Wargame Dork: Game Collection: Hobby Games Gone Computer

Yes. ?My grand project continues! ?As this blog is primarily about hobby gaming, one would think I would have many of the translations of hobby games that were brought over to the various electronic systems out there.

And I do.

But one machine had more hobby games than any other.

THE COMPUTER.

I guess computer gamers were a better and more receptive market for these sorts of games, and developers who might like to make such titles are also the sort that would play them more often, especially in the 80s and early 90s where much of the console development was taking place in Japan whose hobby game market is absurdly small and unconnected.

(Earlier consoles couldn't exactly do anything resembling a proper go of a classic hobby game. ?Look at the Intellivision AD&D games. ?Take the name off the box and you really can't tell what it is at all!)

And since my hobby games on console machines and portables will show up during said collection posts, the mighty computer platform gets it as a subgenre all to itself. ?(Which also helps make my massive PC game collection a bit less massive in scope. ?My living room is covered in boxes waiting to be photographed but even with the hobby games translations removed it is DAUNTING.)

Let's start with Battletech! ?Crescent Hawk's Inception was one of the earliest Battletech computer games and one of Infocom's first non text adventure titles. ?Made by Westwood Studios (they of the lazy Order of the Griffon D&D game on the TG 16 infamy) it is sloppy, lazy, and a bit of a failure that could have been good. ?Battletech Powerhits contains this game alongside its RTS sequel (Crescent Hawk's Revenge. ?It.. isn't very good.), and the first Mechwarrior game in glorious 16 color EGA. ?Mechwarrior 2 is where the Battletech universe got made popular and the real birth of the Mech Sim subgenre. ?I also have the cluebook, and the expansion pack. ?Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries was a standalone sequel that didn't involve playing a Clan Mechwarrior. ?Mechwarrior 3 is another VS Clans game and not very good at all in my opinion. ?The Gold Edition also contained the super rare expansion pack.

Activision ended up losing the BT rights to Microsoft who basically owns Battletech's IP now. ?They made Mechwarrior 4 which was good, the Black Knight expansion which had an absolutely terrible story that turned all your party from 4 into cartoonishly evil villains, and their own Mercenary stand alone which was AMAZING and I have replayed it a ton. ?They also made 2 mech packs for multiplayer games and a little use in the solo campaign. ?(Other one in my BT megapost series.) ?Mechcommander (Gold) was a RTS game based around controlling small unit tactics instead of the Command & Conquer/Warcraft style of base building. ?Mechcommander 2 is the sequel. ?I enjoyed both.

The Mech 3 Expansion and Mech 4 cluebooks I got cheap. ?Mage Knight Apocalypse is an action RPG I got cheap just for the collection. ?Magic Battlegrounds was a really interesting action strategy title. ?The Microprose Magic game and expansion was an attempt to mesh an RPG with classic Magic the Gathering and almost succeeded given the tech of the era. ?Heavy Gear 2 is a mech sim based on the hobby game and is the series Activision tried to use when they lost the BT rights. ?It only got two titles so I guess we see how well that worked out.

Alone in the Dark & Prisoner of Ice are adventure games (the former being really the first Survival Horror game as we now know it) based on Call of Cthulhu. ?Starfleet Command & 2: Empires at War are real time translations of the Starfleet Battles game but with a closer connection to normal Star Trek lore. ?(3 is changed enough to not really be SFB at all.) ?Ticket to Ride is the legendary boardgame with multiplayer options. ?Realms of Arkania 1 and Drakensang are based off of the huge in Germany RPG series called The Dark Eye in English. ?King of Dragon Pass is based on the Glorantha setting used in a number of RPGs and board games, Runequest being the most popular. ?The GURPS Character Assistant is a character generator for GURPS. ?That I no longer have as I traded it off for more Battletech stuff.

Now for Games Workshop translations!

Space Crusade is a near perfect to rules conversion of the not released in the UK Warhammer 40K game that was equivalent to Hero Quest. ?Space Hulk however is a real time version of that game and suffers for it. ?(As does the sequel below it.) ?Final Liberation used the Epic scale without using any of the actual Epic rule sets. ?Quite good even if it never got the planned expansions. ?Rites of War was basically Panzer General's engine but you play the Eldar primarily. ?Chaos Gate is sort of like X Com but you play Ultramarines fighting Chaos without the base building stuff. ?Space Marine is a quite fun third person action game. ?Sadly you play an Ultramarine in the solo campaign.

The Dawn of War RTS series! ?1 and expansions are more of a traditional RTS game whereas 2 is more of a real time RPG where you control small units you upgrade and advance. ?I enjoy both of them, though Dark Crusade and Retribution have the best campaigns as I can play Chaos all the way through a campaign.

Shadow of the Horned Rat & Dark Omen were early RTS games where there was no base building involved ala Dawn of War 2, Mechcommander, and Crescent Hawk's Revenge. ?However they were both unfairly hard. ?The basic design would lead into the Total War franchise though. ?Hero Quest was.. Hero Quest but on a computer. ?The original Blood Bowl was a poor translation of the tabletop game, being limited as hell with even a single sprite for every player on your team and no expansion rules content. ?Mark of Chaos and its expansion were more modern and more enjoyable takes on the Horned Rat style of game. ?Warhammer Online is World of Warcraft in the WHFB universe. ?The new Blood Bowl and the Legendary Edition (Purchased at a discount online for owning original Dark Elf version so its just a DL file.) are better but not perfect versions of Blood Bowl as it really should have been the first time around.

Of course one franchise owned the computer game space more than any other:

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Eye of the Beholder 1-3 are good overall Dungeon Master clones. ?Dungeon Hack takes the same engine and turns the real time first person dungeon crawl into a single player randomly generated roguelike. ?Shadow Sorcerer is an odd isometric real time game using the Dragonlance original trilogy novel setting. ?The Gold Box series is the legendary turn based AD&D 1st ed rules RPG, with Unlimited Adventures being a Do It Yourself maker. ?That was somewhat limited in comparison to the 9 Gold Box titles...

D&D Stronghold is a weird real time kingdom simulator, the Core Rules is an awesome tool for AD&D 2nd ed campaigns with all sorts of neato stuff. ?Masterpiece Collection contains multiple late DOS era D&D games. ?Ravenloft series/engine, Dark Sun, the Al Quadim action RPG.. ?a good little value. ?So much has been said of the Infinity Engine real time series I don't need to repeat it. ?Daggerdale is a poor action RPG I only got because it was cheap.

And we finish it up with the modern era. ?And the sought after Dragon Magazine Archives with the first 250 issues of that magazine on PDF. ?Plus my original editions of Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale 2, the turn based but flawed Temple of Elemental Evil, the real time Neverwinter Nights series, and the collection of it including the few expansions I missed out on.

I have two more computer games but they can be seen in the Atari 8 bit collection when I do it, or two other collection posts I plan on hitting in the future.

One thing I have noted over the years is many of these translations didn't use the rulesets or for some reason took a turn based ruleset and made them real time. ?I never understood why as it rarely translates properly. ?I understand wanting to get the most people playing but.. the license is supposed to be for that product. ?Why make something turn based real time? ?Is it to get those people who won't play anything that isn't constantly moving? ?Am I just that messed up and slow thoughtful games are just for losers?

I don't know.

Source: http://wargamedork.blogspot.com/2012/11/game-collection-hobby-games-gone.html

demaryius thomas transtar 316 william daley truffles truffles alabama vs lsu

Online Business Systems Scam? Definitely Not! (Expert Reviews)

There are a lot of Online Business Systems scam rumors floating around the internet, and they?re quite frankly- NOT true!

Contrary to what many fake review sites may claim, Online Business Systems (OBS) offers a legitimate opportunity to earn income for people who don?t want to re-invent the wheel.

The OBS program has an impressive track record in helping beginners to online marketing create success because of its turnkey business model?

Having personally developed several online training programs and marketing systems, I can tell you without reservation that the OBS team has gone ABOVE and BEYOND to help people succeed.

Included inside of a sleek member?s back office, OBS provides everything that you need to develop a successful online business from scratch.

Online Business Systems Equips Beginners With
An Impressive Marketing ToolSuite

While there is no way of knowing for certain- in my professional opinion I estimate the back office software and marketing tools they?ve put together are the result of a MINIMUM of $100k invested into design and development. (senior web coders often command fees in upwards of $90/hr)

New-comers to the internet marketing world don?t have to worry about not knowing the ropes because the program teaches each new member everything that they need to start and run their business effectively.

