Eliminate dust clouds on roads and driveways while keeping crops and landscaping clean. Our Custom Dust Control is biodegradable and environmentally safe! For more information, visit the Fertilizer Blending Facility page of our website or contact Anthony Kay (503-437-1971 - anthony.kay@ovs.com).
Get a Jumpstart on Ordering Harvest Bins this Year!
Order by July 31st to insure delivery by September.
Visit the MacroBins wepage for more information.
ORDER BY 4/15 & receive a $500 discount off the Autonomic-500 unit! Initial deposit of $500 is required at the time of your order, and delivery must be taken by 5/18. Financing options available. Visit the Pest Control page for more information on this great product and to see videos of it in action! Contact Ag Supplies for more information - 800-653-2216.
NEW Ag Supplies Catalog! After much anticipation, our new OVS Ag Supplies catalog is here! Full of helpful agronomic information, detailed product images, custom services, trellis designs, reference charts and much more. Visit the Trellis Products page to download your free copy!
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Order by July 31st to insure delivery by September!
Visit the MacroBins webpage for more information and to download the 2017 Pricing Flier.


text:
Q: Does the module pattern require the use of an IIFE? In a Udacity lesson it says conflicting things about the module pattern:

The Module Pattern requires the use of IIFE's

and

At its core, the Module Pattern leverages scope, closures, and (commonly) IIFE's.

So, if I understand correctly, a module pattern requires the use of a closure, but does the closure need to be in an IIFE or not?

A: In JavaScript ECMAScript 5 and older, an IIFE, or immediately-invoked function expression, was necessary to create a function scope that prevented var declarations from polluting the global namespace when implementing the revealing module pattern.
(function () {
  var foo = 'bar'
  var counter = 0

  this.someGlobalModule = function () {
    counter++

    return { foo: foo, counter: counter }
  }
}.call(this))
// this === window at top-level in browser

// no access to function-scope foo or counter, only someGlobalModule()
var value = someGlobalModule()

// value.foo === 'bar'
// value.counter === 1

Now with JavaScript ECMAScript 6, the introduction of const and let declarations allow block-scope variables, as opposed to function-scope, so you can simply use a block-scope to implement the revealing module pattern:
{
  const foo = 'bar'
  let counter = 0

  // this === window at top-level in browser
  this.someGlobalModule = () => {
    counter++

    return { foo, counter }
  }
}

// no access to block-scope foo or counter, only someGlobalModule()
let value = someGlobalModule()

// value.foo === 'bar'
// value.counter === 1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


There are a few new Wallpaper packs available via Cydia. They include; TamsWalls v2, TamsWalls v3, TamWalls v4 and TamsWalls v5. I also included the Looney wallpaper pack which I forgot in my last Wallpaper post. All five of these packs are available via the MacCiti source. Remember, when you install wallpapers, they are added into your stock Settings application under the option Wallpaper. For those of you who are curious, wallpaper are located in the Library/Wallpaper folder on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Below are the screenshots.
It seems a lot of themes that are already on some repositories, are being posted by macciti.
In my opinion it creates confusion, let's not say spam.
Errm, what the maciti source url?
Found it. Wasn't listed under the original sources. cheers.
It is actually a source available for installation via Cydia. When you open Cydia, select the Home option then More Package Sources. From here find MacCiti and install it.
BUT dont find anything with Tam…..
Lol the one with the boat reeaaally made me wanna watch pirates of the Caribbean. A lot of those are awesome btw I really like the money one. :D!!!!!!!!


