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North Dakota Criminal Justice Schools
Several schools in North Dakota offer criminal justice programs that can help you launch or advance your career with an associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree. Criminal justice specialties that you can study in North Dakota include law enforcement, cybersecurity, and criminal investigations. Several schools, including Bismarck State College and Lake Region State College, offer criminal justice degree programs online. Continue reading to learn more about the criminal justice programs available in North Dakota.
There are 9 schools offering criminal justice degrees in North Dakota (see below).1
4 colleges and universities offer associate's degrees in criminal justice.*1
6 colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in criminal justice.*1
3 colleges and universities offer criminal justice degree programs online.*1
No schools ranked in Kiplinger's Best Values in Public Colleges in 2018.2
1 school ranked in College Factual's Best Criminal Justice & Corrections Colleges in 2018.3
1 school ranked in Criminal Justice Degree Schools Best Online Bachelor's Programs in 2018.
No schools ranked in US News Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs in 2018.4
Criminal Justice Degree Programs in North Dakota
North Dakota's criminal justice degree options include traditional college, university, or technical schools in cities like Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks as well as the convenience of online programs from various colleges and universities. Tuition in North Dakota is comparatively affordable, and options like paralegal certification programs offer a cost-effective fast-track to a promising legal career without attending law school. No matter which criminal justice career you are pursuing, a degree can be valuable by making you more competitive for open positions – even those in which a degree is not a strict requirement. A criminal justice degree can also help you qualify for higher starting salaries and offer increased opportunities for promotion.
Top-Ranked Schools with Criminal Justice Programs in North Dakota
University of North Dakota (#137)
University of Mary
Profiles of Well-Known Schools in North Dakota
University of North Dakota: The Department of Criminal Justice at the University of North Dakota offers both a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a partnership graduate program with Minot State University that leads to a PhD in Criminal Justice. The undergraduate program draws faculty from the departments of Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology. The College of Arts and Sciences, under which the criminal justice program falls, also has a specialized Forensic Science Program with two different tracks, Evidence Technician or Evidence Analysis. Common graduate level courses include Human Nature and Crime, Theories of Punishment, and Seminar in Juvenile Justice.
North Dakota State University: North Dakota State University has the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science where students can pursue a Bachelors in Criminal Justice, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, and a PhD in Criminal Justice. The faculty are world-renowned experts and researchers in the areas of corrections, community policing, criminology theory, and juvenile delinquency. For students who wish to network and research alongside peers, there is the Criminal Justice Club that meets every other week. Criminal Justice doctoral students can customize their degree plans to specialize in Criminology, Corrections, or Policing.
Notable Alumni from North Dakota Universities
Cass County North Dakota Sheriff Paul D. Laney – University of Mary
West Fargo, ND Police Chief Arland H. Rasmussen – North Dakota State University
Dickinson, ND Police Chief Dustin Dassingerr – Lake Region State College
Police Quote: "Of course, you can have a successful career in patrol or corrections without a degree, but it definitely helps. Even if these people don't aspire to management, a bachelor's degree should still be the goal because it helps in so many ways – even with simple life skills."
Sheriff Gary Raney
North Dakota Criminal Justice Careers
Numerous criminal justice jobs in North Dakota offer an exciting work environment and competitive pay and benefits. The average annual salary for police officers in North Dakota is $51,610 while police first-line supervisors earn an average of $69,710.6,8 If you become a correctional officer the average salary in North Dakota is $39,530.5 Detectives and criminal investigators in the state earn an average of $77,870.7 Paralegals working at law firms and other settings earn an average wage of $43,740 while court reporters make an average wage of $49,510 in the state.9,10
Job positions frequently become available for those with the right training within the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Applicants for positions ranging from correctional case manager to correctional officer up to grades of Lieutenant or Captain may substitute years of college for the experience requirement. A bachelor's degree in criminal or juvenile justice or a related field is required of candidates for the position of juvenile corrections technician. Benefits include paid family health coverage in addition to competitive wages for these careers.
North Dakota Criminal Justice Salary and Jobs
Correctional Officers and Jailers 920 $39,530
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 190 $69,710
Detectives and Criminal Investigators 290 $77,870
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 1,280 $51,610
North Dakota's Criminal Justice Employment Outlook
As of May 2016, North Dakota had an unemployment rate of 3.2%, well below the national average of 4.7%.11 Government-related employment is a good proxy for North Dakota's criminal justice jobs. Projections Central includes these criminal justice job projections for North Dakota through 2024:
Police and Sheriff Patrol: 60 annual openings; 46% in these positions report completing at least some college, with 24% holding an associate's degree.12,13
Correctional Officers: 40 annual openings; 37% in these positions report completing at least some college, with 15% holding a post-secondary certificate.12,14
Detectives and Criminal Investigators: 10 annual openings; 37% in these positions report completing at least some college, with 21% holding an associate's degree.12,15
Security Guards: 40 annual openings; 4% in these positions report completing at least some college.12,16
Paralegals and Legal Assistants: 10 annual openings; 86% in these positions report completing at least some college, with 30% holding an associate's degree and 44% holding a bachelor's degree.12,17
Open position estimates are based on jobs growth and replacements.
The Mercatus Center is a conservative think tank that analyzed and rated the long-term solvency of each state government. After looking at budgeting, cash/tax collection, and pensions, North Dakota was ranked 4th in the nation.18 This means that new hires can be relatively confident about the state's ability to fulfill employee pension obligations.
Infographic by Criminal Justice Degree Schools
Directory of Not-for-Profit North Dakota Universities Offering Campus-based and Online Criminal Justice Degrees
If you are interested in earning a North Dakota criminal justice degree, you should look for an accredited campus-based or online criminal justice program for your associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees in the growing field of criminal justice.
Tip: If you don't live near a campus-based school that offers a program of interest, consider an online degree or a university in an adjacent state (Minnesota, South Dakota, or Montana).
Bismarck State College (Bismarck)
Associate of Arts | Criminal Justice (online or on-campus)
Associate of Applied Science | Criminal Justice (online or on-campus)
Associate of Applied Science | Cybersecurity and Computer Networks (online or on-campus)
Lake Region State College (Devils Lake)
Associate of Applied Science | Law Enforcement (online or on-campus)
Certificate | Peace Officer Training
University of Mary (Bismarck)
Bachelor Degree | Criminal Justice (online or on-campus)
Minot State University (Minot)
Minor | Fraud Examination
Certificate | Police Management and Investigation
Program | Peace Officer Training Program (POST)
North Dakota State University (Fargo)
Bachelor of Arts/ Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Arts/ Science | Emergency Management
Master of Science | Criminal Justice Administration: Applied Criminal Justice
Master of Science | Criminal Justice Administration: Criminology
PhD | Criminal Justice
Minor | Fraud Investigation
Minor | Emergency Management
Student Review: "The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Criminal Justice Program is a great academic program for students like myself who want to go into law or the research side of criminal justice. The curriculum focuses heavily on theoretical perspectives and case studies. While my coursework included numerous reading and writing assignments, I felt that I have gained more knowledge into the world of Criminal Justice here than I would have anywhere else. All the faculty have PhDs and expertise in the different fields related to criminal justice. This provides a unique opportunity for me and other students to see and hear firsthand on how the criminal justice system works here in the United States and around the world. Thanks to the faculty, who supported me through the program, I now have a new perspective on criminal justice and to why people do what they do. I would recommend this program to anyone."
Student at North Dakota State University
Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates)
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Turtle Mountain Community College (Belcourt)
Associate of Arts | Criminal Justice
United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck)
Minor | Criminal Investigations
Minor | Corrections, Parole, & Probation
Minor | Community Services
University of Jamestown (formerly Jamestown College) (Jamestown)
University of North Dakota (Grand Forks)
Juris Doctor/ PhD | Criminal Justice
Student Review: "I really enjoyed my 4.5 years at UND. It is a nice campus, generally nice staff and students (mostly midwestern, although the Aviation program draws from all over the country and world). College hockey is the big sport on campus, and Ralph Engelstad Arena is one of the best venues to watch a hockey game, college or professional. The wellness center at UND was new in 2006, and is a popular place for students, particularly in the cold winter months (which is about 2/3 of the school year in Grand Forks). I spent my first year in the dorms (McVey Hall), and that made adjusting to college life very simple. The dorm food was good, had healthy options, and very convenient hours. As with any state university, there is a variety of ways to get involved at UND with clubs and organizations. They also do "Nightlife" every Friday and Saturday night, which is an event put on that gives students a free, fun way to spend weekend nights without partying and getting drunk. It usually consists of free food, activities, and performances (comedian, hypnotist, etc). Overall, I would recommend UND as a top choice for any potential student, if they have your major of choice, which they probably will in most cases."
Brent L., student at University of North Dakota
Student Review: "The criminal justice program at UND isn't very good, to be frank. The facilities are located in a part of campus that isn't as nice as the other buildings. There also aren't many resources available to aid in learning advancements. The local law enforcement never came by and didn't interact with the students in any capacity, so we never got an exposure to local law enforcement agencies. Many of my peers didn't like taking these classes and neither did I. However, the criminal justice department at UND did excel in terms of comprehensive coursework; we wrote many essays and did lots of research about criminal justice and crime trends throughout the state of North Dakota. The online courses were also lacking a little bit, but they could certainly be worse."
Student at University of North Dakota
Valley City State University (Valley City)
Bachelor of Arts | Human Services, Criminal Justice Concentration
Bachelor of Science | Human Services, Criminal Justice Concentration
5. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, Correctional Officers and Jailers https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333012.htm
6. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes331012.htm
7. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, Detectives and Criminal Investigators: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333021.htm
8. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes333051.htm
9. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, Paralegals and Legal Assistants: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes232011.htm
10. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 Occupational Employment and Wages, Court Reporters: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes232091.htm
11. Y Charts 10 Year Unemployment Chart: http://https://ycharts.com/indicators/north_dakota_unemployment_rate
15 O*Net OnLine, Police Detectives: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/33-3021.01


Who saves people from fires and puts out all the flames?
Who takes care of people who are sick and gives them an injection if he has to?
When you grow up, you could become a firefighter or a nurse!
But now you are still very small, and you are … my sweet little prince!
A sweet book for all little princes with big dreams. For toddlers aged 18 months and up, with a focus on the child's world.