OBS Provides Training, Websites, & Community Support

One of the most valuable aspects of The Online Business program is the video training vault hosted by OBS top producers. The fastest way to become successful in any business endeavor is to follow the lead of those who are already achieving the results you desire, and OBS makes it easy for beginners to ?Carbon Copy? and follow in the footsteps of its top income earners.

Online Business Systems provides cutting-edge marketing tools and video training co-created
by OBS top income earners.

A quick glimpse inside of the OnlineBusinessSystems back office reveals an entire suite of marketing tools, including, but not limited to:

• e-Commerce Websites
• Leadership Training
• Virtual Assistant
• One-Click Social Media
• Contact Management
• Automated Prospect Follow-Up
• LIVE Community

Having a social platform where members can communicate with one another is one of the most valuable parts of any reputable online business venture, and the team at OBS understands the importance of community.

Inside of the OBS member?s area users can communicate with thousands of other OBS members, get answers to any of their questions, and mastermind with other sharp marketers.

Online Business Systems? PROS & CONS

PROS: A complete business for beginners. The OBS system enables you to leverage the skills of expert marketers to do all of the heavy-lifting for you. Your only focus is generating leads and following up with your leads? and even then, they do most of the hard work for you. (automated follow-up and co-operative advertising campaigns make marketing your business simple)

CONS: For those looking to get into other niches (example: selling dog collars), you will probably be better suited with more general education. The training at OBS is centered around teaching you how to be successful in the make money / home business niche.

Online Business Systems is highly recommended for beginners looking to generate income at home.

Be Wary Of Online Business Systems Complaints: Cross-Recruiters And Quitters

Before we get into proof that Online Business Systems is NOT a scam, let?s get clear on one thing?

There are only two types of people spreading rumors that Online Business Systems is a scam:

1) CROSS-RECRUITERS: People who just want to sell you on how great THEIR program is (and feel the best way to do so is by bashing others).

2) QUITTERS: People who love to hate. Some have tried the program, some have not- but a quitter is always easily identifiable. Complaining is their forte and it doesn?t matter how far out of your way you go to help these people be successful, they take pride in verbally bashing and mauling even the best online business opportunities.

Proof Online Business Systems Is NOT A Scam!

The system is backed by a billion dollar company which creates strong brand recognition and long-term income stability for members.

The program also offers business tools through their back office program like a powerful contact manage, calendars and task manager, custom email campaigns, a tracking and reports tool, and a broadcast tool that helps members to simplify communications with a large amount of clients.

Another benefit, which is not actually an addition but a subtraction from the features, is that there is no software that needs to be installed and no hardware that needs to be purchased to avail of all these other great benefits.

There are literally thousands of people who are now living their dreams by earning a very decent income, and yet benefiting from being their own boss and making their own schedule which allows them more free time and time with their families.

Online Business Systems has changes the lives of many, including Jill and Jamie, who can be seen on the company website have stated that finding OBS is the best thing that happened to their family. Another couple, Phil and Sharri, who can be seen on with their five beautiful children, have also said that finding Online Business Systems has allowed them live their dreams and spend more time with their family.

If you are interested in the opportunity and are ready to change your life visit the Online Business Systems website today!

Bottom line: if you?re looking to build a successful business, OBS is a great option. Building a business takes hard work, sacrifice, super-human dedication, and lots of coffee. If any of that sounds overwhelming to you, you may be better suited for a 9-5 J-O-B

VN:F [1.9.20_1166]

Rating: 4.9/5 (21 votes cast)

VN:F [1.9.20_1166]

Online Business Systems Scam Rumors NOT True! (Real Reviews), 4.9 out of 5 based on 21 ratings

:: MLM Attraction Marketing

:: Turnkey Online Business

Source: http://internetbusinessinnercircle.com/internet-business-opportunities/online-business-systems-scam-definitely-not-expert-reviews/

Mayim Bialik Rich Kids of Instagram felix hernandez julia child Ron Palillo Texas A&m taylor swift

Search Answer: Will the Plex be underwater?

Fast Answer: This one is too close to call!

This challenge is quite typical of real-world search tasks?you often can't just plug in the search terms and hope to get an answer. A little search chaining and data validation is required to answer a series of questions and link them together to find the answer.

Let's start at the top. I assume you know that "the Plex" refers to "the Googleplex," the name of the main complex on Google's campus in Mountain View.

BUT... if didn't already know that, you'd have to figure out what I meant first. This would be step 1:

[ the plex ]

And from a quick scan of the SERP, you'll learn that "the Plex" is shorthand for "the Googleplex" (which is where I took the picture above).

It's also just one step from searching for either:

[ the plex ]

or

[ Googleplex ]

...and you can easily find that the Plex is at 37.422?N 122.084?W?plug that into Maps.Google.com and you'll see our campus with that lat-long marker just outside the window from my office. As you can see by the location of the Googleplex, you'll see it's pretty close to the waters of San Francisco bay. So this possibility of flooding after a 10' rise is a real worry!

Now you know WHERE to look.

Next step-determine the elevation of our location in the Plex.

There are a few ways to do this.

1. Look at a topographic map. This is the classic way to look up elevations. (By which I mean that it's the way I used to look up such information pre-Google.) To do this these days, I first searched for:

   [ USGS maps ]

   which got me to USGS.gov?after a click, I found their map locator page. I plugged in the street address of the Plex and found there were a couple of options open to me?the "Palo Alto" quadrangle map or the "Mountain View" quadrangle. I chose the 1997 "Mountain View" map and downloaded the 17Mb PDF file from USGS.gov

   

   Here I clipped out the relevant part of the USGS "Mountain View" quad and dropped a Google-style red pin where the Plex now is. (This map wasn't updated to show the Googleplex buildings.)

   As you can see, the point of the pin is right between the red "9" (meeting 9 feet elevation) and the 10-foot contour line that I've marked.

   Of course, the data accuracy here LOOKS better than it really is. While USGS is famous for measuring elevation accurately, the smoothness of the contour line implies a level of precision that's not really there. It's probably quite close to correct, but let's keep looking for additional data sources.

   Another approach would be?

2. Find a tool to get the elevation. A great general heuristic for these kinds of search questions (that is, when you're looking up data that someone else has a great deal of interest in) be sure to look for a tool (that is, a web-application) that already does what you're trying to do.

   To find another data resource, I did the query:

   [ how to find elevation ]

   This leads me to a number of different elevation tools, but you can find a very nice one here.

   Plug in the lat-long and find this spot is recorded as 12 feet above the mean sea level.

   

   What I like about this site is that they also show you the code for how THEY get the elevation. (If you read the code, they use Google's Maps API to ask for the elevation at that location, returning values in feet and meters.)

3. Use Google Earth. I then remembered that Google Earth ALSO has a 3D model of the earth, and what's more, it shows you the elevation of the point you've selected at the bottom of the page! Here you can see the exact location of our lat/long point (in the middle of the umbrellas and tables set out for lunchtime. (The white lines are big, decorative beams, one of which is shown in the picture at the top of this post.) And, as you can see, Earth puts the elevation at 13 feet.

   

   That's encouraging, but don't stop searching just because you found an answer you like!

4. Find a tool that models sea elevations. I then realized that there are lots of people interested in modeling sea rise, so I thought I could find a tool that would give me that data directly. To find such a tool, I started my search with:

   [ sea rise map ]

   Again, several different tools appeared, so I looked at the one from Climate Central . I navigated their UI and dropped in my lat/long to find this

   

   which suggests that it will be underwater. (The photoimagery illustrates the part that would be submerged, including the Plex. The part that's white is still high-and-dry.)

   On the other hand, a similar tool at Geology.com shows that we'd be on a peninsula with a rise of 3 meters (9.8 feet).Which (at 3m rise) shows that we'd be on a peninsula, just barely out of the water.

   

   The thing I like about THIS map is that the author explains the limits of the accuracy of his data set (a practice I find deeply encouraging-I wish more places would do this kind of thing). See: here

   This analysis suggests that ALL of these maps have a margin of error that's pretty big?certainly within the range of watery-ness for the Googleplex.