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Barry M describe the 4 shades as chrome effect with a mirror-shine foil finish. How exciting does that sound?!
I'll start off by saying that all 4 polishes have a similar formula and my swatches show 2 coats with no topcoat.
The formula on these is so silky, but a little on the thin side (which is better for these types of shimmery polishes ), so just be careful not to flood the cuticle when applying. I did this on my first try as I overloaded the brush with polish. But once I adjusted this, application was fine.
As you can see these all look stunning in the bottle! So shimmery and shifty.
First up I'll show you Pink Luxe.
This is a beautiful rosy magenta base with golden shifty shimmer. So unusual and pretty!
As you can see this looks amazing on the nail. It reminds me of beautiful sunsets  wow! It really looks like it's glowing and is so shiny.
Next up in the collection is Crystal Blue. Obviously this appeals to me as it's BLUE!
Crystal Blue has a sapphire blue base with a twinkling green to yellow shimmer.
This has such a beautiful effect, it really looks lit from within and looks so eye catching.
I think the foil shine effect is really obvious with this one, it's so shiny!
The third polish I'm showing you is Celestial Silver.
This is actually my favourite of the 4 new shades, it's absolutely gorgeous.
I'd describe it as a gunmetal grey base with a turquoise flash and a sprinkle of scattered holo. It has so much depth!
I think that Celestial Silver has a slightly different finish to the 3 other shades. It is more of a scattered holo than a chrome effect.
Finally I have swatches of Antique Gold.
This is a real fiery beauty. It has a rich wine red base with a gorgeous golden shimmer.
Antique Gold is burnished and warm and just perfect for autumnal days. So pretty and very glowy and shiny.
I feel like I only ever give rave reviews of Barry M, but I really cannot find fault with any of their nail products! They just keep pulling it out of the bag every time!
These additions to the Molten Metal range are really beautiful and you honestly need them in your life!
Molten Metals are available in Superdrug stores and on the Barry M website for £3.99 each!
Wow, these are all stunning!! I love all of that shimmer!