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Q: how to solve Post 400 error on bot framework emulator? i have used core bot framework template from Visual studio and created bot, then i did app registration on below url
https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_RegisteredApps/ApplicationsListBlade
Then  Used Microsoft app Id and Microsoft password  on  "https://dev.botframework.com/bots/new"  link  to create  bot and added endpoint as https://113526c2.ngrok.io/api/messages
Then used Microsoft App id and App password in c#.net code ,  configured  Microsoft App id and App password which get from app registartion  and  endpoint url as https://113526c2.ngrok.io/api/messages on bot framework emulator
But bot is not working on bot framework, why?, Post 400 error display on bot emulator
How to solve it ?

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Previous
Table of Contents
Next

Test driven learning

In order to help you learn Javascript, I will give you some tests: you have
to program Reeborg to accomplish specific tasks and Reeborg itself will tell you
if you got it right or wrong.

Select the world Home 1.  Notice how the bottom left square is coloured differently: this
is Reeborg's home.  Reeborg's world is a simple grid.  In Home 1, Reeborg starts at
the third square on the bottom row.
 It labels this square as x=3 and y=1, using what is
known as Cartesian coordinates.

In the Code editor, there is a program with a single command: move();.
    Try running the program and see what Reeborg has to say about the result.

Fix it!

Can you add a second line to the program so that Reeborg can go home?

Try two more

Select Home 2.
Notice how Reeborg is in a different location and is also facing you.
Try running the exact same program and see what happens.

Next, select Home 3.
Notice how there is a small black square in the  home position.
Try to run your program now.

Previous
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Creatinine is a metabolite and a by-product that is produced when creatine is broken down. A small amount of creatine is permanently converted into creatinine in the body. Creatinine migrates from the cells into the blood and is then excreted from the kidneys into the urine.
Any supplementation with creatine increases the creatine stored in the body. Higher levels of creatine in the body also mean that more creatine will be broken down in the form of creatinine. As a result, supplementation may cause the concentration of creatinine in the blood and urine to increase a bit. For this reason, people with greater muscle mass may have higher creatinine levels than those with lower muscle mass. This is not a cause for concern because even the higher levels of creatinine are within normal limits and creatinine itself has never been shown to be harmful.
Because physicians measure blood creatinine levels as a routine test for renal pathology, anyone undergoing a renal function test should inform their physician about any use of a dietary creatine supplement. Increased creatinine levels resulting from supplementation with creatine are usually considered safe.
You can read more about creatinine levels under Standard creatinine levels.


a petroleum refinery, engine oil properties,Sales and service of High Quality Petroleum Refinery Equipment Products&Machinery.
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1, engine oil properties the oil and gas with three layers of polyethylene anticorrosion insulation steel pipe, steel pipe. Demand in the technique of transportation of pure gas, used three layer, or layer of polyethylene insulation pipe, software of steel tube in this way can make sure that the transportation security and has been efficient in, assure the steel pipe from corrosion or damage. The anti-corrosion insulation pipe is execute customary sy/din30670 t0413-2002, when manufacturing is in accordance with the standard manufacturing, guarantee the smooth progress of work, assure the standard of the product.
Eyes anti-corrosion steel pipe processing varieties has the next kinds of insulation, demand set and alternative, on the idea of the distinctive circumstances under introduce you the anti-corrosion insulation pipe processing varieties: by way of general excess capability is probably the most typical thick wall steel pipe, reminiscence 2009 thick-walled steel pipe excess capacity up to a hundred million tons, nonetheless, steel funding continues so as to add new capacity proceed rising. Whereas the thick wall steel pipe merchandise and inorganic salt trade equivalent to funding development is much larger than the trade average improve, methanol and other coal chemical projects "blossom". As well as, in response to fa monetary fund (imf) forecasts, 2009-2012 years of world shipbuilding capacity is one engine oil properties hundred million ton.
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Debated broaden home engineering equipment enterprise manufacturing line, the industry's prime six firms have been prolonged to the whole collection of merchandise, which tended to low stage, low costs, business technical level has not improved. Shipbuilding capacity is generally type making extreme energy growth, high technology, excessive added worth product growth power isn't robust.
The anti-corrosion spiral steel pipe. Fancy transport material may have original materials of steel pipe in transport, to make sure the safety and reliability of transport materials. Fbe anti-corrosion insulation pipe and a couple of fbe anti-corrosion insulation pipe has consistent manufacturing commonplace, production and processing customary sy/t0315-97, sy/t0315-2005.
4, epoxy coal tar anti-corrosion glass cloth spiral steel pipe. The anti-corrosion insulation pipe is very important and effective corrosion safety of asphalt, stopping the hurt of asphalt was carried out on the steel pipe must. Manufacturing standard: sy/t0447 gb50268-97-97.
If you have any type of questions pertaining to where and how you can use Petroleum Refinery engine oil properties Equipment Tower Internals And Packings, you can call us at our own website.


Crumbs that Chondros and Katsiani left behind to find their way.
Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani worked for more than thirty years in public high schools in Greece, but also for three years abroad as philologists / classics teachers. This means that from time to time they taught ancient Greek language and literature from the original texts and in translation, modern Greek language and literature, history of various periods, Latin, psychology, sociology, philosophy, political education, management and production, as well as office administration. It is clear that they taught many of these subjects without having previously studied them themselves, because philologists are treated as a type of Renaissance man. This perception followed Chondros and Katsiani also in the rest of their non-professional pursuits. Thus, they dealt with the visual arts (creatively and writing theoretical texts, organising events, operating art spaces), with music mainly through the trio Dimosioipalliliko Retire but also on their own or in collaborations (playing, singing, writing pieces of various styles – they were even given an award for their music), they operated a pirate radio station, they founded a science field (the zoo-garden-ology), they inspired a religion (of the Deus Ex Machina), they created the Center for Research on the Definition of Happiness, and they, of course, wrote poems and prose (their most recent release being the novel "Six to Seven" by Charama editions). They currently take part in mountain road races with the group "Anonymous Rationalists". Following this schematic and therefore incomplete list of occupations, the need for a moral emerges. What is the purpose of such a course, what is the aim of a behaviour that competes with the ball of pinball machines? The aim is for one to maintain their clarity despite the speed and duration of the phenomena they face and to which they are exposed.
Art historian Areti Leopoulou and composer Costis Drygianakis will speak of this clarity in the course of Chondros and Katsiani. The evening will be completed by Chondros and Katsiani themselves who will introduce their own personal alphabet primer. By contrasting the standard order of the alphabetical sequence to chaos and a signification disorder of word entries, they will reveal the fable-like nature of everyday life.
ATOPOS CVC inaugurates the #TextMe project, a year of actions and events on books and text in media arts in the context of UNESCO's 'Athens 2018, World Book Capital'. #TextMe was an original concept by Atopos artistic director Vassilis Zidianakis. Within this context, researcher Fil ieropoulos has curated #TextMe_Lab, a series of lectures, discussions, workshops and residencies of artists and academics at Atopos. The projects will revolve around the thematic of using text in artistic forms and interdisciplinary language applications. Some of the main points of interest of the programme are visual poetry, word and screen relationships, spoken word and the boundaries between poetry and sound art, as well as modern linguistic phenomena in online pop culture and new media.
"On Clarity between Velocity and Duration." is the seventh event of #TextMe_Lab.