   And when you consider that "elevation" is defined as "height above the average high-tide and low-tide points in that region." it's pretty clear that this case is too close to call. We have some measurements that put the Plex out of the water by 1 or 2 feet, while others say it's 1 or 2 feet underwater. Since the tide will go in and out in this part of the Bay by +/- 3 feet, I'd say we'd better start developing that beachfront!

   (And luckily, FWIW, my house is at 25 feet elevation above the average sea level in the Bay. I'll be good for a few more years.)

---

Search Lessons: There are multiple points to make here

1. Data Varies a lot. As you can see from the four different sources we found 4 different elevations. Sometimes this comes from genuinely different measurements, and sometimes it comes from handling the data in slightly different ways. I doubt that the lat/long for the Googleplex cafeteria was actually measured carefully (at least in publicly available way?I'm sure some surveyors have done this), and so all measurements we see here are approximations.
2. Looking for a data set with analysis tool is often a great way to start. This is an important lesson?I often see people starting to collect the raw data to answer a question, and not realize that other people have already done all of that work... and done it far more extensively and carefully than they will. I know it seems obvious?but ALWAYS check to see if the data you're trying to collect isn't already out there. (But on the other hand, I find it's often incredibly valuable to spot check other people's data?if only to understand what the data issues are for yourself.)
3. Chaining search steps together. If you already knew what "the Plex" was, that's one step you didn't have to do. But if you didn't know that, you' d have to go look up what I meant by that phrase first, then look up the elevation. This is a simple chain of length 2, but more complex tasks might require chains of 3, 4, or even 9 steps to get to where you want to go.

---

So in the final analysis, the elevation of the Plex is somewhere between 9 and 13 feet. But given the tides, it's probably right on the edge of a 10 foot sea level rise. We don't need to pack our bags yet, but it's worth paying attention to the level of the water!

Search on!

Answer: Will the Plex be underwater? | SearchReSearch

---

Daniel M. Russell studies the way people search and research?an anthropologist of search, if you will. You can read more from Russell on his SearchReSearch blog, and stay tuned for his weekly challenges (and answers) here on Lifehacker.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/KdvPrnnTZ2E/answer-will-the-plex-be-underwater

victoria beckham London 2012 rhythmic gymnastics Meteor Shower August 2012 jessie j jessie j kobe bryant David Boudia

Mauritania's Abdel Aziz returns home after gunshot treatment

NOAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz returned home on Saturday after more than a month of medical convalescence in France, calming fears concerning the state of his health and uncertainty over who was managing the country in his absence.

Abdel Aziz, an ally of the West in its fight against al Qaeda in Africa, flew to Paris on October 14 after soldiers opened fire on his unescorted car as he returned to the capital Noakchott from his country residence.

The government and Abdel Aziz himself have said the shooting was accidental.

However, many in the coup-prone country had questioned the official version of the shooting. And his delay in returning home after being discharged from hospital last month had also raised questions about who was really in charge.

Thousands of his supporters, some arriving on camels, awaited his arrival at the airport carrying images of the president and banners welcoming him home.

"I was a bit worried, it's true. But now we are reassured that this is a man determined to finish the mission that God has given him. And we wish him good luck," said Mariet Oumar Ndiaye, one of his supporters.

Abdel Aziz greeted government ministers and top military officials on the airport's tarmac but made no statement. He traveled into Nouakchott in the back of a roofless car, shaking hands and waving at the crowds that lined the road.

"It was important to come and see the president, because we heard lots of rumors," said Alassane, a student who traveled to the airport for Abdel Aziz's arrival.

"The opposition said he was incapable of running the country, that he's paralysed. That's why we came here, to make sure," he said.

Straddling black and Arab Africa on the continent's west coast, Mauritania, a country of 3.2 million people, has been hit by two coups since 2005. It is an iron ore, copper and gold producer with a budding off-shore oil and gas sector.

(Reporting by Laurent Prieur; writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mauritanias-abdel-aziz-returns-home-gunshot-treatment-190600842.html

2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles one tree hill projectglass stock act

Pope elevates 6 cardinals to choose successor

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Six new cardinals on Saturday joined the elite club of red-robed churchmen who will elect the next pope, bringing a more geographically diverse mix into the European-dominated College of Cardinals.

Pope Benedict XVI presided over the ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica to formally elevate the six men, who hail from Colombia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Philippines and the United States. As Benedict read each name aloud in Latin, cheers and applause erupted from their friends and family members in the pews.

The ceremony was both joyful and emotional: Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, seen by many to be a rising star in the church, visibly choked up as he knelt before Benedict to receive his three-pointed red hat, or biretta, and gold ring, and wiped tears from his eyes as he returned to his place.

Abuja, Nigeria Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, meanwhile, seemed to want to sit down and chat with each one of the dozens of cardinals that he greeted in the traditional exchange of peace that follows the formal elevation rite.

Benedict has said that with this "little consistory," he was essentially completing his last cardinal-making ceremony held in February, when he elevated 22 cardinals, the vast majority of them European archbishops and Vatican bureaucrats.

Benedict said Saturday that the new cardinals represent the "unique, universal and all-inclusive identity" of the Catholic Church.

"In this consistory, I want to highlight in particular the fact that the church is the church of all peoples, and so she speaks in the various cultures of the different continents," he told the crowd, which included Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the vice president of the Philippines Jejomar Binay and lawmakers from India and Nigeria.

The College of Cardinals remains heavily European even with the new additions: Of the 120 cardinals under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope, more than half ? 62 ? are European. Critics have complained that the "princes of the church" no longer represents the Catholic Church today, since Catholicism is growing in Asia and Africa but is in crisis in much of Europe.

The issue of numbers is significant since these are the men who will elect the next pope from among their ranks: Will the next pontiff come from the southern hemisphere, where two-thirds of the world's Catholics live? Or will the papacy return to Italy, which has 28 voting-age cardinals, after a Polish and German pope?

The new cardinals do make the papal voting bloc a bit more multinational: Latin America, which boasts half of the world's Catholics, now has 21 voting-age cardinals; North America, 14; Africa, 11; Asia, 11; and Oceana, one.

Among the six new cardinals is Archbishop James Harvey, the American prefect of the papal household. As prefect, Harvey was the direct superior of the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, who is serving an 18 month prison sentence in a Vatican jail for stealing the pope's private papers and leaking them to a reporter in the greatest Vatican security breach in modern times.

The Vatican spokesman has denied Harvey, 63 from Milwaukee, is leaving because of the scandal. But on the day the pope announced Harvey would be made cardinal, he also said he would leave the Vatican to take up duties as the archpriest of one of the Vatican's four Roman basilicas. Such a face-saving promotion-removal is not an uncommon Vatican personnel move.

Harvey's departure has led to much speculation about who would replace him in the delicate job of organizing the pope's daily schedule and arranging audiences.

Aside from Harvey, Tagle, and Onaiyekan, the new cardinals are: Bogota, Colombia Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez; the Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai; and the major Archbishop of the Trivandrum of the Siro-Malankaresi in India, His Beatitude Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal.

Cardinals serve as the pope's closest advisers, but their main task is to elect a new pope. And with Benedict, 85, slowing down, that task is ever more present. For the second time, the consistory ceremony was greatly trimmed back, lasting just over an hour to spare the pope the fatigue of a lengthy ceremony.

He will, however, celebrate Mass on Sunday with them.

While Benedict didn't mention the cardinals' primary task in his remarks, he did remind them that the scarlet of their cassock and hat that they wear symbolizes the blood that cardinals must be willing to shed to remain faithful to the church.

"From now on you will be even more closely and intimately linked to the See of Peter," he said.

The six new cardinals are all under age 80. Their nominations bring the number of voting-age cardinals to 120, 67 of whom were named by Benedict, all but ensuring that his successor will be chosen from a group of like-minded prelates.

Saturday's consistory marks the first time in decades that not a single European or Italian has been made a cardinal ? a statistic that has not gone unnoticed in Italy. Italy still has the lions' share of cardinals, though, with 28 voting-age "princes" of the church.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-elevates-6-cardinals-choose-successor-052355393.html

ufc 143 results kickoff time super bowl 2012 superbowl national anthem patriots vs giants super bowl superbowl halftime show jason wu for target underwood

Fun Educational Games Is One of the Teaching Aids | Education Blog

You can make your students feel fun in their teaching learning activities. Fun educational games beliefs could make your students feel fun, it would be create good atmosphere around the classroom. It is not a simple way when you face the problems when your students feel bored while they are learning. Your old way in teaching by using text book is could make them feel bored. So as teacher you should have and found many resources of teaching aids that will give your students change to express their mind feel fun and relax and also the most important is your students could achieve and reach the goal.

