) and cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn sandwiches and continue to cook until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the sandwich is golden brown.
Serve at once.
* Use cheeses you like. Fromage blanc is a fresh, white cheese; use quark if desired. Monterey Jack can be replaced by any semi-soft cheese, like Gouda, Colby, havarti, a Port Salut type, or Le Migneron.


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PHILADELPHIA — People who try to quit smoking often say that kicking the habit makes the voice inside telling them to light up even louder, but why people succumb to those cravings so often has never been fully understood. Now, a new brain imaging study in this week's JAMA Psychiatry from scientists in Penn Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program shows how smokers suffering from nicotine withdrawal may have more trouble shifting from a key brain network—known as default mode, when people are in a so-called "introspective" or "self-referential" state— and into a control network, the so-called executive control network, that could help exert more conscious, self-control over cravings and to focus on quitting for good. Caryn Lerman, PhD
The findings help validate a neurobiological basis behind why so many people trying to quit end up relapsing—up to 80 percent, depending on the type of treatment—and may lead to new ways to identify smokers at high risk for relapse who need more intensive smoking cessation therapy.
The brain imaging study was led by researchers at University of Pennsylvania's new Brain and Behavior Change Program, led by Caryn Lerman, PhD, who is also the deputy director of Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, and Elliot Stein, PhD, and collaborators at NIDA. They found that smokers who abstained from cigarettes showed weakened interconnectivity between certain large-scale networks in their brains: the default mode network, the executive control network, and the salience network. They posit that this weakened connectivity reduces smokers' ability to shift into or maintain greater influence from the executive control network, which may ultimately help maintain their quitting attempt.
"What we believe this means is that smokers who just quit have a more difficult time shifting gears from inward thoughts about how they feel to an outward focus on the tasks at hand," said Lerman, who also serves as the Mary W. Calkins professor in the Department of Psychiatry. "It's very important for people who are trying to quit to be able to maintain activity within the control network— to be able to shift from thinking about yourself and your inner state to focus on your more immediate goals and plan."
Prior studies have looked at the effects of nicotine on brain interconnectivity in the resting state, that is, in the absence of any specific goal directed activity. This is the first study, however, to compare resting brain connectivity in an abstinent state and when people are smoking as usual, and then relate those changes to symptoms of craving and mental performance.
For the study, researchers conducted brain scans on 37 healthy smokers (those who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day) ages 19 to 61 using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in two different sessions: 24 hours after biochemically confirmed abstinence and after smoking as usual.
Imaging showed a significantly weaker connectivity between the salience network and default mode network during abstinence, compared with their sated state. Also, weakened connectivity during abstinence was linked with increases in smoking urges, negative mood, and withdrawal symptoms, suggesting that this weaker internetwork connectivity may make it more difficult for people to quit.
Establishing the strength of the connectivity between these large-scale brain networks will be important in predicting people's ability to quit and stay quit, the authors write. Also, such connectivity could serve as a clinical biomarker to identify smokers who are most likely to respond to a particular treatment.
"Symptoms of withdrawal are related to changes in smokers' brains, as they adjust to being off of nicotine, and this study validates those experiences as having a biological basis," said Lerman. "The next step will be to identify in advance those smokers who will have more difficultly quitting and target more intensive treatments, based on brain activity and network connectivity."
Co-authors of study include Hong Gu and Yihong Yang of NIDA, and James Loughead of Penn's Brain and Behavior Change Program, and Kosha Ruparel of Penn's Brain Behavioral Laboratory in the department of Psychiatry.
This work was supported by grants from The National Cancer Institute (NCI) P50 CA143187, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) R03 DA027438 and the Intramural Research Program at NIDA.
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 17 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $392 million awarded in the 2013 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania — recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital — the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2013, Penn Medicine provided $814 million to benefit our community.


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Island Paradise
While holidaying in Aitutaki at least one lagoon cruise is an absolute 'must do'
There are several different lagoon tours which can last almost an entire day. Pick up is generally around 9am and your will be returned to your accommodation by 4pm.
Probably the most well known would have to be Air Rarotonga's day tours on board Titi-ai-Tonga, a large double huller cameraman styled vessel that cruises quietly in the lagoon. Here you can sit down to a meal that is served by the friendly staff and after that there's snorkelling in the lagoon.Visitors are taken to One Foot Island, which boasts what could be the worlds smallest post office, what a treat.
Alternatively there are other smaller operators offering day cruises with boats in a variety of sizes. Most cruises offer a similiar experience going visiting small islands, providing lunch and snorkeling stops. Reviews in our guest diaries in the villas will help you decide which cruise to book.
NB Only a couple of cruises operate on Sunday.
Aitutaki has intriguing history. The first European discovery was by a Captain Bligh sailing on the Bounty in the year 1789. Bligh returned to Aitutaki and is said to have introduced the pawpaw, which, like other varieties or tropical fruit, grow in abundance all over the island.
From the air Aititaki has to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world. This vast lagoon was once a stop over for the Tasman Empire Airways flying boat service.The flying boat would tie up at a jetty on Akaiami Island, while locals would serve refreshments.
The best way to see the island mainland is with a four wheel drive, or small scooter which can be hired from several outlets. A winding road criss-crosses the island with lots of small tracks that lead you to uncover hidden secrets that won't be seen on a guided tour. Only a small drive or walk up Mt Maunga Pu provides a fantastic 360 degree view of the entire vista.