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Penguins Kick Off 2018-19 With Three-Game Homestand
PITTSBURGH — Whether anyone thought it was a penance for winning back-to-back Stanley Cups or just the way things fell, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a rugged 19 sets of back-to-back games last season. For 2018-19, there will only be 11 sets, none until Nov. 23-24 at Boston and at home against Columbus, and three of the sets will have two home games.
The full schedules for all NHL clubs were announced today. The home openers were announced Wednesday. The Penguins host the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin Thursday Oct. 4 at PPG Paints Arena, and that not only is their home opener but their season opener.
The team opens with a three-game homestand — Washington Oct. 4, Montreal Oct. 6 in the first Saturday home game, and Marc-Andre Fleury and Cup runner-up Vegas Oct. 11. The three games matches the franchise's longest season-opening homestand.
As usual, there is a Thanksgiving Eve game, Nov. 21 against Dallas.
Their Western Canadian swing comes early and, unlike a lot of seasons, has no back-to-backs — Oct. 23 at Edmonton, Oct. 25 at Calgary and Oct. 27 at Vancouver.
Their warm-weather West Coast swing, and longest road trip, starts Jan. 11 at Anaheim and continues Jan. 12 at Los Angeles, Jan. 15 at San Jose, Jan. 18 at Arizona and Jan. 19 at Vegas. Perhaps the players will be too road-weary by then to enjoy a lot of Sin City distractions.
Also previously announced, the Penguins have an outdoor game, their fifth all-time, Feb. 23 against Philadelphia at that city's NFL stadium, Lincoln Financial Field.
The team broke down its Metropolitan division home games:
Tuesday, February 5 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 31 5:00 PM
Saturday, November 24 7:00 PM
Thursday, March 7 7:00 PM
Monday, November 5 7:00 PM
Monday, January 28 7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 30 7:00 PM
Thursday, December 6 7:00 PM
Sunday, February 17 12:30 PM
Saturday, April 6 7:00 PM
Saturday, December 1 7:00 PM
Thursday, October 4 7:00 PM
Tuesday, March 12 7:00 PM
The full schedule
Related Topics:Alex OvechkinFeaturedMarc-Andre FleuryPittsburgh PenguinsShelly AndersonStanley Cup
Big-Name Rumors Swirl at NHL Draft; Pens Keeping Cap Space Available
PHN Extra: Analytics Show Pursuing Jack Johnson Would Be Mistake
Shelly is a columnist and reporter for Pittsburgh Hockey Now. She was a Penguins beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and remains a contributor to The Hockey News. Catch her on Twitter @_shellyanderson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Вернер Стефані (1882 — 1946) — німецький дипломат. Німецький генеральний консул у Києві. Консул у Києві (1924-1928).

Біографія
Народився у 1882 році. Був консульським секретарем при німецькому посольстві в Москві. Був Генеральним консулом Німеччини у Києві. З 21 березня 1924 по 1928 рр. працював у Києві на посаді консула. Згідно з даними заведеної на нього, досі засекреченої справи за 1925 рік, займався розвідувальною діяльності в Києві та Одесі. Ці відомості доповнюють агентурні дані за 1926 рік, що зберігались у відділі оперативного обліку КДБ. Останню виїзну візу отримав 14 лютого на термін до 14 березня 1928 року. Його змінив на посаді консула у Києві Рудольф Зоммер, а сам він виїхав до Туреччини, на посаду аташе німецького посольства з військових питань. У 1942-43 роках Вернер Стефані перебував в окупованій Одесі.
У Копенгагені, канцлер німецького посольства, керував господарством і касою. У 1945 році заарештований англійськими спецслужбами.

Примітки

Німецькі дипломати
Консули Німеччини в Києві

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Launch GIMP on your PC and load the image in it using File > Open. Navigate to the image and open it. Navigate to the image and open it. Step 2: Add Alpha Channel... 13/11/2018�� The Gimp program is extremely slow to do something like show a histogram at these image sizes. My problem is 1.9Gb is a small image ! An 8x10 is around 11.2Gb potentially. My problem is 1.9Gb is a small image !
13/11/2018�� The Gimp program is extremely slow to do something like show a histogram at these image sizes. My problem is 1.9Gb is a small image ! An 8x10 is around 11.2Gb potentially. My problem is 1.9Gb is a small image !
So I have this question. When I copy an image and then want to put it in Gimp and edit it. Press CRTL+N and (I used to have PS cs3) I was used to those dimensions (width & length) to be the same size as the image I had copied to clipboard.


Terra Eternus • View topic - Happy Easter!
Happy Easter everyone! I'm sure the bounders have been busy!
Post subject: Re: Happy Easter!
Soon it comes, "Genestorm" will come.
I don't get the idea behind easter.
You don't seem to get a lot of things.
Think of it as an excuse to eat chocolate bunnies. Mmm mmm good.
Easter was a holiday once celebrated by the Pagans. Many pagan cultures held spring festivals hundreds of years ago. One such festival was in celebration of Eostre, the goddess of dawn. Eostre was linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility. Christian missionaries converted the celebration of Eostre into a Christian holiday in order to get more pagans to convert to Christianity.
As for the giant anthropomorphic bunny, well he can trace his origins back to Germany in the 1500's where the pagan rabbit was given the name Oschter Haws, and was believed to lay colorful eggs for good children.
And that, my friends, is where the bunny, the eggs, and the resurrection of Christ collide.
Well, Happy Easter! And Happy spring!!
"I live in Antarctica! We live close to each other!" "Damn, you must be one of those russian hobos excavating the lands.. "


It's my turn for November's Colour pallette today, the lovely cool tones chosen for November.
I started with a Tando MDF Mixed Media board, I love playing with these as they are a nice size to work with if you don't like daunting projects! You can also drill holes in these and make them into tiny wall hangings.
I mixed up a lilac roughly from Dioxazine Purple and Titanium White, leaving a little unmixed to give the media board some different shades. I then made the paint a shade lighter, and stamped circles and crackle all over, and edged the board with my finger and more paint to make a rough edge.
I took a Tando Mini Heart, and painted it in Quinacridone Magenta. Over the top I lightly brushed the lighter lilac, giving a washed effect. This was stamped with a Steampunk stamp with Paynes Grey, and the Tando cog and numbers from my stash painted in a lighter mix. I stamped the corners with a barbed wire stamp.
Lilac isn't usually my colour, but it just shows you can still grunge it up! I drilled two holes, added some wire and curled it, and of course, added a couple of little purple skull beads.
I hope you enjoy our week of Colour!


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Xavier Girard (born 1970) is a French nordic combined skier who competed from 1988 to 1992. He won a silver medal in the 3 x 10 km team event at the 1991 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme.

Girard's best individual finish was 2nd in Canada in 1989.

External links

1970 births
Living people
French male Nordic combined skiers
Nordic combined skiers at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics
Olympic Nordic combined skiers of France
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in Nordic combined