You can available fun educational games in many resources, games beliefs as one of the teaching way or tools and able to create the curiosity of your students skill. Many games also beliefs could develop your students skills. When you choose fun educational games, you should choose the games that fit with your teaching indicator. Choose the games with various ways, games are including song, puzzle, role play and more are beliefs could develop your students skills. You can available various games from online fun educational games resources. There you will easy to find out what games that you need and involved to your teaching tools. Fun educational games based on different level and grade you can choose that fit with your student grade. Fun educational games for math, sciences, language, social and more through games your student will feel fun and enjoy.

fun educational games

Source: http://www.virtualeducasinaloa.com/fun-educational-games-is-one-of-the-teaching-aids.html

ernest borgnine adrian peterson ESPYs 2012 venus williams Freeh Report direct tv wimbledon

Fun Facts About All 50 American States

European vacations have a heavy charm for travelers because of the history, the food, and the castles. But, there are so many entertaining things to do right here in our own 50 states. Wonderful sights, excellent food and rich culture are not constrained only to our European neighbors, the United States of America can offer just as much holiday amusement as any foreign country. Here are 50 fun getaway facts to help you on your way to your dream vacation.

1. Alabama ? Civil War history abounds in this state. There are numerous different sights, including the Confederacy White House.

2. Alaska ? Denali National Park is the perfect spot for viewing the tallest mountain in the United States, Mt. McKinley, and for looking at Alaskas wildlife.

3. Arizona ? Nothing better to do in Arizona but visit the breathtaking Grand Canyon.

4. Arkansas ? The Whole family can take advantage of trying their luck at the Arkansas Diamond Mine and if that doesn?t work out there is always the onsite water park.

5. California ? Redwood forests are ancient, large, and spectacular, surely worth a trip.

6. Colorado ? Colorados six canyon rivers (Poudre Canyon, Browns Canyon, Ponderosa Gorge, Yampa, Bighorn Sheep Canyon and Glenwood Canyon) are the perfect sites to indulge in white water rafting trips with or without a guide.

7. Connecticut ? The whole family can enjoy a trip to The New England Air Museum located in Windsor Locks.

8. Delaware ? Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is the best location for you and your family to become familiar with all behavior of wetland creatures.

9. Florida ? In Florida there is no better location to check out than Disney World and all its sub-parks.

10. Georgia ? People of any age will all appreciate the worlds biggest aquarium?the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

11. Hawaii ? Beaches, beaches and more beaches. When you tire of the beaches or you are too sunburnt, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a amazing way to see nature in action.

12. Idaho ? Crater of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a excellent location for families to discover large fields of lava flows. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is located near Sun Valley, Idaho.

13. Illinois ? The Lincoln Heritage Museum in Lincoln, Illinois, is home to the biggest collection of artifacts from the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

14. Indiana ? Go to the personal home of our 23rd president, Benjamin Harris, in Indianapolis.

15. Iowa ? Spend a few days relaxing, shopping and exploring the National Historic District located in Downtown Fort Madison. This small town shows off high-quality examples of architecture dating as far back as 1870.

16. Kansas ? Explore the Empire House at the historic Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita for a night of food, music and comedy and perhaps a history lesson or two.

17. Kentucky ? Explore the Kentucky Derby and take your chances on the fastest looking horse.

18. Louisiana ? Bourbon Street is the spot to go for excellent shops, food, and all around fun.

19. Maine ? Take a trip having fun on an old fashion boat trip on a Windjammer Cruise. These cruises are conducted on old fashioned sailing boats that can take you on a weekend getaway or a day visit to a nearby island.

20. Maryland ? An afternoon with the Urban Pirates, located in Baltimore is the best outing for the whole family. Pirates take you on a boat ride that includes things like pirate songs, games and treasure hunts.

21. Massachusetts ? Find out about the unique history of whaling that use to prosper in this region during a vacation to the Whaling Museum in Nantucket.

22. Michigan ? Dive into the day of a miner at the Adventure Mining Company in Greenland. This old mining camp offers top side tours and tours deep into the mine caves.

23. Minnesota ? Spend a couple days looking at the Mall of America in Bloomington. You can shop while the kids play at the LEGO Imagination Center.

24. Mississippi ? The Redding House, located in Biloxi, is a wonderful location for the whole family to understand a little bit about the history of Mississippi and enjoy some great Greek Revival architecture.

25. Missouri ? Silver Dollar City a terrific spot for the entire family to have some fun enjoying food, rides and many different shows.

26. Montana ? Home to Glacier National Park?a excellent family place.

27. Nebraska ? See the old home of Buffalo Bill and view other Wild West Show artifacts at the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.

28. Nevada ? Lake Tahoe is by far the nicest and best destination for a family visit.

29. New Hampshire ? The Lakes District is one of the most gorgeous locations in New Hampshire, perfect for swimming, boating, fishing or anything else you might enjoy on a lake.

30. New Jersey ? Atlantic City is a remarkable spot for the whole family featuring guests everything from carnivals to casinos. The 117 caves hide treasures of beauty and mystery.

31. New Mexico ? The Carlsbad Caverns is among the best spots to stop by on a visit to New Mexico.

32. New York ? check out nature-made stone bridges and marble caves in Potterville at the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves.

33. North Carolina ? Ghost Town in the Sky is a family friendly old west town and amusement park that will supply a lot of excitement for the whole family.

34. North Dakota ? Fort Abraham Lincoln, at one time home to General Custers troops, is now a state park and a great area for history fans.

35. Ohio ? African Safari Wildlife Park, based near Port Clinton, is a wonderful chance for all the family to enjoy looking at African animals in a natural setting.

36. Oklahoma ? The Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum is a zoo for the true animal fan that includes exotic animals such as leopards and flamingoes.

37. Oregon ? Portland, Oregon, is home to Saturday Market, a nearly year-round open air market that sells all sorts of things from bongs, to handmade wallets, to butter dishes.

38. Pennsylvania ? Gettysburg National Military Park was the location of one of the most fatal battles during the Civil War. Among the museum and the park site visitors will leave with a better comprehension of what took place at Gettysburg.

39. Rhode Island ? Fort Adams, the largest coastal fort in the United States, is worthy of a visit when you are in or near Newport.

40. South Carolina ? Myrtle Beach is the perfect location for snorkeling, sun tanning, golfing, sailing and relaxing.

41. South Dakota ? The home of Mt. Rushmore, is a must see national monument.

42. Tennessee ? Music lovers will enjoy a visit to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

43. Texas ? The town of San Antonio is a excellent spot to go to because it is the position of the Alamo and the San Antonio River Walk.

44. Utah ? Arches National Park gives spectacular sights of sandstone sculptures made over time by the wind.

45. Vermont ? The Norman Rockwell Museum, based in Rutland, displays one of the most significant collections of Norman Rockwell art.

46. Virginia ? Clinch Haven Farms, in Big Stone Gap, is a classic, operating dairy farm that provides visitors a upfront look at dairy production. Tourists can also appreciate a petting zoo and the ability to pick your own fresh vegetables.

47. Washington ? Home to the only undisturbed rainforest in the United States, located in the Olympic National Forest.

48. West Virginia ? Experience the life of the Swiss culture, without crossing the ocean, in the tiny town of Helvetia. This small town has kept its historic roots and is now a fantastic place for everyone to check out.

49. Wisconsin ? Relax for a couple of days on the farm?that is the Glen Valley Farm in Oshkosh where you can play with farm animals, gather eggs, delight in a sleigh ride, and get lost in a corn maze.

50. Wyoming ? Home to of the massive rock formation generally known as Devils Tower. This 1,267 foot tall national monument is a must see when traveling in Wyoming.

Source: http://www.beembee.com/2012/fun-facts-about-all-50-american-states

hoekstra best superbowl commercials 2012 best super bowl ads chrysler super bowl commercial madonna half time show fiat 500 abarth madonna halftime

Norway mass killer criticizes prison conditions

OSLO, Norway (AP) ? Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik accused prison officers of trying to drive him to suicide in conditions he describes as "a mini Abu Ghraib."

