text:
is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game released by Sega for arcades in 1989, running on the Sega System 16B arcade hardware. Makoto Uchida was the lead designer of the game, and was also responsible for the creation of the previous year's Altered Beast. The game casts players as one of three warriors who must free the fantastical land of Yuria from the tyrannical rule of Death Adder, who wields the titular Golden Axe.

The game was well received at the time of release, Golden Axe was later converted for play on many different home systems, including Sega's own Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System. The game's success spawned an entire franchise consisting of several sequels and various spin-offs.

Plot
The game takes place in the fictional land of Yuria, a Conan the Barbarian-style high fantasy medieval world. An evil entity known as Death Adder has captured the King and his daughter, and holds them captive in their castle.  He also finds the Golden Axe, the magical emblem of Yuria, and threatens to destroy both the axe and the royal family unless the people of Yuria accept him as their ruler. Three warriors set out on a quest to rescue Yuria and avenge their losses at the hands of Death Adder. The first is a battle axe-wielding dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, from the mines of Wolud, whose twin brother was killed by the soldiers of Death Adder. Another is a male barbarian, Ax Battler, wielding a two-handed broadsword, looking for revenge for the murder of his mother. The last is a longsword-wielding Amazon, Tyris Flare, whose parents were both killed by Death Adder.

The warriors rescue the inhabitants of the ransacked Turtle Village, which turns out to be situated on the shell of a giant turtle. The turtle takes the characters across the sea, and they then fly to the castle itself on the back of a giant eagle. Once at the castle they defeat Death Adder, who is wielding the Golden Axe, and save the land. In the Mega Drive/Genesis and PC versions, and also in other ports, the characters also battle Death Adder's mentor, Death Bringer, as the true final boss. After the final battle, the warriors receive a magical golden axe that imbues the player with immortality.

The arcade release of the game concludes with a fourth wall breaking end sequence with some children playing Golden Axe at an arcade. The arcade game breaks, and the characters from within the game flood into the "real world," with the children being chased by the enemies, with the warriors in hot pursuit.

Gameplay
Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue "magic potions" attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different maximum number of magic bars and varying ranges of attack.

Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice (which also appeared in Altered Beast), which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire depending on its color scheme, is found later in the game.

If the players take too long to advance, skeleton swordsmen emerge from the ground, like in the film Jason and the Argonauts.

In addition to the main quest, some home versions of the game included "duel mode", a survival mode type game that pitted players against increasingly powerful foes in consecutive rounds of play. This mode also featured a two-player one-on-one option.

Development
Lead designer and producer Makoto Uchida was fond of action movies, particularly the Conan films, and wanted to create a game influenced by them. He said that the development team for the game was small and development of the game took about a year. Uchida's "idea was to come up with a Double Dragon that was not a Double Dragon… Technos was an experienced rival who had been working on the Kunio-Kun series, so there was no way we could compete if we did the same thing as them. I had a feeling that arcade games should be competitive against the great hit console title Dragon Quest (created by Enix) and therefore studied the world of magic and swords, combined this with the gameplay of Double Dragon, and finally came up with the concept of Golden Axe." Uchida also cited the original Street Fighter (1987) as an influence, particularly how players could combine button moves and stick presses to perform individual attacks.

Ports
The Mega Drive/Genesis version remained largely faithful to the arcade game, adding a level and a duel mode, along with a new ending.

The IBM PC compatible port released in 1990 is similar to the Mega Drive/Genesis version, but includes a 256 color VGA mode as well as  support for EGA,  CGA, and Hercules modes. Atari ST and Amiga ports released in late 1990 by Virgin Software are similar to the arcade. The Amiga port is similar to the arcade game, with some palette changes and without parallax scrolling.

Variations of the original game have also been released. The Master System version of the game retells the original story from the perspective of Tarik, a barbarian with resemblances to Ax Battler (much like all the other barbarian in the entire series: Kain Grinder, Stern Blade and Kain Blade). While the game is only one-player, it features all of the levels and magic powers of the arcade version. In Japan, Golden Axe was released by Telenet for the PC Engine CD-ROM in 1990 with high-quality resampled music and cut scenes.

Reception

Commercial
In Japan, Game Machine listed Golden Axe on their 1 July 1989 issue as being the second most successful table arcade cabinet of the month. It went on to be the 18th highest-grossing arcade game of 1989 in Japan. In the United States, it was the highest-grossing arcade game of January 1990.

The ZX Spectrum version went to number 2 in the UK sales charts, behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Xbox Live Arcade digital version of Golden Axe sold 167,935 units on the Xbox 360 console, .

Accolades
Upon release of the home conversions, the game received the "C+VG Hit!" award from Computer and Video Games, the "Star Buy" award from The One for Amiga Games, the "Zero Console Classic" award from Zero magazine, and a Gold Medal from Zzap!64 magazine.

In 1991, PC Format named Golden Axe one of the 50 best computer games ever, describing it as "deliciously animated hacking, slashing and generally whaling". In 1993, the ZX Spectrum version of the game was voted number 60 in the Your Sinclair Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time. In 1995, Flux magazine rated the Mega Drive version 70th in their "Top 100 Video Games." In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the Mega Drive version 100th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time."

Retrospective
Reviewing the game's appearance in Sega Arcade Classics for the Sega CD in 1993, Glenn Rubenstein commented that the game had become outdated in the years since its original release.

Retrospectively, GameRankings gave the Sega Genesis version an aggregate rating of 69% based on six reviews published online in the 2000s. Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version an aggregate rating of 68 out of 100.

TouchArcade rated the iOS version 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Releases

The Mega Drive/Genesis version was later released in other compilations–Sega Smash Pack, Sega Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Collection), Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection)–and on the Virtual Console. A one-player only Sega CD version released as part of the Sega Classics Arcade Collection, with CD audio background music and voice-overs from the arcade version.

The arcade version is also on the Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade. A port of the game was released on PlayStation Network on 12 July 2011 and has been available free for PlayStation Plus users.

The game was  released as part of the handheld TV game Arcade Legends Sega Genesis Volume 1. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics and orchestral music was released for PlayStation 2 as part of the Sega Ages line.

In August 2017, the Mega Drive/Genesis version was released for iOS and Android. It is now part of the Sega Forever service.

On 25 October 2021, The Mega Drive/Genesis version was released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.

Notes

References

External links

1989 video games
Amiga games
Amstrad CPC games
Aspect Co. games
Atari ST games
Commodore 64 games
Cooperative video games
DOS games
Fantasy video games
IOS games
Master System games
PlayStation Network games
Sega arcade games
Sega beat 'em ups
Sega Genesis games
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
TurboGrafx-CD games
Hack and slash games
Tiger Electronics handheld games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games set in castles
Virtual Console games
WonderSwan Color games
Xbox 360 Live Arcade games
ZX Spectrum games
Video games scored by David Whittaker
Video games scored by Jeroen Tel
Virgin Interactive games
Golden Axe
Nintendo Switch Online games


text:
Q: Locked Serial Port on Vista I'm working on an App that talks to a serial port, and on my development machine, I'm running Vista, and that serial port is a Bluetooth connection.  Occasionally, the serial port gets caught in a state where my App can no longer connect to it.  In .net I get an IOException with a message reading "Element not found."
I've tried restarting the App, connecting with other Apps (a communications client like HyperTerm) but nothing helps.  I can't find any more specific error message, and nothing is logged to the machine's event logs.  The device manager tells me the port is "working properly."
Is there any way to find out which process and or .dll has possession of a serial port, and/or force a port closed?
If it makes any difference, my App is in C#, but structurally, it's not convenient to open and close the port with a "using" statement.
Thanks,
  Andy

A: To the best of my knowledge you can't close a serial port that you do not have the handle to.  My experience of Bluetooth serial ports is that they can end up getting mapped to different COM port numbers at connection time, and can sometimes leave bogus COM ports when disconnected.  For example, I currently have no bluetooth devices connected, but if I go into device manager, I see a total of eleven COM ports listed as Bluetooth serial port  The properties on each of these ports show the device as working and available, and I can usually open these ports though I get occasional failures.  My work around for this is to force COM port numbers for connected deviced, through properties / advanced / COM port number.  I'm not sure if the problem is driver related (IVT corp in this case) or a problem with the way Windows manages blutooth serial ports.
Sorry I couldn't be of any more help.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Whether your first aid requirements are business or personal, Fit4Work can deliver first-class training at your premises or at a venue close to you.
Our first aid courses will equip your employees with the knowledge, skills and confidence to deal with a first aid crisis.
As an employer, you are responsible for providing first aid in the workplace to ensure your employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or unwell at work.
Our accredited First Aid at Work course meets the statutory requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and provides delegates with the comprehensive practical skills needed to become a first aider.
The course is assessed by means of a practical assessment, a multiple choice question paper and a written assessment.
Qualsafe Award – Delegates are awarded with an accredited certificate which is valid for 3 years.
The HSE recommends that qualified first aiders complete annual refresher courses, particularly in the first two years after qualification.
The aim of the First Aid at Work Annual Refresher Course is to enable delegates to refresh their first aid knowledge to ensure they can effectively deal with a range of emergency first aid situations.
If you have completed Fit4Work's First Aid at Work 3 day course, you can receive the Annual Refresher training half price!
The course is assessed by means of a practical assessment completed during the course.
Qualsafe Award – Delegates will be awarded a certificate of attendance upon completion of the course.
This one day accredited course is designed for people who have the responsibility, at work or in a voluntary / community environment, to provide first aid in emergency situations.
Delegates will gain the practical knowledge to deal with a range of emergency first aid situations and gain the ability to do this safely and effectively.
The course is assessed by means of a practical assessment and a multiple choice question paper.
Qualsafe Award – Delegates are awarded with an accredited certificate that is valid for three years.


text:
Nvidia Outbids Intel to Buy Israel's Mellanox in Data Centre Push
By Reuters:
U.S. chip supplier Nvidia Corp has agreed to buy Israeli chip designer Mellanox Technologies Ltd for $6.8 billion, beating rival Intel Corp in a deal that would help the firm boost its data centre and artificial intelligence business.
Nvidia bought Mellanox to help stitch those servers together into one giant computer, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang told Reuters in an interview.
"We want to double down on data centres," he said.
Read more at the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/03/11/business/11reuters-mellanox-m-a-nvidia.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


An unusual pair of earrings with realistic flowers ,finely carved and beautifully painted.These lovely earrings bring back memories of summer lawns and carefree days and will match any colour and many outfits.
Designed, hand made in a resin mixture and carefully hand painted in fine quality acrylic pigments by the partners in their rural Welsh studios.The earring measures 19 mm (3/4 inch) .The stud has a silver plated pin and plastic scroll and the Clip on fitting is in a gilt finish with rubber pad for comfort.
A matching Lapel Pin and Pendant Necklace is available.