text:
TV ReviewsSharp ObjectsSeason 1
In a beautiful, bruising episode, Sharp Objects shows us the pain of being extraordinary
Laura Bogart
In "Falling," Chief Vickery wryly, wistfully, wonders why the women of Wind Gap aren't content to be ordinary. The whole series has been a study in female extremity: Camille scars her body into a living testament to her pain; Adora and Amma assert themselves through pageants of stylized cruelty; Jackie presents herself as a theatrically faded Southern belle, like a tarter, sharper, Blanche DuBois; and even Ann Nash and Natalie Keene, girls we only know through memories, come across as more sinister than mere tomboys, they are feral girls quick to bite and stab and fight against anyone who tries to tame them. The only women who are defined by their ordinariness, Camille's former clique, are simultaneously bored and boring, curdling inside their suburban lives.
But this penultimate episode interrogates the concept of the extraordinary by reminding us that everything that is, truly, extraordinary, isn't some exalted ideal. The ordinary is normal, rational, and calmly quotidian—the extraordinary is simply anything that isn't, well, ordinary. The mother who bakes homemade goodies for the nurses tending to her fatally ill daughter, and presents those goodies in-person, immaculately coiffed and unfailingly gracious, is extraordinary. So is the mother who will slowly poison her daughter—her desire for attention, for attaining the kind of dark beatification that comes from so stoically enduring such an unfathomable loss, overriding her normal maternal instincts. "Falling" crystallizes a truth that the previous six episodes have slyly elided: Adora has Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, she systematically tortured Marion to death, and she's beginning the process anew with Amma.
Sharp ObjectsSeason 1
"Falling"
Our earlier glimpses of Adora as a caregiver are always filtered through Camille's memory, always slightly askew: We see Adora kneeling at Marion's casket, the heels of her pumps framed like vampire stakes; Adora cradling baby Amma, but with her back turned, glimpsed through the bars of a staircase; and Adora weeping wrathfully, still, over Marion's long-abandoned in-house hospital bed. These memories feel like colorized flashes from a classic monster movie: They're thick with an anticipatory menace, a sense that the demon is just outside the door.
But Richard's sleuthing—which yields Marion's medical files and an interview with a nurse who long suspected that there was something rotten in Adora's immaculately lipsticked smile—draws that sense of menace taut as a garrote around a tender neck. Of course, it's Adora; it's always been Adora—the well-mannered madwoman who never stopped tormenting Camille, the vampire in a sundress who stole her great love. Ironically, this discovery positions Camille's prolonged resistance to Adora's ministrations—in the present, she refuses to let Adora wrap her swollen ankle; in the past, she closes her mouth and shakes her head to a spoonful of Adora's "medicine"—as an act of extraordinary intuition and self-preservation (not the very ordinary daughterly petulance that it initially appeared to be).
I researched Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy after watching this episode, and one of the first articles I came across was an academic paper called "Monsters in the Closet: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy". The paper does describe truly monstrous behavior (like rubbing dirt and coffee grounds into orthopedic pin sites; injecting urine into a child; and poisoning a child with ipecac, insulin, and salt), but watching Adora grind down pills with her pestle and stare intently at her brightly-colored vials doesn't conjure images of a green-faced, bolt-necked beast: I think of Dr. Frankenstein, the man who made the monster—and became a monster—because he wanted to be as powerful, as extraordinary, as God. Adora has been manufacturing sick girls, and then dead girls—figures who inspire a pathos and terror that are best expressed in a close-up of Ann's crime scene photo, her face bloated and purpled, toothless and helpless, wrenched with pain—because she wants the power that comes in being needed as a mother, a mentor; the power that comes in being a glamorous martyr in a small town; and, of course, the power that comes from controlling life and death.
It's telling that we often conflate Dr. Victor Frankenstein with his monster (calling the creature "Frankenstein"), which makes him synonymous with the evil he created. Yet, in Mary Shelley's original novel and its most artistically successful reinterpretations, James Whale's 1931 horror classic Frankenstein and its sequel Bride of Frankenstein, Victor is far eviler than his monster (who is, after all, only acting on instinct). He corrupts what should be a noble and socially-useful pursuit of wisdom and science into a twisted, vainglorious obsession with his own brilliance. Adora has been cruel before, certainly not the mother any of us would choose for ourselves—but she's never been as genuinely scary as she is while smoothing Amma's brow and offering her spoonful after spoonful of "medicine."
Patricia Clarkson has calibrated Adora's emotional state as a tenuous balance between constant, low-thrumming drollness and fatigued agitation, with an occasional spike of raw rage. But here, in full "caregiver" mode, she's alive and electric in a way we've never seen—she has a purpose now, just as she had a purpose with Marion and with Ann and with Natalie. She corrupts what should be a noble and socially-useful urge to mother and nurture into a twisted, vainglorious obsession with her own importance.
This tendency to call Frankenstein's monster "Frankenstein" (in the book, he is called "Adam") also conflates the poor creature, who is just a collection of stitched-together flesh, with his chief tormentor. The monster may be extraordinary to behold, with his (literal) murderer's row of assembled body parts; however, his desire for companionship and understanding—something that the very circumstances of his existence, not to mention his looks, should innately preclude—is what makes him truly remarkable. Camille is Adora's first surviving victim. She may not bear Adora's last name (she's the only Preaker in a family of Crellins), but she is very much Adora's monster. She is what Adora has done to her (and, of course, to her sister), her psyche stitched together with booze and blades, random sex and good ol' fashioned repression.
In Wind Gap, Camille is extraordinary in all the wrong ways, the tarnished exemplar of everything a lady shouldn't be. Throughout her whole life, she's been told she's unlovable, incorrigible, ungovernably ugly (on the inside, at first, and then, after she's started cutting, on the outside as well). Yet her desire for companionship and understanding (an unconscious, perhaps, but still potent desire) makes her truly remarkable. First, she connects with Richard, who is also a cynical outsider; for all her flaws, she makes enough of an impression to inspire his investigation in her past, which ironically (and still unbeknownst to him, or any of the lawmen who think that only a bad man could be a killer) resolves the two murder cases. We know that Adora had taken an interest in "mentoring" the two unruly girls, in remaking them into more docile creatures; we also know how Adora regards the girls who remain unruly and willful.
But Richard mostly serves as a conduit for this information. Camille's real soulmate in monstrosity, in the vicious notoriety of being out of the ordinary, is John Keene. After the slaughterhouse worker (as in, a man who works at a slaughterhouse that Adora owns) claims he saw John dump Ann Nash's bicycle in the pig crap, authorities search the guest house where John has been staying. They find Natalie's blood under his mattress—although we know that Natalie was a biter, and we see that Ashley, John's girlfriend, is missing a hefty chunk of her earlobe, so we can reasonably assume that the two girls duked it out and this is not where Natalie died. John knows he is a wanted man, turned into a scapegoat, a fugitive, and yes, a monster, because he grieves his sister with a rawness and an intensity that is unmanly, at least to the pitchfork-wielders in Wind Gap.
When Camille tracks him down, he's in a dive bar, drinking up the nerve to blow his brains out. He asks her if her dead sister would have liked his dead sister. He laughs when Camille drawls out the word no. Her sister was a little lady, not a biter. (Maybe the monster has a touch of her maker in her, after all). After Richard finds Camille and John in the motel room, he tells her that she let the worst moment of her life (Marion's death) define her life. But John knows that there really is no coming back from that kind of loss; grief is no ordinary feeling, it estranges you from ordinary life. He kneels before Camille's scarred body in reverence for the depth and lingering intensity of her pain (Taylor John Smith is truly a remarkable actor, swinging between John's brittle wit, fear of the unknown, and the tenuous sense of peace with natural ease and aplomb).
For the first time, Camille bears herself, all of herself, a body that is remarkable for the punishment it has endured and for its scrappy tenacity to survive. Extraordinary—in the most shimmering sense of the word. Although her mother's machinations will take this joy away from her, just as they took Marion away from her, and now threaten to take Amma away from her. But Camille knows what Adora did to Marion, what Adora likely did to Ann and Natalie, and what she must do now. As she drives back to her mother's home, Camille evokes the other core truth that Frankenstein teaches us—the monster will always destroy its maker.


don't get caught: Are you a company of one? How do you retreat?
Are you a company of one? How do you retreat?
"Have you ever done a post on how to do a career retreat for yourself--if you're a freelancer or a company-of-one contractor, etc? Did I just dream that?" asked a reader of the blog.
That started me thinking about what it means to be a "company of one," and realized this might also be useful for communications directors--who rarely get to bare their souls in retreats with their own staff members--as well as for entrepreneurs, freelancers and anyone contemplating a career change that's not ready to announce. How do you contemplate, then act in a way that propels you toward your goals? This issue shares questions and tactics that have helped propel me forward in figuring out my own strategy. Please share yours--and share this issue with your colleagues.
Communicators put things out and hold things back, as needed...but to get perspective on your own career path, you need a personal/work timeline that looks back on the previous year. I like to use flipchart pages, one for each of the previous 12 months, with the timeline drawn across the midsection of each month. Above the line, write significant things that happened each month in your personal life; below the line, significant events in your work. You define "significant"--it can be good or bad, accomplishment or lesson learned, stumbling block or easy win. When you're done, step back and look at the year in its personal/work entirety. What patterns do you notice? What changes might they prompt in the year ahead?
What has my "company" really done so far? What did I like the best?
What's been the sand in my shoe--the work that bothers me or makes me most uncomfortable?
What were the big mistakes? What did I learn from them?
If I haven't started yet, what are 10 small steps I can take toward becoming the company of one: lunches with mentors, building a database, research on monetizing my goal?
Have I scheduled time to do those things?
If I could give something up without harming my career, what would I give up? What am I tired of doing?
Is there something I've always wanted to do that I haven't done yet?
How can I choose projects that are expansive and energizing rather than sapping?
How do I want to feel about my work over the next few years?
If I had to guess, which tasks/specialties/skills that are now common in my work will be obsolete shortly?
If I had to guess, what will be replacing them? How and why?
Which things on my wish list require conditions I don't control?
Where might I go or what might I do to gain control?
Am I in the right place to do what I want to do?
What training and technology upgrades do I need?
What am I missing that would allow me to pursue and reach these goals?
What kind of help can I get to learn the skills I need?
Which skills can I hire, rather than learn?
If you really are starting a business, you might want to think about these questions from Seth Godin about what he considers the foundation elements for modern businesses--good discussion starters, even if you're just talking to yourself.
I facilitate retreats for communicators, either as teams or on the topic of communications for boards and management. But if your retreat is a retreat-of-one, what other questions would you want to ponder on such a retreat? Share them--anonymously, if you wish--in the comments.
This post first appeared in my free monthly newsletter, For Communications Directors. Sign up here to get early reports, special discounts and offers and news that doesn't appear on the blog. Then head over to the don't get caught page on Facebook and continue the conversation.
A blog for a science-writing panel?
Is your Facebook page outpacing your website?


