Designer 2889 days ago Graphic Design color psychology web design big websites case studies All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
I think it's no secret that colors have the ability of influencing people through psychological changes and that they are highly associated by viewers with certain emotions and meanings. Wherever we look, we see colors! But in this busy everyday life, he hardly stop to analyze the purpose of that color – we take it as it is, but we unconsciously associate it with an emotion.
first glimpse on a website page.
Usually, the purpose of a website is to sell something, to get the visitor interested, to satisfy his information need and to make him come back. When you're on the Internet, you don't get to be face to face with your buyer or your visitor, so you don't have the chance to apply the strategy of face to face selling. The Internet is a visual and psychological medium, so you have to transmit the information differently. The copy of the website has by far the biggest psychological impact on the visitor so it becomes the most important communication tool for you.
As you may have expected, the primary color in the Coca Cola website design is red, the background is light gray and white which it gives it a better visibility and contrast. Red is color associated with the feelings of excitement and energy and the "happiness promotion" goes hand in hand with this color.
Choosing the right colors is a very important aspect when creating a website, because the colors and the graphics are the first thing your visitor sees. Meaning, the background color, the color of the header, the color of the text, the headlines – all have a psychological impact on the website's visitor.
The IBM website has a very professional color scheme which includes colors like blue, gray and white. The cool colors give the website a serious, business aspect, creating an impression of seriousness and professionalism.
Needless to say that any designer should know quite a bit about the psychology of colors and the way a color or a certain combination of colors instinctively influences the visitor's first impression.
You will find on the web all sort of lists with universal color associations, but that doesn't mean that there can't be any exceptions – you will also find personal color schemes, as well as color associations with obvious cultural influences. In that regard, the first question you need to answer when you are choosing a color is "What is my target audience?". If the answer is your target audience is international, the following step is to turn to universal color associations.
The reason I'm saying this, is that some cultures have different symbolism and association of colors and you have to consider this aspect when creating a website design for a specific audience. For example, many Russian people may still have a negative association with the color red, as a symbol of Communism; white portrays purity in Western culture, but it's a symbol of death in some Eastern cultures; yellow signifies sadness in Greece, jealousy in France but is sacred to the Chinese.
McDonalds is widely recognized by the colors red and yellow in its logo. The website also keeps these colors, the predominant color in the MC website design being red, a color that suggests excitement and is commonly used in the fast food industry as it makes the people eat faster. To give it a serious, formal note, we will also find in the color scheme some black, light gray and white.
You may already know that all the colors are divided into two basic categories or groups: the colors in the red area of the color spectrum are also known as warm colors (such as red, orange and yellow) and the colors you find in the blue area are also known as cool colors (such as blue, purple and green). While the warm colors evoke emotions which range from warmth, comfort and coziness to aggression and anger, the cool colors describe feelings from calmness and tranquility to sadness and indifference.
Orange is most commonly associated with comfort, warmth, creativity, fun, youth, enthusiasm, celebration and in website designs, this color is also associated with affordability.
The color scheme on the Orange website includes orange (obviously), gray and white. The orange present in the logo of the company is also present in some elements of the page, giving it a creative and energy feel, while the gray gives it a more serious and professional note.
Yellow it's an attention grabber, it suggests warmth and it's associated with liveliness, energy, curiosity, joy, playfulness, optimism, sunlight, gold, idealism, but it can also create feelings of frustration, anger and illness. It's a fatiguing color to the eye, that's why you will never see a bright yellow website – but it's a great color for important details or call to actions.
Green is most often associated with nature, health, life, harmony, tranquility, good luck, money, optimism, durability, freshness. It's also a symbol of fertility, jealousy and it has a calming effect and it relieves stress.
The color scheme in the Animal Planet website design includes colors such as green, black, gray and white. While white and green are two colors included in the logo, the black and the grays have the purpose of giving the website a serious, professional look.
Purple has been traditionally associated with power, royalty, nobility, wealth, luxury, wisdom, spirituality, magic, mystery, dreams, fantasy as well as with ambiguity and uncertainty.
Now tell me if you've ever seen a website more pink than this one! If you did, I will eat my keyboard! Pink is a color mostly associated with young girls, youth, innocence, romance – in all, it's a girlish color! For as long as I can remember, when I thought of Barbie I saw pink before my eyes, so for me, Barbie invented pink!
Brown is a natural color, which is associated with relaxation, endurance, reliability, confidence, warmth, comfort, security and it's considered to be conventional and sometimes sophisticated.
Grey is mostly associated with neutrality, indifference and it leaves the impression of seriousness and conservatism.
White is commonly associated with purity and innocence. It's also associated with cleanliness, simplicity and newness.
Black is considered, especially in the design industry, a stylish and elegant color. It is also associated with sophistication, strength, mystery, depth, gloom, death, unhappiness, evil and sexuality.
So after you decide on the ambiance you want to achieve for your website, you have to choose the best colors to portray it. For beginners, it's best that you stick to simple schemes. Choose the easiest color combination and limit your color scheme to a variation of one, two or at most three colors. If you don't have a good background in web design, it's really a difficult task to create a gorgeous website by employing a larger number of colors than that. You will risk to make your website design look amateurish, chaotic and disjointed.
Well guys, this is no simple color scheme website design, that's for sure! This is a vertical scroll (a long scroll if I might say) website, with pages uniting to one another, each page being in a different color, obviously. This is a vividly colored design, which gives you a sense of joy and playfulness.
As a general rule, every color that you use in the design of your web page should usually appear in more than one place on that page. Some designers even extract one color from the logo and uses it in navigational graphics, text links and another color from the logo to use for background, headers, dividing rules and so on. It's known that repetition of the color is a sure way to unify a web page.
Remember what I told you about simple color schemes? About sticking to only a few colors? Well, this is a website that bends all the rules! It has a different color scheme on each one of its categories and when you switch the page, even the color of the logo changes to match the category's color scheme. See how News are red, Business is blue, Life&Style is brown, Travel is blue, Environment is green. The homepage's predominant color is blue, making the site look serious, professional – newsworthy.
You will see that most websites repeat the same colors throughout the entire website for visual consistency. Most of you may consider this repetition boring, but it actually has the purpose of reassuring the visitors that they are still in the same website as the home page.
Nevertheless, whether you use a simple scheme or a multitude of colors, remember that the different color should have a close value and saturation, they should express the same mood and they should appear to be a part of a unified color scheme.
Let's try now to make a quick analyze on some more websites of widely known companies and let's see if they took into account color psychology in their web design, how they implemented color techniques and what message they are trying to send.
The Pepsi website is overwhelmingly blue. The Pepsi logo contains the colors red, white and blue which we can find in the header, the side bar and the other elements of the website. The background of the website is another variation of blue, with bubbles coming from below, making it look like sparkling water. The brand is trying to position itself as a refreshing drink, trying to associate that with the colors used in the website design. Moreover, blue is the statement color, known world wide and associated with Pepsi, so it seems only natural that this would be the main color of the website.
I just love that slogan: "Carlsberg, probably the best beer in the world". Well, the website of probably the best beer in the world has to live up to its name. This is a website destined for adults, the color scheme includes black – a strong, yet stylish color, green – used to relief stress, also suggesting freshness, nature and love for life and white, to create a beautiful contrast with the dark colors. But as we move on to the other pages of the website, we are welcomed with clean white, gray and a touch of green (to match the logo), giving us a feeling of a clean and relaxing experience.
As you can see, the colors blue, red and white present in the NBA logo are also present in other elements of the page. Blue is known to be a color widely preferred by men and it suggest success and power, while red is associated with action, passion and excitement. Being a sports website, you can see a lot of information displayed on the page, making it somewhat difficult to concentrate on one thing. I find surprising the wooden background on this type of website, because wood is normally associated with comfort, relaxation, but what can I say, it looks great!
The color scheme in the Nike website includes green, white and orange. Green is a great color, highly associated with nature, health (including sports) and life. Orange is a color associated with energy, fun, enthusiasm – all in a great relationship with sports and, implicitly, the products the site is presenting.
The Ikea website gives me a sense of warmth and familiarity, pretty much as the actual place does. The header of its website is designed with yellow as the predominant color, making it an attention grabber and suggesting playfulness and energy. The copy is colored in blue, which we can also find in the header, giving a sense of calmness and stability. The background of the website is white and pretty simple, as the body of the site, making it easy to access the information.
Now this is a brand with history. Meaning it celebrates success, professionalism and trust. The representative colors of the Nivea brand are blue and white, which we can also find in its website design. Blue is a color preferred both by men and women, and it is associated with calmness, security, professionalism and trust. White is a symbol of clean and pure. Nivea states by the colors of its design that it is a trust worthy brand with great skincare products for every day life.
The thing about the Sony website is that it makes me feel like it's something out of the box. I see a lot of black, shades of gray, which give me the feeling of depth, sophistication, style and professionalism. And there's that blue on the text, that's really something creative, because they could of had it white, like the logo, for example – it really stands out and gives a plus of professionalism to the overall design.
Nestle is a huge company with a heavy background in the food industry. This is a company that always promoted a healthy life with its products. The Nestle website has the logo and the slogan in gray and the rest of the design in a white-gray-blue color scheme, which gives you a feeling of calmness and security and making you think that this is a serious, reliable company.
The Apple website is the most clean website design I've ever seen. Notice the all white background, suggesting simplicity and newness and the glossy gray header which make us associate the website with something stylish but in the same time serious and elegant. The combination of gray, white and black here is done in a magnificent way.
Which website is your favorite and why? And by the way, what is your favorite color?
Color Psychology in Web Design – Big Websites Case Studies is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2890 days ago Graphic Design how create interesting grunges designs illustrator All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
In this quick tip you will learn to use grunges to create hierarchy in your designs, making the main elements stand out more and the backgrounds a lot more interesting – all in vector format.
The technique is very easy and can be done by everyone, all you need is a bit of a keen eye for aesthetics.
Go to File > New… and create a 600 x 600 px document in CMYK color mode.
Click-drag the mock-up template into our document, resize it and place it like below using the Selection Tool (V). Hold the SHIFT key while dragging to preserve its proportions. In the Layers palette (F7), click the "Create New Layer" button.
Lock the "Layer 1" layer and select the newly created one. Name it "helmet".
Open the "Helmets Vector Pack", select a helmet of your choosing, copy it (CTRL+C), hit CTRL+Tab to switch to our document and paste it (CTRL+V). Resize it like below.
Open the "Spraypaint Vector Pack", the "Floral Vector Pack 68" and the "handwriting" vector file.Do not copy anything yet, we just need this at hand after we've decided on the composition.
Here's how the composition will be: we will make the helmet the main element, surrounded by a few thorns, with a textured background.
Go back to the "Untitled-1" file created in STEP 1 (Window > Untitled-1). Grab the Magic Wand Tool (Y), set its Tolerance to "0". Select the contour and set its color to #1c1c1c. Then turn the rest of the Fill colors into white (#000000).
Go to the "spraypaint vector pack" and pick a spray with a curved edge, as below. Copy it (CTRL+C).
Go back to our document (Window > Untitled-1), create a new layer (it will be named "Layer 3") and click-drag it below the "helmet" layer. Then lock "helmet" layer. Select the "Layer 3" layer and paste the spraypaint. Name this layer "spraypaint".
Grab the Direct Selection Tool (A), click the interior of the spraypaint and hit Delete. You should now have a shape like below. Paste another spraypaint shape, like the one below.
Grab the Magic Wand Tool (Y), click one of the spraypaints, grab the Eyedropper Tool (I) and click the contour of the helmet. CTRL+click on the canvas to deselect them.
Grab the Selection Tool (V), alt-click-drag the round dotted shape to create a copy, resize it and place it like below. Use the Eraser Tool (SHIFT+E) to clean up the extra areas. We will now make the helmet more 3D using only one color. Pretty cool, huh?
Copy and paste in more spray paints and place them around the helm. Delete their "core" if necessary. The secret is to use more for the bottom side and only a few for the top side.
Create a new layer, name it "handwriting" select it and paste in the handwriting. Use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to give it the same color as the spraypaints and alt-click-drag a few copies. Place them as below.
Lock the other layers and grab the Lasso Tool (Q). Make random selections and hit Delete twice. Make them more rare the further they are from the helmet, like a gradient.
Go to the "Floral Vector Pack 68", copy a few thorns and go back to our document. Create a new layer, name it "thorns" and paste them in, then recolor them like the spraypaints. Place them like below.
Lock all layers, then unlock the "spraypaint" layer and select it. Paste in two spray paints like below. Select one and hit CTRL+SHIFT+] to bring it to front.
Place it above the other one, make it white and delete its "core". Place these two shapes at the base of the T-shirt. Unlock the top-most layer and paste a round spraypaint. Recolor it and delete its "core". Place it as below.
Unlock the "thorns" layer and alt-click-drag to create some copies, then place them as below.
Unlock the "spraypaint" and the "helmet" layer. Paste in some round spraypaints, delete their core, recolor them in #1c1c1c and place them as below. This will add more depth and texture to our main element. Erase extra areas as necessary.
I want more depth to the overall design, so copy some more spraypaints and place them as shown in the image below.
The trick is to enhance your main element and its features with simpler elements to complete its shape. The help has dominant round shapes, so I added straight, linear handwritten text to contrast it and to give it some stability. The grunges make it stand out more, enhance the shape and volume and the thorns, whose round shapes combined with aggressive sharp angles enhances its strength.