text:
Through "Information Shift" and Support, North Carolina Program Brings Dramatic A1C, Therapy Reductions
Evidence-Based Diabetes ManagementSeptember 2018
A profile of a program that calls for residents in a rural area to become full partners in managing their type 2 diabetes, and in the process bring changes to their community.
Fighting diabetes in the hills outside Marion, North Carolina, is not easy. Though not technically part of the CDC's designated "diabetes belt,"1 it's just 90 minutes from where the area begins along Tennessee's eastern border, and data show that 14.2% of the county's residents have the disease.2
Rates like that will not fall by telling people to exercise and watch what they eat. In a place where it's said that "gravy is its own food group," people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) must be retaught how to eat.
But it can be done, as Kimberly Freeman, RN, CDE, CIC, CTTS, and Michael Hanlon have shown. She is a nurse and certified diabetes educator in the Diabetes Program at Mission Hospital McDowell, part of Mission Health; he is the diabetes intervention director for the YMCA of Western North Carolina. Together they have built a partnership and a program with proven results: reductions of glycated hemoglobin (A1C) of 2%, reductions in blood pressure and resting heart rate, and a 50% increase in balance, a key indicator for preventing falls.
Called Taking Control of Type 2, or TCT2, the program has been so successful, it's now a covered benefit for health system employees and is offered through Mission Health's accountable care organization. Although Freeman and Hanlon do not guarantee that participants will reduce their need for medication, many have: "We've consistently seen a 56% decrease or elimination of medications for type 2, hypertension, hyperlipidemia—and there's cost savings here," Hanlon said. "There's a level of passion around this program," Freeman said.
Evidence of their success was published in July in The Diabetes Educator,3 the research-focused journal of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. In an interview with Evidence-Based Diabetes Management™, Freeman and Hanlon described their journey in building their program and their desire to teach other health professionals what they have learned.
Hanlon initially came to the YMCA in the rural area north of Asheville, North Carolina, to launch the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) there. This evidencebased, 12-month program has been studied for more than 15 years nationwide. It has been shown to keep more than half of those with prediabetes from progressing to type T2D over 3 years; among seniors, DPP's success rate is even higher.4 After a community health assessment revealed a high level of T2D and a 73% level of obesity among the patients in the McDowell County area, it became clear that something had to be done.
Through a collaboration between the YMCA and Mission Health, Hanlon and Freeman developed a 28-session curriculum, using materials recognized by the American Diabetes Association, that offers people with T2D both clinical information and practical advice on how to shop, cook, and eat in ways that fit into their lives. The lessons are offered in a group setting of 12 to 15 participants, who must agree to follow the program for a year.
A yearlong commitment. The schedule resembles the original DPP, but after the initial phase of weekly sessions ends, the program switches to sessions every 2 weeks instead of once a month. "I never liked that," Hanlon said, explaining that he felt that people who are trying to make lifestyle changes need more regular support, and evidence is accumulating to support this view. "It just doesn't happen that quickly," he said.
What it takes is an "information shift," Freeman said, which calls for people with T2D to become partners with their clinicians in managing the disease. The first stage takes a more heavily clinical approach, as participants hear from certified diabetes educators, including registered dietitians, and other members of the diabetes health care team. "The first 16 weeks is the most intense and the most supported in terms of clinical expertise," she said.
The clinical background is critical for the next phase, which focuses on the more practical aspects of lifestyle management, such as managing carbohydrate intake and limiting hypoglycemia. "We're setting them up to ask really good questions," Hanlon said.
Learning what people of all ages can do. The partnership has broken down barriers—Mission Hospital McDowell and the YMCA have overcome transportation hurdles to enroll people who live up to 30 minutes away. They've encouraged primary care providers from all over the county to send patients to the program (a referral is required). Word of the success has spread: A competing health system sends patients, as well.
Freeman and Hanlon say they've shattered the beliefs some providers had about patients over 65 years of age. "[Some felt seniors] were set in their ways and weren't going to have significant results," Freeman said. "We didn't listen. We admitted everyone—people in their late 70s, early 80s."
"They were rocking!" Hanlon said.
What about spouses or caregivers? Yes, Hanlon said, spouses, partners, and best friends were welcome. "We immediately offered to include family members for the duration of the program," Freeman said. A diagnosis of T2D affects a patient's whole family, so it makes sense to engage all family members in the support process, from food tracking to shopping to setting goals.
And sometimes, the support person came back as a participant.
Community-wide shifts. As the program grew, more graduates became advocates for healthy changes in their family, at their churches, and in their communities. Freeman and Hanlon described a shift in the community, as people asked for menu changes at local restaurants or for low-fat peanut butter at the supermarket. The Y logo now appears on healthy items added to local restaurant menus, which Hanlon calls "empowerment at its finest."
"It was not something we were looking to do," he said. "It was something we happened to witness."
There are provisions for those who've completed the 12-month program to check in for additional support, and now the quest is to make the program itself as sustainable as the lifestyle it teaches. Initially funded through the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the program receives some coverage from private payers and Medicare as Mission Health seeks reimbursement under Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support services. And the hospital has begun collecting monthly payments through the Chronic Care Management fee that CMS created in 2017 for health systems to manage care coordination of seniors who have more than 1 chronic condition, including diabetes.
Freeman and Hanlon are now working to bring the program to other YMCAs and federally qualified health centers, as well as health systems in other parts of North Carolina.
What the program shows, Hanlon said, is the impact of supporting an individual in their own self-management over a sufficient period of time. The results can be significant, he said: "The 12-month program is really the beginning. It's not the end." References
1. CDC identifies diabetes belt. CDC website. cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/diabetesbelt.pdf. Accessed August 1, 2018.
2. County data. CDC website. cdc.gov/diabetes/data/county.html. Updated December 1, 2017. Accessed August 1, 2018.
3. Freeman K, Hanlon M, Denslow S, Hooper V. Patient engagement in type 2 diabetes: a collaborative community health initiative. Diabetes Educ. 2018;44(4):395-404. doi: 10.1177/0145721718784262.
4. Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, et al; Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(6):393-403. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa012512.
Download PDF: Through "Information Shift" and Support, North Carolina Program Brings Dramatic A1C, Therapy Reductions
Exploring Payer Coverage Decisions Following FDA Novel Drug Approvals
Adults With Diabetes in High-Deductible Health Plans More Likely to Have Severe Hyperglycemia
What's Coming Up Next in Interoperability With Dr Donald Rucker
Contributor: Promoting Health Equity Through Primary Care
On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ari D. Panzer, BS, lead author and researcher, then at Tufts Medical Center—now at Duke University—discusses the findings from his team's investigation into coverage decisions by health plan insurers of the 66 drugs approved by the FDA in 2018.
Adults with diabetes who were forced to switch from an employer-sponsored health plan to a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) were 25% more likely to require an emergency department (ED) or hospital visit for hyperglycemia, but not for hypoglycemia, than those who did not switch plans.
An unprecedented level of detail and robustness around interoperability standards is on its way, and on this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Donald Rucker, MD, the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in HHS, about what the opportunities and responsibilities for payers are.
Jodi Fenner, senior director at Elevance Health, speaks on the key themes she presented during her session at the 2023 Health Equity Summit in San Diego, California, titled, "Promoting Health Equity through Primary Care."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Android Path shape not filled properly I created a custom rectangle shape with path where you can control how to draw all corners: not rounded, rounded "inside"(it's ordinary rounded corners), rounded "outside"(see picture). Code:
enum class CornerType {
    NOT_ROUNDED,
    ROUNDED_INSIDE,
    ROUNDED_OUTSIDE
}