Breivik wrote a 27-page letter addressed to prison officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I am an exceptionally patient person, I would most likely have lost my mind in pure frustration," Breivik said in the letter dated Oct. 15 that was updated on Oct. 26 and Oct. 30. "Anyway, there are limits to what a person can take."

Breivik wrote that he is frustrated that guards do not cooperate with his carefully planned daily schedule, where he times his various activities down to the minute.

"One cannot exclude that Ila Prison's leadership has assured itself that 'loyal social democrats' dominate the ward to prevent possibly benevolent people gaining access," Breivik said. He also alleges that the prison director keeps the security regime tight out of personal vengefulness against Breivik.

The 33-year-old right-wing fanatic killed 77 people in twin attacks last year in Norway's worst peacetime massacre. He detonated a car bomb outside government offices in Oslo killing eight people and then drove to the island of Utoya where he massacred 69 in a shooting spree at the summer camp of the governing Labor Party's youth wing.

Ellen Bjercke, spokeswoman at Ila Prison where Breivik is being held, said the prison had not lifted any security restrictions on Breivik in response to his letter, although he had recently been allowed a normal pen instead of a rubber safety pen, which he had also avidly used during the 10-week trial to make notes.

Breivik said the experience of having to use the stab-free pen was as "an almost indescribable manifestation of sadism."

The self-confessed killer described numerous prison practices as "degrading" in his letter, including that he is watched when swallowing his vitamin pills, that he's not allowed a mop to clean his cell and that he is subjected to daily strip searches, sometimes by female prison guards.

Keeping up his personal hygiene is also a challenge, he said.

"Use of a toothbrush and electric shaver is always under supervision. One is therefore under mental pressure to finish quickly as the guards are tapping their feet outside the cell ... This limits brushing to once a day and shaving to once a week in order not to have to go through the mental ordeal more often than necessary," he wrote in the letter.

"Therefore there is the likelihood that Norway's own 'mini Abu Ghraib,' in the cellars of Ila Prison, are being kept a secret and that Norway's human rights ambassadors' work to spread the 'world's most humane principles' are avoiding being embarrassed."

Breivik was referring to a prison in Iraq that became notorious in 2004, when photos were released of detainees being abused by U.S. soldiers.

In a handwritten note sent with the 27-page typewritten letter, Breivik said he had sent copies of it to the AP, the International Press Center in Oslo, select Norwegian media and Amnesty International.

Bjercke said that Breivik was given an electric typewriter earlier this month but that it was not connected to his letter of complaint.

During his pre-trial detention he was allowed a computer that could not be connected to the Internet, but it was taken away from him when he started serving his sentence.

The Oslo District Court found Breivik guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder for the July 22, 2011 attacks. He was given a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended if he's considered a threat.

The self-styled anti-Muslim militant denied criminal guilt, saying he's a commander of a resistance movement aiming to overthrow European governments and replace them with "patriotic" regimes that will deport Muslim immigrants. Police said they found no evidence of Breivik belonging to any such group.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-23-Norway-Massacre/id-cd0b4bed0d534a228a3dadab27844d47

Incumbent politico fox news new york times Tammy Baldwin house of representatives paul ryan

This Thanksgiving, avoid a horror story

Brent Taylor approaches Thanksgiving dinner like an undercover spy. He'll casually query his hosts ? How was the turkey cooked? What about the stuffing? Any strange ingredients? He's not on the hunt for tasty secrets, but rather for reassurance that the turkey and trimmings won't turn on him.

That's what happened six years ago. "Three of us got sick eating that dinner," said Taylor.

Taylor, who lives in Richmond, Va., still cringes at the memory of that Thanksgiving dinner six years ago at a friend's house. "Everything looked great and tasted great and it was good company," he said. But by the next morning, he felt seriously ill, with cramps, a fever, and he says delicately, "a lot of trips to the bathroom." Taylor blames what turned into a two-day bout of food poisoning on the stuffing; only those who ate it got sick.

There are no precise numbers on how many people get ill just from Thanksgiving dinner, but the U. S. Department of Agriculture points out that 1 in 6 Americans, 48 million of us, will suffer from a food-borne illness in 2012, with 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. They warn that Thanksgiving can be tricky; cooks are preparing a meal they don't usually cook and for large numbers of people. To stay safe, "there are four simple steps you can follow," Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, the USDA Under Secretary for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, told ABC News.

First is to clean- wash hands, utensils and food surfaces frequently. Second is to separate--keep raw meat and poultry away from anything you're not going to cook, such as salad or bread. Third, make sure you cook your turkey to the proper temperature, and finally get those leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of dinner.

Mishandling your turkey, or stuffing or even your pumpkin pie can put you at risk of salmonella bacteria which is found in meat, poultry and eggs, or campylobacter bacteria which is found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. Both can be killed by heat and thorough cooking.

"These are really serious illnesses," said Hagen, "that's why we're talking about this during a holiday that is so focused on the food and family."

Food safety experts advise against washing off your turkey; that can simply spread bacteria around the kitchen. And, they say, it's critical not to thaw the bird on the counter. "The surface of the turkey may have bacteria on it," said Diane Van, Manager of USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline. "If it's sitting in a warm environment, the bacteria can multiply to quite high levels."

The best way to defrost the turkey is in the refrigerator. "You have to plan ahead," said Van, "it takes about a day for every four or five pounds of turkey." If you don't have the time for that, you can also defrost in cold water. That requires submerging the turkey in cold water, and changing that water every 30 minutes. To thaw the turkey, it will take about half an hour for every pound of meat.

Nicole Johnson helps staff the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, which answers calls from frantic cooks around this time of year. She says the number one question they get is from folks wanting to know how to thaw their turkey. Some have gotten quite inventive. Johnson says "we heard from the gentleman who was short on time and wrapped it in an electric blanket."

Johnson and the USDA also point out it's critical to cook the turkey to the correct temperature, at least 165 degrees as measured by a meat thermometer in three separate places, in the thigh, in the wing joint and in the thickest part of the breast. Johnson, who has a degree in nutrition dietetics and has been working the Butterball hotline for over a decade, says if you've stuffed the turkey, you also need to put the thermometer into the center of the stuffing and make sure the temperature there reaches 165 degrees.

It turns out stuffing is a touchy subject. There are those insist on stuffing their bird, and those who make the stuffing separately. From a safety standpoint, stuffing your turkey could be hazardous to your health if it's not done carefully.

"There are bacteria in the cavity of turkey," said the USDA's Van, "Stuffing is a rich medium for bacteria to grow." Van says if you do stuff your turkey, put the stuffing in right before you cook it, and pack it in loosely.

Dessert should be handled properly too. Van recommends thoroughly cooking that pumpkin pie, and storing it in the refrigerator until you're ready to indulge.

As for Thanksgiving leftovers, they should be eaten within three or four days.

Most of us will sit down happily and safely to our Thanksgiving dinner, but Taylor says he's still leery. "I don't have the taste for Thanksgiving dinner? it doesn't excite me as it used to," he said. It won't keep him from the table this year, but he'll be asking all his questions before he takes that first bite.

Also Read

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/thanksgiving-avoid-horror-story-130622153--abc-news-health.html

ryan leaf ryan leaf luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis fletcher cox

A Self-Heating Dinner In a Can Is a Depressing Way To Spend a Holiday

It won't arrive in time if you find yourself lacking company and a hot meal today, but you can ensure the same thing doesn't happen at Christmas with this mildly depressing self-heating Dinner in a Can. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9N3iOelECgc/a-self+heating-dinner-in-a-can-is-a-depressing-way-to-spend-a-holiday

rock salt david letterman march of dimes james randi wargames blake griffin dunk florida primary

Standard Chartered Bank Singapore introduces the Security Token ...

November 21, 2012, 12:44 PM PST

Takeaway: Many people in Singapore rely on more than one banking institution and have to carry around multiple security tokens. Find out how the Security Token Card greatly reduces this hassle.

Image credit: Standard Chartered Bank Singapore

Standard Chartered Bank Singapore earlier this month unveiled the country?s first interactive payment card that offers enhanced security. The Security Token Card is the same size (0.1cm) and weight as a standard credit card.

The Security Token Card comes with an embedded high-contrast LCD display and touch-sensitive buttons. The buttons and LCD display allows for the generation of a One-Time Password (OTP) to use as a second factor when doing online banking.