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Cambi Brown is back in Hughson checking out your favorite holiday flowers!
Duarte Poinsettias Pt 2
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|View Poll Results: Pick ONE favourite Heroine, and ONE favourite Story Arc (rank the rest in your post)
|Heroine: Haruka
|Heroine: Kaoru
|Heroine: Sae
|Heroine: Ai
|Heroine: Rihoko
|Heroine: Tsukasa
|Story Arc: Haruka
|Story Arc: Kaoru
|Story Arc: Sae
|Story Arc: Ai
|Story Arc: Rihoko
|Story Arc: Tsukasa
|Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 216. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2010-12-17, 02:39
|Link #1
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Hamburg
Age: 50
Amagami SS Favourite Main Arc/Heroine Poll Thread
We'd need two polls. One is "which girl do you like best" and one is "which arc do you like best".
About "Which girl did you like best", it would be
1. Tsukasa (most intriguing character)
2. Ai (great stable and playful character)
3. Kaoru (hard not to like her)
4. Haruka (being with her would drive me nuts)
5. Rihoko (simple yet true)
6. Sae (googly-eyed senpai adoration is not my favorite theme)
About "Which arc did you like the best", my ranking would be
1. Tsukasa (by a wide, wide margin)
2. Haruka (quite entertaining and unusual)
3. Ai (slightly disappointing and bland imho)
4. Sae (executed well, even though I didn't like her much)
5. Kaoru (very bland, could have been much better)
6. Rihoko (poor girl got cruelly friendzoned)
|2010-12-17, 02:58
|Link #2
Servant of the Void
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: The Rift
1. Haruka
2. Tsukasa
3. Ai
4. Kaoru
5. Sae
6. Rihoko
My fave arc list
1. Haruka
2. Kaoru
3. Tsukasa
4. Sae
5. Ai
6. Rihoko
Poor Rihoko T_T
Last edited by grandchaosSR; 2010-12-17 at 03:12.
|2010-12-17, 03:11
|Link #3
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 37
We don't have a way to have two polls in the same thread, so what I'm going to do is create a "pick many" poll and people should pick ONE arc and ONE heroine. They can use the thread to list the preferences in order.
Edit: Poll's live
|2010-12-17, 04:54
|Link #6
Join Date: Oct 2004
I love Haruka, but I pretty much have to agree, hands down, Tsukasa was the best arc for me also. Her double personality alone, was enough to set off a more interesting premise and opened up more opportunities for drama than any of the other heroines. I know the series is mostly a laid back slice of life romance. But, the extra drama and emotions from Tsukasa definitely spiced things up for me a bit. The other thing that made the arc enjoyable for me is that, it did not suffer the 3rd episode curse and there wasn't much pointless fillers. Unlike some other arcs, It stayed pretty focused on the main couple without the distractions of other characters, whom take up an obscure of screen time sometimes =.=.
The arc also has one of the best, if not the best incarnation of Juinichi, agreed? Dude, really went out his way to get his girl back. I applaud for him straight out taking the initiative this time. Even if it means to take a punch in the face and knee in the guts, i think was worthwhile for what happened after.
Plus, I'm a total sucker for "10 years later...." epilogues. It just makes the story more satisfying in the end.
O yea, how can I forget lovely Haruka's contribution too. She totally outdid herself and got an upgrade which was an even steamer outfit than what she had back in Kaoru's arc.
|2010-12-17, 06:34
|Link #10
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 33
|2010-12-17, 07:28
|Link #12
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Sydney Australia / Taiwan
Age: 31
ARC Ranking
1) Tsukasa [ BY FARRRRR FAAR , literally my focus was always on her ]
2) Kaoru = Haruka [ both arcs I enjoyed equally cause of what Jun goes through to get them ]
4) Rihoko [ I found her POV very very sweet regardless not the best ending everyone wanted , I still am glad though that Junichi did commit to the tea club and I have hopes through that they could bloom afterwoulds ]
5) Sae [ the only thing I can happily remember about this arc was a 50.cal Moe bullet piercing my heart during her last episode ]
6) Ai [ Her Arc was interesting but the fact she resembles my Ex personality wise , shxts me ]
Girl Ranking
1) Tsukasa [ I would say she's like that library girl you have a crush on , only you find her wild side when you get extremely close, that Angelic exterior of hers lures you in pretty good ]
2) Kaoru [ the bro of em all plus with Sex hair? awesome mix ]
3) Haruka [ I have a thing for older girls but something else about Haruka irks me ]
4) Rihoko [ klutzy and adorable but nothing right up my alley ]
5) Sae [ only cause of her assets ]
6) Ai [ if I didn't have an ex like her she may have been ranked higher, no im not dwelling in the past , more her personality shxts me ]
|2010-12-17, 08:33
|Link #14
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Zealand
Fav arc
1) Haruka = Tsukasa
2) rihoko (coz its funny)
3) Ai
4) Kaoru
5) Sae
Fav Character
1) Haruka
2) Haruka
3) Haruka
4) Haruka
5) Haruka
6) Haruka
i think that sums up my view pretty well. Seriously though
2) Tsukasa
3) Ai
4) Kaoru
5) Sae
6) Rihoko
|2010-12-17, 11:28
|Link #15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
1. Tsukasa ->Her complexity is awesome
2. Kaoru -> Fun to be with + teasing
3. Ai ->Caring personality + teasing + audacious
4. Haruka -> Kink as hell xD needs lots of creativity to stay with her
5. Rihoko -> Childhood friend archetypes are usually my favorite, however not in this case when we have this amount of interesting characters
6. Sae -> Shy kouhai + glamarous body, good but a way too simple compared to the others
Story Arc:
1. Tsukasa ->Every ep was amazing and had everything i wanted
2. Haruka -> Different in all aspects i was expecting and yet delivered a fun and enjoyable arc
3. Ai -> Great conclusion and portraid well important events, but her arc had more potential, and used poorly unnecessary events
4. Sae ->I was not expecting much here and her arc was all the way predictable but was really consistent and fun to watch
5. Kaoru -> Oh god bland >_> no other way to describe, was consistent and and all but.. bland
6. Rihoko -> i.i the staff hates her or they were all friendzoned but probably she was sacrifieced for the great Ayatsuji
|2010-12-17, 13:28
|Link #17
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 37
|2010-12-17, 14:48
|Link #20
Join Date: Jul 2010
1. Karou
2. Tsukasa
3. Ai
5. Rihoko
6. Sae
1. Tsukasa
2. Ai
3. Haruka
4. Karou
As you can see, I didn'yt like Sae too much. She was too dull, and boring. And I don't like "OH! Sempai I LOVE YOU!" kind of story. Yet, I still like Ai, because she didn't just "fall" into him easily. She made him work a little in the beginning, at least to me. Haruka was okay. I have to say I didn't like her much in the beginning, but now I think she's amazing. She's so perverted and funny. Rihoko was...eh. She is forever in the free zone, and I doubt she'll ever get out. I feel bad for her, but her character is kinda boring. Karou is amazing. If I was guy, I would have defiently picked her. But, my favorite character is Tsukasa by far! She was awesome.
And, as for Junichi. Well, I gotta say, I really like him. Not many people did. But, I did. He's just soo...I don't know. He reminds me of someone dear to me, so, It's kinda understood that I would like him hahaaa.
This was a good show, and I do hope it becomes liscensed.
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The USTA player development program is totally flawed. I live in Florida and we attended both the part time and full time program in Boca. It was a total disaster and very un-friendly environment. The coaches are very negative and do not want any parental involvement, even if the parent is /was the coach. I saw Mr. McEnroe 2 times in a year and a half. The directors are totally disconnected and the whole culture is totally political. Not the best players get the most opportunities but the ones that "agree" and suck up to the coaches. Most of the coaches have no development experience (i.e. Eric Nunez) and other coaches have anticuated methods (i.e. Andy Brandi)
Maybe they view parental involvement in the coaching process as a big no-no. What do you feel about that? What do you think about Donald Young and his parents?
There is a multitude of successful parent/player stories which made world class players.
Well, I'd count Murray and Nadal in that category. But what if the parent is not technical minded?
You find a coach that has proven developmental experience. Who has the USTAPD developed?
I am not defending the USTA in any shape or form. If anything, I am of your opinion. But I would tend to think it is better to leave parents out of the training process, unless he/she are technical minded.
There are many roles the parents can take from general support to actual training. But they are an important part of the equation for success
As long as they don't "yo yo" the emotions of the young player. I have seen that way too many times at the local level. Too much chastising and downward talk.
It is hard being a tennis parent. Only tennis parents can relate. But only the parents really know their kids more than anybody.
I did a sixty page research project on USTA junior development and its results. Pretty sad, that a 20 million a year budget has produced zilch over 20 plus years. Currently pretty much a good ol boys network. i feel money would be better off spend tracking local coaches who have knack for producing high ranked and skilled players on a consistent and provide them funding, with special attention to providing lessons for lower income kids that show an interest in tennis. Sadly, the USTA PD just wants to pick off top kids and separate them from their coach and parents and claim any success because of their handy work, Sad situation.
Well, there's your answer Fernando. Hal knows what he's talking about. Too bad it very well might be the case.
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8 top tech firms seek limits on U.S. surveillance
Leading technology companies have presented a unified front in calling for restrictions on U.S. government surveillance, as ongoing spying revelations undermine trust in their products around the globe.
Bombshell stories throughout the summer in the Guardian, the Washington Post and other publications, based on leaks from former security contractor Edward Snowden, uncovered broad and varied digital surveillance programs by the National Security Agency and others. Many sucked up communications and user data handled by major tech companies through legal requests or secret taps on their networks.
The latest disclosure arrived on Monday with news that U.S. and British spy agencies had infiltrated popular online games like World of Warcraft and Second Life. They created their own characters "to snoop and to try to recruit informers," the New York Times reported, citing confidential documents provided by Snowden.
In an open letter to Congress and President Obama published as full-page ads in several major newspapers Monday, the eight prominent tech companies stated: "This summer's revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide. The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual - rights that are enshrined in our Constitution."
It added: "We urge the U.S. to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent and subject to independent oversight."
Powerful teammates
The move by AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Yahoo and Twitter underscores the enormous toll that these disclosures could take on their bottom lines. Foreign citizens who lack privacy protections under U.S. law may choose to forgo the products of these companies, and some nations are moving to block or sidestep American Internet services altogether. Forrester analyst James Staten argued the cost to cloud services alone could reach as high as $180 billion, "or a 25 percent hit to overall IT service provider revenues" over the next three years.
The question is whether the combined lobbying strength of some of the biggest and most influential companies in the United States can rein in government spy tactics in a way that public opinion and legislators have failed to do to date.
At a new website, ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com, the companies called for the adoption of a series of specific principles and changes, including codifying "sensible limitations" on government's ability to force online companies to turn over user data; stronger checks and balances on the ability of intelligence agencies to demand information, including review by an independent court that hears from critics; allowing companies to disclose "the number and nature of government demands" for user information; and creating an international framework governing requests for user data, cutting across the patchwork of often conflicting national rules.
In addition, the companies argued that governments shouldn't restrict access to information outside national borders or require companies to locate their infrastructure or operations locally. That appeared to be a specific reaction to countries such as Germany, where some have called for keeping domestic Internet traffic and data within national boundaries.
Few restrictions
The Snowden leaks have highlighted that the U.S. government has few legal restrictions on monitoring the communications of foreigners and even fewer compunctions about doing so. That apparently includes listening in on European leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Brazil responded to these realizations by announcing plans to sidestep the United States altogether, through construction of a direct, undersea fiber-optic connection between South America and Europe.
Meanwhile, it seems there are many other shoes to drop, as reportedly only 1 percent of Snowden's leaks have been revealed so far.
Companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo were required in many instances to hand over user data when presented with proper legal requests, although the court review process has been widely criticized. But it's clear the NSA was also tapping into networks without disclosure, infiltrating communications links between data centers operated by Yahoo and Google. Some businesses took steps to prevent future government surveillance through this route by encrypting information that passes between data centers.
"The security of users' data is critical, which is why we've invested so much in encryption and fight for transparency around government requests for information," Larry Page, chief executive of Google, said in a statement. "This is undermined by the apparent wholesale collection of data, in secret and without independent oversight, by many governments around the world. It's time for reform and we urge the U.S. government to lead the way."
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer hit a similar note.
"Recent revelations about government surveillance activities have shaken the trust of our users, and it is time for the United States government to act to restore the confidence of citizens around the world," she said in a statement.
Global worries
There's a grave fear in tech circles that these national movements to cut off foreign online services will lead to the balkanization of the Internet, undermining its promise as an open global platform for communications and commerce - a valid fear. But to be clear, the announcement on Monday is as much about money as it is high-minded ideals. On any other day of the week, these companies are hardly privacy champions, particularly Facebook and Google.
It's not so much that an organization is deriving useful information from the bulk collection and analysis of their data - they do that themselves every day for the purpose of targeting ads. The issue is that another organization is doing it and scaring away users in the process.
"The government's comment was, 'Oh, don't worry, basically we're not spying on any Americans,' " said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, earlier this year at a TechCrunch conference. "Oh, wonderful, that's ... really going to inspire confidence in American Internet companies."
I have no doubt that the technology giants that signed the open letter Monday truly want these changes in place - they would surely reduce the number of government requests for data and simplify the job of complying with those demands. But part of this is just good public relations, a way to distance themselves from the NSA in the minds of consumers. And far broader reforms than what they're proposing are still necessary, as are stronger privacy rules aimed at the private sector.
Regardless of the motives, here's the good news: the eight deep-pocketed companies speaking out for changes are harder for the government to ignore than the civil liberties groups that were calling for digital surveillance restrictions long before Snowden's leaks began.
James Temple is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: email@example.com