The elements I chose are only generic, you can use any shapes with the similar characteristics, you will obtain the same result.
How to Create Interesting Grunges for Your Designs in Illustrator is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2891 days ago Graphic Design artist week graphic designer chris parks aka pale horse All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design infographics enter world clever representation information All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
Infographics (or information graphics) are a graphic visual representation of information, knowledge or data. These special graphics are known to present, clearly and quickly, complex information like signs, technical writing, journalism, maps and education. Scientists, statisticians and mathematicians use infographics to develop and communicate certain concepts by using only one symbol to process the information.
ne within the field of information design. Richard Wurman, the founder and author of the TED is considered to be the father of the phrase "information architect" and you may have seen that many of his books helped propel the notion of "information design", turning it from a concept to an actual job category.
In short, what is an infographic and what is its use?
- it can reveal information that was previously hidden or submerged.
Which are the elements of an information graphic?
As the name states, the basic element of an information graphic is the information, data or knowledge that the specified graphic wishes to present.
- When it comes to data, the graphic designer or creator may use some automated tools like graphic software in order to represent the data with boxes, lines, arrows and other pictograms and symbols.
- Infographics sometimes feature a key which defines the visual elements of the graphic in plain English.
- In creating information graphics, scales and labels are also pretty common.
The elements included in an info graphic don't have to be a realistic or exact representation of the data, it can be a simplified version.
What makes a good info graphic?
Design – One of the most important aspects of an infographic is the design, because it's all about the visual perspective. It must look nice from the first glance, to capture your attention. You should choose carefully the fonts and the colors you plan to use in your info graphic. Even if the overall look is based on a certain subject, the info graphic should be easy to read – so choose fonts that are easy to read, complementary colors, a font point that is big enough to read without needing a magnifying glasses.
Data – This element is as important as the design, so the info graphic should be grounded in hard data. When adding information to an info graphic, you need to do have good sources to review and you need to get your facts and statistics from a reliable source.
One more thing: if the data you found is older than 18 months, you should really dig for some new data sources – if that doesn't work out, you should think of conducting your own research and you can start by gathering some proprietary data. The newer your data is, the better it will be perceived by viewers.
Clever Visualizations – In order to impress you, an infographic needs to get out of the box, meaning it must present data and information in a way that surprises you but in the same time it makes perfect sense. So you must push the design beyond pie charts and bar graphs – be creative and clever!
Point of view – It's not enough to do some research and to compile an info graphic based on that info. The purpose is to create a great info graphic, which has a strong point of view (a thesis) and can educate and persuade people. If you have a great quality design and you back that up with a great point of view you are sure to have an exceptional piece of work.
Shareability – It's not just about creating the ultimate info graphic, you also have to share it with every one and earn some exposure. Viral content is considered too interesting not to share. You need to make people say "This is awesome, I need to share this with my friends!". So make it happen! Embed badges, codes, Facebook and Twitter buttons or anything else you can think of to make sharing the info graphic as easy as possible.
The success of an info graphic comes from the number of views it has, so you need to make sure as many people as possible are exposed to your work.
The Internet can be a source of interesting and revealing facts and statistics. Graphic designers and creatives of all types tried to give us an idea with their info graphics about how big is the Internet and how fantastic statistics can be. The info graphics presented below are executed quite well, having an easy to understand presentation and a creative manner.
Social media has known an increasing impact on communicating information in the past few years. In the same manner, info graphics have become a preferred method of communicating facts, data, figure and statistics about a certain topic of interest. Social media helped their popularity and growth and now we can find a large number of info graphics targeted at social media itself.
Nowadays you can find infographics analyzing the growth and the history of social networks or a certain social network or infographics with various social network related statistics and comparisons – all that information you could need on this subject in an easy to read and comprehend format, how great is that?
If you want to read about how you can create a visually powerful infographic, check out this awesome post by Sneh Roy.
Do you know any other great infographics?
Infographics – Enter the World of Clever Representation of Information is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design interview graphic designer soner All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design job interview tips graphic designers All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
gn degree but trust me, there are so many things yet to be learned!
After you get these things straight, you should put together or update your online and offline portfolio. When you go to an interview you would want to show off only your best work – sometimes less is more. You should also make sure you display examples of different types of work you've made – it will demonstrate that you are versatile.
Your portfolio is the most important factor in landing a job so make it look good both online and offline! Make your portfolio easy to navigate and to understand.
When going to an interview, you must have two portfolios on you – one for the employer and one for you. The first one you will be giving away. The appropriate number of works to have in your portfolio is 8 – 12, they interviewers don't have the time and patience to run through a 50 works portfolio – and you don't want to annoy them!
Be prepared to answer any questions regarding the content of your portfolio, for example: what is the concept behind this illustration, why did you use these colors and so on.
Update and print your resume. This document is especially important to a graphic design applicant. You need to pay special attention to it, you can even use some typographic designs which will reflect your type skills – you are, after all, applying for a creative job, so your resume doesn't have to be so "stiff".
You must bring two copies of your resume to the interview, one for the employer and one for you. I know you must think that they already must have your resume, but there is a chance they misplaced it or it got lost along the many application, so why take the chance?
Additional to your resume, you must also have a cover letter which must me tailored to that specific job and it must highlight your experience or strengths which match the company's needs.
Whenever you go to a job interview, it's important you learn as much as you can about that employer. Visit their website, learn about their services, products and projects, find out the name of the company leaders, prepare some concise questions about the company and the job you are applying for.
Being in a creative field such as graphic design, you must have a personalized business card (as well as the portfolio and the resume). Your business card should be well designed, simple but memorable and it would be a plus if it's highly creative. Creating a business card for yourself, as a graphic designer is a difficult task, because that little card represents you and your work, so you should try to make it unique – and, of course, branded.
Make sure your branding is consistent on your business card, CV and email signature. Here's the thing: if you can't create a brand for yourself, what are the chances you will be able to create for a client? So it's highly important that you brand yourself on any document and official correspondence, it shows off your graphic skills and interest.
Before jumping into showing your portfolio, it's a good idea to talk a little about yourself. The pitch is a quick description of yourself, your skills and your aspirations. This small speech should last no longer than 1 minute and in that time you must highlight your strongest assets.
It's a good idea to practice your pitch with your family or your friends, to make sure you get it right and to make you feel more confident in your speaking skills.
Just think of it as a disaster if you have a typo on your resume, cover letter and anything else you submit. Spelling mistakes are not over looked by the interviewer and most likely, you won't get the job if you have one – it shows lack of interest and attention. So have a friend or family to double check your materials, maybe there's something you've missed.
I know it's common sense, but I just had to stress out this aspect: you can't be late to a job interview! You should look up directions a day before, maybe even print a map and take in consideration you may run into traffic or get lost – so have a reserve of 30 minutes or so and try to get there 15-20 minutes ahead and let them know you arrived.
Now this is a creative field and it's considered to be less restrictive. Nevertheless, you should do some research on the company, see what's their culture and what's their dressing code to be prepared. In most graphic design job interviews, you don't need to suit up (with a tie and everything), but it's common sense to have a suit jacket and a shirt. Remember, it's best to be overdressed than underdressed.
This is available both for boys and girls.Your handshake must be firm and assertive – just don't squeeze their hand off.
Now I know that you may think that business cards must be given away at the end of a meeting, but that's not always the case. Of course, you could do that, but take in consideration that some employers expect you do give them your business card at the beginning of the interview. It will show off from the start that you payed interest to that interview and that you have a great designed business card – thus good graphic design skills.
This is not necessary, but if you take out a pad or a notebook and a pen it will look as if you are organized, you don't actually have to write anything on it.
Before showing your work, talk a little about it. Remember tip no. 7 above. Don't make it too long, this is just to engage the interviewer in a discussion with you. They will be looking at you as you speak and afterwords, they will be looking at your work.
You should bring some sketches to the interview. The interviewers may be interested to see the final design, as well as your basic art skills. It's good to have a few drawings and paintings to demonstrate that you also have solid basic art skills.
Don't talk endlessly about yourself. Pay attention to the interviewers body language and verbal responses. When you feel it's the right moment, ask questions about the organization, it's projects and the job you are interviewed for. This will help you get some insight on what sort of company you may be working for and it will place you in a positive light because you are interested in them.
There will be lots of topics covered and discussed during your interview – regulations, processes and so on. You should really pay attention to everything that's being said, so that the interviewers won't have to repeat themselves.
Do you want that job? Then tell the interviewers that you really want the job (these days, hardly anyone does this). Be enthusiastic, admit that you are willing to learn (even the interviewers know that no one knows everything) and be passionate about your work – let them know that this is the field you want to build a career in.
Needless to say, during the interview, you must be as polite as possible. You will probably get some questions about your previous jobs and experiences and it's recommended that you don't speak in a negative way about your boss or your old company. Also, there are chances that the interviewers don't always share your philosophy and have different opinions – if that happens, don't be rude, just find a nice, polite way to sustain your ideas and beliefs.
A job interview is a time when the company gets to know you and, on the other hand, you get to learn some more about the employer. But most of all, it's an opportunity to show them that you are the person fit for that job. Be prepared to answer questions like "Why would we hire you? " and try to be genuine. Don't be shy and talk about the things you are really good at and let them know how you can benefit their company. In two words: sell yourself! this is the only chance you get.
At your first interview, it's best that you don't talk about salary, vacations, bonuses or other benefits – inquire about these things only after you've received an offer.
But if this discussion comes up, whatever you say, try not to give the impression that you just came there for the money – the employer is more interested about what you can give to the company, and not what you can get from it. They see you as an investment so they must be sure that they make a profitable decision when it comes to hiring you.
At the end of the interview, ask your interviewers their business cards – find out the correct spelling of their first and last names.
If you followed all the suggestions above it means that everything went well on your interview: you were prepared, you weren't late, you talked very passionate, you were receptive, attentive, polite, you promoted yourself and they loved your work. So what now?
As soon as you get home you should make use of the business cards you received from the persons who interviewed you. You should write a brief email in which you thank them for the interview and for telling you more about the company. Just picture this step as the little thing that can separate you from the other candidates (who were as good as you at the interview).
What do you do before, during and after an interview? Can you share some more tips with us?
20+ Job Interview Tips for Graphic Designers is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design artist week illustrator richard roberts All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design new awesome giga vector pack designiouscom All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
We just released only the most awesome giga vector Pack ever! The new Giga Vector Pack 8 includes 5 fabulous mega packs you just have to get your hands on: Vintage Mega Pack 10, Vintage Mega Pack 11, Vintage Mega Pack 12, Japan Mega Pack 2 and Floral Mega Pack 7!
All the vectors included in these packs are created in house by the talented artists from Designious. Moreover, get this awesome Giga Vector Pack 8 and save 60% on all the vector packs included. These are all top notch resources, so this is a pretty sweet deal!
So what you're waiting for? Visit Designious.com and get your hands on this mind blowing Giga Vector Pack 8!
New Awesome Giga Vector Pack 8 from Designious.com is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design fresh summer vector packs designiouscom All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
The sun has finally made its appearance from behind the clouds and with it came the day dreaming of a sunny vacation on a far away beach, with palm trees, surfing and the sound of the waves charging our batteries. Until that vacation comes, what not ease your graphic design work with our new summer vector packs? They include just the elements you need in your projects for this summer: waves, surf boards, tropical plants, palm trees, surfers, summer stamps and retro summer elements.
Save 50% on all these packs with this Summer Vector Mega Pack!
Visit Designious.com and get your hands on them today!
Fresh Summer Vector Packs from Designious.com is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.
Designer 2892 days ago Graphic Design artist week illustrator dennis schuster aka dxtr All http://www.pixel77.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
Dennis Schuster is a talented illustrator that goes under the name DXTR on the web. He is currently living in Dusseldorf, Germany and he has some amazing illustrator skills. I accidentally ran into his work while browsing through the Behance gallery, I loved it and I thought I'd share it with you.
with other talented artists on some of his creations.
If you want to see more of DXTR's amazing artworks, visit him on his Behance profile or on Flickr.
Artist of the Week – Illustrator Dennis Schuster aka DXTR is a post from Pixel77 – Graphic design blog with tutorials, resources and inspiration.