Mentally reviewing all of the tasks you need to do is a surefire way to become overwhelmed and not know where to start. Create a list of your highest priorities (the "must-do" items) and then break them down into the smallest actions possible. For large projects, it may be helpful to work backwards from the end result by listing the milestones (example: completed project, draft for approval, rough draft, outline), and then creating small steps within each milestone. It's a lot easier to get started if you're not wasting mental energy scrambling to figure out what you should be spending your time on.
The temptations of surfing the web, chatting with coworkers, or even just constantly checking email are often behind a slump in productivity. Everyone has a different distraction, so it's up to you to protect yourself against them. You don't have to give themup entirely – instead, schedule them in. Tell yourself after you work for a designated amount of time, you'll take a break and devote it to your distraction of choice. Knowing that nothing is forbidden may take away some of the dread that's causing you to slack off.
Getting started is generally the hardest step in overcoming a productivity slump, but once you overcome that hurdle, everything you've been dreading and putting off will be much easier (and likely not as bad as you thought). For those times that motivation is at an all-time low and your willpower reserves are depleted, tell yourself you'll do just one small thing. No matter how seemingly inconsequential (such as creating a new document and saving it with a title), the very act of getting started will create the momentum you need to continue.
Get back on track with your job search by working with a staffing firm like Spectrum Staffing. We have over 25 years of experience connecting candidates with the available opportunities from our nationwide clients and can make your job search more productive by focusing on a smaller but more targeted selection of options. Search our current available positions to get started.


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What are the tax benefits of Low Emmission and Electric Cars?
If you have a company car the chances are Benefit in Kind tax will be a concern for you, HMRC have a calculator to work this out
http://cccfcalculator.hmrc.gov.uk/CCF0.aspx
But both you and your company could be better off with a Low Emmission or Electric Car.
If you buy a new car for your business that has CO2 emissions of 110 grams or less per kilometre (g/km) driven, or is electric, you can qualify for a 100 per cent first-year capital allowance. This allows you to offset the whole cost of the investment against taxable profits in the year you make the purchase until 31 March 2013.
Vehicle taxes
New cars have fuel economy labels which show how fuel efficient they are. The label shows how much CO2 the car emits and also how much vehicle tax you will have to pay each year. Lower CO2 emissions mean lower vehicle tax and lower running costs.
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1080532548&type=RESOURCES
Benefit in Kind
Currently zero emmission electric cars have zero benefit in kind but this is set to change in 2015 when the rate will be 13%.
A 5% Benefit in Kind band is now in place for cars that emit below 75g/km CO2, but this will also change in 2015.
Steve Bicknell	Accounting, Bicknell Business Adviser	Leave a comment April 28, 2012 1 Minute
Are you claiming your Flat Rate Expense Allowance tax refund?
Back in December I did a Blog about how to make your claim http://stevejbicknell.com/2011/12/20/how-to-claim-tax-relief-for-employment-expenses/
But many employees don't seem to realise that they could be entitled to Flat Rate Expenses
If you have to spend money on tools or specialist clothing for your job you may be entitled to either:
tax relief for the actual amounts you spend
a flat rate deduction
Flat rate deductions are amounts that HM Revenue & Customs agreed nationally – or sometimes locally if conditions are very different – with trade unions or other bodies.
The deductions cover what's typically spent each year by employees in different trades. For example, someone working in the clothing industry can get a deduction of £60 each year. A cabinet maker can get a deduction for £140 while the deduction for a stone mason is £120.
You don't have to be a member of a trade union to get the deduction. You'll also benefit from less paperwork – you won't have to keep a record of all the individual amounts you spend.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/BeginnersGuideToTax/IncomeTax/Taxallowancesandreliefs/DG_078378
There is a full list of the Flat Rates at
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/EIM32712.htm
For example, I am the FD of SCA Group, we employ Scaffolders and the rate for Scaffolders is £140 per year, at 20% tax that means £28 as a tax refund.
How to claim VAT back using Fuel Advisory Rates
Mileage for the current tax year can be reclaimed at a maximum of 45p per mile for the first 10000 miles then 25p after that
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/travel.htm
Most people are already using these rates, but a large number of businesses don't reclaim the VAT on the Fuel element – see VAT Notice 700/64
8.7 My employees are paid a mileage allowance, how do I work out my input tax?
You work out your input tax by multiplying the fuel element of the mileage allowance by the VAT fraction. You can do this for all fuel bought
The allowance paid to employees must be based upon mileage actually done.
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000090&propertyType=document#P159_17774
Company cars: advisory fuel rates
The rates below apply from 1 December 2011.
1400cc or smaller 15p 10p
1401cc to 2000cc 18p 12p
Bigger than 2000cc 26p 18p
1600cc or smaller 12p
1601cc to 2000cc 15p
Bigger than 2000cc 18p
So this is how to work out the claim:
1000 business miles = 1000 x 45p = £450
On which VAT (assuming a 2000cc (bigger) Diesel) 1000 miles x 18p divided by 1.2 x 20% VAT = £30 VAT to reclaim
For large businesses there could be a lot of VAT to reclaim
Tax Advantages of a Classic Car
A classic car is one where:
the age of the car at the end of the year of assessment is 15 years or more and
the market value of the car for the year is £15,000
I found a 1968 Jaguar MkII for sale for £15,000 on
http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page/165880/1968-jaguar-mkii/
The Mark 2 gained a reputation as a capable car among criminals and law enforcement alike; the 3.8 Litre model being particularly fast with its 220 bhp (164 kW) engine driving the car from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.5 seconds and to a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h) with enough room for five adults. Popular as getaway cars, they were also employed by the Police to patrol British motorways.
The Mark 2 is also well known as the car driven by fictional TV detective Inspector Morse played by John Thaw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Mark_2
Assuming the list price was £2,000 (I can't find the actual list price), the taxable benefit in kind would be £2,000 x 35% (maximum)x 40% (higher rate tax) = £280
As long as the Market Value is below £15,000 these rules apply above £15,000 the market value is used for the calculation, you can pay for your private fuel to avoid the tax on that.
Steve Bicknell	Accounting, Bicknell Business Adviser	7 Comments April 14, 2012 April 14, 2012 1 Minute
Directors Loan v's Private Use of Company Assets
Many Directors borrow money from their Limited Company, but there are 2 key costs:
A Temporary Corporation Tax Charge of 25% – which can be reclaimed when the loan is repaid http://stevejbicknell.com/2012/01/02/pay-off-your-directors-loan-and-reclaim-corporation-tax/
HMRC impose an interest rate of, currently, 4% on loans provided interest free. This is then a benefit in kind declarable on a form P11D each year. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/exb/a-z/l/loans.htm
So, just an example, if you borrow £10,000 – Corporation Tax will be £2,500 and Benefit In Kind £215.20 (Interest £400, 40% tax and 13.8% NI)
If, your company, purchased assets and you used those assets privately, the treatment is much more favourable:
The cost of the asset is allowed against Corporation Tax and you can claim Capital Allowances and the Annual Investment Allowance
From April 2012 the rates of capital allowances have been reduced from (a) 20% to 18% and from on the Main Rate Pool (b) 10% to 8% for 'special rate' expenditure respectively. At the same time the maximum amount of the Annual Investment Allowances (AIA) will be reduced to £25,000 a year (currently £100,000).
The Benefit In Kind is generally 20% of the market value http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/paye/exb/a-z/a/assets-available.htm#2
So, based on buying an asset for £10,000 – there will be saving in Corporation Tax of £2,000 and the Benefit In Kind Tax of £1,076, thats a net saving in year 1 of £924 compared to a cost in year 1 of £2715.20 on a loan (total difference £3,639.20), although the benefit in kind will be £860.80 more expensive in future years.
The Assets could be purchased from the Director but they must be transfered at Market Value.
According to Indicator 'Tax Breaks for Directors' assets owned by companies include antiques, paintings, furniture, business suits (but not vehicles) and the 20% benefit in kind amounts can be deducted from the value of the asset should it subsequently sold to an employee or director.
Generally you can only reclaim VAT on the purchase of Assets for Business Use http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/managing/reclaiming/private-use.htm
Associates don't have to be taxing
The small companies rate of Corporation Tax is 20% compared to main rate of 24% (2012/13). The small company rate is applied if your profits are below £300k, however, if you have associate companies, the £300k is spread between them equally.
For the purposes of CTA10/S25 (4), formerly ICTA88/S13 (4), a company is an associated company of another at a given time if at that time:
one of the companies has control of the other, or
both of the companies are under the control of the same person or persons
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ctmanual/CTM03710.htm
But what some business forget is that if you have a subsidiary that has become dormant it stops being associated
an associated company which has not carried on any trade or business at any time during the accounting period is disregarded – if it is an associated company for part only of the accounting period, the rule applies to any time during that part.
Most takeaway and sandwich shops are not part of the big chains like Greg's, McDonalds or Subway, they are just small businesses doing their best to comply with complicated and confusing VAT rules, here is a quick summary to help those businesses account for their sales. Basically by using keeping 3 separate receipt books it will make it easier for their accountants to calculate the VAT, rather than a single takings book which almost inevitably means making estimates of the split between zero rates and vatable.
The rules are in HMRC Notice 709/1
So what changed in the Budget 2012
Food is subject to VAT once it is heated to "above air-ambient temperature", and meant to be eaten in or near the shop or restaurant. So "takeaway food" is already subject to VAT, while most hot food sold by bakers and supermarkets is exempt as it has been heated to improve its appearance (ie it could equally be enjoyed cold); or it will be eaten at home.The aim of the change is therefore to "clarify the definition of 'hot takeaway food' to confirm that all food (with the exception of freshly baked bread) that is above ambient temperature when provided to the customer is standard [VAT]-rated".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/28/pasty-tax-pie-budget
VAT can be very complicated as highlighted in the case of Jaffa Cakes – Cakes or Biscuits?
The leading case on the borderline is that concerning Jaffa cakes: United Biscuits(LON/91/0160). Customs and Excise had accepted since the start of VAT that Jaffa cakes were zero-rated as cakes, but always had misgivings about whether this was correct. Following a review, the department reversed its view of the liability. Jaffa cakes were then ruled to be biscuits partly covered in chocolate and standard-rated: United Biscuits (as McVities, one of the largest manufacturers of Jaffa cakes) appealed against this decision. The Tribunal listed the factors it considered in coming to a decision as follows.
The product's name was a minor consideration.
Ingredients:Cake can be made of widely differing ingredients, but Jaffa cakes were made of an egg, flour, and sugar mixture which was aerated on cooking and was the same as a traditional sponge cake. It was a thin batter rather than the thicker dough expected for a biscuit texture.
Cake would be expected to be soft and friable; biscuit would be expected to be crisp and able to be snapped. Jaffa cakes had the texture of sponge cake.
Size: Jaffa cakes were in size more like biscuits than cakes.
Packaging: Jaffa cakes were sold in packages more similar to biscuits than cakes.
Marketing: Jaffa cakes were generally displayed for sale with biscuits rather than cakes.
On going stale, a Jaffa cake goes hard like a cake rather than soft like a biscuit.
Jaffa cakes are presented as a snack, eaten with the fingers, whereas a cake may be more often expected to be eaten with a fork. They also appeal to children, who could eat one in a few mouthfuls rather like a sweet.
The sponge part of a Jaffa cake is a substantial part of the product in terms of bulk and texture when eaten.
Taking all these factors into account, Jaffa cakes had characteristics of both cakes and biscuits, but the tribunal thought they had enough characteristics of cakes to be accepted as such, and they were therefore zero-rated.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/vfoodmanual/vfood6260.htm
Surely there must be a way to simplify the rules?
Steve Bicknell	Accounting, Bicknell Business Adviser	14 Comments April 7, 2012 2 Minutes
Ever thought about working in Georgia?
The CBI have been telling us we need to export more and work with the BRIC's (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), Georgia have been working hard to make friends inthe UK.
Economics minister Vera Kobalia was featured in the press this weekend (Sunday Express – Tracey Boles)
She would like Easy Jet and Ryanair to join BMI in direct flights from the UK. Georgia wants Free Trade agreements with the UK and many of its citizens speak English. Tourism has increased 40% this year and for hotels willing to set up in Georgia they could get free plots of land and no tax for 15 years.
BP has already invested and Georgia is particularly keen to tap into the UK's martime expertise to benefits it ports.
Steve Bicknell	Bicknell Business Adviser	2 Comments April 3, 2012 April 3, 2012 1 Minute