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The AMSOIL Great American Circle Track Tour, Part Six
Highland Rim Is The Definition Of Down Home And Salem Is A Mid-West Classic
We are back on Tour and over the next two and a half months will be visiting the remaining racetracks on our schedule throughout the Southeast. Once we are done in the first week of October, we will have covered an area including the eastern seaboard up through Virginia, north and south from Florida to Ohio, and east to west from the Carolinas to Texas. That's a very large area and it involved putting lots of miles on the motorhome.
The second half of this groundbreaking trip got off to an ominous start when coming out of Jacksonville, Florida, we were sideswiped by a semi getting onto I-10. The hit took our left side mirror off the bus and damaged the CareFree awning on the left side slideout. We were doing about 30 mph and the semi was doing about 65.
Once we got a new mirror installed and the CareFree removed to keep it from flapping in the wind, everything else went well. We stayed overnight at South Georgia Motorsports park and continued up the road to our RV Park in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Highland Rim Speedway
It was here that we made our first racetrack stop at Highland Rim Speedway in Greenbrier, Tennessee. Bobby and Stephanie Hamilton, of NASCAR fame, purchased this track at the end of last year partly to provide a venue for those racers who were put out when Nashville Fairgrounds quit having weekly shows. It was a bit of a challenge for them, but what we saw we liked.
The number of racers was above average and for the most part it was grassroots, Saturday night racing-complete with "clans" of race teams and the fan base to go with it. The track is very competitive with multi-groove racing and fierce competition.
The track used to be known for having lots of fighting among the competitors, but Bobby has put his foot down and will ban anyone who fights, either at the track or down the road at the local convenience store. Yes, he caught on to the fact that when fighting was banned at the track, teams took it down the road thinking they could have their fun anyway. Not so. If word gets back to the track management, you are banned for a period of time.
I spoke with several members of the fan base and learned that certain teams/drivers have a local fan base who are very passionate about their favorites. When I was at Link Automotive getting some needed warrantee work done on the bus, the girl who takes care of the paperwork said she and her whole family had been coming to the Rim since she was three. They were known as the "turn four gang." And she was not shy about telling me about the driver she liked and the ones she didn't.
That's what tracks need, a fan base who knows the drivers and teams and who root for those they relate to by the place they live or just plain who they like as people. When drivers get booed, it's just as strong a draw as when they get cheered. There is no bad publicity in racing.
Another thing I saw that doesn't happen at every track is the attention to the younger attendees. There were fun centers, like they have at McDonalds, where the kids could bounce around and play with each other. Trust me, not all kids love to watch racing and to make it a family outing, everyone needs to go along. There was even a clown at the front gate handing out lollipops.
The racing action was great. Although there were lots of four-cylinder classes, those guys raced like they were in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. And it was mostly clean racing to boot. In the Late Model race, where the Late Model trucks are allowed to race with the cars, the battle up front was between a couple of cars and a truck.
In the four-cylinder truck race, there was a side-by-side battle going on and coming out of Turn 2, the outside truck got into the wall, rode the top of the wall with the outside tires, and then came down off the wall going into Turn 3 while losing only about a half truck length. He was on the throttle all of the way down the back straight with only two wheels on the pavement. That's good stuff.
We came away from the night's events with a feeling that down-home, grassroots racing is going to be just fine. There may need to be some adjustment in what classes are run and maybe the rules concerning combining classes, but that's what racers do anyhow, they invent. If we need to reinvent short track racing, then let the games begin.
Our next scheduled stop was to be Bloomington Speedway, but if you had been following the national weather across the Midwest and South, you'd know we were going through a major heat wave about that time. When the heat index rose above 100 degrees, race officials and series directors for the scheduled events at Bloomington canceled the Friday night races. So on to Salem.
Salem Speedway
I had been to Salem Speedway about 10 years ago for an ARCA race because I was in the area and I had a couple of friends racing there. What I saw amazed me and still does. Salem is just over a full half-mile track with high banks. But that doesn't tell the whole story. To drive Salem is to learn how to get up on the wheel each and every lap.
Turns 1 and 2 are fairly normal with the banking around 14 degrees, but Turns 3 and 4 are a little different. Half way up the turn, the banking is like 1 and 2, but from there on up it goes to more than 20 degrees and it's about one lane wide too. Entering Turn 3, most stock cars go straight up to the wall and turn left.
What is amazing is that the car sticks with so violent a maneuver. Once you learn that, the rest is easy, or so they say. And the history at Salem is storied. Great names such as AJ Foyt, Troy Ruttman, Parnelli Jones, Bobby and Al Unser Sr., Curtis Turner, Benny Parsons, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon all came here and won.
This night we had Sprint Cars running. The AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series with its non-wing Sprint Cars ran along with the MSR Xtreme Sprints (Must See Racing) winged Sprint Cars.
Handling was the key, as usual, in both series, but one interesting thing presented itself. We published an article about race car aero in the Aug. '09 issue, that in part made comments about Sprint Car wing angles and how many teams run much too much angle in their wings. That article, hopefully, had an influence on what we saw at this race. What we saw at Salem told us that there are many different ways to run a winged Sprint Car.
We expected to see about the same wing angle on all of the cars, but not so. Some angles were very low, seemingly appropriate for this fast, high-banked track and in line with suggestions made in the article, and some were high like we're used to seeing in the past. Interestingly, the front runners all had lower wing angles.
These races were considered some of the more significant events run at Salem. Along with Sprint Cars, the schedule shows ARCA cars-twice, the Frank Kimmel Street Stocks Nationals, and the International Outlaw Figure Eight Series all have races scheduled for 2010 at Salem.
One thing that interested me was the high level of safety showed at this track. The safety crew for Salem is on par with many large traveling series whereby it has a dedicated fire response truck staffed with suited professional fire fighters. For this event, probably due to the USAC involvement, there was a medi-vac helicopter present in the infield the whole time, ready if needed.
I got an email from Jake Luker, one of the firefighters who was working this race and he said that both Indiana and Illinois have motorsports safety certification for firefighters. He is also working on developing a Power-Point training program for use by the local level safety crews at racetracks. We are very interested in that and will be following his progress. It might be something we could provide to tracks through our website.
Another interesting thing to note about Salem, and this is like a few others we've seen, is that no race haulers or trailers are allowed in the infield. The teams must move their pit equipment and tires to pit road and then exit the speedway infield. The USAC teams have come up with an innovative way to transport their toolboxes. They build the boxes into/onto a motorized cart, such as a Rhino or similar, and then drive from the hauler to the pit and back.
Next Up
We are going to be very busy in the coming weeks and months. Next stop is the Topless 100 in Batesville, Arkansas, and then on to Paducah, Kentucky; Crossville, Tennessee; and then to Eldora for the World 100 Dirt Late Model event. After a short break and vacation, we will be moving through Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally to Rockingham for the final of the ARCA series.
We hope we can provide some interesting accounts and information during all of our travels. We are compiling critical facts and figures that may give us a unique insight into the health of short track racing today and what is in store for our sport in the future. As always, stay tuned and let us hear from you if you have any thoughts or suggestions about our Tour.