bemanistyle.com: We've noticed an absence of the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 DDR games that were announced last year. Are these titles still in development and why are they not present?
Naoki Maeda: We announced these titles last year, but at the moment we're not ready to say anything more about them. We are focusing internally on making things innovative and new, and are looking for even more new ideas for these titles. They are still being developed.
BMS: In Japan Bemani titles have stopped being released for the PlayStation 2, and in cases like pop'n music and GFdm we haven't seen a console release in some time. Are there plans to take these titles to current generation consoles?
NM: My team has separated from the Bemani team. As you know, in the past several years the US has seen many more music games. Because of this, we want to create new experiences based on our original concepts rather than competing with the existing games. We are looking at many new ideas and concepts for Rock, DJ and Dancing type music games.
BMS: We noticed that you have a big role with Konami's new "Dance Masters" title. Are you still going to act as producer for DanceDanceRevolution?
NM: DDR was my first music game, so it is very important to me. I will still continue to produce these games while working on new concepts.
BMS: The balance board mode that was introduced last year is missing from the show floor. We've been told that it is still in the game, but are you planning any new features or uses for it?
NM: Yes, it will be available. You're limited on the balance board to movement with the lower body, and we've done a good job with that already so now we are trying to include upper body movement with that. You can see on the show floor that we have added directional movement, and more upper body movement with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
BMS: Speaking of upper body movement, have you considered using the Wii Motion Plus or 2 Wii Remotes for single players to enhance the motion detection?
NM: We have considered it, but as you noticed we've added some motion detection already. There are of course more possibilities, and we are looking at them.
BMS: In America, user customization is a popular concept for music games. You still hear a lot about StepMania and In The Groove because of the amount of freedom and creation these titles give you. Have you ever considered doing a contest to allow players to create their own steps for DDR that could be used at the official chart in the final game?
NM: We've done something like this in the past, and it's something we didn't really consider after the one time. There are many ideas to give players more control of the game, and many possibilities for us to explore in the future.
BMS: I couldn't help but notice the inclusion of "Night Of Fire" in Dance Masters. This reminds me of Konami's "ParaParaParadise" series, did you draw any inspiration for the title from those games?
NM: Yes, I've done some work on the ParaParaParadise series, as well as other Bemani series. I have that experience with the games, but did not get inspiration from those titles for Dance Masters. As you know, my team is no longer a part of Bemani, and so we are not thinking about Bemani titles, or part of that family. Dance Masters is like the first of our ideas for the next generation of music games.
BMS: Some Konami Original tunes are included in the demo on the show floor. Are there any chances for songs from Bemani games, like She Is My Wife or Daisuke, to be included in Dance Masters? What about other licensed music?
NM: This is a difficult question, there are many things about Kinect that we did not discover until recently, like the release date. So the songs on the show floor are what we were prepared to show. We are still considering many other songs, and some license tracks for the game, but we are not ready to discuss them at this time.
BMS: Do you plan to release Dance Masters in Japan?
NM: Yes, we are currently discussing this. Although, Dance Masters is transcending the Bemani series, it is something new and separate.
BMS: We noticed that songs like "A Geisha's Dream" had a full dance routine. Do you have someone on staff creating these routines, or are you outsourcing them to a studio like you did with Twinstar for the ParaPara routines?
NM: We have professional dancers and choreographers from all over the world creating the routines for Dance Masters.
BMS: Has there been any discussion regarding an Arcade version of Dance Masters for the US or Japan?
NM: This is my personal opinion, but I would love to see Dance Masters made into an Arcade game. I think the gameplay matches very well with the arcade scene and atmosphere.
BMS: We had a chance to check out the community features being used in Def Jam Rapstar, such as submitting videos of yourself performing songs. Are there any plans to do something similar with Dance Masters?
NM: The game's director, Kengo Suzuki, can answer this better.
Kengo Suzuki:We were thinking about doing that for this version of the game originally, but we are doing so many new things with the game that we had problems transmitting the data from the game for something like that. Although we did work it out so when you play online, the image of you playing will be shown in real time on their screen. You'll also be able to make a custom friends list just for this game. For the next version we do want to look at recording gameplay and letting users upload it to something like YouTube or Facebook.
BMS: Last year you attended Japan Expo and showed off the pads for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 DDR games. Are there any plans to show off DDR X2 or any new titles there this year?
NM: DDR X2 will probably not be there, but we do have a surprise that we plan to show.
BMS: Now that you are the producer for DDR and Dance Masters I can only imagine that you are very busy. How do you find the time to do all of this while still making new music for your games?
NM: (Laughs) I do it all by not sleeping!
BMS: That being the case, how do you stay so energetic!?
NM: Red Bull (Laughing) and vitamins.
BMS: In the recent years, many Bemani artists have released albums on Beatnation Records. Are there any plans for you to create an album in the same manner?
NM: Beatnation Records is like a label, I am not a part of this. If I create an album I would like it to be a worldwide kind of thing. I would also like to create a full version of all of my (200 something) songs and then pick my favorites to be included in an album.
BMS: Speaking of global release, has there ever been any talk of releasing the DDR soundtracks worldwide through iTunes or even on compact disc?
NM: I think about that all of the time myself as well, but I don't believe Konami has the infrastructure to pull it off.
BMS: Do you think there could ever be a chance for something like the pop'n music Live or Beatnation Summit concerts in America? What about appearances at conventions?
NM: I think many of us would like to do it, but we've never really had the resources or a chance to do it. I'd love to attend a convention, but I've never really been invited directly.
BMS: Given that you've worked on both types of games now, do you think that peripheral based games still have a strong future in America? Or will motion control take over?
NM: At Konami, we created GFdm, IIDX, DDR and these games created the atmosphere of playing an instrument or dancing. In America, games like Rock Band, DJ Hero and Guitar Hero made it feel more real while still being a game. We are trying to create an even more real experience while still being the most fun possible, so we would like to be flexible. We would also like to collaborate in the future with famous producers and musicians to make music exclusively for our games.
BMS: Finally, do you have anything you'd like to say to your fans?
NM: Dance Masters is a new starting point for us, we hope that everyone will give it a chance and at least try it once! We hope that DDR fans will continue to keep an eye on our work and tell us how we're doing. There are communities online, and now I even have my Facebook page so fans can tell me how we are doing and give us suggestions of how to improve so we can appeal to everyone. I would like the fans to keep track of what we're doing! I love the US!
And we haven't forgotten about DDR, I will continue to work on DDR because it was my starting point. It is very important to me. I would like to keep creating it forever, so please expect new things for DDR as well!