The Security Token is slated to replace existing two-factor authentication methods such as text message OTP and physical tokens by January 2013. On that front, the technology will make its way into credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards issued by Standard Chartered Bank Singapore.

The bank says that the Security Token Card?s use will be mandatory for adding third-party payees, transferring funds, or making payments for amounts beyond a predefined threshold, as well as for updating personal particulars including mailing address, contact number, and email address.

The Security Token Card incorporates technology by NagraID Security; you can read detailed technical specifications in this PDF. There is no mention of how long its internal power source can last, though NagraID Security offers up to three years of warranty.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has mandated the use of two-factor authentication for use locally since 2006, and several years ago, extended this mandate to local online credit card purchases.

Many people in Singapore rely on more than one banking institution and have to carry around multiple security tokens. The Security Token Card greatly reduces this hassle by compressing it into the size of a credit card.

Internet banking has gained a mainstream presence in businesses due to its sheer convenience. This increased efficiency can make a world of difference for small and mid-sized enterprises (SME), of which there are 165,000 registered in Singapore. On the flip side, smaller businesses also run a higher risk of being ruined from a single instance of financial fraud compared to larger businesses.

Based on reports of online financial fraud that surfaces from time to time, it is evident that the use of two-factor authentication is yet to be deployed by every financial institution. Therefore, IT departments should be concerned with protecting end-point devices such as PCs and laptops against malware, but also that the finance department is conducting online financial transaction with financial institutions that offer two-factor authentication and sensible security measures that take full advantage of it.

Also read on TechRepublic: How Singapore?s DBS Bank implements two-factor authentication.

Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/asian-technology/standard-chartered-bank-singapore-introduces-the-security-token-card/482

philadelphia eagles obamacare Todd Akin Register To Vote Fox News Live Obama 2016 Who Is Winning The Election 2012

Will Detroit run out of cash?

On Tuesday, Detroit's city council rejected a contract from a law firm that would have helped the city with its finances. The rejection means the city did not receive the $10 million dollars it was expected to receive on Tuesday.?

By Staff,?Reuters / November 20, 2012

City of Detroit activist Sandra Hines holds a protest sign to encourage the Detroit City Council members to vote no on a contract to hire a firm to help carry out an overhaul of the city's finances, during a full council meeting in Detroit, Michigan.

REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

Enlarge

Detroit will not get a much-needed $10 million after the?city council?rejected on Tuesday a contract to hire a law firm that was part of a deal to keep the city on track to overhaul its finances.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The state of?Michigan?and its biggest city,?Detroit, announced a deal last week that includes several milestones the city must achieve in the next month to receive the $10 million by Tuesday and another $20 million by Dec. 14.

The setback leaves the city at risk of running out of cash by the end of December if it does not meet those goals.

In a voice vote, the?city council?rejected a contract for the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone to provide legal advice and to handle litigation related to implementing a financial stability agreement designed to fix city finances.

The rejection "means the city will not receive the first $10 million scheduled for release today," said Mayor?Dave Bing?in a statement issued right after the vote.

Mayor Bing said the rejection of the contract will make it more difficult for?Detroit to maintain positive cash flow.

"It will be more difficult for the city to maintain its liquidity until the receipt of property tax revenues beginning in January. Today's vote is one more example of how?city council?has stalled our efforts to bring financial stability to the city of Detroit," the mayor said in the statement.

Detroit has struggled with its finances for many years as the city's population has dwindled and the automotive industry that once drove economic activity in the Motor City has diminished.

The city of 700,000 has been criticized by state officials for slow progress on financial reforms. It needs the money to avoid running out of cash by the end of the year. The?Michigan?Finance Authority raised $137 million for?Detroit earlier this year through a debt sale. While?Detroit received some of that money, Michigan?Treasury officials tied another $30 million to?Detroit's progress on reforms.

"If the milestones are not completed, the funds will not be released from escrow,"?Caleb Buhs, spokesman for the?Michigan?Treasury Department, told Reuters.

"The actions?Detroit must take for the treasurer to release the funds from escrow were clearly established in the Memorandum of Understanding, sent to the mayor and?city council?last week," Buhs said.

City Council?President?Charles Pugh?blamed Bing for the setback. "Why is Mayor Bing putting the city's finances at risk by marrying himself to one law firm?" he told reporters, adding he wants to meet with the mayor this week to choose a law firm that the council can accept.

Council members raised several objections about Miller Canfield, including potential conflicts of interest in the work it performs for the city and the state and the scope of the contract. Some questioned whether the contract was legal under the city's charter because it was neither prepared nor approved by the city's chief on-staff lawyer.

Projections presented by city officials to?Detroit's oversight board earlier this month showed the city's weekly cash flow at just $4.1 million in mid-December before dropping to a negative $4.8 million at the end of the year.

Detroit's financial advisory board was created under an agreement that allowed?Detroit to avoid the appointment of an emergency manager to run the city while giving the state some oversight and allowing the mayor to disregard collective bargaining agreements with unions.

The?city council?did approve on Tuesday a contract with?Ernst & Young?to provide cash-flow analysis for 2013. This was another condition set in the deal with the state.

Pugh said the council had previously approved a contract with consulting and actuarial firm?Milliman?for pension services, which was also a condition of the deal. While the council is officially scheduled to be in recess until early next year, Pugh said it could come back in a special session at any time.

Also on Tuesday, the council rejected a nearly $48 million contract with?St. Paul-based?EMA Inc?to run some of the city's water and sewer department.

Detroit faced a cash crisis this summer that led to warning it could default on some bonds. The cash crunch and default were averted by the bond sale.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/fD0q3yCBj10/Will-Detroit-run-out-of-cash

how the grinch stole christmas macaroni and cheese festivus festivus zeno melanie amaro new air jordans

How Cloud Services Can Deliver Valuable Results?

Are you thinking to choose perfect data storage facilities for your company? If so, you will have to consider your decision influenced by variant factors. Most important concern enters with the services themselves. In the current emerging IT trends, you can observe the high end requirements for maintaining data storage security.

The well-established companies do not face such challenges but the small organizations have to definitely handle the biggest problem of data security. To offer solutions to these firms, reliable telemarketing services are offering excellent cloud hosting services.

As there are many service providers ready to give you desirable services so it becomes difficult to go with the right bundle of services. You need to put few efforts in finding the most apt cluster of cloud services that could help you earn endless business profits.

Highlighted Considerations ? Delivers Valuable Results

Take certain considerations into account to enjoy the features of valuable cloud hosting services.

Who is going to use these services?

If the organization has handful of people than you need not to hire extremely expensive cloud storage services. Invest smartly in gaining the right services. Decide which section of people in the office will use these newly installed services and implement them accordingly. Make sure you need not to spend great capital on training your workforce for making them learn the use of cloud services.

Is it beneficial for the growth and development of your company?

Although you must elegantly make choice of most economic cloud computing services but it is essential to ensure its significance.

Do not take for granted that expensive services will solve business issues whereas the lower priced services won?t be capable enough to do so. The choice entirely depends on company requirements and employee expectations.

Is it affordable for your organization?

When it comes to invest heavily in buying valuable services for your firm, go through its future perspective whether this investment will bring any benefits to you or not. It is important to ensure that cloud computing cost remains considerable and do not exceed budget of your business corporation.

What is the scope of future growth?

In most of the cases, lower priced cloud services are unable to serve all the purposes. So choosing such a service could turn to be a wrong decision. It is advantageous to pick the most flexible services that have high scope of growth.

Various IT consulting services offer numbers of services in significant cloud computing costs enlist the requirements for your organization and get best aid in choosing the right cloud computing services.

Source: http://service.ezinemark.com/how-cloud-services-can-deliver-valuable-results-7d38258911e6.html

nor easter nor easter ted nugent veep los angeles kings earth day timothy leary

Extreme weather tough on transportation system

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Wild weather is taking a toll on roads, airports, railways and transit systems across the country.

That's leaving states and cities searching for ways to brace for more catastrophes like Superstorm Sandy that are straining the nation's transportation lifelines beyond what their builders imagined.

Despite their concerns about intense rain, historic floods and record heat waves, some transportation planners find it too politically sensitive to say aloud a source of their weather worries: climate change.

Political differences are on the minds of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, whose advice on the design and maintenance of roads and bridges is closely followed by states. The association recently changed the name of its Climate Change Steering Committee to the less controversial Sustainable Transportation, Energy Infrastructure and Climate Solutions Steering Committee.