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Sylvester Stallone lands Netflix competition series 'Ultimate Beastmaster'
Joe Otterson
New to Netflix for May 2016
Sylvester Stallone will produce and appear on a new Netflix competition series entitled "Ultimate Beastmaster," the streaming service announced Monday.
The series will feature six customized local versions featuring local languages, competitors and hosts from each competing country.
Those countries are: U.S., Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Germany and Japan. All ten episodes of the series will be made available at the same moment globally on Netflix.
The 10-episode event series will feature 108 competitors, 18 from each country, in total. Each hour-long episode will feature 12 competitors, two from each country, who will take their shot at running one of the most physically demanding obstacle courses ever devised, "The Beast."
Stallone through the years:
At the end of each episode, a "Beastmaster" will be crowned and in the final episode of the season, the nine individual winners from each episode will compete against each other for the chance for one contestant to become the Ultimate Beastmaster.
Stallone and Dave Broome both serve as executive producers on the series, which is produced by 25/7 Productions and Broome for Netflix.
"The invitation to partner with Netflix and mega-producer Dave Broome on this revolutionary concept was an opportunity I couldn't resist," Stallone said. "The world will watch in awe as amazing competitors from around the globe overcome grueling physical challenges – and in the process become champions and heroes. The course is unequaled in its daring creation and I am excited to be a part of it."
For each localized version, local celebrity hosts and popular athletes will provide commentary throughout the competition. The hosts for each country include the following:
U.S.: Terry Crews ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "The Ridiculous Six"), Charissa Thompson ("Extra TV," Fox Sports)
Brazil: Anderson Silva (former UFC Middleweight Champion), Rafinha Bastos (Comedian, Journalist and TV Personality)
South Korea: Seo Kyung Suk (Actor, Comedian and TV Host), Park Kyeong Rim (Actress, Comedian and TV Host)
Mexico: Ines Sainz (Journalist, Sportscaster & TV Host), Luis Ernesto Franco (Actor and Producer)
Germany: Hans Sarpei (Former Soccer Player, TV Personality), Luke Mockridge (Comedian)
Japan: Sayaka Akimoto (Actress), Yuji Kondo (Sports Anchor)
More From TheWrap News:
Carlson's show rocked by writer's racist posts
Kristen Stewart to play Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín's 'Spencer'
Mayim Bialik Comedy 'Call Me Kat' Ordered to Series at Fox
An Insane card offering 0% interest until nearly 2021
7 outrageous credit cards if you have excellent credit
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Notice: cars driven less than 25 miles could pay less
Seniors, get car insurance from $39 per month
Qualified zip codes save big on insurance
Dan Levy urges viewers to vote after historic Emmys win: 'I am so sorry for making th…
Queen Latifah gets real about healthcare disparities, systemic racism in the U.S.: 'I…
'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' to air final season in early 2021


It's not clear why the HSBC bank (then still better known as the Midland Bank to the UK market) had such a keen interest in the proposals for a major motorway interchange at Elmer's End in West London, but there are several files in the HLG 159 series that show they sent representatives to the GLDP inquiry on the matter. Most likely they owned land there - either as an investment, a site for later development, or something of that nature.
Elmer's End was the site of the proposed interchange between Ringway 2's Southern Section and Parkway E, which is better known to us as SCRPDR. This file contains detailed plans of the junction, which includes one of the very few places that we can accurately pin down the location of the elusive SCRPDR.
Plans of the motorway-motorway interchange and of a junction between Ringway 2 and a local road just to the north-east.
Chris Marshall has a complete copy.
This page was last edited on 6 January 2012, at 22:37.