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Voters in Chicago, Cook County and throughout Illinois have the great convenience through October 30th to participate in "early voting." At 50 locations in Chicago (one in each ward, including Wright College, you can avoid the lines and cast your vote to avoid any election day problems.
As a thank you to early voters, just bring in your early voting ballot receipt to the Eli's Cheesecake Cafe at Eli's Cheesecake World, 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive, before November 6th, and we will give you a complimentary slices of Eli's Original Cheesecake.
Help our democracy and enjoy free Eli's Cheesecake. Such a deal!
Early Voting continues at 51 sites for Chicago voters through Thurs.,October 30. All Chicago sites are open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.
In the Primary Election, Chicago led the state in Early Voting. So now,the Chicago Election Board says: Let's do it again, and bring a friend!
With four days remaining, Chicago voters have already cast morethan 154,000 ballots in Early Voting, far exceeding the 81,690 castduring the entire 18-day Early Voting for the Primary.
If you are registered to vote, you don't need a reason or excuseto use the convenience of Early Voting now through Oct. 30 –but you do need to present a current government photo ID.
All Chicago Early Voting sites are 100% accessible.
Chicago voters may vote at any Early Voting location in the City of Chicagoand avoid any kind of scheduling problem that may occur on Election Day,November 4, 2008.
Once you cast a ballot during Early Voting, you cannot return duringEarly Voting or on Election Day to change your ballot for any reason.
Ward / Location / Address
1. Goldblatts Building 1615 W Chicago Ave
2. Mabel Manning Library 6 S. Hoyne Ave.
3. Chicago Bee Library 3647 S. State St.
4. M L King Community Ctr 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
5. Jackson Park 6401 S. Stony Island Ave.
6. Whitney Young Library 7901 S ML. King Jr. Dr.
7. Jeffery Manor Library 2401 E. 100th St.
8. Olive Harvey College 10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.
9. Palmer Park 201 E 111th St.
10. Vodak/East Side Library 3710 E. 106th St.
11. McKinley Park 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
12. Back of the Yards Library 4650 S. Damen Ave.
13. West Lawn Park 4233 W. 65 St.
14. Archer Heights Library 5055 S. Archer Ave.
15. Lindbloom Park 6054 S. Damen Ave.
16. Sherman Park Library 5440 S. Racine Ave.
17. Thurgood Marshall Library 7506 S. Racine Ave.
18. Wrightwood-Ashburn Library 8530 S. Kedzie Ave.
19. 22nd Police District 1900 W. Monterey Ave.
20. Coleman Library 731 E. 63rd St.
21. Woodson Regional Library 9525 S. Halsted St.
22. Piotrowski Park 4247 W. 31st St.
23. Clearing Library 6423 W. 63rd Pl.
24. Douglass Library 3353 W. 13th St.
25. Chinatown Library 2353 S. Wentworth Ave.
26. Humboldt Park Library 1605 N. Troy St.
27. Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St.
28. West Side Learning Ctr 4624 W. Madison St.
29. Amundsen Park 6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave.
30. Portage Cragin Library 5108 W. Belmont Ave.
31. Blackhawk Park 2318 N. Lavergne Ave.
32. Pulaski Park 1419 W. Blackhawk St.
33. Independence Library 3548 W. Irving Park Rd.
34. West Pullman Library 830 W. 119th St.
35. Logan Square Library 3030 W. Fullerton Ave.
36. Hiawatha Park 8029 W. Forest Preserve Dr.
37. West Chicago Library 4856 W. Chicago Ave.
38. Wright College – Science Bldg 4300 N. Narragansett Ave.
39. N. Park Village Admn Bldg 5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
40. Budlong Woods Library 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.
41. Roden Library 6083 N. Northwest Hwy.
42. Access Living 115 W. Chicago Ave.
43. Lincoln Park Library 1150 W. Fullerton Ave.
44. Merlo Library 644 W. Belmont Ave.
45. Edgebrook Library 5331 W. Devon Ave.
46. Truman College 1145 W. Wilson Ave.
47. Welles Park 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.
48. Edgewater Library 1210 W. Elmdale Ave.
49. Pottawattomie Park 7340 N. Rogers Ave.
50. Warren Park 6601 N. Western Ave., and,
The Board of Election Commissioners, 69 W. Washington St.
Monday, October 27 – Thursday, October 30, 2008 – Daily 9 am – 5 pm
Questions? Call 312-269-7900 / TTY 312-269-0027