One of the major hospitals in the Twin Cities that discharge children to extended-hour home care.
Offers free nursing continuing education courses on-line. Additional courses are also available for a fee.
A national professional nursing organization of members involved in home health care and hospice nursing practice, education, administration, and research. HHNA provides leadership and a unified voice so that home care and hospice nurses may improve their specialty and influence public policy as it relates to home care and hospice.
Provides information to families and professional focusing on children who have chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions.


Then there's the yield curve. Last week at this time, as the belly fell hard, we were regaled with stories of Hawkish Feds and confused bond rates market participants. This week the direction turned back up and the curve continued to shrink. The media narrative switched to just confused rates markets participants. The reality is, as with the equity markets mentioned above, the environment promotes a relative performance approach. The general dynamic of the curve makes shorting difficult - hence the preponderance of futures based tactics. As noted prior to the Fed, longer dated securities are being held by both bulls and bears.
Over my experience I have seen several periods where the directional call on rates has been wrong but the curve positioning has worked out. The reality is moves in the shape of the curve do not tell you much about direction. The ZLB enhances the swings out in the unknown land of the Ultra. Finally, the Fed's push for openness has germinated the unintended consequence of extreme repricing around their statement. FG has morphed small adjustments over time into violent headline risk. We are skeptical of the notion that rates participants are slow or easily duped.
This entry was posted in Blog on March 27, 2014 by Kevin.


SALUTE is a non-profit organization, established in 1974, to recognize, support and celebrate the efforts of women in the arts. We do this by exhibiting members' work throughout the year in as many venues as possible. SALUTE artists represent an array of the visual arts: oil, acrylic, and watercolor painters; photographers, portraiture artists; artists whose medium is craypas and charcoal as well as collagists. Some artists work big, while others work small. SALUTE artists have studied and mastered their craft at college art departments, local art centers, the Art Students League and with established artists such as Ben Benn, Will Barnet, Vaclav Vytlacil and Hans Hofmann. Many SALUTE artists have exhibited their work in galleries in New York and New Jersey as well as in travelling exhibitions that have visited Europe, Israel, Asia, Canada and South America. Most of SALUTE's artists have participated in juried shows; their resumes and biographies listing the prizes that they have won.
Exhibition Runs October 18 through November 14th, Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4pm – Thursday and Friday from 4-7pm – Saturday and Sunday by appointment only.


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Vallères is een gemeente in het Franse departement Indre-et-Loire (regio Centre-Val de Loire) en telt 947 inwoners (2005). De plaats maakt deel uit van het arrondissement Chinon.

Geografie
De oppervlakte van Vallères bedraagt 14,9 km², de bevolkingsdichtheid is 63,6 inwoners per km².

Demografie
Onderstaande figuur toont het verloop van het inwonertal (bron: INSEE-tellingen).