The New Palestine boys basketball team posted its best offensive game of the season Saturday, beating Hauser 81-47.
The Dragons never trailed after a strong start. They scored 19 points in the opening quarter, and at least 20 in each of the three subsequent periods, pushing the lead above 20 in the third quarter.
NP again had a strong game from distance, hitting 11 3-pointers – one fewer than the 12 hit in Friday's victory over Delta. Maximus Gizzi led the Dragons with 21 points – scoring 15 in the second half. Gavin Hausz tallied a season-high 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers. He scored 12 points in the Dragons' 20-point third quarter that broke the game open. Matthew True hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Dylan Romine added nine fourth-quarter points.
Dawson Eastes scored six points, Jack Walker four, Justin Hockett and Luke Ramsey three each, and Maxen Hook and Kyle King two.
The 81 points scored were the most since Feb. 6, 2015, when the Dragons scored 96 points in a win at Shelbyville. The 34-point victory margin was the most since a 69-32 win over Yorktown in the 2016-17 season. The Dragons hit a season-high 30 shots from the field and were 10-of-11 from the line. The Dragons also had a strong defensive effort, holding an opponent below 50 points for the seventh time this season. NP is 6-1 in those games.
NP is now 6-5 on the season, having won two straight games. The Dragons next play Friday at home against Pendleton Heights in a boys/girls doubleheader, then travel to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum Saturday to meet Mooresville.
The Dragon JV won 58-44.
Sophomore Maximus Gizzi scored 21 points in the Dragons' victory.
Senior Gavin Hausz hit four 3-pointers en route to an 18-point night for the second consecutive game.
Junior Matthew True hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points for the Dragons.


Chris and Todd continue on in Kline's book Glory In Our Midst: A Biblical-Theological Reading of Zechariah's Night Visions. First, we discuss "the deep" or "the depths." Next, we talk about the Exodus. After that, we discuss creation. Finally, we discuss the Flood.


gurl, it aint never easy to tell ur mom that ur pregnant without bein married. but if ur gonna continue to live in her house then you gone have to tell her. u got 3 choices.
2. dont tell her but she'll be even more mad when she ur tummy gettin bigger and has to guess.
How are you pregnant ?
"Let it dribble in you"
Hey, Your mum was young once she must understand what its like to fool around. I know it's hard, I am almost 20 and if i fell pregnant now i dont think i could tell my parents and I am in a steady relationship. However, I think u are her little girl and i think she will be more hurt that you couldn't go to her and tell her. I think she would hurt knowing that u suffered with this all on your own. You are 13 years old and that is way to young for u to be trying to deal with this all by yourself. have you told any of your friends or is there a teacher u can talk to at school or anything like that?
Hey just wondered if u decided to tell ur mum yet or not?


text:
Q: Node JS and JWT Encode: error:0906D06C:PEM routines:PEM_read_bio:no start line Im attempting to construct a JWT assertion using npm package simple-jwt. The algorithm required for my OAuth2 Request is RS256. Below is the call to the encode method.
var claims = {
  'iss': 'veds3i33z1fx6dle7iv3z344zbwy6miv',
  'sub': '54',
  'box_sub_type': 'user',
  'aud': 'https://api.box.com/oauth2/token',
  'jti': 'M4yeY3W63TxHa9jFek85',
  'exp': exp
};

var options = {
  header: {
    'kid': '8nkq5s45'
  }
};

var token = jwt.encode(claims, 'fakesecret', 'RS256', options);

The stack trace is as follows:
Error: error:0906D06C:PEM routines:PEM_read_bio:no start line at Error (native) at Sign.sign (crypto.js:279:26) at sign (/Users/Aaron/Sites/app.barmehealth.com/auth_api/node_modules/jwt-simple/lib/jwt.js:181:57)
As far as I can tell there is a problem that occurs after the following method call on line 181 of jwt.js:
base64str = crypto.createSign(method).update(input).sign(key, 'base64');

I cannot find a crypto.js file in the crypto npm package so I have no idea how to debug further. However the method is there when I console the method like so: console.log(crypto.createSign);


text:
Liane Margarida Rockenbach Tarouco (Cerro Largo, ) é uma física brasileira e uma das pioneiras da Internet brasileira. É autora do primeiro livro sobre redes de computadores do Brasil. Foi empossada no Internet Hall of Fame em 2021.

Biografia
Liane Tarouco nasceu em 1947 em Cerro Largo, então pertencente ao município de São Luiz Gonzaga, no interior do Rio Grande do Sul. É filha do fiscal da receita Arthur Eugenio Rockenbach e Eugenia Margarida Dillenburg Rockenbach.

Em 1971 casou com o empresário Luiz Carlos da Silva Tarouco, com quem teve 3 filhos: Larson, Lauren e Liliane.

Carreira acadêmica
Durante a década de 1960 iniciou sua graduação em Licenciatura em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Durante esse período foi bolsista do Departamento Municipal de Água e Esgotos (DMAE) de Porto Alegre, e foi uma das pessoas selecionadas para fazer um curso de programação quando o DMAE preparava-se para comprar seu primeiro computador, tendo seu primeiro contato com a área de informática.