Still, there is a recognition that the association's guidance will need to be updated to reflect the new realities of global warming.

"There is a whole series of standards that are going to have to be revisited in light of the change in climate that is coming at us," said John Horsley, the association's executive director.

In the latest and most severe example, Superstorm Sandy inflicted the worst damage to the New York subway system in its 108-year history, halted Amtrak and commuter train service to the city for days, and forced cancellation of thousands of airline flights at airports in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

In Washington state, "we joked we were having 100-year storms every year," said Paula Hammond, head of the state's Department of Transportation.

Last year flooding threatened to swallow up the Omaha, Neb., airport, which sits on a bend in the Missouri River. The ground beneath the airfield became saturated, causing about 100 sinkholes and "soil boils" ? uplifted areas of earth where water bubbles to the surface. The airport was spared through a massive effort that included installing 70 dewatering wells and stacking sandbags around airport equipment and buildings.

Record-smashing heat from Colorado to Virginia last summer caused train tracks to bend and highway pavement to buckle. A US Airways jet was delayed at Washington's Reagan National Airport after its wheels got stuck in a soft spot in the tarmac.

Dallas had more than five weeks of consecutive 100 degree-plus high temperatures. "That puts stress on pavements that previously we didn't see," Horsley said.

States and cities are trying to come to terms with what the change means to them and how they can prepare for it. Transportation engineers build highways and bridges to last 50 or even 100 years. Now they are reconsidering how to do that, or even whether they can, with so much uncertainty.

No single weather event, even a storm like Sandy, can be ascribed with certainty to climate change, according to scientists. But the increasing severity of extreme events fits with the kind of changing climate conditions that scientists have observed.

For example, several climate scientists say sea level along New York and much of the Northeast is about a foot higher than a century ago, mostly because of man-made global warming, and that added significantly to the damage when Sandy hit.

Making transportation infrastructure more resilient will be expensive, and the bill would come at a particularly difficult time. Aging highways, bridges, trains and buses already are in need of repair or replacement and no longer can handle peak traffic demands. More than 140,000 bridges are structurally deficient or obsolete. The problem only will worsen as the U.S. population grows.

A congressional commission estimated that all levels of government together are spending $138 billion a year less than is needed to maintain the current system and to make modest improvements.

"The infrastructure of the nation is aging and it's at risk because, quite frankly, we're all not investing enough to take care of these facilities," said Hammond, the chairwoman of the climate committee. "And now we're facing extreme weather threats that cause us to need emergency response capabilities beyond what we've had in the past."

In Washington state, "we have seen more erratic weather patterns that we haven't had before, so we really can't imagine what kind of winter or summer we're going to have anymore," Hammond said.

More frequent heavy rainfalls in the western half of the state have increased the volume and velocity of water in rivers and streams, undermining the foundations of bridges. Rising sea levels are eroding coastal roads. In the drier eastern half of the state, more frequent wildfires have forced road maintenance crews to change their methods in an effort to prevent sparks that might cause a blaze.

"Each time you replace a bridge, states have to be thinking about not just what kind of traffic demand there is, but how do I make sure this is a bridge that will withstand the future given the erratic weather patterns and climate change we're seeing," Hammond said. "It's a new layer of analysis."

About half the states have taken some steps toward assessing their most critical vulnerabilities, experts said. But few have gone to the next step of making preparations. New York was an exception. Not only had transit officials made detailed assessments of the potential effects of climate change, but they'd started to put protections in place. Subway entrances and ventilation grates were raised in low-lying areas to reduce flooding, but that effort was overwhelmed by Sandy.

"They got hit with what was even worse than even their worst-case scenario," said Deron Lovaas, a transportation expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. "This was an active test of ... climate preparedness, and they failed."

While more than 97 percent of the scientists who publish peer-reviewed research say that global warming is real and man-made, the issue remains highly charged. In conservative states, the term "climate change" is often associated with left-leaning politics.

Planning for weather extremes is hampered by reluctance among many officials to discuss anything labeled "climate change," Horsley said.

"In the Northeast, you can call it climate change. ... That's an acceptable term in that region of the country," he said. "Elsewhere, in the South and the (Mountain) West, it's still not an acceptable term because of ideology or whatever you want to call it."

For example, Horsley said, in North Dakota, where there has been severe flooding in recent years, state officials avoid bringing up global warming, preferring to couch their discussions on how to shore up infrastructure as flood preparation.

The Obama administration has also shied away from talking publicly about adaptation to climate change. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's office refused to allow any department officials to be interviewed by The Associated Press about the agency's efforts to help states adapt. The Transportation Department and other federal agencies are involved in preparing a national assessment of climate change impacts and adaptations that may be needed. Their report is expected to be finished in the next few months.

Steve Winkelman, director of transportation and adaptation programs at the Center for Clean Air Policy, said he uses terms like "hazard mitigation" and "emergency preparedness" rather than climate change when talking to state and local officials.

"This is about my basement flooding, not the polar bear ? what I call inconvenient sewer overflow," Winkelman said. "It makes it real."

___

Online:

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials http://www.transportation.org

___

Follow Joan Lowy at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/extreme-weather-tough-transportation-system-074822760.html

unemployment rate jesse ventura keri russell drew barrymore bill o brien portland trailblazers will kopelman

The Online Slime-Fest

In the early months of 2009, I spent many hundreds of hours inside the hulking Widener Library, working on my doctoral dissertation and pausing periodically to look at the snow outside blanketing the Harvard campus and ponder the future. ?I probably had a successful academic career ahead of me, if I wanted it. ?The pathos and the seasons of academic life appealed to me. ?But I also yearned for adventure, and my primary interest was in the public square and not the ivory tower. ?I loathed the poor quality of religious conversation online, and wanted very much for evangelicals to set higher standards of discourse.

So when I received an email from another doctoral student (David Charles) who was engaged in building Patheos.com, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved. ?I believed in the vision as a whole: We would work together to recreate online the religious marketplace of ideas and yet to make it better: more informed, more charitable, more elevated. ?But I also had a vision for the Evangelical Channel, over which I became the managing editor: to model the kind of intelligent and yet winsome, rigorous and yet gracious conversation evangelicals and really everyone should engage in.

On days like today, I?m reminded how audacious that goal is, how hard one has to swim against the currents, and how many people would prefer that we fail.

As I?ve said before, the new media world incentivizes caricature and exaggeration, slander and suspicion. ?It disincentivizes deliberate thoughtfulness, patient contemplation, measured and balanced analysis. ?Many of the largest blogs grow around a central organizing animus. ?Write about how much you scorn liberals or conservatives, Christians or Muslims or Catholics or Mormons, atheists or theists, complementarians or egalitarians, and you?ll attract an audience eager to have their prejudices confirmed. ?The convenient thing is: since you will all?know?who the bad guys are, and since you all possess such stunning insight into their psychology, you can dispense with the usual standards of evidence and argumentation. ?Why bother questioning the evidence when their guilt is unquestionable?

I awoke this morning with the intention of criticizing a website called Talk2Action.org for promoting scorn, suspicion and misunderstanding of conservative Christians. ?But that?s not what I got into this business to do. ?Instead, I?m going to respond (with as much grace as I can muster) to the co-founder?s criticisms of me and my recent interview with Samuel Rodriguez, since I am in full possession of the facts in this case.

I?m not terribly concerned with defending my reputation. ?The accusation here is not the worst I?ve heard, from the Left or the Right, it comes at a relatively small blog/website, and no one who knows me would give this particular yarn much credence. ?But I do think it?s an illuminating case study of the kinds of problems we all face when we try to hold a charitable conversation over matters on which we passionately disagree.

According to Frederick Clarkson, co-founder of Talk2Action, conservative Christian culture-war extremist wingnuts like myself faced a problem. ?A blogger named Greg Metzger ?had had the temerity to write critically about the protean Christian Right leader, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez at the very moment when Rodriguez was being?hailed?as the Great Hispanic Hope for the Republican Party.? ?Oh no! ?A blogger (!) ? who owns his own blog?(!) ? and writes too at another small blog called?Talk2Action?(!) ? wrote something critical about Samuel Rodriguez. ?Clearly this constitutes an emergency. ?Serious measures are called for. ?What are Christian supremacist wackos like us to do?!