Externe links

Gemeente in Indre-et-Loire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Tag: The Cookies
Mojo Reviews Challenge #009 – The Cookies – The Complete Cookies
categories: Mojo Reviews Challenge, music
Where I dig into something I've not heard before, from the reviews section of old Mojo Magazines, on an irregular basis.
The Complete Cookies
1994 – Sequel Records
This is a wonderful compilation. 12 tracks covers the complete As and B sides of this 60s girl group The Cookies. Four tracks by Earl Jean in solo mode round it out to 16. The Cookies were not on a big label like Stax or Motown and would probably be extremely obscure if not for their association with Carole King and Gerry Goffin. They were lucky enough to first sing some of the greatest pop hits.
I only really knew of The Cookies from that association, and their later work with Ray Charles. They are included on a couple of comps and box sets I own. So it's great to have songs I know from later versions in original form. The classic 'Chains', 'On Broadway' and solo Earl Jean's original of 'I'm Into Something Good'. I particularly love 'The Old Crowd'.
Ten of the songs here are King/Goffin compilations – making it an essential part of the Carole King discography. Goffin contributes to the other two, and the others are by other Brill Building stalwarts. It's a tour de force of songwriters. It turns out that King continued to give Earl Jean financial support after her career ended.
I don't know if this is an obvious point, but this was the first rush of teenage music from the girl's point of view. It's all about teenage concerns and a lot of romance. The mystery of the boys. A lot of it is pretty chaste – hugging and kissing. But the passion underneath – it's pretty fiery.
These funny old regional girl groups. There are so many of them, and in many ways they caught into a fad. The Cookies didn't even get an album out of it. Like so many more fads to come, be it Nuggets, Punk, Disco, Brit Pop, Grunge, New Rock etc. The Cookies were not one of the greats, and were not signed to one of the big labels. So they are a bit of an also ran, and there are lots of those. Who knows what treasures are hidden amongst those discount discs on obscure labels.
The production here is actually pretty good. They could sing, and sing with character. It hasn't dated too much, and the songs remain solid. It's a brisk listen – no filler and half a dozen absolute classics. A great compilation.
Comments Off on Mojo Reviews Challenge #009 – The Cookies – The Complete Cookies

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Powerful 0,95 kW brushcutter with 4-MIX ® engine.
For working on areas of tough grass. STIHL 1-point anti-vibration system, automatic decompression, multi-function handle, bike handle, tool-less handle adjustment, STIHL 4-MIX® engine, straight shaft, solid drive shaft, double shoulder harness.


Do not mess with Teller.
The silent half of Penn & Teller is an amazing writer, fine magic historian and incredible inventor of magic effects. You put those three talents together and you have someone you do not want on the other side of a lawsuit.
Beginning with the premise that a magic trick is not per se protectable by the Copyright Act, certain aspects of the magical presentation may be. Most lawyers would attempt to dissuade a client hoping to sue another performer over an alleged copyright infringement. The burden of proof is tough, the case law does not support that type of claim (in most cases) and because the case will rise or fall based on the facts developed through litigation, it will be expensive to pursue.
U.S. District Judge James Mahan of Nevada agreed that in most cases a magic trick is not subject to copyright protection but, he observed in his ruling on Teller's behalf, pantomimes are explicitly protected by the Copyright Act.
The effect at the center of the dispute is Teller's famous and baffling Shadows. Teller even registered "Shadows" with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1983.
Shadows essentially consists of a spotlight trained on a bud vase containing a rose. The light falls in a such a manner that the shadow of the real rose is projected onto a white screen positioned some distance behind it. Teller then enters the otherwise still scene with a large knife, and proceeds to use the knife to dramatically sever the leaves and petals of the rose's shadow on the screen slowly, one-by-one, whereupon the corresponding leaves of the real rose sitting in the vase fall to the ground, breaking from the stem at exactly the point where Teller cut the shadow projected on the screen behind it.
And as we wrote, do not mess with Teller. He hired a private investigator to serve Mr. Dogge personally. Mr. Dogge tried to hide and allegedly evaded service in Belgium, Spain and other locations on the continent. Mr. Teller finally convinced the judge that Mr. Dogge had at least opened an email containing the service of process and complaint. That was sufficient for jurisdiction and Mr. Dogge was forced to answer the complaint.
Dogge contends that the works are not substantially similar because his secret to performing the illusion differs from Teller's, and because he uses a clear glass bottle instead of a vase in his However the court finds that these reaching arguments by Dogge exceed his limited grasp of copyright law. By arguing that the secret to his illusion is different than Teller's, Dogge implicitly argues about aspects of the performance that are not perceivable by the audience. In discerning substantial similarity, the court compares only the observable elements of the works in question. Therefore, whether Dogge uses Teller's method, a technique known only by various holy men of the Himalayas, or even real magic is irrelevant, as the performances appear identical to an ordinary observer.
It is rare that being a copyright lawyer / magician gives us a chance to write about a combination of our favorite subjects, but this case did it for us.
And now, as we say, it is all over but the shouting. By winning on summary judgment, Teller will be able to try the case solely on the issues of damages. He will not need to prove that Mr. Dogge infringed his valid copyright. If Teller can prove that Mr. Dogge willfully infringed, he could be entitled to statutory damages of $150,000.00. But, if he fails to prove wilful infringement (and it is a tough standard), he can still recover actual damages. We are confident it is not the money that matters – although it does not hurt – but the principle.
Congratulations to Teller and to the court. They came together to make good law, bring justice to an injustice situation and preserve the great tradition of creativity in magic.
We will post the order in The Inside Magic Library for those curious about the court's ruling.


For the spring 2018 semester, the Bioethics Institute has been proud to host James Giordano, Ph.D. as the Anne & Austin O'Malley Visiting Chair. Giordano is Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program and Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University. During his time at LMU, he taught the graduate level course "Neuroethics: Issues at the Intersection of Brain Science and Society;" offered several luncheon conversations to various departments; guest lectured in philosophy, psychology, biology, and engineering courses; published multiple papers; and presented the annual O'Malley Chair Lecture.
This year's O'Malley Chair Lecture took place on March 20th, and was titled "Building Better Brains: Navigating Neuroscience with Ethics." Speaking to over 200 faculty, students, and guests in the Life Science Auditorium, Giordano explored how the practice of ethics may guide new neuroscience research.
"Everything that you have ever hoped, everything that you have ever loved, everything that you have ever hated… all the wonderful things that you've done, all the not so wonderful things you've done, every dream, all the way from birth to the grave, is a function of the brain," he said while instructing the audience to visualize holding their own brains in their outstretched cupped hands.
Over the last several decades, the field of neuroscience has become more and more sophisticated. Advances in neuroimaging allow scientists to assess not only brain structure, but also function. Discoveries resulting from the Human Genome Project have led to the identification of neuropsychiatric genes involved in neurological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disorders. New technologies have been developed to treat Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, dystonia, Tourette's syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and addiction.
Neuroscientists today understand the physiological and anatomical underpinnings of the brain. They understand how nerve cells and glial cells work and communicate. They have studied the complex patterns of neuropathways and neuro-architecture. However, the hard questions still remain: How does the great stuff of consciousness, emotion, and cognition arise from the grey stuff (i.e. the cells of the cranium)? Moreover, what does it mean to have a brain and be a mind? In this way, the brain represents one of the final frontiers.
As a response to these questions, Giordano says "no new neuroscience without neuroethics." His definition of neuroethics is twofold: first, it is the neuroscientific study of how humans engage in moral activity (human thought, activities, and morality), and second, it is the study of how neuroscientific research ought to pursue the good.


The Leadership and Teamworking Skills course is an 8-hour course that covers those areas of leadership techniques and skills pertinent to operational or entry-level professional mariners. Course information and presentations are real life experiences of individuals who have been in positions of leadership and have been or are responsible for the success of the organization and the success of individuals who work for and support the organization.
The Course further provides communications techniques and skills that assist and augment the individual in his or her efforts to become a successful leader.
Any applicant who has successfully completed your Leadership and Teamworking Skills (NOREMI-768) course will satisfy: The Leadership and Teamworking Skills within 46 CFR 11.309; 46 CFR 11.319; 46 CFR 11.321; AND, the equivalent of specific tasks from the National Assessment Guidelines found in NVIC 12-14 (Tasks 18.1.A-18.5.A), for an endorsement as Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch; The Leadership and Teamworking Skills within 46 CFR 11.329; AND, the equivalent of specific tasks from the National Assessment Guidelines found in NVIC 17-14 (Tasks 16.1.A-16.4.A), for an endorsement as Officer in Charge of an Engineering Watch; Applicants who have successfully completed this course need not present completed Task Control Sheets for these assessments in application for STCW certification.


Motorex Nissan Skyline GT-R, R32 For Sale.
Motorex 1993 Nissan Skyline GTR. It does have the bond release and supporting paperwork. The car has 47,000 miles on it and had less than 2000 miles put on it since 2003 from the previous owner where it sat most of its time in at a shop or in a warehouse. The bottom end is stock while the head had a pair of Apex 276 9.6mm lift intake/exhaust cams and Apex Adjustable Cam Gears installed followed by a Nismo 1.2mm Metal Headgasket and ARP Head Studs.


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Q: beginner xcode swift sprite kit - remove sprite by name crash I'm trying to remove some sprites when they hit the bottom. It works if I don't check the name but it removes my background too. When I try to add the name to the if it crashes.
func checkifbotsreachbottom() {
    for child in self.children {

        if (child.position.y == 0 && child.name == "botone") {

            self.removeChildrenInArray([child])

        }
    }
}

This crashes, but if I remove the child.name part it doesn't.