Em 1970 graduou-se em Licenciatura em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul e começou a trabalhar na UFRGS como professora de informática.

Em 1973 participou no Rio de Janeiro de um curso ministrado por Leonard Kleinrock, pioneiro da ARPANET, e passou a se dedicar à área de redes de computadores, iniciando na época o projeto Rede Sul de Teleprocessamento (RST), a primeira iniciativa de interligação de universidades via redes de computadores no Brasil, que não chegou a se concretizar devido aos custos.

Em 1976 obteve o título de mestre em Ciências da Computação na UFRGS e em 1977 lançou o livro Redes de Comunicação de Dados pela editora LTC, primeiro livro sobre o assunto no país.

Durante os anos 1980 participou de projetos de pesquisa de redes na UFRGS e em 1990 obtém o título de doutora em Engenharia Elétrica/Sistema Digitais pela Universidade de São Paulo.

Coordenou o projeto que resultou em 1993 na criação da Rede Tchê, a rede de computadores que integra universidades e centros de pesquisa localizados no estado do Rio Grande do Sul.

Participou de 2010 a 2013 do projeto REMOA (Rede-Cidadã de Monitoramento do Ambiente baseado em Conceitos da Internet das Coisas), um projeto para o monitoramento remoto de pacientes com doenças crônicas baseado nos conceitos da Internet das Coisas para prover a comunicação autônoma de dispositivos de monitoramento viabilizando a constante obtenção de informações a respeito do paciente monitorado e de forma não intrusiva. Atuou junto ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação da UFRGS principalmente na área de Gerência e Segurança de Redes. e atualmente junto ao programa de Pós Graduação em Informática na Educação, como professora, pesquisadora e orientadora investigando o projeto e construção de laboratórios virtuais em mundos imesivos.

Ocupa no momento o cargo de Diretora do Centro Interdisciplinar de Novas Tecnologias na Educação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Prêmios e títulos
2021 - Empossada no Internet Hall of Fame.
2020 - Prêmio Destaques em Governança de Internet., Comitê Gestor da Internet no Brasil.
2020 - Premio Alberto Courrege Gomide, Grupo de Trabalho em Engenharia e Operação de Redes e Grupo de Trabalho em Segurança de Redes NICbr.
2018 - 3o lugar I Workshop Inovação Tecnológica, CAPES.
2017 - Workshop Internet das Coisas na Educação - 2o lugar, SBC-CBIE-II WICE.
2017 - 2o. Lugar Concurso de Teses e Dissertações (orientadora da tese premiada), Sociedade Brasileira de Computação.
2017 - Menção honrosa Prêmio CAPES de Tese (corientadora da tese premiada), CAPES.
2013 - Prêmio Destaque SBRC 2013, Simpósio Brasileiro de Redes de Computadores da Sociedade Brasileira de Computação.
 2011 - Reconhecimento de Mérito Acadêmico, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.
 2010 - Melhor trabalho técnico do Simpósio Brasileiro de Segurança da Sociedade Brasileira de Computação.
 2006 - Prêmio SUCESU 40 anos - Personalidade mais importante da Informática, SUCESU - Associação de Usuários de Informática e Telecomunicações.
 2006 - Prêmio SUCESU 40 anos - Destaque como fato relevante na década 1976-1985, SUCESU - Associação de Usuários de Informática e Telecomunicações.
 2006 - Melhor trabalho técnico do Simpósio Brasileiro de Informática na Educação da Sociedade Brasileira de Computação.
 2001 - 10 melhores trabalhos do SBRC - Simpósio Brasileiro de Redes de Computadores da Sociedade Brasileira de Computação.
 1999 - Medalha Cidade de Porto Alegre pelos serviços prestados à cidade no projeto de uma rede metropolitana de alta velocidade, concedido pela Prefeitura Municipal de Porto Alegre.
 1995 - Silver Core, pela International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).
 1990 - IFIP Award, pela International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).
 1987 - Segundo Melhor Trabalho Técnico, SUCESU-SP.
 1983 - Melhor Trabalho Técnico apresentado no Congresso Nacional de Informática da SUCESU - Associação de Usuários de Informática e Telecomunicações.

Bibliografia
 Tarouco, L.M.R.; COSTA, V. M. (Org.) ; ÁVILA, Bárbara Gorziza (Org.) ; BEZ, M. R. (Org.) ; Santos, Edson (Org.) . Objetos de Aprendizagem: teoria e prática. Porto Alegre, Editora Evangraf, 2014.
 Tarouco, L.M.R. Redes de Computadores: Locais e de Longa Distância. São Paulo, Editora MCGRAW HILL, 1986.
 Tarouco, L.M.R.. Beuren, C.. A Linguagem do Teleprocessamento. Rio de Janeiro, Editora Coencisa, 1982.
 Tarouco, L.M.R.. Recuperação de Informações. Porto Alegre, Editora Ema Ltda, 1977.
 Tarouco, L.M.R.. Redes de Comunicação de Dados. Rio de Janeiro, Editora LTC - Livros Técnicos e Científicos, 1977.

Ligações externas
  na Plataforma Lattes

Físicos do Rio Grande do Sul
Pioneiros da Internet
História da Internet
Naturais de Cerro Largo (Rio Grande do Sul)
Medalha Cidade de Porto Alegre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A site I had helped design and build had this page called "view_personal_faults.php". The page allows the user to view the faults he or she had reported.
Then I realised how it sounds out of context. "View personal faults" — it'd be a nice tool for all of us if there was such a thing; imagine God letting us view our faults, so that we know what "needs fixing".


The ever popular cotton vest harness from Puppy Love has just got even more brighter these checkered prints. With easy and quick release buckle, the highly adjustable girth strap gives more control while walking your dog. The material is designed with high quality cotton durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear.
The ever popular cotton vest harness from Puppy Love has just got even more brighter these checkered prints. With easy and quick release buckle, the highly adjustable girth strap gives more control while walking your dog. The material is designed with high quality cotton durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear. Size Specifications:Size: Extra LargeNeck: 42 cms Chest: 57 cms - 80 cms (This is the adjustable length which can be customized with the aid of the strap) Please Note: The sizing of these cotton vest harnesses are designed as per international standards. Although the size reads small or medium or large but it doesn't relate to the 'breed' of the dog. These are industry specific international sizings. Please make appropriate measurement of your pet before making a purchase. ABOUT PUPPY LOVE: Puppy Love is one of the most premium brands in the division of pet accessories in India. The company manufactures some of the most gorgeous looking leashes, collars, personalized name engraved collars, pet foot care materials ranging from anti skid shoes to water proof socks, blankets and other cute stuffs. All items of Puppy Love give a scintillating look to your pet – as if they are dressed up for a party. The designs of Puppy Love are exclusively designed and finessed by pet lover Nirja Puri.Disclaimer: Apparels featured on petsGOnuts.com is highlighted with its sizes and other specification to help you choose the correct product for your pet. We recommend you to measure your pet before making your purchase.


Port Chester, New York's Capitol Theatre, in the 1970s, was a great performance space for rock and roll. The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Traffic, David Bowie and Phish played there. The Grateful Dead played the theatre 18 times in one year from 1970 to 71. Jerry Garcia, the Dead's guitarist, called it one of the best two performance spaces in the nation along with Fillmore West in San Francisco.
The great theatre was designed by noted theater architect Thomas W. Lamb and built in 1926. It was constructed for vaudeville and cinema and continued as a movie theater until 1970, after which it was renovated for use as a performance space. In 1984, The Capitol Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
By 1976, however, the theatre was shut down due to a village ordinance that prohibited live entertainment after 1 a.m. It was at this time that mother nature became the sole owner of the Capitol Theatre. The roof decayed, and pigeons made the stage their new home. The theatre remained dark until the early 80's.
Last December, it was announced that the Capitol would be re-opened by music entrepreneur Peter Shapiro, who would present major concerts at the venue. It would undergo a two million dollar renovation with new sound and lighting equipment installed.
As one who has seen Dylan many times over the past 30 years, it was one of the most energetic shows I've ever seen him perform. It was clear the man was having a good time. He smiled more last night than all the other concerts I've seen him in combined. Others who have been following him on the road told me he has been consistently in good spirits lately, so it probably had nothing to do with being at the Capitol.
As to the theatre staff, they did a lot right. The security was actually friendly. There were no bag checks at the door and no one hassled photographers. It was clear they were glad to see the people there.
A new video projection system used before the concert was amazing. It projected everything from psychedelic patterns on the walls and ceiling to an outer space scene, with an astronaut passing overhead. Trees grew up walls and at one point, the marble theatre walls crumbled, showing images of the next door train station. It was as if the entire building collapsed before your eyes. A bizarre scene, for sure, but a lot of fun.
The Capitol is back and Dylan gave it a rousing send off. The house was packed with Dylan notables, including Sean Willentz, the Princeton historian who wrote Bob Dylan in America, Greil Marcus, who wrote The Old, Weird America and Mitch Blank, Dylan's archivist.