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Tag Archives: art
Fantasy Game Artwork Commission? Cruenti Dei Gets Inked
November 11, 2014 emcdermott
I heard through my social grapevine (thanks, Paul!) that Sardarthion Press, a publisher of fantasy role playing games, was in need of an artist. After the publisher perused my online pieces, he decided to take a chance on me, and I decided, "never done anything as weird as this before…that's a good enough reason!". And so began my adventure of sticking my toes into this new and bizarre genre.
I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to recreate a feel similar-enough to artwork in previous publications, especially since the style and application was far removed from the majority of my experience. Plus, I had to create some humanoid-lizard-and-ant-creature type people characters. These things had biographies and personalities and that had to show in the images. Wait, what? What did I get myself into?
To help me get it right, my first questions were to help me acquire a good understanding of the game, the world it takes place in, the psyche of the dinosaur-man-monster, etc. The author, Thom Ryng, was kind enough to give me a crash course on his game creation, Cruenti Dei:
"…strategic fantasy game, where every player is a different country. Each turn represents five years. The various countries on the largest continent (Sahûl) are federated into an elective empire (sort of like the historical Holy Roman Empire). Each turn in the newsletter, a portrait of the current Emperor or Empress is printed. (That's where I come in.)
"There's magic. The gods are real and aid their worshipers. Technology is early Renaissance, so cannons AND magic. Yowza. (Yowza, indeed!)
"Imperial culture ranges from quasi European in the northeast to pseudo Chinese and Japanese in the west.
"More info here: http://www.sardarthion.com/?page_id=42
"The empire has four major kindreds, and only one of those are Human – and they aren't really considered "civilized" by most of the others."
So I needed to do 2 official-type portraits of humanoid leader things in this otherworldly society – 1 lizardy thing and 1 ant-type thing. I was going to need some more information. There are rules about their appearance and they have personalities, and… oh wow. Luckily, there was still more info Thom helped me out with… For the badass insect lady creature:
"Insect-like sentients known as Malebolge dominate western Sahûl. (Yes, badasses, check.)
"…Malebolge are descended from ground-dwelling hive insects similar to ants. They generally have six limbs, although some males may only have four. Different castes vary in size from the graceful Queens, who may be taller than Wenemet, to some Workers, who are two-thirds the size of a Saurian. (Oh wow, that's a lot of stuff.)
"…All positions of authority and power in Malebolge society are held by females. The males are considered mentally inferior and, in some places, held as chattel. (Tee-hee-hee.)
"…This particular Malebolge is Countess Cir'ik VIII of Kicitchat. She lost an eye during the duel that guaranteed her accession to the throne of Kicitchat. She has just been elected Empress of Sahûl." (Woah, a one-eyed ant empress?? This will be fun.)
I started letting my hand get accustomed to drawing insect people and played around here:
Malebolge Sketch
Most of the picture would be made up of folds of fabric and patterns, so I decided I wasn't too worried about her portrait. I was very worried about his, though.
The dude I refer to is the lizard man warlord Mr. Ryng describes here:
"Saurians are descended from a group of herbivorous, hollow-crested hadrosaurs similar to Parasaurolophus. (Oh, right, of course. Wait, what?)
"They believe strongly in tradition and any new innovation is likely to be justified using past precedent, no matter how obscure.
Saurian society is legalistic almost to the point of ossification… (K, crochety. Got it.)
"Their head crests are (in polite society) always hidden by a hood or hat, except when they are at prayer. A Saurian army is typically equipped with the heaviest armour and weaponry available…" (So dude is gonna need some sort of head dressing that I have to come up with and I gotta make some armor for him, too. Alrighty.)
In addition, there was a portrait of a real human person that Thom wanted the artist to draw inspiration from.
So, to recap, I needed to come up with a humanoid lizard creature with a big bump thing on his head, something covering the bump, armor…oh… and he will have to have a similar expression as a certain grumpy old man. I got this. Here were my first doodles:
Saurian Sketch
I tried to not think about the resemblance to Madonna too much and resolved to simply make the final version not pop-star like at all.
It was exhilarating to think that I would shape the mental image of these characters for all the players of this game…shaping a virtual reality of sorts. What a challenge. What an honor!
The author gave me feedback and further direction on what he wanted and I set out to finish the pieces as quickly as possible. There was a tight deadline and since I'm away from home 12+ hours every day during the week, I had not a lot of time.
The dinosaur guy did prove to be as difficult as I anticipated, and I believe the author winced so hard he didn't even want to tell me over my first two attempts. Finally, though, we arrived at versions for both that satisfied him.
Carberic the Usurper
K'ivik the Deposed
More than anything, this exercise made me wish I already had the Surface Pro 3 I finally bought afterward to help me take my art digital. These originals were done in real, actual ink-type ink and I was not able to adjust the contrast with layer adjustments alone in Adobe Photoshop. Instead, there was a lot of time-consuming, painstaking pixel-by-pixel manipulation with a mouse on my somewhat ancient laptop. "Ohhh how I wish I had a digital pen for… dammit!….'undo'…ohh, I wish I had a digital pen."
The final versions of these without the snazzy, gigantic watermarks can be seen here on the Turn 23 editions on page 28 ("132") for the Malebolge here:
http://www.sardarthion.com/cruentidei/resources/news023c.pdf
And on page 28 ("132") for the Saurian here:
http://www.sardarthion.com/cruentidei/resources/news023k.pdf
Do you want to play Cruenti Dei? Well you can! Here's a link with more information:
http://www.sardarthion.com/?page_id=52
Happy gaming!
artartistcruenti deifantasy gamerole playingsardarthion
Why Do We Dream? NSFW
August 7, 2014 emcdermott	2 Comments
Why do we sleep? More interestingly, why do we dream? If fortunate, we spend 1/3 of our lives captive in a state in which we are unable to purposefully interact with our tangible surroundings! One Third!
Or maybe that's not true at all. Maybe when we sleep it's like coming up for air after being submerged for a long time deep in the ocean, and dreams happen when we open our eyes above the surface. Maybe we sleep and dream because otherwise, we would drown in the fantasy of day-to-day life…
Researchers, biologists, military Q's and the like have many of their own theories on the purpose behind why we all turn to useless slabs of drooling meat each day. Of course, there are the known side effects from sleep deprivation which range from irritability to inability to concentrate, right up to hallucinations and Bat Shit Craziness as in this The Atlantic article by Seth Maxon. Yet, that still doesn't explain why sleeping and dreaming is needed to keep your marbles all in the same place. Recently, it was also discovered that toxins Occupying your brain are flushed while you snooze as your brain cells shrink to make way for the biological fire hoses. I'm no neuroscientist, but I would imagine it would be difficult to think with shrunken brain cells if that process happened during waking hours. This starts to approach a reason behind why we psychologically need sleep, but still doesn't explain all of the weird surrounding sleep and dreaming.
Like, for example, did you know you can problem-solve in your sleep?! In this Livescience article, studies are highlighted in which students solved math problems in their dreams. It goes on to submit that problem solving while asleep is a rather common occurrence documented throughout history and it can sometimes solve problems our awoken mind cannot. Psychologist Deirdre Barrett's hypothesis boils down to dream as a thinking tool which takes advantage of looser, sometimes less logical connections of dots …because sometimes our brains work best when we are not in full, conscious control of how we use them… because sometimes they work best when we are not behind the wheel… But then, who or what is behind the wheel?
My imagination conjures a strange answer to all these questions and the seed of it lies in the Christian lens through which I perceive all things. There are over 100 instances of variants of the word "dream" in the bible, and God uses dreams to: convey information — "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife," –Genesis 20:3 ("she already got a man!"); to piss other people off — "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more," –Genesis 37:5; to freak people out — "Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions," –Job 7:14; to speak directly to prophets — "…if there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream," –Numbers 12:6, and a bunch of other stuff. Mix that with: "…the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," –Genesis 1:2, and "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters," –Genesis 1:6 and we get to the point where my brain starts coming up with weird shit.
So, God uses dreams for a variety of communications with man, and the Spirit of God dwelled on the surface of the waters in the beginning. That water was separated between aboveness and belowness by a gigundous gap. We live in the below part separated from the water above. Does the part of God's spirit in the above part perhaps meet us halfway when he wants to drive an idea home? Do our spirits get pulled into that limbo while we sleep by His messengers who have the ability to traverse that separation? Do we get a chance for part of our daily life to press our hands up to the glass of that divide as if a prison visitation to find our bearings again? Does God sometimes or always reach out to touch the other side of that divide? …much like Michelangelo's famous painting on the Sistine Chapel?
I don't know. But it's kind of a neat idea, don't you think? I picture it with God's messengers, naked and pure as children, hauling the man they've been given charge of into that meeting place… whether we sleep peacefully or whether we are towed into that limbo still bound by despair, our spirits guarded carefully while allowed a time-out from the most exhausting of races. I picture it just like this, the "Firmament":
Prints of this piece can be ordered here: The Untapped Source Matting and framing options can be set to "No" to reduce cost substantially.
Special thanks goes out to one little girl's parental unit who gave me permission to use her as the perfect model I've been lacking for the 14 friggin years since I started this composition!
angelsartdreamdreamingfirmamentGodheavensleep
Surface Pro 3: I Can Haz Digital Art?
June 28, 2014 emcdermott
This week, I had the privilege of dining with some tech celebs in Chicago (no really, they were stopped on the way out by a fan), and afterward, we walked by a billboard for the Surface Pro 3 — "The tablet that can replace your laptop". They mocked the Microsoft product for its ability to run horrible Microsoft Office programs, and perhaps their tech snob tastes were as refined as their excellent tastes in beer, but I had to defend the 3. Secretly, I've been lusting over that little machine since it was unveiled, and on June 20th, when it was first available to purchase in stores, I even went to drool over it in person.
Surface Pro 3 at the Microsoft Store in Chitown
I'd been searching for a lightweight laptop that could also create digital art well. Like a cat to its first cheezburger, I was (and am) a total newb in the digital art arena, so I first turned to my friend Marc Grunert for some expert advice. Marc is not only someone I've known for many years to be a talented artist, he also makes his dough that way! You can check out some of his amazing illustrations here: http://marc-the-upstart.deviantart.com/ Marc directed me to Wacom's Cintiq Companion which soon became my first digital art hardware crush:
Wacom's Cintiq Companion
Wacom's products are widely known to be in the Cadillac class of digital art hardware and reviewers commonly remark on the realistic feel and responsiveness of the drawing tools. I knew if I were aiming for the best product for creating art, Marc had steered me straight. Unfortunately, along with being crazy-expensive (over $2k for the higher memory version + keyboard accessory), it was also a bit heavy and bulky for lugging on the trains and buses during my 3+ hour daily commute. I needed something powerful but lighter and smaller, and I'd be willing to sacrifice a bit on drawing performance to get there…
And then the Surface Pro 3 was announced, and I dropped my Cintiq Companion crush faster than Romeo dropped his obsession with that Rosaline bitch.
However, it became clear before it even was available, the Surface Pro 3 had its own flaws. There was the immediate concern that the drawing capabilities would be a little more than a little shittier than that of Wacom's Companion or even that of its own earlier version. The previous Surface Pro actually used Wacom technology in its pen and it came with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity. The Surface Pro 3 moves to N-Trig technology with only 256 levels of sensitivity. I was largely skeptical that a human needed over 1,000 levels of pressure measurement. As an engineer with a bunch of experience under her belt in several industries, I thought it all smelled like a lot of marketing B.S.. And based on this lengthy explanation from a Microsoft scientist, that assumption was probably correct: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2014/5/27/microsoft-addresses-n-trig-concerns-in-reddit-response
The other big concerns came from this awesomely candid review by Gabe, artist from Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/05/23/surface-pro-3
I was most alarmed by the lag Gabe noticed while drawing and the fact that the HOME BUTTON was PERFECTLY LOCATED to KICK THE ARTIST BACK to the HOME SCREEN. REPEATEDLY. That's just aces, Microsoft.
Luckily and surprisingly, Microsoft brought the gemba to them by inviting Gabe over to observe him (trying to) draw: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/06/16/surface-pro-3-update After a couple rounds, the engineers had a fix for the home button problem — it would be disabled while the pen was in contact with the screen. Unfortunately, the drawing lag issue appears to remain unsolved for the moment.
Here's what I found from my personal observation of the Surface Pro 3 in downtown Chicago:
1. After a week of being on display for the public's grubby fingers, there was some significant wear. The type cover was already approaching filthy, and take a look at the pen's already worn nib (pardon my shitty phone pics, I was feeling too self-conscious to pull out my camera under the watch of an already raised MS employee's eyebrow):
Surface Pro 3 Worn Pen Nib
2. I love mechanical keyboards. I have these awesome fingernails that I can use for peeling oranges, opening packages and attacking assailants like the mutherfucking Wolverine. They're not going anywhere just so I can use a shitty touch keypad. Nope, screw you, Apple. I'm really happy the Surface Pro line is continuing with physically moving keys!
Even Clawed Animals Can Use Surface Pro 3's Keyboard
3. The FreshPaint app is stupid-addictive. I read this warning in other reviews, but I Had No Idea How Bad it really was. I kept telling the MS salespeople, "yeah, yeah…uhh…I'll be right off of this…thing…ooohh, wow…". Check out my modern art!
Yeah, I Made This. Hard to believe, I know.
4. See that screen? It's pretty shiny. Not sure how much of an issue the veiling glare would be in different ambient light conditions.
5. The software fix for the home button location issue seemed to be already in place! It still kicked me back to the home screen once though, when one of my drawing strokes continued a tick after the pen left the surface. It was an extremely irritating moment. Grrr. I feel you, Gabe.
So for now, I'm holding off on purchasing anything to see if Microsoft finds a good fix for the drawing lag and also to see what the competition might have to add to the better-than-decent-drawing-plus-better-than-decent-computing arena. I hope my tech pro friends and art pro friends will forgive me, whatever choice I ultimately make.
I don't want to disappoint anyone who may have been expecting a cat pic in this post based on the title — even though cats really, really aren't my thing. So, here. I present to you, The Ranger, my roommate's saber-toothed mountain lion of a cat who is:
artartistscatCintiq Companiondigital artMicrosoftN-TrigreviewSurface Pro 3Too big to failWacom


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Q: Magical uses of tunnel diodes I am studying the working principle of tunnel diode and I am reading for a voltage range it creates a negative differential resistance.
If we have a current source supplying the circuit with some current, if the current is inside the negative differential resistance region, which will be the voltage of the diode, the green voltage , the orange voltage or the blue voltage?

A: That's impossible to tell. It depends in which region the diode operates, exactly as the figure you show informs you!

A: It can be either. Because the IV characteristics aren't a one-to-one function only knowing the current isn't enough to determine voltage.
As for which voltage it will be, I'm not sure. Based on how the current source works you may be able to force operation on either the green or orange line.