object CustomShapes {

    fun rectangleWithRoundedCorners(path: Path, rect: Rect, cornerRadius: Int,
                                    topLeft: CornerType, topRight: CornerType,
                                    bottomLeft: CornerType, bottomRight: CornerType){

        val topLeftX = when(topLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> rect.left
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> rect.left + cornerRadius
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> rect.left - cornerRadius
        }.toFloat()
        val topLeftY = rect.top.toFloat()

        val topRightX = when(topRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> rect.right
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> rect.right - cornerRadius
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> rect.right + cornerRadius
        }.toFloat()
        val topRightY = rect.top.toFloat()

        val bottomLeftX = when(bottomLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> rect.left
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> rect.left + cornerRadius
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> rect.left - cornerRadius
        }.toFloat()
        val bottomLeftY = rect.bottom.toFloat()

        val bottomRightX = when(bottomRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> rect.right
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> rect.right - cornerRadius
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> rect.right + cornerRadius
        }.toFloat()
        val bottomRightY = rect.bottom.toFloat()

        path.reset()
        //1
        path.moveTo(topLeftX, topLeftY)
        //2
        path.lineTo(topRightX, topRightY)

        //3
        when(topRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(topRightX, topRightY + cornerRadius.toFloat())
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY,
                        topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + 2*cornerRadius), 270f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + cornerRadius)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY,
                        topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + 2*cornerRadius), 180f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY + cornerRadius)
            }
        }
        //4
        path.lineTo(rect.right.toFloat(), bottomRightY - cornerRadius)
        //5
        when(bottomRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomRightX - cornerRadius, bottomRightY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomRightX + cornerRadius, bottomRightY), 0f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomRightX - cornerRadius, bottomRightY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomRightX + cornerRadius, bottomRightY), 90f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            }
        }
        //6
        path.lineTo(bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY)
        //7
        when(bottomLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(bottomLeftX, bottomRightY - cornerRadius)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - 2 * cornerRadius,
                        bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY), 90f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - cornerRadius)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY), 0f, 90f, true)
                path.moveTo(bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - cornerRadius)
            }
        }
        //8
        path.lineTo(rect.left.toFloat(), topLeftY + cornerRadius)
        //9
        when(topLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(topLeftX, topLeftY)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> path.arcTo(RectF(topLeftX - cornerRadius, topLeftY,
                        topLeftX + cornerRadius, topLeftY + 2*cornerRadius), 180f, 90f, true)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> path.arcTo(RectF(topLeftX - cornerRadius, topLeftY,
                        topLeftX + cornerRadius, topLeftY + 2*cornerRadius), 270f, 90f, true)
        }
    }
}

When I try to draw it with stroke, it seems all works as I expected.
override fun onDraw(canvas: Canvas) {
        super.onDraw(canvas)

        val paint = Paint()
        paint.color = Color.RED
        //paint.strokeWidth = 3f
        paint.style = Paint.Style.STROKE
        paint.isAntiAlias = true

        val path = Path()

        path.fillType = Path.FillType.EVEN_ODD
        CustomShapes.rectangleWithRoundedCorners(path, Rect(100, 100, 600, 600), 50, CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE, CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE, CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE, CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE)
        canvas.drawPath(path, paint)
    }

But when I draw with fill type it fills as in picture below:

I've tried all Path.FillTypes but none of them fills rectangle properly.
What's wrong with my code?