McKinley Client Services is pleased to announce the successful disposition of Sunnybrook Apartments. Sunnybrook Apartments is a 144 unit apartment community located in Toledo, Ohio. McKinley managed the property since February of 2009.
McKinley Client Services is pleased to announce that we have been appointed Property Manager for Penrod Apartments, a 58 unit apartment community in Detroit, Michigan.
McKinleys Client Services is pleased to announce the successful disposition of Fullerton Manor. Fullerton Manor is a 42 unit apartment community located in Detroit, Michigan. McKinley managed the apartment community since January 2008.
McKinley Client Services is pleased to announce that the Superior Court of Cobb County has appointed McKinley the Receiver for Oaktree Plaza Shopping Center, a 17,000 square foot retail center in Norcross, Georgia. I am confident that by applying our experience and expertise, our team will be able to create value for the stakeholders, states Matt Mason, Senior Vice President, Commercial Client Services.
McKinley Client Services is pleased to announce the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri has appointed McKinley the Receiver for 500 N. Broadway, a 285,000 square foot office building in St. Louis. I am confident that by applying our experience and expertise, our team will be able to create value for the stakeholders, states Matt Mason, Senior Vice President, Commercial Client Services.


text:
Dig-It: Mayan Mysteries (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)
Dig-It Games offered the crew a chance to review a new game, Mayan Mysteries. I immediately thought Matthew would really enjoy this game. I asked him if he would try it, and he told me he wasn't interested. At all. Finally, I played my "because I'm the mom and I said so" card and told him he had to give the free online demo a try. If he still didn't like it, I would decline the review. About four minutes into the demo, he decided it was "kinda ok." At the end of the demo, he was annoyed he couldn't go any further. He called over to me, "Mom? Can I have your credit card number?" Um...no...but I take it you like the game after all! I told him he could pick whether we asked for the online version or the iPad app, but either way, he had to wait until the review period began. Every day for a week, he raced out of school and said, "Did you get the code yet?" Finally, we got our code, and I downloaded the Mayan Mysteries iPad App (a $9.99 value). He wanted to play immediately; I said homework first. He had it done in record time. (And neat and correct on the first try! I like this game already.)
To me, the mark of a good educational tool is it is so much fun, you lose track of time and just keep on going. Matthew parked himself on the couch, and that was it. Three hours after he sat down, I was about to drag him back into reality and to dinner table, when I heard a triumphant, "Yes!" I said, "What did you do?" His response: "I beat the game."
Excuse me? You what? Video games take at least a few days, even the easy ones. I watched him get started. It wasn't that easy. There are memory skills ("Where are things located on the map? Mark them on it.") and decoding skills. There's even the Mayan calendar, and trying to decode glyphs. I know we received the iPad app (it is not available for iPhone or iPod Touch), but the Crew Members reviewing the online version received a single user one-year subscription ($21.99). (Note: it is also available for classroom use - a 30-student classroom license is $299. annually.) If it's a one-year subscription, surely it should take more than a few hours to complete!
Thankfully, it can be (and he has replayed it) several times. By replaying, you can try again to earn awards for solving puzzles without mistakes or requesting clues. It's a great way to review what was learned, and catch what may have been missed before. At the end of the game, there is an announcement to watch for Mayan Mysteries 2 to be released. Message to developers - HURRY UP! He's driving me batty already!
This game is filled with information on the Mayans. The premise is a young yet renowned archaeologist is called to help combat looting. His niece and nephew are spending the summer with him, so he brings them (and you, the human player) along with him to help protect these ruins. He is teaching them (and the player) about the Mayans as the detective work progresses.
Among the challenges is to watch a map be prepared, and then fill in the information yourself. It layers information, beginning with sites and trading paths, and then including commodities and finally the areas inhabited by different (and often warring) groups.
Blank Map
Filling in the locations.
Mayan commodities: stone tools, coal & iron, cotton, cacao and jade
Warring factions of Mayans and their lands.
At each "excavation site," the game teaches you about the people who lived there. At the "home screen" for each Mayan site, there is a link to the Index.
From the index, you can investigate the history and culture of the locals.
Matthew also really enjoyed the glyph decoding. He has asked me to search for and download or print decoder puzzles on a daily basis. He even made his own puzzle! (And no, I didn't put him up to this!)
One reason we chose the iPad app was because we do own more than one iPad. Apps are licensed to the iTunes account, and can be used on more than one device, as long as it is registered to the same account. I also placed it on my iPad, and let Celia play the game. She has been working at it for about a month now. She doesn't have quite the same laser focus as Matthew, and tends to play only for about 15 or 20 minutes at a time before giving up in frustration. She has had a little harder time with it, but I think that is because she has only just finished 3rd grade. For example, Matthew (7th grade) flew through the Mayan calendar. He recognized quickly that the Mayan number writing system is very similar in concept to Roman numerals (which he is already very familiar with), and was able to rapidly figure out their calendar system. Celia, on the other hand, gave up in frustration at the same point because she couldn't grasp that idea. Roman Numerals are new to her, and she was unable to make that lateral observation and apply what she knew in the new situation. Matthew did a great job of trying to explain things to her, and she was finally able to move on, but it took a few days and several rounds of explaining. The game is rated for Ages 9+ due to content (very mild historically contextual violence), so I had no problems with her trying the game (she turned 9 mid-review), but I think academically, it's more appropriate for fourth through sixth grades.
Speaking of the calendar work, Matthew enjoyed decoding the concentric properties of the calendar stone, and he learned how it was really three calendars in one: the T'zolkin, used to keep track of religious events; the Haab, a solar calendar; and the Calendar round, which tracked time over a 52 year period. By chance, we happened on a Mayan Calendar Stone when visiting the Museum of Science, Boston.
This picture does not do it justice - it was absolutely gorgeous. He was excited he knew what the circles and symbols meant. Not only am I impressed with the content of the game, but that, despite his best efforts not to get involved in this review, Matthew not only learned and retained a lot of new information, but had fun doing it!
We're one of many families playing Mayan Mysteries. Click to find out what others learned!
Labels: 2013 Schoolhouse Crew Reviews, co-schooling, curriculum, online program, school supplies, Schoolhouse Crew Review
Heather McCool July 9, 2013 at 6:01 PM
I found your blog from the My Freshly Brewed Life Link Up. Hi!
I have been on the fence about computer games for my kids. The oldest is five, so I haven't been in much of a rush. But I've been on the fence because I'm really not sure they will retain anything they learned.
However, did you just say your son is excited about an ancient calender stone? And made his own code and message? That's awesome.
I think you just tipped the scales for me :) Thanks for all the pictures too, this game looks worth checking out! Even if it's just my husband who plays it for a while :)
Meg Falciani July 9, 2013 at 6:56 PM
Welcome! I'm glad I helped! I think a lot depends on the game (this was a very well crafted game in how it layered information), but also the player. My boys are very much kinesthetic kids, so a game that provides a lot of sensory input (visual, sound, tactile) is more helpful to them than reading a book. I'm sure he would have remembered some of what he learned if he had read a textbook, but nearly as much something hands on like this. I can guarantee you he wouldn't have had laser focus for 3 hours!!


For the record, let me just begin by saying I don't do commissions (at least not right now), but my sister begged me to do one for her to give as a gift. She asked me to paint her dear friend's house for a Christmas gift. You may be thinking that it's a little early to post this and you're right except that I did this right before all our packing/moving process started. I knew if I didn't do it now I would not get around to it at Christmas. My sister said that every time her friend Tasha (who I'm also friends with – we graduated high school together) came to her house she was jealous of her house painting and she wanted one of her own. I snuck over to Tasha and Joe's house and snapped some quick photos. I had a lot of fun painting it. You may be wondering why I'm posting it if it's a Christmas gift – Amanda went ahead and gave it to her! I had a feeling that would happen :). I've included some pictures of the "process" – I actually remembered to take some snap shots as I was painting – thought Tasha and Joe might like to see those. After we get settled into our new house I may start doing commissions on houses – don't hold me to that, but I am considering it. As always, you can click on any of the pictures below to see them larger.
And Tasha LOVE LOVE LOVED it!!!! I think as much as I love the one that you did for me!!!
I'm glad she liked it so much. I got a sweet card from her the other day.
Hey Sandi, do you make your paintings into prints, or do you only sell originals?
Ruth Ann, I only sell my prints.


Improve your SAT scores by becoming familiar with the types of questions frequently asked.
Get Netscape 3.0 or turn it on while browsing this site.
Directions: The SAT is a timed test, so allow yourself 10 minutes for the ten questions below. Click the circle of the correct answer. You will immediately receive a response, but careful, unlike the SAT, you won't be able to change your mind. You will have to reload in order to change your answers. Punch Calculate Score at the bottom when you're finished.
1. The area of a circle 6 meters in diameter exceeds the combined areas of a circle 4 meters in diameter and a circle 2 meters in diameter by how many square meters?
3. Telephone calls cost 20 cents per minute for the first 15 minutes and 10 cents per minute thereafter. Which of the following represents the amount of money needed (in dollars) to talk x minutes (x greater than 15)?
4. What is the total amount of your purchases if you bought 5 shirts at $m and 2 more shirts at 50% off.
5. If a small cube (side=2) is filled twice and poured into a larger cube (side=4), what will be the height, in inches, of the water in the larger cube?
6. Which of the following equations gives the relationship between S and T in the table below?
T = 4 - 3S.
T = 3S + 1.
T = 3S - 2.
7. Which of the following proportions is correct if 12 = pq ?
8. A car travels across Texas m miles at the rate of t miles per hour. How many hours does the trip take??
9. What is the value of (x + y)(x + y) if xy = -3 and x2 + y2 = 10?
10. The vertices of rectangle ABCD are A(-1,0), B(2,0), C(s, t), and D(-1,4). How long is diagonal AC?