A: self.children returns [AnyObject].  If you cast it to [SKNode] everything should be fine:
func checkifbotsreachbottom(){
    for child in self.children as [SKNode] {

        if (child.position.y == 0 && child.name == "botone") {

            self.removeChildrenInArray([child])

        }
    }
}

A: Try with removeFromParent()
Im using xCode 6.0.1 and it works with this code fine for me.
Performance is constant.
override func update(currentTime: CFTimeInterval) {
    /* Called before each frame is rendered */

    for child in children{

        if(child.position.y < 0 && child.name == "ship"){
            child.removeFromParent()
        }
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A friend recently asked if he could have multiple camera views in different layout display panes at the same time - and then it hit me - you cant ... :question: can you?
Unfortunately you can't. Submit a feature request through fogbugz.


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Court extends custody of notorious sect head
"RIA Novosti," May 30, 2006
Moscow, Russia - A Moscow court ruled Tuesday that a notorious sect leader who promised to resurrect children killed in the 2004 Beslan tragedy should remain in custody until August 6.
A criminal case against Grigory Grabovoi, who claimed he could heal diseases and resurrect people and collected large sums of money from his victims, was opened March 20 after parents in Beslan demanded a probe into his activities. Grabovoi was arrested April 6.
A total of 331 people died in the Beslan siege, including 186 children.
Lawyers acting for Grigory Grabovoi had demanded their client be released.
"I have lodged a complaint with the Russian Prosecutor General's Office against Grabovoi's illegal prosecution," said Anatoly Gromov, Grabovoi's defense counsel, adding that his client was indicted on charges of fraud committed by a group of people, whereas only Grabovoi had been arrested.


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In music, Op. 65 stands for Opus number 65. Compositions that are assigned this number include:

 Brahms – Neue Liebeslieder
 Britten – Cello Sonata
 Chopin – Cello Sonata
 Dvořák – Piano Trio No. 3
 Glazunov – Commemorative Cantata for the Centenary of the Birth of Pushkin
 Koechlin – Les Heures persanes
 Mendelssohn – Organ Sonatas, Op. 65
 Reger – Zwölf Stücke, Op. 65
 Saint-Saëns – Septet in E major
 Schumann – Ritornelle in canonischen Weisen (7 canonic part songs)
 Shostakovich – Symphony No. 8
 Strauss – Die Frau ohne Schatten
 Weber – Invitation to the Dance


Gary Siperstein is founder and director of the Center for Social Development and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. A professor at UMass Boston since 1974, Siperstein received his PhD at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. He has published more than seventy-five articles, chapters, and books on the social relationships and social development of children with disabilities. His most recent book, Promoting Social Success, focuses on improving the social competence of children in the classroom. He has served as associate editor of the American Journal of Mental Retardation and editor of the Research Monograph Series of the American Association on Mental Retardation. The recipient of more than twenty research grants from federal agencies, including NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) and the U.S. Department of Education, Siperstein received the prestigious Merit Award from NICHD for his work on the social aspects of mental retardation. Enhancing the social competence of children with mental retardation in inclusive educational settings has been the focus of his most recent projects. Presently, he serves on the State Advisory Council for the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), the National Academy of Sciences Committee on "Eligibility Determination of Mental Retardation," and is past president of the Research Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Under Siperstein's direction, CSDE also works collaboratively with Special Olympics Inc. as a Global Collaborating Center (GCC). The purpose of the GCC is to conduct rigorous scientific research that is of value to the international community. The UMass Boston/Special Olympics Global Collaborating Center is solely responsible for all international research related to attitudes and intellectual disabilities.
Gary Siperstein, Neil Romano, Gizem Iskenderoglu, Anthony Roman, et al.
Discusses the effects of a stressful family climate on an intellectually disabled child.


We will enter Chapter 3 and will use "Introduction to Parsing" slides.
We will continue on Chapter 3 (from Section 3.3 Virtual Memory) and will keep going as far as possible.
For both courses, we plan to do reviews for the midterm exam problms. This means that you should be prepared for the materials covered by the midterm exam of each course.


Welcome to the home of one of the finest law enforcement Reserve Units in the United States. Whether you are considering joining a reserve unit or simply want to help the community by helping us, then this is the sheriff's reserve unit for you.
Our deputies work hand in hand with the full-time men and women of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office in all facets of the operation. Our Reserve deputies wear our uniform with a great deal of pride and dignity.
©2019 Fulton County Sheriff's Reserve.


text:
Half of pay will be spent on mortgage warn analysts
When interest rates rise mortgage payments will rocket.
Mortgage payments could surge if interest rates return to their normal level.
People buying a new home may be forced to spend over half of their take-home pay on their mortgage once interest rates rise, according to specialists.
The current 0.5% interest rate will return to around 5% in the coming years, which means mortgage rates could rise to 8%, experts at Capital Economics have warned.
For people buying a new house their mortgage repayments could rise by 17% to a massive 51% of their average take-home pay. This works out at about £12,000 a year for people on a gross salary of £31,500. For people who already have a mortgage the figure could reach 42%.
Paul Diggle, an economist at Capital Economics, said: "The record level of outstanding mortgage debt relative to earnings suggests that existing mortgage borrowers would fare even worse relative to historical norms. And with the share of outstanding mortgages on variable rates of interest the highest in at least a decade, there is good reason to think that a sustained tightening in monetary policy would be passed on to borrowers quickly and in full".
He continued: "Were average mortgage interest rates for existing borrowers to reach 8 per cent, their average mortgage payments would rise to an all-time high of 42 per cent of take-home pay. Yet the additional interest rate risk that variable rates expose borrowers to can be overstated. The fact that most fixed rate periods in the UK are just two or three years long means that even most borrowers on fixed rates are exposed to a high degree of interest rate risk".
He added that even though the rate is likely to remain steady for the next two years any changes will add to the existing pressure on mortgage borrowers.
24/05/11 Annuities
Pensioners fail to get best annuity
Declaring health conditions can result in higher Annuity incomes. People nearing retirement do not know that they can get a…
26/05/11 Pensions
Families fail to take up workplace pensions
Two fifths of families say they cannot afford to pay into a pension. Many workers would be happy to pay…


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WINDS OF CHANGE...
A strong early season spring storm moved across the country Saturday. You can see the extent of it on satellite, running from the Canadian border to the southeastern U.S.
Showers and thunderstorms fell across Iowa and Illinois and points south, with around a half an inch to an inch of rainfall accumulation. Stronger storms were ongoing to the south, including some tornadoes.
To the north, several inches of snow came on down, especially in the Dakotas and western Minnesota.
Now winds have picked up across the Upper Midwest with winds around 20-40 mph.
Winds will remain strong through the day Sunday and may gust up to 50 mph at times. Temperatures will be steady or even dropping some through the day Sunday.
It will feel colder, though, with those strong winds. Here's the wind chills for Sunday afternoon:
It will stay cool on Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s (it will be colder in the deeper snowpack in the north). Then another storm rolls in Wednesday and will take a path similar to Saturday's storm, but may even travel further north.
The track may still change, but temperatures will be much warmer Wednesday afternoon.
This will likely do a lot of melting, and as Terry mentioned we'll have to watch the potential for flooding. We'll be watching the track of the storm and how much rain is expected over the coming days.
13591-Pick_Nursing_300x250
Dahl box
1 rk box add