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I mentioned the Leading the Cavalry achievement earlier, the achievement that requires 75 mounts to... well, achieve. The big question is, is that actually possible? Let's find out!
Let's use a Forsaken for our example, since they have no factors working against them like racial boundries on mounts. Keep in mind that some races will have a harder time, like Tauren can't use two of the five Horde mounts, and Gnomes don't allow anybody but Gnomes and Dwarves to use mechachickens.
The Horde has Peacocks, Raptors, Wolves, Skeletal Horses, and Kodo. From a glance at Wowhead, there seems to be...
Is Leading the Cavalry possible?
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I mentioned the Leading the Cavalry achievement earlier, the achievement that requires 75 mounts to... well, achieve. The big question is, is that actually possible? Let's find out!
- Seven Hawkstriders
- Five Skeletal Horses
- Six Raptors
- Six Wolves
- Five Kodo
Then there's the basic PvP mounts, the Black War Whatevers. There's one of those for each race, so that's 34. Then the Alterac Valley mount from Marks of Honor, so we're at 35. Of course, the PvP mounts each require 30 Marks from Arathi Basin, Alterac Valley, and Warsong Gulch. This comes to a total of 150 Marks for these mounts, plus some extras from AV for that one.
Everyone loves flying mounts, and there's tons of those.
- Seven Wyverns
- Six Nether Drakes
- One Hippogryph
- Five Nether Rays
I forgot Talbuks when we were looking at ground mounts. There are 8 Talbuks from Reputation (Exalted with your Nagrand buddies), and 2 from Halaa, a total of ten. Roughly 600 more gold, some time spend grinding rep, some time spent PvPing, and we're up to 64 mounts.
We're running a little dry on things that are easily accessible, so let's get into the rarer mounts.
There are four flavors of Qiraji Resonating Crystals in AQ40, which you can get just by killing random things. They drop very frequently, and the stuf in there is trivial at level 70 (even easier at 80), so we'll count it. 68 mounts. Edit: The devs have stated that these will not count, so my numbers are a little off. Just subtract four.
Brewfest has special holiday mounts, in epic and vanilla forms. We're up to 70 mounts. If you were lucky and picked up the rams last year you have an extra 2, but we'll pretend that never happened.
Hallow's End has mounts, but last we knew, those expire and probably won't be permanent mounts going toward this total. We're still at 70.
Early adopters of the epic mount may have the old school, unarmored versions of the epic mounts, so they have an advantage. For discussions purposes, we'll pass over those, since you can't get them anymore.
There are the rare drop/challenge mounts:
- Baron Rivendare's Deathcharger
- Swift Razzashi Raptor
- Amani War Bear
- Zulian Tiger
- Reins of the Raven Lord
- Fiery Warhorse from Attumen
So adding all of that up, is it possible? Yes, but it isn't going to be fast, easy, or cheap. It will take a lot of time and a lot of gold. Until Wrath of the Lich King anyway, then it becomes easy. You probably won't have it at level 70 when patch 3.0.2 launches, but you'll definitely be able to get it by 80 when a whole slew of new mounts are added.
Tauren are at a disadvantage right now, while Engineers, Gnomes and Dwarves have an advantage. Those differences won't be a big deal once Wrath hits, but they're there nonetheless. It'll be a hard road, but at least you'll get other achievements on the way, right?