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Home / product review / Review: Zombie Kills T-Shirt
Review: Zombie Kills T-Shirt
by Billy Burgess on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 in product review
*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.
I've been a zombie fan ever since I saw Night of the Living Dead on Monstervision back in the 1990s. Since then I have watched about every zombie flick that has came out. Recently, I started watching the hit undead series The Walking Dead.
When I got an opportunity to review a zombie t-shirt, I took it as I have never owned any Zombie survival gear before. Brain Eating Tees nicely sent me an XL men's black standard Zombie Kills tee. Shipping was extremely fast as I received the tee in only a few days. It seems that the XL shirts in the stores are not wide-enough in the shoulders for me for me anymore, but this tee fit perfectly.
Halloween is only a week away and the Zombie Kills tee would make the perfect costume for someone who hates to wear costumes. Or you can show off your new tee in front of your pals when you're watching The Walking Dead.
If you want a different color for your tee, you can choose from Irish, Navy, Red, Eye, Smoke, Herb, Ash, Gold, Military Green, Sand, Brown, Natural, White, Stonewash, and Pink. The sizes range from small to 6x. If you don't want a tee, it's not a problem as you can choose from a hoodie, men's tank, girly tee, and many other styles.
Overall, I'm more than happy with my Zombie Kills tee!
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By Billy Burgess at Wednesday, October 24, 2012
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Marlys Stament Rivard
Posted by Crowder Funeral Home - Clear Lake
Marlys Stament Rivard, age 79, died on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, in hospice care at her home in Clear Lake City, surrounded by friends and family. She died after a courageous six-year battle with congestive heart failure and Parkinson's disease with complications.
Marlys was born Jan. 19, 1941 in Minneapolis MN to William J. and Stella Fries Stament. She married John Rivard in 1963 and the couple lived in the Houston area for their 56 years together. Marlys was a loving and devoted wife, an exceptional mother and home manager and the Rivard family financial officer and social director. She was a "professional Mom."
Marlys and John raised three beautiful daughters, two of which suffered severe brain injuries in separate automobile accidents during their teen years. With courage, steadfast perseverance and dedication, Marlys directed and led the long fight back from coma and the subsequent years of rehabilitation for both daughters. Although daughter Kathleen ultimately succumbed to a seizure-related loss of oxygen to the brain, the rebuilding of daughters Kathleen and Stephanie was Marlys's greatest accomplishment, a tribute to a mother's love and commitment to family and duty. During the years of rehabilitation for their daughters, Marlys and John helped establish the local chapter of the Brain Injury Foundation to help other families suffering this silent epidemic.
After the 1989 death of daughter Kathleen, Marlys and John found relief and pleasure in dancing, which became an avocation. They traveled to and danced in all 50 states, finding joy, exercise and purpose in polka, Cajun and country-western swing dancing. They became ambassadors of dance, and helped publish a monthly newspaper, The Texas Polka News, continuing that publication for a dozen years after the death of its founder. Marlys's "Red-Neck Recipes" monthly feature became a popular part of the paper. Their dancing adventures found them dancing in 485 Texas dance halls over their 24-year dancing career. Her irrepressible personality made fun happen in whatever circles she traveled.
Marlys was an excellent seamstress who made all the wardrobes for the Rivard daughters as they were being raised, and all her own clothes. Later she volunteered two days per week for 20+ years in local charitable thrift shops benefiting battered women, turning this community service into an opportunity to become clothier for her family.
After daughter Kathleen died in 1989, Marlys turned her mothering energies into shepherding the 4-year-old class at St. Bernadette's Mother's Day Out program for five years, thereby creating the "Kindergarten Cop" role before Arnold Schwarzenegger did.
A staunch social and fiscal conservative, Marlys was ever ready to talk politics and was never known to lose a discussion with a liberal. She would say this was because she was "right." The Rivards became active in politics and Marlys became a Republican precinct chairman before their daughter's head injuries eclipsed all such activities.
Marlys had a strong belief in God and her Catholic faith. The Rivard family became active in their parish church affairs, helping to instill solid Christian values in their daughters. She served on the Parish Council at St. Mary's in Laporte and started a Junior Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), building on her earlier success as a Brownie leader. In later years as she battled her illnesses, Marlys developed a strong devotion to the Archangel Raphael (associated with healing), the Virgin Mary – Undoer of Knots (who unties knots in our lives), and Padre Pio.
The Celebration of her Life will begin on Sunday, January 12, 2020 with a Visitation from 6:00- 7:00 pm and a Vigil Service and Rosary at 7:00 pm at Crowder Funeral home, 111 E. Medical Center Blvd., Webster, TX. The Funeral Mass will follow on Monday, January 13, 2020 at 10:30 am at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church, 3131 El Dorado Blvd., Houston, TX 77059.
Marlys is preceded in death by daughter Kathleen and son-in-law Mark Brinkman, and survived by husband John, daughter Teresa Rivard Brinkman, daughter Stephanie Rivard Lane, son-in-law Richard Lane, grandson Matthew Brinkman and wife Rebecca, granddaughter Marie Brinkman Loew and husband Sean Loew, and three great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to either of two favorite causes, the Houston Chapter of Texas Right to Life (713-782-LIFE) or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation promoting research into the cause and cure of Parkinson's disease.
The world is less bright with her gone, but they are probably passing out sunglasses in heaven…..the Marshall's
Saturday, 11 January 2020 2:30
John, Teresa, Stephanie,
my sincerest condolences.
I know well the loss of a spouse and partner, but we can look forward to being with them again,You and She will be in my prayers.
Noel Smith
John and Family
So sorry to hear of your loss. Its a hard thing to go through. My prayers are with you. Murlene
Murlene Ware
My deepest sympathies are with you. Marlys was indeed a very special lady. May our Lord surround you with His amazing comfort in the days and weeks ahead.
Joyce Hagen
(Mrs. Clarence)
Tuesday, 14 January 2020 4:03
Marilyn and I are saddened to know of Marlys death. We have many happy and also sad memories of our association together. We thought so much of you both and the inspiration you gave to those with brain injuries.
Our best to you and your family. We are praying for you.
Gary Dillard
Gary Dill\ard
John, I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the loss of Marlys. I know the last few years were challenging, as I experienced about the same number of years with Barbara. May you find strength from your Faith and Friends thru these times. May 2020 be kinder to us all. God bless you.
Gene Hackemack
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William "Bill" Donald Gibson
James Richard Grinstead
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In the North American, post-Christian context in which we now live, we can't plant churches by simply starting a Sunday morning worship gathering. There may have been a day when we could build a cool website, rent a meeting space, send out flyers, put up banners and "launch" a church by starting a Sunday service. But those days are gone, at least in most North American contexts.
What is the alternative? We must begin with missionary activity. Instead of starting with "church" and trying to get to discipleship and mission, we must start with discipleship and mission and work toward church. This is what is meant by the phrase missionary flow. It's a simple way to think differently about the flow or direction of starting a new church. We need a new framework, a new way to think about planting that doesn't begin with Sunday.
Notice the three circles, starting with "Engaging Context," which moves to "Cultivating Community," which then moves to "Structuring Congregation." Let's consider each of these three circles individually.
This type of missionary flow begins from scratch. Too often church planters start with Christians from another church or they gather disconnected believers from around a city. This may be well-intentioned and might be better than nothing at all, but in most cases, that is simply starting a church with a church. That is not what we are talking about with missionary flow.
The first phase of any mission must involve contextualization. This begins with an understanding of the local setting, so you can best engage people relationally. It will involve place, prayer, and persons of peace.
Along with understanding the context, we need to remember that we are a sent missionary people. More specifically, it means we need to be reminded that we have already been sent. In other words, we have already been sent into our neighborhoods. We have already been sent to our workplaces. We have already been sent to the social spaces we inhabit each day. We don't have to wait, wondering where God might send us. Instead, we already live, work and play in these places for a purpose — the purpose of God's mission.
As a result, we will live out multiple missionary behaviors, including prayer, engaging neighborhoods, workplaces, third places, hospitality, missional discipleship, incarnational evangelism, etc. This is where your church planting efforts need to start. Identify the places and people to whom God has sent you. Incarnate into those places. Pray and listen for what God is doing. Discern how He wants you to participate as you begin to understand, relate to, and connect with people. To repeat an earlier statement: Instead of starting with church and trying to get to discipleship and mission, you must start with discipleship and mission and work toward church.
The second circle in the image is titled "Cultivating Community." The word 'cultivating' speaks to the idea of nurturing. When we cultivate soil, we prepare it for planting. We have no power to actually make crops grow, but we can nurture certain conditions that will increase the likelihood for growth. Cultivating community is similar in many ways. We can't make community happen, but we can create opportunities and environments in which community can flourish.
We use the word 'community' to make a distinction from the more customary word 'church.' With the phrase "Cultivating Community," we want you to think about creating time and space for people to connect relationally with you, but also with each other. The key is that this space is not seen as church, but instead is a place where relationships are developed. The missionary phrase for this is social momentum.
Now examine the updated Missionary Flow graphic below. You will notice there are two additional phrases and arrows. Let's start with the idea of social momentum.
We have already stated the importance of starting with discipleship and mission when planting a new church in a missionary context. You need to begin by making individual, relational connections with people. The language of social momentum speaks to the need to create alternative spaces for Christians and non-Christians to connect, do life together and build relational equity (or momentum) before they ever consider attending a church program or activity.
The point being that unless you create a consistent, gathering environment — between engaging context and structuring congregation — that people can be invited to and be part of, you will never experience social momentum in your missionary engagement.
Here is another way to think about it. Most church planters are fairly good at engaging context. They work at getting to know their neighbors. They are intentional about making connections in coffee shops or at the gym. They pay careful attention at their workplaces for opportunities to make friends with coworkers. However, if there isn't an ongoing, somewhat informal, "get-together" for the planter to invite people to, then they will just have lots of good connections that never move beyond being acquaintances.
And for many church planters, after making those connections with new people, they don't have a clear vision of what to do next relationally. Too often, the only solution for a next step is to start the Sunday morning worship service so they have a church activity to which they can invite new people.
Creating time and space to develop social momentum will present many opportunities for pre-conversion discipleship and incarnational evangelism. But it will also provide a necessary opportunity for Christians and non-Christians to begin the process of cultivating community within a neighborhood or network.
Now, back to the Missionary Flow image. The second phrase, with the arrow coming out of the Cultivating Community circle, are the words "Spiritual Momentum." Similar to the previous idea of developing social momentum, you once again need to think about creating time and space, but in this case it is to provide opportunities for people to grow spiritually.
Now let's move to the final circle in the Missionary Flow graphic, which is "Structuring a Congregation." The point of the last circle is that if you are a church planter, there will come a time when you will begin to form or structure a congregation. There will be particular church issues you will need to consider. You will need to address topics of governance, meeting rhythms, administration, budgets, staffing, etc.
However, let me remind you once again, we are talking about the importance of thinking like a missionary. Church planting is the outworking of mission and community. Or to restate that last sentence with the language of our Missionary Flow image: Structuring a congregation (church planting) is the outworking of engaging context (mission) and cultivating community. Church planting is the point where mission and community intersect. The church is God's mission strategy. At the heart of God's plan to bless the nations are the people of God. The church is formed by mission and is formed for mission.
For more on this topic check out Brad's new book, Covocational Church Planting: Aligning Your Marketplace Calling with the Mission of God published by the Send Network.
[i]Adapted from Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, AND: The Gathered and Scattered Church, Kindle Edition (Zondervan), p. 54.