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text:
Posted on October 10, 2020 October 16, 2020 by Christian Leonard
Donations Surged for Council Candidate Herman
In the first six months of this year, City Council candidate Paul Herman had raised only $2,500 — a single loan he himself had given to his campaign.
Less than two months later, he had raised more than $36,000.
With that total, Herman became the candidate with the largest campaign coffers through Sept. 19, the most recent contribution reporting deadline, and surpassed Nick Schultz, the previous leader in contributions this year, who trailed at about $32,700. Close behind him was Konstantine Anthony, who had raised roughly $31,600.
Contributions totaling tens of thousands of dollars for the local election are nothing new; in 2015, current Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy's campaign collected nearly $25,000. But records available on the city's website, which go as far back as 2013, don't show dollar figures as high as the ones seen in this year's race.
"I think from the beginning we realized that this campaign was going to require raising a substantial amount of money due to the realignment of the municipal election with the general election," Herman said in a phone interview, explaining that his campaign committee of 17 volunteers has been working to reach out to donors.
Herman's total was previously higher, but his campaign disclosure was updated this week to show that he had received a total of $1,500 from a person involved in property management who had given three donations under different entity names. Since the contribution limit is $500, the campaign returned the rest of the money to the donor after being notified by the city clerk's office, according to Herman.
Herman's campaign received $500 from his treasurer — Debbie Kukta, assistant superintendent for the Burbank Unified School District — and a total of $1,250 from other people sharing his surname. Current Vice Mayor Bob Frutos and his wife, Laura, also donated $100 each.
Of the donations made to Herman's campaign in the most recent reporting period — July 1-Sept. 19 — about 61% of the donations of $100 or more were from people with Burbank addresses, including the contribution from his treasurer.
Linda Bessin's campaign, which has raised about $13,800, has the highest percentage of large local contributions for that period — more than 75%. However, $3,500 was self-donated and more than $100 was from her treasurer; minus those contributions, the percentage of large local donations to her campaign drops to about 24%.
Large donations are those that are $100 or more, according to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
Among contributions to Timothy Murphy's campaign, 62% were large local donations, though the reporting period for his statement was from Jan. 1-Sept. 19. His contribution total was just under $12,000.
Schultz had the lowest percentage of large local donations for the July 1-Sept. 19 reporting period: roughly 17%.
Tamala Takahashi has raised about $14,800 and Michael Gogin has collected nearly $8,000. Sharis Manokian again filed a statement saying her campaign is expected to receive less than $2,000, meaning she is not required to submit a contribution breakdown.
Herman has also made the most campaign expenditures — more than $32,000 — with $25,000 going to a campaign consultant group. Another $3,200 was spent on city filing fees, and $1,200 went to web advertising.
As of the reporting period, Anthony had the most remaining campaign dollars at more than $15,000, followed by Schultz at about $13,500.
John Echeto, Bessin's campaign treasurer, said in an email that the accounting system the city uses to track campaign contributions appears sometimes to make an error in calculations, adding that a lower "total-to-date" figure listed on the campaign report left out a $500 donation that a donor had transferred to a different credit card.
Echeto said Bessin's contributions total $13,800, and the Leader arrived at the same figure by adding together public contribution statements.
Only one other candidate's total-to-date number differed from the figure given when adding contribution reports together: Anthony's added total was $10.50 more than his total-to-date report. He said in an email that he believes the discrepancy is from having to re-enter donation data after his campaign's first contribution statement.
CategoriesBurbank Leader, Burbank Leader News TagsBurbank Unified School District, California Fair Political Practices Commission, Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy, Debbie Kukta, John Echeto, Konstantine Anthony, Linda Bessin, Michael Gogin, Nick Schultz, Paul Herman, Sharis Manokian, Tamala Takahashi, Timothy Murphy, Vice Mayor Bob Frutos
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What is the COVID-19 situation in Southeast Asia?
This Special Feature examines the COVID-19 context in Southeast Asia and looks at potential ways forward, in terms of reducing cases and ensuring long-term preparedness.
Southeast Asia has recently experienced surges in COVID-19-related deaths. We explore the situation in the region. Image credit: Ezra Acayam/Getty Images
It has been over a year since the first outbreak of COVID-19, back in December 2019. Yet COVID-19 cases continue to rise in nations throughout the world as they face increasing spread, more contagious variants, and slow vaccine rollout and engagement.
In this feature, we explore the ongoing efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. Medical News Today also reached out to two experts in the field of global health, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli and health equity legal expert Priti Krishtel, for further insight into the situation.
Dr. Krutika Kuppalli is an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Global Health Committee.
Priti Krishtel is a lawyer who specializes in health justice and the cofounder of I-MAK, a nonprofit that works to "challenge systemic injustice and advocate for health equity in drug development and access."
According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the COVID-19 death rate has been skyrocketing in multiple Southeast Asian countries since July 2021, with record high case numbers over the past month.
And with the recent emergence of the Delta variant, which may have increased transmissibility, the number of new COVID-19 cases has increased. This has led to a reimplementation of lockdown measures.
On August 9, Indonesia had a COVID-19 death rate of 392 per million, one of the highest in the region. Malaysia and the Philippines had similarly high rates, of 334 and 262 per million, respectively.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's parliament is currently in a 2-week lockdown due to four cases of Delta variant infection among its staff. In the public sphere, tensions are growing, as lawmakers criticize the lockdown, saying that it is part of an attempt by the government to avoid taking responsibility for their handling of the pandemic response.
And for most of the month of August, the Manila metro region of the Philippines has implemented strict lockdown measures.
On August 9, Brunei, Singapore, and Laos reported lower death rates, of 7, 7, and 1 per million, respectively. Singapore also has one of the highest vaccination rates, with 66% of the population fully vaccinated.
But Thailand and Vietnam, both of which had maintained relatively low case numbers, which can be attributed to continued testing and distancing measures, saw a sharp increase in cases in July.
Thailand's foreign ministry has implemented new travel limitations in tourist regions for the first half of August. Travel curbs and curfews are also in effect in Bangkok and other regions with high case numbers until the end of the month.
Vietnam, where only 1.03% of the population is fully vaccinated, continues to receive additional vaccine doses through the COVAX initiative.
Ineffective vaccine distribution, under-resourced healthcare systems, and vaccine hesitancy all contribute to the current record COVID-19 case numbers in the region.
Healthcare infrastructure
A lack of resources throughout healthcare systems, particularly in low-income countries, have limited the ability to prevent and treat COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Kuppalli explained to MNT that "There was a false narrative after the first surge last year that India had 'beaten' the pandemic, and there was a premature relaxing of public health measures" in the area.
While many national and local public health responses were effective in dealing with the first wave of COVID-19, further efforts were needed to ensure long-term protection.
Dr. Kuppalli urged increases in "infrastructure for testing, sequencing, and healthcare capacity," as well as engaging rural communities with education about COVID-19 symptoms and providing better access to care.
"All of these things would have made a large difference in how the second surge was handled — but also as we look ahead to other surges that might occur," she added.
Insufficient vaccine distribution
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that as of August 2021, a total of 618.5 million vaccines had been administered in Southeast Asia, which translates to 146 million people being fully vaccinated.
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the WHO's Southeast Asia regional director, commented that the region is on track to meet vaccination goals, with a target of 40% of the population fully vaccinated by the end of 2021.
Despite these hopeful figures, ongoing efforts are needed to promote vaccine equity and ensure widespread vaccine distribution.
At the Global Health Summit 2021, in May, specialists noted that a mere 0.3% of the total number of administered vaccines had gone to lower-income countries. The remaining went to higher-income countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany.
Priti Krishtel, of I-MAK, commented on this situation:
"We have a market-based global health model in which wealthy countries and pharmaceutical companies have hoarded knowledge, in terms of how to produce vaccines, and have also gobbled up supply while those in low- and middle-income countries are needlessly dying and could wait years to get vaccinated. Currently, 55% of people in high-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose, compared to only 1% of those in low-income countries."
In addition, conflicting information about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines has prompted uncertainty and hesitancy.
China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine has played a significant role in the vaccine landscape. In July, almost 90% of the vaccines in Indonesia were from Sinovac.
However, people are expressing hesitancy about this vaccine, though it has emergency use authorization from the WHO. A poll conducted in the province of Jakarta showed that a third of residents were undecided about whether to have the vaccine, driven partially by concerns about its efficacy.
The COVAX initiative, a collaboration among the WHO and other health bodies, is seeking to address shortages and the cost of vaccine supply in an effort to protect those most at risk — with a goal of producing 2 billion more vaccines by the end of 2021.
In addition, India and South Africa have called for a waiver of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. This was established in 1995 as part of the efforts of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to guarantee further protections for individual intellectual property.
Waiving the TRIPS agreement would promote the distribution of vaccines and related manufacturing processes and technologies. While this step has been supported by 100 countries, including the U.S., it is still facing resistance from several of the wealthiest nations.
"We need other G7 countries to join the U.S. in supporting the WTO TRIPS waiver so that global vaccine production can be massively scaled up. Without swift action by drug manufacturers and wealthy governments to share knowledge — much of which their taxpayers funded — we will be in the current situation of the virus ravaging huge swaths of the world for the next several years," said Krishtel.
"This also affects high-income countries, as variants will become more prevalent and make their way into countries with higher levels of vaccinated people, as we're already seeing with Delta. Vaccinating the world is the only way out of this pandemic," she emphasized.
Dr. Kuppalli agreed that more nations need to back the TRIPS waiver for countries to build the necessary vaccine manufacturing and distribution infrastructure.
Both experts also supported the WHO's recent call for a moratorium on booster shots until the end of September, at the earliest, in order to combat the vaccine shortage in several nations.
"Just look at what has happened over the last year," remarked Dr. Kuppalli. "We have the original strain of the virus, which then mutated to the Alpha variant and now the Delta variant, which is 40% more transmissible than the Alpha variant. If we do not get this under control, we will develop even more transmissible and dangerous variants."
Government agencies and communities must collaborate to ensure that vaccines are accessible and that precautionary distancing and mask measures continue.
For live updates on the latest developments regarding the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, click here.
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We opened our doors in Huntley, IL in the fall of 1995 with a dozen or so used motorcycles in our showroom.
In 1998 we began doing Lehman Trike conversions.
In 2001 we began selling Hyosung Motorcycles.
In 2003 we became a Victory Motorcycle Dealer. We have always been in a top 10 dealer for Victory and were #2 in the country at the time of Victory's announcement to stop production.
In 2009 we moved our location due to the widening of Route 47 in Huntley and are now located in Marengo, IL. That same year we became a Motortrike and California Sidecar dealer.
In 2013 we began our partnership with Zero Motorcycles. They are a fully electric motorcycle made right here in the US!
In 2017 we became a Ural dealer.
In 2018 we decided to expand our product line by becoming a dealer for Ural, SSR Motorsports and CF Moto.
We have always believed that it is not what you ride but that you ride. We built our business selling and servicing motorcycles of all makes and models and continue to do that today. Our staff is made up of motorcycle enthusiasts who have a wide knowledge base for all different motorcycles.