A: If you use a current source, then you can't get a reasonable result.
I built a current/voltage tracer a while back that uses a current source - it sets the current then measures the resulting voltage across the diode.
About a month ago, I got hold of some GI103A tunnel diodes and tried to replicate the typical negative resistance curve trace of a tunnel diode.
This is the result:

It just skips right over the negative resistance range.
My software automatically joins consecutive measurements, so there's a straight line across the negative resistance range.  In reality, it just skips right over the whole negative resistance area.  The trace should just skip from about 20 millivolts to about 420 millivolts.
To get the negative resistance trace, you have to use a voltage source and measure the current. That's how the traces in the datasheets were produced.
Even Tektronix IV tracers produced IV traces that skip the negative resistance range:

Figure 11A from that Tektronix document shows the IV traces of two tunnel diodes made with a Tektronix 575 curve tracer.  Both traces skip the negative resistance range.
This document ftom RCA describes how the negative resistance range can be traced.

The short form is that it takes an IV tracer with a low internal impedance - basically, a voltage source rather than a current source.  The tracer "forces" a voltage on the diode and measures the resulting current.
I recommend reading both of the linked documents (Tektronix and RCA.) There's a wealth of information on theory and practicalities of tunnel diodes in both of them.

That "skipping the negative resistance range" is what makes tunnel diodes switch so fast.
As long as the driving source "looks like" a current source (the source impedance is higher than the absolute value of the negative resistance) the voltage range of negative resistance is "forbidden" -  from the current, it could have three voltage values.  That's impossible, so that range is "skipped," leading to an immediate change in voltage to something outside the forbidden zone.
When the source "looks like" a voltage source to the diode (source impedance is lower than the absolute value of the diode negative resistance) then there's only one current for that voltage - there's no forbidden zone, so it just passes whatever current is required.

A: It depends on how you changed the current before:

*

*If the current had not exceed the top (Ipe), then it is the "orange voltage" staying at the first part of the diode IV curve having a positive resistance.

*If the current had exceed the top (Ipe) and then had not fallen under the bottom (Iv), then it is another (eg, "blue":) voltage that would stay at the third part of the diode IV curve having a positive resistance.

*You will never see the "green voltage" since it is an extremely rapidly changing voltage (in the middle negative resistance region the operating point is unstable and it "jumps" in a horizontal direction).
The "magical use" of this bistable mode of operation is to make the tunnel diode memorize (act as a latch). For this purpose, the tunnel diode is initially biased by a current Iv < Ibias < Ipe. Then, it is toggled by adding or subtracting a sufficient current so that I > Ipe or I < Iv.
See more about the bistable mode of the N-shaped negative differential resistance and particularly, how the diode "jumps", in the related Wikibooks story.


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- New Music
Kelly Rowland Gets Sexy With An Elephant! "Lay It On Me" Video Sneak Peek
Posted By 93.1 WZAK
Akon Faces Backlash After Gender Equality Rant Claiming Women 'Exist To Support Men'
Keke Palmer Accidentally Reveals The Gender Of Her Baby
Kelly Rowland strips for Big Sean in their new video for "Lay It On Me." Wearing a sheer one-piece with revealing cut-outs (and fake leaves covering her bits), the singer and rapper flirt before Kelly reigns (quite literally) over a group of shirtless men.
She also gets playful with an elephant while rocking a leotard and big gold jewelry.
Big Sean On Kelly Rowland:
"I really like how she has the energy of a new artist but she's such a vet in the game. She's so legendary and sold millions of records, but she'll come in the room and greet everybody. She's got no ego. When you in a big ass group like Destiny's Child, and especially when you got people like Beyonce in the same group as you, it's really hard after that to come out on your own, so nobody better than her deserves it."
kelly rowland sneek peak


The University of Liverpool's Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Chair of the Board of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Professor Janet Beer, has been recognised with a Damehood for her services to higher education and equality and diversity in the New Year's Honours list.
Dame is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of knighthood in the British honours system, and was granted to Professor Beer on New Year's Day, 1 January.
Professor Dame Janet Beer has dedicated the majority of her working life to higher education. An outstanding researcher in the field of late 19th and early 20th century American literature and culture, she has held a number of senior leadership roles and took up post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool in February 2015 after seven successful years as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. She is also currently President of Universities UK, the representative body for universities nationally.


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In the News: Magistrate Tosses Trapping Suit
Albuquerque Journal, Rene Romo, December 5, 2012 (posted 12/05/12)
A federal magistrate has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that state Game and Fish officials violated the Endangered Species Act by permitting trapping in an area designated for the recovery of the endangered Mexican gray wolf.
The lawsuit, filed by the environmental organization WildEarth Guardians in February, continued a public policy debate over the wisdom and legality of New Mexico allowing the use of leg-hold traps, intended for coyotes but capable of snagging wolves, in national forests designated for wolf recovery.
Former Gov. Bill Richardson, an advocate of the wolf recovery project, issued an executive order in July 2010 to halt commercial and recreational trapping in New Mexico's portion of federal forests where lobos roam while the issue of whether trapping harmed the wild wolf population was studied over a six-month period. Despite the executive order, the Game and Fish Department allowed coyote trapping to continue because coyote hunting is not regulated by the state.
A study by the U.S. Geological Survey, released in August 2011, showed that trapping by people not connected to the recovery effort had injured seven wolves, leading to two wolf deaths and two leg amputations.
Before the study's release, Game and Fish commissioners, most of whom were appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez, lifted the trapping ban. They did so based on a department recommendation that said the study showed trapping accounted for only a fraction of documented wolf injuries and deaths in the recovery area.
U.S. Magistrate Lorenzo Garcia on Monday dismissed the suit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Game and Fish Director Jim Lane, who was named as a defendant in the suit along with Game Commission Chairman Jim McClintic, called the decision a victory for "real conservationists," state authority over wildlife management and the "integrity of the Endangered Species Act."
Wendy Keefover of WildEarth Guardians called the decision disappointing, adding: "It seems to us under the plain language of the Endangered Species Act that one can neither harm nor trap an endangered species, and clearly that's what's happening."
The lawsuit alleged that state officials violated federal law and rules by failing to exercise "due care" to avoid taking wolves when they allowed coyote trapping in wolf range. The judicial ruling issued Monday concluded that federal rules requiring the exercise of due care to avoid injury to wolves applied to the trapping itself, not the "regulation or licensing of trapping."
This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal
Other news sources that covered this story include:
Tucson News – Arizona
Desert News Now – Arizona
KTAR – Arizona
San Francisco Chronicle – California
Artesia News – New Mexico
Submit your Letter to the Editor
Santa Fe New Mexican – New Mexico
My San Antonio – Texas
Houston Chronicle – Texas
PLEASE SUBMIT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THANKING THE PAPER FOR THIS ARTICLE AND ASK FOR GREATER PROTECTIONS FOR MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES.
The letters to the editor page is one of the most widely read, influential parts of the newspaper. One letter from you can reach thousands of people and will also likely be read by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tips for writing your letter are below, but please write in your own words, from your own experience.
Remind readers that, With only around 60 mexican wolves left in the wild all possible precautions need to be taken to protect this endangered species. Trapping has injured 7 Mexican gray wolves, including two wolf deaths and two leg amputations. More losses and injuries due to trapping to this critically endangered population is unacceptable.


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Home » Championship » Football » Milanic motivated to keep Leeds United moving forward
Milanic motivated to keep Leeds United moving forward
All of a sudden there is a sense of optimism surrounding Elland Road. The fog of uncertainty has lifted. The troops of the West Yorkshire based club seem to be marching on together in unison once again, and are 50/1 with Coral to win the Championship.
Prepared to put their bodies on the line for each other, fighting for the cause, they epitomise the 'United' in Leeds United. In his brief spell as caretaker manager, academy boss and long-term employee Neil Redfearn re-organised, roused, and reinvigorated a squad of players that were desperately low on morale and transformed their belief system. As a result, they amassed 10 points from four games and tightened their defence, while simultaneously playing attractive football.
Redfearn's reward is that new coach Darko Milanic will involve him in first-team affairs, as he seeks to continue the feel good factor. The aim, is undoubtedly top flight football, and he is aware of the aspirations at Elland Road.
Speaking to gathered journalists in the club's media lounge, personifying a man of the utmost confidence, the Slovenian said:"It is a dream for everyone, for the fans, that we make it to the Premier League, but we know that it will be very difficult."
It was undoubtedly going to take time for Leeds to settle this term, who brought in as many as 12 new faces over the summer, many of them new to English football. However, the core of the side, as opposed to previous seasons, is young, hungry, and full of potential, though Redfearn has also balanced this out with experience in key areas.
Milanic's arrival will no doubt bring with it a number of other personnel, with his former player at Sturm Graz, Anel Hadzic said to be a target. The 25-year-old Bosnian defensive midfielder was at the World Cup with his country, and was linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer. Known to be tenacious in the tackle, equipped with a footballing brain and a reputation for hard work, he will only enhance the team, should he arrive in January.
Striker Souleymane Doukara already looks a handful and is starting to settle, Mirko Antenucci as a natural finisher, while 21-year-old Paraguayan forward Brian Montenegro is flourishing for the reserves. It is fair to say Leeds are finally on an upward curve again.
« Slade resignation indirect result of Orient chairman's sack threat
Foreign-based stars out of contract in summer of 2015 starting XI »
Matt Haynes
A long-suffering Leeds fan, Matt studied Sports Journalism at university, and has a plethora of multi-industry experience. Having worked on behalf of multiple hedge funds and top-tier investment banks in executive search, he has also had a stint with the BBC and the Press Association. Outside of work, he pursues entrepreneurial activities and likes to keep fit.
Although he has interviewed current England manager Roy Hodgson as well as Rafa Benitez and a number of other names, he is honoured to have spent time in the company of Gordon Banks. Matt enjoys cultivating long-lasting professional and personal relationships, is solution orientated, and supports Coral's sports content provision.
Hull City snap up Harry Maguire and Andrew Robertson
Lazio, Valencia and St-Etienne all to win at 9/2 in European treble
Euro 2016 qualifiers: Wales welcome Israel in crucial clash