Communities for Los Angeles Student Success, a coalition of more than 50 community, educational and civil rights groups, also has compiled a list of impoverished neighborhoods that it believes should have first priority for extra funds. Those include Watts, Boyle Heights, Koreatown, East Hollywood, Huntington Park, Gardena, Canoga Park and Pacoima.
Gov. Jerry Brown's new school funding system -- representing the most dramatic change in how educational dollars are allocated in four decades – will give districts extra money for foster youth, students learning English and those from low-income families over the next seven years. But many community groups want to make sure that most of the money is used to boost support for those students rather than fund staff pay hikes or generic programs districtwide.
L.A. Unified is not expected to unveil its spending plan until next month. But coalition members said they wanted to make sure their voices were heard. They held eight town halls, drawing nearly 800 participants who requested such services as reading coaches and college counselors.
Another community coalition has released a sample plan to boost services for foster youth, who suffer from lower achievement, higher dropout rates, more suspensions and more frequent school moves than their peers.
The plan by the Coalition for Educational Equity for Foster Youth, which includes nine children's advocacy organizations and agencies, aims to improve student test scores, attendance and graduation rates and promote more school stability. It proposes better tracking of foster youth and more educational counselors, among other things.


text:
Beyond Meat® Unveils Plans for New State-Of-The-Art Global Headquarters Aimed at Fueling Accelerated Innovation
The expansive campus will continue to set the pace for disruptive and game-changing products to further lead the plant-based meat category
January 15, 2021 09:00 ET | Source: Beyond Meat, Inc. Beyond Meat, Inc.
El Segundo, California, UNITED STATES
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) today announced its plans to enter a 12-year lease in a new, nearly 300,000 square foot space at 888 N. Douglas Street in El Segundo, California. The building is currently under development by Hackman Capital Partners with anticipated completion in spring 2021. The site will serve as the company's new state-of-the-art global headquarters, making it one of the world's largest and most technologically advanced plant-based research centers. The cutting-edge campus is slated to open in fall of this year and is a substantial increase in the company's footprint that will support best-in-class innovation, advanced research labs and the incubation of big ideas that further disrupt and define the plant-based market of the future.
"Our ambitious new campus and truly state-of-the-art research facilities reflect our commitment to providing our consumers, customers, and strategic partners with the very best in science, technology, and culinary arts as we together answer the global protein challenge," said Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat. "The new campus and facilities will house cutting-edge fundamental and applied research, alongside globalized product development teams, all in service to a single goal: creating meat from plants that is indistinguishable from its animal protein equivalent. It is on this campus that we expect to advance ever more rapidly against our taste, nutrition, and cost metrics, inviting and empowering more and more consumers around the world to Go Beyond."
The construction of the new Beyond Meat® Global Headquarters will take place in three phases and will include increased pilot space to support multiple product lines while enabling space for 3-4x growth of research personnel over current levels. Additionally, the campus will feature future-forward research incubators that will enable the development of new technologies and more innovative products utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Conveniently located a few minutes from LAX and walking distance from the METRO C (Green) Line, the addition of the expansive campus will further enable the company to attract the world's best talent with a focus on holistic wellness including a fitness center, cafeteria, ample outdoor spaces, and interior living walls to promote healthy air quality. The space will be designed to be LEED and Fitwel Certified to align with Beyond Meat's mission and commitment to sustainability and workplace wellbeing.
Beyond Meat was represented by JLL in the deal, with project management being led by DPPM Project Management, and architecture and design work being led by Gensler. Hackman Capital Partners was represented by CBRE and Newmark Knight Grubb Frank.
About Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) is one of the fastest growing food companies in the United States, offering a portfolio of revolutionary plant-based meats made from simple ingredients without GMOs, bioengineered ingredients, hormones, antibiotics, or cholesterol. Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat products are designed to have the same taste and texture as animal-based meat while being better for people and the planet. Beyond Meat's brand commitment, Eat What You Love™, represents a strong belief that there is a better way to feed our future and that the positive choices we all make, no matter how small, can have a great impact on our personal health and the health of our planet. By shifting from animal-based meat to plant-based meat, we can positively impact four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare. As of September 26, 2020, Beyond Meat had products available at approximately 122,000 retail and foodservice outlets in over 80 countries worldwide. Visit www.BeyondMeat.com and follow @BeyondMeat, #BeyondBurger and #GoBeyond on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements are based on management's current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, not historical fact, and involve certain risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions. Actual results, levels of activity, performance, achievements and events could differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. While Beyond Meat believes that its assumptions are reasonable, it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible to anticipate all factors that could affect actual results. There are many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made herein including, most prominently, the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 19, 2020, and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 26, 2020 filed with the SEC on November 9, 2020, as well as other factors described from time to time in Beyond Meat's filings with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Beyond Meat undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Shira Zackai
szackai@beyondmeat.com


text:
Yn Commeeys Celtiagh
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skeeal
feysht
cur fys orrin
Caslyssyn
Feeshagyn
Kianglaghyn
Former UN official returns honour in protest
The decision shortly before the end of last month by Denis Halliday a former Irish UN official to return an honour (Presidents Medal) he had received to NUI Galway goes to the heart of the debate it Ireland about how successive governments have eroded the neutrality and peacekeeping ethic built up over generations by the Irish Defence Forces.
https://www.irishtimes.com/…/halliday-in-protest-over-honor…
Halliday was protesting against the decision to award an honorary degree to former Taoiseach Enda Kenny by the University and he said in a statement that Mr Kenny had "failed to respond to the concerns of many Irish people who believe in Irish neutrality ".
Mr Halliday said he believed he represented those who supported Irish military participation in UN peacekeeping functions, but opposed the Government's facilitation of use of Shannon airport by the US military.
Factors such as the participation of the Irish Defence Forces in EU military structures, the British-Irish military accord and the continued use of Shannon by military flights by the US have energised the peace and neutrality lobby in the State in recent years.
Image: Irish Defence Forces have served with the UN as peacekeepers over fifty years. Many believe the erosion of neutrality undermines the credibility that troops have earned – often at great cost.
Copyright © 2022 Yn Commeeys Celtiagh