Apparently, ?one Timothy Dalrymple? (that would be me) conspired with Samuel Rodriguez in a ?tag team effort? to ?intimidate, discredit and ultimately silence? Greg Metzger. ?Because Patheos is engaged in ?unhinged boosterism? on behalf of Rodriguez, I arranged this interview with Rodriguez for the express purpose of beating up on Metzger. ?You could really tell that I was coming loaded for bear, Clarkson says, because I referred to Rodriguez?s critics as his ?detractors.? ?Whoa, now! ?Take it easy, Dalrymple, there are children listening! ?Apparently, Clarkson views ?critics? as the proper neutral term (neutral, like, you know, ?unhinged?), whereas calling someone a detractor?well, you might as well be calling him a Nazi. ?Or something.

I co-conspired in this tag-team sliming, apparently, because I?m friends with Rodriguez and I want to silence our mutual enemy, Greg Metzger. ?It was all a set-up for Rodriguez to accuse Metzger of being anti-Charismatic and anti-Latino.

Thus saith Frederick Clarkson. ?Frederick Clarkson, who has absolutely no idea what he?s talking about.

Here?s what?actually?happened. ?Back in the real world, Greg Metzger is a friend of mine. ?And in the real world, criticisms published at Talk2Action really do not evoke a great deal of anxiety. ?I know we all like to have an exaggerated sense of our own importance, but notes and comments I?ve gotten that Rodriguez was somehow rendered ?desperate? by a few blog posts are just silly. ?Also, in the real world, I like Samuel Rodriguez, but I?m just getting to know him. ?There was no emergency, no conspiracy, no intent to slime.

I value Greg Metzger for many reasons, but one is because I believe he?s earnest about acting rightly and speaking truly. ?He?s brought several noteworthy stories to my attention; he calls me now and then for affable conversations; and I often find points of agreement in what he writes. ?I published a lovely piece Greg wrote in which he?spoke of a hardening sense of opposition?to Samuel Rodriguez that softened after he actually interviewed Rodriguez and got some answers to his questions. ?We explored ebook and blogging options (his blog was more wide-ranging in its topics at the time). ?I also?helped him promote?the very worthy cause of?Ryan Boyette, who has been reporting heroically on the bombing of Christian villagers in Sudan.

Unfortunately, Greg has found the continuous stream of Samuel Rodriguez criticism coming out of Talk2Action convincing, while I have not. ?Greg decided he was wrong to have been duped by the interview with Rodriguez, and has become a regular detractor (I mean ?critic? ? pardon my language!). ?I?ve often wondered whether any answer would satisfy Greg that Samuel is not the nefarious person he imagines him to be, but is an earnest (albeit imperfect) brother in Christ who tries to build targeted political coalitions to advocate on issues important to Hispanic evangelicals. ?So when Samuel Rodriguez found himself in the news again, due to the GOP?s terrible proportion of the Hispanic vote, I reached out to arrange an interview on (1) Hispanics and conservatives and (2) Rodriguez?s responses to critics. ?I even asked Greg to suggest some questions, because I wanted to know what questions Greg considered the most important.

So I conducted the interview. ?Greg and the crew behind Talk2Action have accused Rodriguez of being an Islamophobe, a dominionist ?Christian supremacist,? a homophobe, and the kind of opportunistic huckster who says one thing to this audience and another thing to that audience. ?(But thank goodness they didn?t call him a ?detractor? because that would have been truly beyond the pale!) ?In the interview, I mentioned what seemed like the more persuasive charges and gave Rodriguez a chance to respond. ?The response as a whole was reasonable, I thought, but it included a little counter-attack:??one of the individuals behind the articles you mention ? and I say this without any hesitation ? has a very discriminating, very bigoted anti-Pentecostal, and in my opinion anti-Latino, presentation. ?Looking at other articles this individual has written, he explicitly went after the Pentecostal/Charismatic community and tarnished the group as a bunch of lunatics.?

It wasn?t entirely clear to me whether Rodriguez was referring to Greg himself (I?ve never seen Greg write anything I would describe in those terms) or to another of the men behind the attacks emanating from Talk2Action. ?But let?s assume he was referring to Greg. ?Should I have pushed back and demanded specifics? ?Perhaps. ?But I wasn?t sure that I would publish that part of the interview; an interviewee is rarely going to be able to provide you with specific quotations or titles or links from memory; no one who knows Greg is going to accept that he?s prejudiced, and people who don?t know Greg won?t even keep track of whom Rodriguez is talking about; and I didn?t want the interview side-tracked into interpersonal issues. ?Should I have refused to publish that part of his answer? ?Perhaps. ?If I had done so, however, it would have been to protect Samuel Rodriguez, not to protect Greg Metzger. ?People rarely come off well when they make personal allegations like that; the accused typically comes off better than the accuser. ?So, ironically, in my ?unhinged boosterism,? I chose not to protect Rodriguez. ?He said what he said, and he?s a big boy, so he could defend it if he wished.

When I interviewed Jim Wallis years ago, and he attacked the integrity of World Magazine?s Marvin Olasky, I published it, even though Marvin?s a friend. ?Marvin didn?t complain; as he understood, I was just reporting what Wallis had said. ?Marvin simply responded to the accusation, and the accusation ended up hurting Wallis a lot worse than it hurt Marvin. ?I figured with Greg, as I did with Marvin, I would simply follow up the interview with a later post. ?Because while I agree with much of what Rodriguez has to say in other portions of the interview, and I think much of the paranoia at places like Talk2Action about ?dominionism? and the New Apostolic Reformation (of which many legitimate criticisms can be made) does seem informed by a general anti-Charismatic stereotype, I?ve never seen Greg personally publish anything I would characterize as anti-Charismatic or anti-Latino.

I did, in the comments after the interview was posted, criticize Talk2Action, and I suspect that has a good deal to do with Frederick Clarkson?s response.

But Clarkson could not even get the details right. ?He links to the first part of the interview but calls it an ?introduction? to the interview; he gets my work title wrong; the second part of the interview was never featured on the front page of Patheos. ?He offers a ludicrously wrong-headed interpretation of Rodriguez?s comments on abortion (Rodriguez was suggesting that some people on the Left criticize him because he is pro-life, not that all prochoicers are ?venomous, intolerant, bigoted, cancerous and intolerant? (sic) or that Christians cannot be prochoice; he was not even claiming that Greg Metzger specifically is prochoice).

But Clarkson?s post is all too typical of Talk2Action. ?There?s the conspiratorial anxiety, suggesting that Rodriguez and I are in cahoots, when I actually know Metzger much better and was consulting with him on which questions might allay his suspicions. ?There?s the gob-smacking obliviousness of a website whose entire purpose is to attack conservative Christians suggesting that Patheos is engaged in ?unhinged boosterism? because I published on my blog what a Christian leader actually said. ?There?s no real research, because research implies an openness to questioning your own presuppositions. ?In spite of the blazing irony of Talk2Action complaining about a ?sliming,? there?s no self-examination, no questioning of whether it?s true that they?ve dealt in anti-Charismatic stereotypes. ?There?s really not even a decent effort to get the facts right ? because a decent effort would have meant picking up the phone and calling me or calling Rodriguez. ?Yet Talk2Action never actually speaks to the people they regularly slime. ?Instead, a couple of facts are strung together with a bunch of presuppositions and misinterpretations, all based on a presupposed slate of the good guys and the bad guys and a preconceived template of what motivates the conspiratorial actions of the Christian Right and the good and noble deeds of those who hold them to account.

I don?t have any more indignation for this kind of thing. ?It?s just sad. ?It?s sad that online conversation on matters of religion so quickly becomes a veritable circus of scorn and suspicion. ?It?s sad that organizations like Talk2Action, which actually raise legitimate concerns from time to time, undermine their own purpose by letting their hostility get the better of them. ?It?s sad that extremists never recognize their own extremism, and sad that people like Samuel Rodriguez who break the mold and try to work with both sides of the aisle all too often become the subject of unrelenting witch-hunts from the purist-partisans on either side.

Samuel Rodriguez may not get everything right, but he?s a good man. ?So is Greg Metzger. ?I can only mourn that we live in a fallen world that breathes out enmity, that sows the seeds of confusion and suspicion, and would rather see Christians up in arms against each other than joining arms in common cause.

Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophicalfragments/2012/11/20/the-online-slime-fest/

censored jerry yang stop sopa justified southland sopa blackout protect ip act