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Find Your
Pet Food Match
Made for dogs that prefer smaller kibble, NUTRO™ WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS™ Adult Pasture-Fed Lamb & Rice Recipe Dog Food always starts with pasture-fed lamb as the first ingredient. This natural adult dog food provides natural fiber for healthy digestion and essential antioxidants, such as Vitamin E, for a healthy immune system, plus vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These recipes are also crafted to promote healthy skin and a soft, shiny coat. NUTRO™ Food for Dogs also follows the THE NUTRO FEED CLEAN™ philosophy, is always made with Non-GMO* Ingredients and is made with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
*Trace amounts of genetically modified material may be present due to potential cross contact during manufacturing.
All the "life" in your pet's life is dependent on how you feed them. A pet's food energizes them from the inside out, and NUTRO™ clean recipes are simple, purposeful, and trustworthy - made of real, recognizable, non-GMO†ingredients. NUTRO. FEED CLEAN™
†Trace amounts of genetically modified material may be present due to potential cross contact during manufacturing.
Deboned Lamb, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Rice Bran, Whole Brown Rice, Whole Grain Oatmeal, Split Peas, Lamb Meal, Chickpeas, Natural Flavor, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Sunflower Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Soybean Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid (preservatives), Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Selenium Yeast, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.
These are the recommended feeding amounts based on the ideal body condition for adult dogs of various weights.
Individual dogs' energy requirements may differ. Adjust the amount fed to obtain or maintain your dog's
optimum weight. Keep fresh drinking water available at all times, provide plenty of exercise and see
your veterinarian regularly. Serve dry or lightly moistened. To help maintain freshness, we recommend
sealing the bag tightly and storing it in a cool, dry location.
†Use a standard 8-oz. measuring cup, which holds 3.42 oz. of NUTRO™ WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS™ Small Bites Adult Pasture-Fed Lamb & Rice Recipe Dog Food.
Calorie Content
Metabolizable energy 3,543 kcal/kb, 344 kcal/cup (calculated)
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
NUTRO™ WHOLESOME ESSENTIALS™ Small Bites Adult Pasture-Fed Lamb & Rice Recipe Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance.
Transitioning to Our Products
If switching to this recipe or feeding NUTRO™ Dog Food for the first time, we suggest you blend increasing amounts of the new recipe with your old food for six days.
NUTRO™ Dog Food Body Chart
Discover our new recipe inspired by the way our dogs' ancestors thrived in the wild.
Keep me here, please
Discover our recipes inspired by the way our cats' ancestors thrived in the wild.


text: When you send in your beloved short story to a fiction magazine and get a rejection letter back, try not to take it personally. Because, as Beth Wodzinski at Shimmer Magazine reveals, it was probably written by a badger. As Wodzinski explains, she's trying to drag the badger-based rejection letter industry into the 21st century and get rid of cruel badger rejection factories. Won't you support her cause? [Shimmer]


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Over the past year I've really learned how to leverage wikis as a learning tool and place to host meaningful learning activities online. This post assumes that you have already created a wiki site in WetPaint. Some people don't like WetPaint because it's editing quirks, but it seems like one of the better web based wiki aps with WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) features. Here's my attempt to share my knowledge. Although these activities are geared around teaching writing they structure of the wiki pages can be applied to almost any subject.
If you are not sure how to set up your wiki refer to the instructions on the WetPaint FAQs page here: http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/page/FAQ
The following steps will explain three page designs that can be used to teach writing:
- Analyze a piece of writing
- Demonstrate a writing skill
- Writing in collaboration with others
Analyze a piece of writing:
- Students can analyze a piece of writing on the wiki page. First, add a wiki page. If you are not sure how to add a page refer to these instructions on the WetPaint FAQs page: http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/page/Add+Page . Title your wiki page as you see fit.
- Add you own instructions to the top of the page.
- Below the instructions, insert a table with one column and one row. This is where you will insert the piece of writing you wish the students to analyze. If you are not sure how to insert a table, refer to these instructions on the WetPaint FAQs page: http://www.wetpaintcentral.com/page/Add+Table Once you have created the table insert the text of the writing you wish the students to analyze. Refer the image for an example.
- Create a second table that allows students to log their analysis of the writing. The can make individual points per row in the table. They must always label their comments with their name and identifier. Refer to this image for an example of a table. Save your wiki page.
Demonstrate a writing skill
Students can also practice a writing skill. Create a new wiki page and title it appropriately. Add your instructions to the top of the page.
Below the instructions, create a table with three columns and enough cells for your students to add a written sample plus one additional cell. See the image below for an example.
Students will write their sample writing piece in each available cell. They should identify their writing by including their name or initials at the end.
Writing in collaboration with others
Writing in collaboration with others in a wiki can be fun as long as the rules are clear to all participants You should restrict the number of people who can collaborate on a piece to no more than six. You can create several versions of the same page and assign groups of students to each version.
- Create a version of the page and make multiple copies as needed.
- Assign a color to each student in the group. This is the color that they will use to add their writing.
- Establish a set of rules for the students including information on how to do the following:
- Edit others work
- Providing suggestions
- Taking turns editing the page


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Tech Thursday: Tips and Tricks for the iPad
Last Thursday, I mentioned a few tips for Windows 7. So, this week thanks to PCMag.com, I thought I would give equal time to Apple and the IPad. So, here you go…
Yes, you can reveal hidden keyboard characters
Holding down certain keys provides additional character options. A long tap on the Comma key brings an apostrophe. Next door, the Period key offers up a quote mark too. On the numeric keyboard, shown here, the Quote Mark key hides smart quotes and other symbols if you hold it down for a second. Did you know hitting the spacebar twice inserts a period?
Launch Your Apps in a Flash
If you just got your iPad, you probably don't have too many apps, but you will. (The app store offers more than 65,000 tablet-specific apps, and more are added every day!) Start stocking up, and then you'll have folder upon folder and page upon page of apps, and of course it'll get harder to find what you're looking for quickly. There's a fix for that. At the Home screen, swipe left and you'll get the Search screen, where you can quickly type the name of the app you want to launch—and predictive typing makes things even faster. Search will not only surface your apps (first), but your media, e-mail messages, calendar events, and more. Customize your searches at Settings>General>Spotlight Search.
Grab that Screen!
Capture whatever is on your iPad's screen as a photo, hold the Power button, and hit the Home button. You'll see the display flash and hear a shutter click, and the image will appear in the Camera Roll in Photos. From there, press the Arrow icon in the top right corner to e-mail, print, or copy the image, use it as wallpaper, or assign it to one of your contacts.
An Easy Save for E-Mail Photo Attachments
If you get a picture with an e-mail message, tap on it, and you'll get a pop-up menu that gives you the option to Copy or Save Image. Select the latter and the image will be saved to your Camera Roll. The former lets you paste the image into another application.
Have fun and enjoy your IPad!


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Resource Library
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According to a new survey report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 84% of organizations are now using social media for recruiting, up from 56% in 2011. These survey results add detail and paint a picture of what has become obvious: more and more, employers are posting job openings and information for job seekers on social media. And when these posts are not accessible, employers may be missing out on top talent.
The six phases of the Employment Lifecycle and their corresponding technologies.