Just off Interstate 83, the light turns red, and a couple of kids pounce, running a squeegee over nearby windshields and holding an open palm to windows.
Stopped at the light, Carmelo Anthony is riding shotgun in a Rolls-Royce Phantom. It's silver, sleek and shaped like a flat-nose bullet. Anthony, in contrast, is long and trim, his cheeks round, a diamond cross hanging around his neck and Chicago Blackhawks cap covering his braids.
"That was me," Anthony says of the squeegee kids. "It brings back a lot of memories."
Long before the $80 million contract, before he could even imagine visiting a country like China or following a basketball career to the Olympics, Anthony inhabited a small universe. Around the globe this month in Beijing, there are 598 athletes who will be wearing a USA uniform at the Summer Olympics. For each, that uniform - the very meaning of America, in fact - is different.
Anthony knows his America intimately - its smells and its colors. His America tastes like Moe's Crab and Pasta. It sounds like the thumping bass from car speakers and the endless patter of a basketball on pavement.
One of the last things Anthony did before taking on his latest assignment - redeeming a nation of anxious basketball fans by winning a gold medal in Beijing - was to return to Baltimore last month to visit his America before the Olympics.
Anthony lives and plays in Denver now, but Baltimore offers a comfortable feeling. "I feel like I went away to school and came back home," he says. "I don't feel like I'm here on a vacation. I feel like I'm home."
He's older now, of course, 24 years old. Not the kid dodging trouble in West Baltimore. Not the blooming teen who took his high school game to Virginia or the Syracuse college freshman who hoisted a national championship trophy. And not, he says, the young man who struggled in the Olympics four years ago and then, upon his return home, made mistakes that would leave long-lasting scars on his reputation.
Yeah, he's older now. And his world is much larger, even if his America is still the same.
The Phantom dashes through the intersection when the light turns green. The kids never had a chance to get even a droplet of water on its windshield. You've got to be quick. Anthony, of course, is familiar with every meaning of the word hustle.
When he was younger, sometimes that meant cleaning windshields. Sometimes retrieving rebounds at the playground courts. And still other times selling bottled water or T-shirts outside Camden Yards.
Robert "Bay" Frazier, a confidant, mentor and friend, said Anthony never really attended Orioles games. "He might've sneaked into a couple," Frazier said. "But mostly he was outside, running up and down, trying to scrape together money."
Anthony's family moved from New York when he was 8. For the most part, Anthony's youth, he estimates, consisted of about a half-dozen city blocks. "Until I got to about 13 or 14, I never really left West Baltimore," he says.
As he approached adolescence, his friends began to split. Growing up on the streets of Baltimore, they didn't have a whole lot of options.
"I was very careful about who he hung around with," says his mother, Mary Anthony. "Everyone he was with, I questioned. ... I wasn't picking his friends, but I was making sure his surroundings were clear."
Anthony was accustomed to walking past drug deals, barely flinching for sirens and idly gawking at regular doses of street violence.
"To stay out of the trouble on Myrtle Avenue and down at them projects, you got to find something to keep busy," says Vinny Breckenridge, Anthony's first youth basketball coach. "Otherwise, you got trouble. It's either trouble or sports."
On his recent visit to town, Anthony's Phantom pulled up in front of a downtown recreation center that bears his name. Anthony resurrected the building, a shuttered Boys & Girls Club, nearly two years ago. He contributes about $300,000 of its annual $500,000 operating budget.
The center is hardly a vanity project. For Anthony, it was a chance to reclaim something he'd lost years before. When he was younger, the city closed his neighborhood rec center at a critical juncture in his life.
"Me and my friends didn't know which way to go, which direction to go in," Anthony says. "We didn't have no rec center to go to. That's when drugs started becoming more popular. Guys that I grew up with started hanging in the streets more and more and dropping out of school. So I didn't know which direction to go in. I was confused. I wanted to hang with them, but at the same time, I wanted to play sports."
With a handful of guiding forces protecting him, Anthony began spending all of his time on the basketball court. Soon basketball would take him from West Baltimore to Towson Catholic, where he was never quite a perfect fit. Then to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where he caught the eyes of Syracuse coaches. After one year in college and one national championship, Anthony was drafted No. 3 overall by the Denver Nuggets and embarked on an NBA career.
In West Baltimore, there's the streets and then there's sports. A decade later, holding a microphone at his youth development center, Anthony explains to 200 kids gathered in the bleachers which path he took. When he looks at them, he sees himself. He sees kids holding squeegees, equidistant from their dreams and from trouble.
Anthony and a small entourage have stopped by a radio station to discuss the next day's 3-on-3 tournament. The talk turns to the Summer Games. "This is your second Olympics..."
Anthony interjects quickly. "Well, it's my second Olympics, but it's like my first really," he says. "Because I'm going to actually be a part of it this time."
In a small way, it all feels a bit like destiny. Yes, Anthony was supposed to go through personal trials, but also, if you believe in portents and omens, he was supposed to be in the Olympics, too.
In his mother's living room, there's a book of photographs. Inside is a baby picture that Anthony had never seen until just a few weeks before he left for Athens in 2004, his first stint with the U.S. Olympic team. It's of a 2-month-old Anthony, and he's wearing a tiny outfit featuring the Olympic rings.
"A 1984 onesie," Anthony says.
It was a gift from his father, Carmelo Iriate, who died of liver cancer when Anthony was 2 years old. The outfit foretold his fate, even if it couldn't possibly have hinted at the precise path ahead.
Selected for the national team at 19, Anthony starred in the exhibition games that led up to the 2004 Olympics. But in Athens, he averaged just 11 minutes per game. He totaled just 17 points in seven games and was labeled selfish and a malcontent by many.
Did you get a fair deal from Larry Brown, head coach of the 2004 team? he's asked.
"No, to be honest," he says. "I don't think so."
The young leaders of the 2008 team - Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade - refuse to forget what it felt like to wear bronze.
"We were supposed to win the gold medal," Anthony says. "We all felt we let our country down, let ourselves down by wearing bronze medals around our neck. Nobody expects Team USA to have anything around their neck other than a gold medal."
Winning bronze would turn out to be the least of Anthony's problems. In the weeks and months that followed the Olympics, Anthony was involved in a New York nightclub fight and cited for marijuana possession at the Denver airport (charges that were later dropped).
With unrelenting media attention, Anthony was despondent in the months that followed. His entire life, it seemed, he'd been cheered and encouraged. In just a couple of months, he was reduced to a string of bad headlines.
"What I saw then was not Carmelo," says his mother. "It was nothing like the Carmelo we were accustomed to. He was just depressed. It was like, 'This isn't even my son.' "
Anthony tries to explain how he snapped out of it but struggles finding the words. Time and perspective are what it took, he says. Anthony knows this much: He has to be a lot more careful about what he does and with whom he does it.
Oh, and this, too: He wants gold this time, not bronze.
About a mile from Anthony's childhood home, Cloverdale Park is packed with at least a couple of thousand people in attendance. The adjacent park is filled with inflatable play equipment and families, and the courts are jammed with young ballers.
A DJ provides that day's incessant bass line, as volunteers comb through the crowd telling people that the People's Community Health Center is offering free syphilis tests in a trailer at the far end of the park. About two dozen security guards from New York are scattered about, and many Baltimore police officers are also on hand.
Anthony presides over it all from his seat near center court. This is the H.O.O.D Movement 3-on-3 Challenge, the day Anthony says he spends most of the year envisioning and planning.
It's a diverse crowd that's gathered, and Anthony seems to know everyone. Part of Anthony's charm is that he can move effortlessly between groups. He can shake the hand of a businessman in a pressed suit and not bat an eye before bumping fists with a teenager from the old neighborhood.
Between games, Anthony stands just outside the 3-point arc and casually launches shots. When he flicks his wrist, it's impossible to miss his colorful right forearm. Anthony has decorated his entire body with tattoos, but on his arm he has a compact mural of ink - an Oriole bird, a Raven, the Baltimore area code 410 and "City of Birds." On his right shoulder he has what looks like the Warner Bros.' "WB" logo.
"That's West Baltimore," he says.
Anthony's reputation has accrued plenty of blemishes, partly because of his rough beginnings in West Baltimore and the tumultuous period that followed the 2004 Olympics. The past couple of years haven't been without their problems either. In December 2006, he was involved in an on-court brawl. Cameras caught him throwing a punch and retreating, which earned a 15-game suspension. And in April, he was arrested for driving while under the influence.
Anthony admits to his mistakes, but others say he hasn't been fairly received by fans or depicted by media.
"There's this perception out there about him, but it's just not who he really is," says Jim Boeheim, the Syracuse head coach and an assistant with Team USA. "It's unfortunate but the mistakes he's made hit ESPN and hit USA Today, so people know about them. In Baltimore, they know who he really is. But the rest of the country isn't exposed to some of the great things he's done."
Anthony's fiancee, LaLa Vasquez, with whom he has a 1-year-old son, says when she first met Anthony, every conversation seemed to somehow lead back to Baltimore.
"Even to this day, we'll get here and he'll still say, 'Come on, let's drive by my old house.' Even though we've seen it a million times," she says.
The reason is simple. That old home represents where Anthony came from. It underscores what he's grown into. And it reminds him exactly what he's playing for when he slips on a USA jersey.
"Baltimore is his home, and there's no place like home," says Breckenridge, his childhood coach. "I don't care what part of the world you go to, there's never no place like home."
Born: May 29, 1984, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Family: Parents Mary Anthony and Carmelo Iriate (deceased). Fiancee LaLa Vasquez and son, Kiyan. Brothers Robert and Wilford, sisters Michelle and Daphne.
Career: Sun All-Metro Player of the Year at Towson Catholic. Led Syracuse to a national title in his only season with the Orange. Has averaged 24.4 points in five seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
Did you know: Anthony's first tattoo was of his name; his second was his mother's. In five exhibition victories leading up to the Games, he was the team's leading rebounder (5.2 per game) and second-leading scorer (15.4). In addition to his charitable efforts in Baltimore, Anthony hosts "A Very Melo Christmas" each year in Denver for disadvantaged youths and helped fund the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Center at Syracuse. Anthony's full name is Carmelo Kiyan; his son's is Kiyan Carmelo.
What's at stake: For Anthony and his team, redemption is on the line in Beijing. Team USA had won three straight gold medals before settling for bronze at the 2004 Games. A poor showing could confirm beliefs that American basketball has not kept pace with the international game.
* Anthony plans to watch other Olympic sports, particularly swimming, where he says he'll cheer for fellow Baltimore native Michael Phelps at the pool.
* Playing time. Anthony wasn't happy with the few minutes he saw in Athens. The USA coaching staff has a lot of talent to juggle, particularly among similarly sized players.
* Anthony's a versatile player and, without much height on Team USA, he may have to pick up the rebounding slack. In addition, in five exhibition games, his 3-point stroke has been off.