Mick Jagger has spoken out about how hard it is for emerging bands to break when there is so much competition on social networking sites.
In an interview with MySpace TV The Rolling Stones singer said he thought things are harder for new artists now than they were in the 1960s.
However, Jagger believes the modern world is a better place for music fans.
However, he believed the variety of choice made it harder for new acts.


David Simon's new HBO drama, Treme, now in its second series in the US, depicts a disparate group of people living in post-Katrina New Orleans. It's received a mixed critical reception, with many critics comparing it unfavourably to The Wire, the exploration of urban dysfunction that is Simon's undoubted masterpiece. While at first glance, comparing Treme and The Wire seems counterproductive, I'm going to take a look at the style of both shows, and how that style points up their significant differences.
The Wire moves at an extremely deliberate pace. Aside from the odd visual flourish in the pilot, like incorporating surveillance footage into certain scenes, the series stays rooted in a polished, assured and unshowy realism. This is not the jittery, documentary-style verité camerawork of Homicide: Life On The Street, the other series about police work in Baltimore to be adapted from Simon's writings.
The Wire will often employ filmic techniques rarely used on the small screen, such as shooting a conversation with both characters in the frame instead of alternating over-the-shoulder shots, or pulling in on one character while another talks. This is part of the overall confidence of the show and its creator, that it can ease us into an alien and often confusing world, without spoon feeding us, and we will learn to find our way through it.
Style and creator are here inseparable. Simon as a person is righteous, highly focused, with a fixation on clarity and a deep contempt for obfuscation. Read any interview with him – this recent one is a good example – and those qualities will be on display.
This focus and control comes through in the look of the show. Every shot and camera movement is precise and meticulous. The Wire, as well as Simon's other series – The Corner (which preceded The Wire), Generation Kill, and now Treme – look and work like well-calibrated pieces of machinery where every part interlocks and works towards a single goal.
But does that work for all the series he's made? That kind of low-key realism is an asset when making fictionalised accounts of true events (The Corner, Generation Kill), or a explicitly polemical show about the interconnected problems of an American city. I happen to think Treme is different to both of those categories. Yes, there are moments of polemic, but overall it's a much more easygoing show. The story is one of attempts by the various characters to rebuild their city and their lives.
Treme moves at more or less the same pace as The Wire, but without the cops-versus-crooks angle to hook audience interests. But the intent is the same; to immerse the viewer into a new world and gradually explain how it operates. Where The Wire's focus is sociological, Treme's is cultural. I personally love the hanging-out aspect of the show; there's a sense rarely present in other TV shows, that the world and the characters exist for themselves and not just for the audience. We're just bystanders, lucky enough to have a seat and watch the world go by.
Which brings me to my actual point – the drawbacks of doing such a laid-back series with such a buttoned-up visual style. You find yourself wishing that the show would relax a little. The closest thing to Treme in terms of narrative DNA (apart from The Wire) would probably be Robert Altman's sprawling ensemble pieces, and the show could benefit from a looser, Altman-esque take. (Given the value Simon places on precise phrasing, I doubt he'd be too open to improvisation, but I could be wrong.) Or perhaps a handheld, documentary-style approach in common with Homicide.
All this speculation aside, Simon made the series his way, and he made what is to me an absorbing and atmospheric examination of a city and a culture fighting against obliteration. It's not The Wire, but then again, it was never intended to be.


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The Intersphere have announced their brand new album Wanderer, out May 26th and available to pre-order now here. Marking the announcement the German alternative rock band have released the new single 'Bulletproof'. Inspired by the […]
CHARLOTTE SANDS releases her new single 'Alright'
Mixing the melodic rush, fiery attitude and relentless energy of pop-punk with the kind of voice and instantly irresistible hooks that powers chart-bound pop stars, Charlotte Sands bridges the space between those two worlds. She's […]
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FUTURE ISLANDS share video for new single 'Glada' – Watch Now!
March 1, 2021 XS Noize
Today, Future Islands release a stunning new video for 'Glada', from their 2020 album As Long As You Are. 'Glada' was directed by actress and frontman Sam Herring's partner, Julia Ragnarsson making her directorial debut, […]


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Oman evacuates American national from Yemen capital
Key role as region's mediator
MUSCAT - Omani armed forces have evacuated an American from Yemen's rebel-held capital following a request for assistance from the United States, the sultanate's foreign ministry said.
"In response to a request from the US government for help to free an American in Yemen, the Omani authorities, in coordination with the Yemeni authorities in Sanaa, obtained the release" of the US citizen, said a statement.
The person, whose identity was not revealed, "was evacuated on Friday night from Sanaa to Muscat on board an Omani air force plane before being repatriated" to the United States, it said, quoted by the official ONA news agency.
The statement gave no other details.
Yemen has been at war since September 2014, when Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies drove the government out of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen.
The Shiite Huthi rebels controlled Yemen's second city Aden for months before government forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition pushed them back in July.
Oman is the only Gulf Arab country that has good relations with Iran and the rebels.
In September, Oman helped to negotiate the release of a Briton, two Americans and three Saudis held by the Huthis.
And in November, Oman evacuated from Yemen three other Americans said to have been held on allegations of spying.
The release of the latest American comes ahead of a UN-announced ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday night.


and set goals together for the semester ahead.
Your Sub Regional Director (Rev. Jackson), Secretary General (Izak Hernandez), YAYAM Coordinator (Tami Tamayo), National YAYAM Director (Naokimi Ushiroda), National Children's Ministry Coordinator (Leena Vincenz-Gavin) will also be coming!
If flying, please arrive at DFW International airport by 11:30am on Friday, and depart after 2:00pm on Sunday.


Everyone wants to save money all year round especially for heating or cooling your home. Even though you want to save all year long, it is particularly hard to accomplish during the winter months. To help control costs, try these energy-saving tips for your home.


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Universal Mind Revealed: is a kabbalistic rendering of Genesis Chapter 5 of the Bible. It is a book for everyone: contemporary readers, students of Kabbalah and new thought, metaphysicians, and anyone pursuing biblical understanding. Universal Mind Revealed discloses our latent powers endowed to us to help us evolve, to learn to harness universal forces, attune to them, and alter their ultimate effect upon us. Moreover, it teaches us how to arrange the affairs of our life so that we can use the forces of life as allies, like a captain of a ship turning his sails to the wind. The knowledge given in Universal Mind Revealed enhances our awareness of who we are, where we came from, why we are here, where we are going. This knowledge goes hand-in-hand with the famous Greek maxim, Know Thyself. Universal Mind Revealed serves as a guide to help us harvest better crop by learning and acting on the knowledge acquired through the proper study and application of Genesis Chapter 5 of the Bible. As our awareness as human beings expands, our perception of what is written in this chapter also expands bringing a spiritual solution to every life challenge. Universal Mind Revealed gives us a deeper understanding of life to allow for different truths to resonate. Knowledge that can give us an opportunity to test ourselves and learn our strengths and weaknesses, and at the same time helps us improve ourselves and overcome our weaknesses, makes us better and more fulfilled individuals. It gives our life meaning. Higher esoteric teachings that help us grow are precious learnings for they open the doors to life everlasting.


Since Microsoft announced the Xbox Kinect, traditional game play has truly changed. Without the need for physical controllers, the Kinect opens the doors to a whole new market of casual gamers. With 8 million units sold since launch, the Xbox has finally started to invade Nintendo Wii sales.
As the Xbox 360 becomes the "go to place" for movies and music, Microsoft found that many customers often dreaded having to use the gaming controller to browse and navigate their TV. While it probably wasn't an issue for gamers, others generally found the overwhelming number of buttons confusing. To solve that problem entirely, Microsoft now simplifies the entire experience with Kinect.
During the company's CES 2011 keynote, Microsoft announced that users can now will soon be able to use the Kinect's motion capabilities to control Zune, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and ESPN without a controller. With simple hand gestures and voice commands users can browse through libraries of content and access full media playback controls. For example a user can say "Xbox, play song" or wave their hand in swiping motions to scan through a list of movies. This feature is not important for just the less technically savvy, but also for the disabled or physically impaired. In fact, the motion and voice controls even make it easy to control the Xbox when your hands are occupied. The Kinect would be one of the first accessibility tools for the TV. Microsoft says these new features will be available for existing and new customers as an update this spring.
It is important to note that Netflix, Hulu Plus, and ESPN are only available to Xbox LIVE subscribers. Which means an additional $50 per year to access premium content. For someone who does not game online or use the many other features of Xbox LIVE, the monthly cost can get quite pricey. In comparison, the PlayStation 3 and Wii charge no extra fees for online access. Until Microsoft waives Xbox LIVE fees accessing entertainment content, it's hard to tell whether casual users will be willing to shell out the extra cash on top of Netflix and Hulu Plus subscription costs.
They have Hulu Plus for Xbox 360 now??
Hulu Plus will be available this spring.