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London is thought to be one of the most influential cities in the world. Beyond being the capital of possibly the greatest country in the world in terms of sheer contribution to history, England, it is also a metropolitan example. The city has plenty of diversity, quality and class as proved by the sheer amount of traffic turnover by international tourists. It is home to some of the most glamorous events including the London Fashion Week, sporting finals like the FA Cup Final at Wembley annually and the just concluded Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham.
A great city often has plenty to offer and you can take it all in but it can be a bit mundane without company. London luckily is one of the prime cities in the companionship business. While it is not quite Thailand or other prolific entertainment cities in Asia, it is a trend setter in the business. Companionship goes far beyond the trashy references used in society with professional companionship a subtle issue. Madams as they are commonly known as in posh cities often choose the best and well-mannered ladies to offer companionship. This is one of the perks of London as it has a world famous system of escorts offering all round companionship services.
Escorts in London are always of the highest quality, no matter the service. The general decorum of the British public is generally exemplary, bar for some of their humor, and this is reflected in the escorts. They are well versed in all things London as you would expect but with a touch of class and arrogance. This is an impressive trait for someone to show you round the city and if all goes well, have for the night. The escorts are not limited to carnal pleasures and visual trophies rather they indulge you in the culture and experience of being in London.
The escorts are well versed in events and programs that showcase the fabric of London living to ensure an authentic experience and a genuine sample of British existence. The events escorts can accompany you to include:
Sports events – Athletic and informed, the escorts are not limited to just looking pretty and strutting their stuff. They are competitive and ready to get their hands dirty, London escorts will get your juices flowing and will surely get you're your adrenalin rush fix.
Arts and Culture – London is one of the hubs of cultural events and artistic exhibitions what with its rich history and artistic heritage. While regimented and old school, the sights and sounds of London are definitely much better with an escort by your side who knows the story behind exhibits and sculptures.
Corporate and Entrepreneurial – Suit and tie folks mostly crave insight and feedback from like-minded fellows but would love it even more to see your escort offering financial solutions. With London Escorts, you will find the number crunching companion by your side can be handy to any business meetings you had lined up for your London visit.
Spontaneous and Random – You can never be too sure that your itinerary will be followed to the letter in London. With plenty of sights, sounds and ladies, you would be well advised to book whatever catches your eye early and decisively. The events or functions you wish to attend may be black tie events with a plus one expectation and London escorts are sure to be game for the challenge of a last minute client to impress.
Mixology – London is famous for the love of alcohol inherited from their neighbours Scotland and Ireland. Instead of the brawling and binge drinking, London and its escorts place sophistication and class in partaking alcohol with world famous mixology exhibitions. The bartenders and ladies of the establishments take part in exemplary shows of bottle manipulation and glass tricks to make alcohol consumption is an entirely new experience. It is something worth a view as much as the city's greatest attraction of exhibitionists; Dynamo the Magician.
London Escorts scour the world for token satisfaction quality companionship and to keep prospective clients, local or international, happy and guessing. The constantly evolving hosting world and hospitality service is flexible and agile to ensure all possible clients are catered to exemplarily. This is key in ensuring visits to London remain both planned and impromptu, like that impulse buy you could not resist for how good it felt to indulge yourself.
Some of the services include:
More than one – People often enjoy personal company but sharing is not prohibited, no matter the ratio
Full Range Personal – From facials to fetishes, be sure the escorts can paint a pretty picture as you would wish to paint one on them. The full range of aggressive dominatrix treatment to the subtle massage extras, all these and more as you desire. Just keep your safe-word in mind
Non-Contact – Not all clients wish to indulge themselves in the proverbial jar so professional companions with no after service are available
Custom – You can always pick your specific design of escort companionship so feel free to communicate your wishes expressly and the madams will surely scour London for your match
Implied rules of the London nightlife often centre on privacy or discreteness. The general rule of going to places like Thailand or Vegas is to let yourself loose without any worry the folks at home would be burdened with unnecessary information of a wild night out. This is essentially important in a city like London that is exposed to world media and has state of the art surveillance all over. The madams and the escorts are also well versed in cloaking and discretion so you are free to enjoy the full range of London's finest. It is beyond a sheer indulgence and trophy exhibition of the companion for your London visit, rather a wholesome relationship bonding beyond conversation and professional satisfaction.
London is a major player as one of the greatest cities in the world and its nightlife is an embodiment of that fact. From the clubs to the art venues and even the sporting evenings or star gazing nights, London is better taken in with someone on your arm. The general scenario of women is obviously present but being a modern city, all sexual orientations are catered for and then some in London.


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Stocking Fillers
Looking for a few stockings filler ideas to fill your little ones stockings with? Look no further we have plenty of gift ideas in one place.
Especially for the Girls
We have a lovely selection of cute cupcake design items in pastel shades from Think Pink, our bookends, money boxes and picture frames will make any room look scrumptious!. To complete the look of any shopaholic's room, the stylish Shopping Fund money box is a must. Helping to save those all important pennies, for you to spend, spend, spend! Or how about our gorgeous body shimmer comes in a pretty daisy shaped box - perfect for special occasions and a delightful party bag treat or Christmas stocking filler!
Especially for the Boys
Fantastically cool lights for a little boy's bedroom. These groovy ghosts gently glow in changing colour red, blue and green. They are wicked! The gift to roaaahhhh about! Boys who like dinosaurs will love to collect our roaring dinosaurs, and would be fascinated by our. Our LED Space Suction Light is a Space Man and is specially designed to attach to walls, wardrobes, doors, etc with suction cups, A wonderful nightlight for a boys bedroom. The light changes to pink, blue, orange, and red and then flashes. Complete with batteries. We think this will make a fabulous stocking filler for any young boy.