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UCSB Students Feel Effects of Bacterial Bout
October 27, 2006 at 7:59 am by Lauren Crecelius
A hangover is not the only thing making UCSB students sick in Isla Vista, as a recent outbreak of salmonella infections has students running for the toilet.
Michele Mickiewicz, deputy director of the Public Health Dept., said there have been 75 lab-confirmed cases of salmonella in Santa Barbara County since January 2006. This number of cases is almost double the combined number of incidents in the past two years – there were 45 in 2004 and 40 in 2005.
"Typically, this year has been above-average. … We're looking carefully into what's happening," Mickiewicz said.
Mickiewicz said the majority of confirmed cases for this outbreak were UCSB students.
"The current outbreak involves 37 cases – 18 lab-confirmed and 19 probable. These cases were predominately in the Goleta/Isla Vista area," Mickiewicz said.
Mickiewicz said once someone is infected with salmonella – a bacterial infection with symptoms that include diarrhea, severe cramps, headache, bloody stool and vomiting – they carry the bacteria on their hands and can pass it to other people by touching food. She said a common way the bacteria are transferred is by an infected food industry worker handling food.
"Hand-washing is the key to stopping the spread of these kind of diseases," Mickiewicz said.
The Public Health Dept. has been investigating in I.V., but Mickiewicz said they have not found the source of the outbreak. She said the department does not believe a specific restaurant or business is to blame for spreading the bacteria, and that they are hopeful the outbreak is becoming less severe.
"We believe this outbreak is on the decline, we're trying to stop the spread of it," Mickiewicz said. "We're just following additional cases, but it looks like whatever caused it is over."


I personally, think it may be the hooks? Theres nothing wrong with you rod or reel?
I agree with above thread, its not your outfit, check the frogs hooks, sometimes after high use the hook points dull out. If the frog hooks are good, then its possible the hooks are not connecting just right on the hookset.
You have the high speed reel, you have the perfect braid, I'm not too familiar with the rod.. Is it stout and stiff? Flipping sticks come in a vast array of actions and powers (some are far stiffer than others with same "ratings"). Are you setting the hook hard enough? Let all hell break loose when you set that hook!
Something's wrong, because I use a stiff 7'6 rod, same braid, high speed reel, and I don't know if I can remember ever a time that I lost a fish on a frog that was hooked after getting her close to the boat... Once you hook them, they're usually hooked GOOD.
Make sure the hook are sharp and make sure you set the hook hard to penetrate. Sometime the bass will swallow and you set the hook too lightly, it will just fling off. A good Hook set is best to ensure not losing that double digit with frog.
if you got the fish that close to the boat i would assume the hook-set was good enough to land it. the problem is probably in your technique. either you are allowing the fish just a little slack, you change the rod angle quickly, or put too much tension on the fish. my advice would be to get the fish to the surface and real your heart out, keep it on the surface skiing towards you and you should be able to land it just fine.


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Welcome to the Maryland REALTORS® Legal Hotline Information Page!
The Maryland REALTORS® Legal Hotline is a member benefit. This means you must be a member of Maryland REALTORS® to utilize the hotline. When you call the number posted below, you will hear a recording. You will then be transferred to a live staff member of the Legal Affairs Department who will ask you some questions to verify your membership.
Before calling the Maryland REALTORS® Legal Hotline, you are advised to first speak with your manager or broker. If your manager or broker is unable to resolve the issue, take a few moments to review the Frequently Asked Questions page under the Legal Hotline tab to determine if your question has already been answered and posted on the Maryland REALTORS® website.
For members, free authoritative legal information is provided. This information should not be given to your client. If your client has a legal question, you are advised to direct your client to seek competent legal advice. Questions on all aspects of real estate law are answered including license law, agency, code of ethics, contracts, deposits, disclosures, ethics, fair housing, landlord tenant law, and procuring cause. An appropriate written response may be provided to the caller and the identified broker or office manager.
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Submit your Legal Hotline question via the Web-Question Form. Simply fill out the form and submit it. We make every effort to respond within 2 business days.


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Craig Bellamy has backed Brodie Croft to wear Melbourne's No.7 jersey for the NRL season opener after the young gun learned his harshest lesson yet filling Cooper Cronk's shoes: a week is a long time in football.
Croft came crashing back to earth after last week's stellar start to life without Cronk with a subdued display in the Storm's 16-14 trial loss to North Queensland in Brisbane on Friday night.
But Storm coach Bellamy was not concerned, saying the 20-year-old simply had to dust himself off before their March 10 season opener against Canterbury in Perth.
"We all saw last week what an impact he had on the game," he said.
"I don't think he had as much impact.
"But he's a young guy in a key position. It is not going to be rosy every week but he needs that consistency.
"After last week he has probably had a bit of let down but he needs to get himself back up in a couple of weeks."
Croft was outshone by Cowboys halves Michael Morgan and Johnathan Thurston at a rain-soaked Suncorp Stadium as the Cowboys got a measure of revenge for the Storm's dominant 2017 grand final win.
The trial was also a testimonial for Cowboys playmaker Thurston and Storm skipper Cameron Smith.
Croft looked like the man to replace Sydney Roosters recruit Cronk with an impressive No.7 debut in Melbourne's convincing World Club Challenge triumph over Leeds.
He scored a try and set up five others in the 38-4 romp.
But Croft had little impact barely a week later against the Cowboys, who snatched a last-gasp victory when winger Kyle Feldt crossed for his third try off an inspired Thurston banana kick.
Storm captain Smith was quick to throw his support behind Croft.
"The game last week he played really well and he was quite dominant," he said.
"But he had to back up against quality opposition and he was probably a bit quiet.
"But he is 20 this year and has a lot to learn."
Smith did his best to relieve the pressure on Croft after the youngster received first crack at the No.7 jersey synonymous with club great Cronk.
"He had a pretty good start being behind Cooper for a couple of years," Smith said.
"But he is his own player. He is not trying to replace Cooper - we don't want him to replace Cooper.
"All we are asking of Brodie is find out the best things he can bring to the team and do that every week consistently."


Hey Everyone. After upgrading all of my cabling on my H/T system, I am now wondering what the best approach will be to hide them a little better. They aren't all optimal lengths, but they can accomodate my wife's ever changing decor. I could make some effort to secure most to the stand. They are all sitting as I left them, no effort made yet.
Rather than a million product plugs and links, I would like to see some pics of your own cabling arrangements. Makes for a bit of a personal touch, and a fun way to check each other's styles out.
Last edited by poppachubby; 10-20-2009 at 04:47 PM.
Firstly,what did you think of the cable upgrades? Did you notice an improvement?
Without a specific breakdown, all cables were upgraded. My H/T receiver is a Sony STR-DE575. It's an older machine with limited digital inputs. However it does a great job with what it's able to do. Certainly good enough for my wife, who is indifferent, and myself, just the odd movie, no TV. Overall, everything has improved, some more noticable than others.
I hooked in the DVD with coax and S-Video. I had been using component. Of course, the difference is nothing short of mind boggling. The realism in the audio is exciting and making me rewatch all of my faves over again. Sword fights sound like they are in my living room, and I find myself rewinding just to hear again. For this I have purchased Rocketfish S-Video and Acoustic Research coax.
The other really great improvement is my sub. I bought an Acoustic Research Pro Series II mono cable with a stereo Y adaptor. Man alive!! I was previously using a gold plated mono>stereo adaptor in the receiver's output, and using Ethereal RCA's to the sub. The sub is now alive like I have never heard it. I immediately had to turn down the gain and adjust the frequency if that tells you anything.
Aside from the audible improvements, it's a nice point of pride to have all your stuff in "optimal" order. My H/T is far from great, but it kicks out enough quality to satisfy me. I think I will play around with some optical down the road, after my ears have settled with the current set-up.
That book looks like a good read, glad your enjoying it. I got in to the blues after many years of listening to 60s and 70s rock. Soon I realized that most of the songs I liked were the blues based tracks, this led to a passion for all things blue. Ive been hooked on the blues ever since.
Hey LDB, what about my OP??
Can really help out here Pops. My cables are hidden behind a big old wooden stand so, outta sight outta mind. Just keep your power, audio, digital and video cables separated from each other.