A: @pskink rightly pointed that problem was because of wrong draw direction of "outside" arcs.
Corrected drawing code:
        path.reset()
        //1
        path.moveTo(topLeftX, topLeftY)
        //2
        path.lineTo(topRightX, topRightY)

        //3
        when(topRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(topRightX, topRightY + cornerRadius.toFloat())
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY,
                        topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + 2*cornerRadius), 270f, 90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + cornerRadius)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY,
                        topRightX + cornerRadius, topRightY + 2*cornerRadius), 270f, -90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(topRightX - cornerRadius, topRightY + cornerRadius)
            }
        }
        //4
        path.lineTo(rect.right.toFloat(), bottomRightY - cornerRadius)
        //5
        when(bottomRight){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomRightX - cornerRadius, bottomRightY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomRightX + cornerRadius, bottomRightY), 0f, 90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomRightX - cornerRadius, bottomRightY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomRightX + cornerRadius, bottomRightY), 180f, -90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(bottomRightX, bottomRightY)
            }
        }
        //6
        path.lineTo(bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY)
        //7
        when(bottomLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(bottomLeftX, bottomRightY - cornerRadius)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - 2 * cornerRadius,
                        bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY), 90f, 90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - cornerRadius)
            }
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> {
                path.arcTo(RectF(bottomLeftX - cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - 2*cornerRadius,
                        bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY), 90f, -90f, false)
                //path.moveTo(bottomLeftX + cornerRadius, bottomLeftY - cornerRadius)
            }
        }
        //8
        path.lineTo(rect.left.toFloat(), topLeftY + cornerRadius)
        //9
        when(topLeft){
            CornerType.NOT_ROUNDED -> path.lineTo(topLeftX, topLeftY)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_INSIDE -> path.arcTo(RectF(topLeftX - cornerRadius, topLeftY,
                        topLeftX + cornerRadius, topLeftY + 2*cornerRadius), 180f, 90f, false)
            CornerType.ROUNDED_OUTSIDE -> path.arcTo(RectF(topLeftX - cornerRadius, topLeftY,
                        topLeftX + cornerRadius, topLeftY + 2*cornerRadius), 0f, -90f, false)
        }
    }
}