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"Last month Ga'len asked us which game mechanic we would most like to see added to EVE. This month Keith "WebMandrill" Nielson proposes to reverse the question and ask what may be a controversial question: Which game mechanic would you most like to see removed completelyfrom EVE and why? I can see this getting quite heated so lets keep it civil eh?"
This one's always going to have lots of controversy associated with it - some people may really like one mechanic, whilst other people despise it and think its the worst thing ever... suppose it should raise a few discussion points at the very least.
Getting down to business though, the subject I want to discuss is one that has been said many a time before (yeah, sorry, I've wimped out of the real controversial subjects), and thats one about suicide ganking in High Sec space.
I can almost see the entire pirate population of Eve collectively screaming 'go back to Jita ya carebear' but still... hear me out.
Firstly, theres nothing wrong with highsec ganking, as long as theres some downside for the ganker - the person getting ganked loses everything, and the ganker, with enough insurance, doesnt lose anything other than sec status, which in many cases, they arent bothered about losing anyway.
Lets look at 2 particular cases, both of which are high profie. The first is highsec ganking of mining vessels (Hulks/Mackinaws in particular) and secondly with the ganking of traders travelling in High security space.
Hulk ganking is becoming big news, as it seems that everyone and their granny wants a high sec Hulk killmail these days (at least if the vocal mob on the forums are to be believed) and to be honest, I can see the reason why - theres no real loss for the ganker.
With 1 gank fit battleship, or 3 cruisers, you can have a guaranteed Hulk kill (unless said ganker is completely inept) as the simple fact is that the Hulks are not able to withstand any sort of level of concentrated fire. If you get decent luck with loot/modules you can pull a few million from the Hulk, and admittedly (though its their own fault) a fair few Hulk pilots still go all out for massive faction type boosters as thats whats reccomended in Halada's guide, even though they are nowhere near needed in highsec mining, and one of those can pay for dozens of future kills.
Add in the cost of insurance (and an accomplice to grab whatever modules survive the death of the ganker ship), and the ganker runs off with little to no loss, or perhaps even a fairly sizeable gain depending on what the Hulks had fitted, and the Hulk pilot is left massively out of pocket due to the fact that insurance wont cover the cost of their ship.
Ultimately, there needs to be something changed for this, the common argument is that there should be no insurance for criminal activities, which I wholeheartedly agree with - although of course, the cost is somewhat negligable even if the insurance payout was removed - instead there must be a way to make the hulks survivable enough to protect them long enough to survive a single ship/small group of smaller ships until Concord intervenes, but as a downside it should offer considerable reduction to mining output - then you can decide if you want survivable, or maximum output.
The obvious answer is a module which reduces the mining yeild by a certain percentage, but increases CPU and powergrid output large enough to fit a decent sized tank on the ship so it can survive for more than 2-3 salvoes that it takes Concord to respond even in 0.5 systems.
Coupling that with a reduced (or even completely negated) insurance payout would bring a lot more tactics into play from the ganker contingent, rather than being completely guaranteed an almost zero risk kill they would have to scan out the ship, see if its worth targetting, then bring out the big guns. There are ways and means to do this without making it blatantly obvious what you intend to do (passive targeters come to mind) or more obvious ways such as looking for a reduced number of lasers that fire from the ship which obviously should have 3 firing at once.
The second viewpoint is one of highsec ganking on haulers. I'm going to play Devils Advocate here and say that theres nothing really worth worrying about here. Theres the obvious issue with smartbombing battleships going to pop a shuttle fairly quickly if you're trying to move large value low size items, but thats a risk that can easily be negated by using a larger transport if youre worried. The same goes for haulers - if youre autopiloting without manually warping to 0 on each gate (theres one that im expecting a lot of the pirates to ask to be removed, since a lot of them lament the day warp to 15 was removed) you almost deserve to die if youre carrying an expensive cargo in a paper-thin hull.
If insurance was reduced/negated for this class of gankers, I cant see it being a major issue, as this type of activity is done in order to try and get a big payout from the cargo that is carried rather than to try and senselessly destroy the target (of course, some people may well also kill them just to cause them not to get the cargo they are carrying too, and not worry if its destroyed or not in the process)
On to the other participants:
- Diary of a Space Jockey, Blog Banter: BE GONE!
- EVE Newb, (EVE) Remove You
- Miner With Fangs, Blog Banter - It's the Scotch
- The Eden Explorer, Blog Banter: The Map! The Map!
- The Wandering Druid of Tranquility, "Beacons, beacons, beacons, beacons, beacons, mushroom, MUSHROOM!!!"
- Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, Kill the Rats
- Mercspector @ EVE, Scotty
- EVE's Weekend Warrior, EVE Blog Banter #9
- A Merry Life and a Short One, Eve Blog Banter #9: Why Won't You Die?
- Into the unknown with gun and camera, Blog Banter – The Hokey Cokey
- The Flightless Geek, EVE Blog Banter #9: Remove a Game Mechanic
- Sweet Little Bad Girl, Blog Banter 9: Who is Nibbling at My House?
- One Man and His Spaceship, Blog Banter 9: What could you do without?
- Life in Low Sec, EVE Blog Banter #9: Stop Tarnishing My Halo
- Cle Demaari: Citizen, Blog Banter #9: Training for all my men!
- A Mule in EVE, He who giveth, also taketh away?
- Dense Veldspar, Blog Banter 9
- Morphisat's Blog, Blog Banter #9 – Randomness Be Gone !
- Facepalm's Blog, EVE Blog Banter #9: What a new pilot could do without
- Memoires of New Eden, You're Fired
- Kyle Langdon's Journeys in EVE, EVE Blog Banter #9 Titans? What's a Titan?
- Achernar, The gates! The gates are down!
- Speed Fairy, EVE Blog Banter #9: Down with Downtime!
- I am Keith Neilson, EVE Blog Banter #9-F**K Da Police
- Ripe Lacunae, The UI… Where do I begin… (Eve Blog Banter #9)
- Clown Punchers, EvE Blogs: What game mechanic would you get rid of?
- Estel Arador Corp Services, You've got mail
- Epic Slant, Let Mom and Pop Play: EVE Blog Banter #9
- Deaf Plasma's EVE Musings, Blog Banter #9 - Removal of Anchoring Delay of POS modules
- Podded Once Again, Blog Banter #9 - Do we really need to go AFK?
- Postcards from EVE, 2009.07.02.00.29.06
- Harbinger Zero, Blog Banter #9 – War Declarations & Sec Status
- Warp Scrammed, Blog Banter 9 – Never Too Fast
- Ecaf Ersa (EVE Mag), Can a Tractor Tractor a Can?
- Thoughts from an Accidental Minmatar Revolutionary, EVE Blog Banter #9 - Aggression timers, WTs and Stargates
- Mike Azariah, I don't put much stock in it...
- Rettic's Log, Blog Banter: Overview Overload
- A Sebiestor Scholar, [OOC] EVE Blog Banter #9: Slaves
- Diary of a pod pilot, [OOC] EVE blog banter #9: Because of Falcon
- Roc's Ramblings, Blog Banter #9 – Taking Things Slow
- The Gaming-Griefer, EVE Sucks, But I Love It: The Memoir of a Masochist
- Letrange's EVE Blog, Blog Banter #9: Bye Bye Learning Skills
- Lyietfinvar, Remove that monopoly
- Sceadugenga, Blog Banter #9
- Industrialist with Teeth, EVE Blog Banter #9


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It's been 10 long months for Blackberry users who coerced their friends into using Kik, have been waiting for a new app. If you recall, Kik landed themselves in hot water with RIM when they first released their real-time chatting application. It was a direct competitor to BlackBerry Messenger and it was suspected they were using unsanctioned API and mimicking RIM's own messaging service. They were ousted from the App World in November of last year.
Almost a year later, Kik has released a reworked and revamped client for their cross-platform service. It's a universal Java app, built with no service calls or APIs that are specific to RIM. No RIM-owned NoC infrastructure notifications are being used. The app is lacking in a few features, like sending pictures and it's missing support for the PlayBook — but it's back and RIM can go fly a kite.
Kik is distributing the BlackBerry app exclusively on their site, as RIM is unlikely to allow it back into the App World for fear of users abandoning their proprietary service. Who can blame them, when RIM is having issues with their service, leaving users stranded for days due to outages.
Kudos to Kik for working around the blocks that some pinheads at RIM put in place, as an attempt to force existing users to stay with their inferior products and services.
Kik aims to be a completely free, cross-platform solution for instant messaging across mobile devices. It's available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and now, again, BlackBerry platforms. Visit the Kik Blog for full details and to download the app to your
PaperWeight BlackBerry.