text:
[Updated] Can Democrats win the state Senate? How progressive is Cuomo? New Yorkers are about to find out
October 18, 2018 | by Art Chang
Gov. Cuomo (photo via New York Democratic Party)
This op-ed is an updated version of a previously published column, now accounting for the October 32-day Pre-General Campaign Financial Disclosure and incorporating other new information, including reader feedback from the original version, previously published in Gotham Gazette October 2.
In the November 6 general election, New York Democrats have a historic opportunity to take control of the state Senate. If this happens, Democrats would control both houses of the state Legislature for only the third time in the last 100 years, unlocking years of bottled up progressive legislation passed by the Democratically-controlled Assembly but blocked by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Assuming Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, wins reelection as he is expected to, a number of these bills may very well land on his desk, including those related to universal health care; election, voting and campaign finance reforms; reproductive health rights; equal education funding for city schools; equal protections for LGBT and disabled people; carbon emissions elimination; immigration protections, including making New York a sanctuary state; and criminal justice reforms.
Recent history might temper optimism, however. New York Democratic voters chose the status quo over the bold reforms represented by the Cynthia Nixon-Jumaane Williams-Zephyr Teachout slate in September's primaries and in last year's constitutional convention ballot referendum. In the 2016 state Senate races, 98% of incumbents were re-elected.
We'll soon see how powerful New York's blue wave really is, both on Election Day and in the legislative session that will follow beginning in January. A few key questions:
But didn't progressives just defeat the IDC?
Sort of and it's insufficient.
Before the primary, there were actually more "Democrats" in the state Senate than Republicans, even though the GOP conference held a 40-23, then 32-31 majority in the 63-seat chamber.
Nine Democrats were either part of the Republican conference or in a power-sharing agreement via the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), giving the GOP a majority for the recent two-year legislative session (and prior) and preventing progressive legislation from reaching the Senate floor. Eight of those senators were members of the IDC, which did rejoin the "mainline" Democratic conference in April, after a new state budget had been passed, which led to the 32-31 GOP majority for the final months of the session that ended in June.
In the September 13 primary, six former IDC members were defeated. The ninth rogue Democrat, Senator Simcha Felder of Brooklyn, has been part of the Republican Conference for multiple terms, and was even reelected in 2016 on both the Democratic and Republican ballot lines. He won his primary challenge last month.
Despite losing in the Democratic primary, all six defeated former IDC members are likely to remain on November's ballot on other party lines, often the Independence Party and/or Women's Equality Party. The October filings indicate that the six defeated IDC members did not have any meaningful campaign activity in the post-primary weeks, but Senator Tony Avella has declared he is campaigning to win in the general election, and neither Senator Jeff Klein nor Senator Jesse Hamilton has formally declared their intentions. Democratic Party leaders may try to reward defeated IDC members -- like former conference leader Klein and Hamilton -- with judgeships to keep them from actively campaigning.
Surviving former IDC Senators David Carlucci and Diane Savino, along with Felder, will almost certainly win re-election in November.
What do Democrats really need to do?
Net one seat. If Democrats flip just one GOP-held Senate seat and hold onto those they currently have, then Democrats will have a real 32-31 majority heading into next year. Competitive Senate races exist on Long Island and upstate, including several districts where Democrats failed to run any candidate at all in 2016.
What's possible?
Flipping ten seats. My most optimistic scenario has Democrats flipping ten GOP-held seats and holding onto their own, for a 41-22 majority.
If the primaries were any indicator, November turnout will be high, which will benefit Democrats due to their two-to-one registration advantage across the state. Primary turnout more than doubled since the last comparable election in 2014. In Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk counties, Democratic primary turnout actually tripled from 2014 to this year.
Democrats are mounting competitive races in the five GOP-held districts where the current officeholder is retiring. In 2012, Obama carried all of those districts; In 2016, Clinton carried one and Trump won by 6% or less in the other four. Democrats are also contesting several other races where the Republican incumbent is seen as beatable.
Below is my list for the best opportunities for Democrats to flip GOP-held Senate seats, categorized as "Most likely to flip," "Highly competitive," and "Long-shots." You can see the full detailed spreadsheet here.
In compiling this list, I considered voter registration differential, popularity as measured by the number of individual campaign contributors, money including party funding, voting results by state Senate in the two most recent presidential elections, the power of incumbency, and signals of grassroots activism.
Money matters -- to pay for campaign staff, advertising, get-out-the-vote efforts, and more. The table above includes the most recent Board of Elections campaign disclosures, filed by October 1. Grassroots support can certainly counteract big money, as IDC challenger Alessandra Biaggi demonstrated in her primary defeat of former IDC leader Klein, but it's difficult to conceive how other candidates could overcome comparable odds. Klein outspent Biaggi nearly seven-to-one -- $2.8 million to Biaggi's $414,457 -- but Biaggi raised money from 47 times the number of contributors that Klein had.
Past voter preferences matter, especially since they don't necessarily follow in line with voter registration data. The 2012 presidential election was more reflective of deeply felt beliefs in these districts, which had with one exception solid pluralities for Obama. Democratic voters who stayed home may have contributed to the mixed results of the 2016 election. By this year, 2016's GOP victories didn't deter -- and perhaps motivated -- Democratic contributors and may have awakened Democrats who came out in droves to vote in this year's primaries. In addition, changing demographics have also affected these districts in ways that potentially favor progressive Democratic candidates.
Party money also matters. Both Democrats and Republicans have state Senate campaign committees, which have injected money into select races as shown on my chart. The full extent of Cuomo's financial support remains to be seen.
What's the rundown on the races?
James Skoufis vs. Tom Basile (SD-39): Assemblymember Skoufis has a solid lead in every respect that should offset the weak Democratic performance in the past presidential elections. The significant GOP support for Basile signals the party's concern. Even after the GOP's $288,300 investment, Skoufis had a commanding 9.5 times more money as of the most recent filing.
Jen Lunsford vs. Rich Funke (SD-55); Anna Kaplan vs. Elaine Phillips (SD-7), Karen Smythe vs. Sue Serino (SD-41): These three races occur in districts with vulnerable GOP incumbents. In all three, huge Democratic Party enrollment and presidential voting advantages could overcome GOP funding advantages. In SD-7, the GOP is concerned enough to invest $254,500 to prop up incumbent Senator Phillips.
Jeremy Cooney vs. Joseph Robach (SD-56): Jeremy Cooney has everything going for him -- but money. He's in a heavily Democratic district that came out big for Obama and Clinton. His grassroots popularity is reflected in the number of individual donations. But his relatively low cash balance against a well-funded incumbent, Senator Robach, is so large that the GOP seems to have decided Robach doesn't need additional help.
Jim Gaughran vs. Carl Marcellino (SD-5): This district may define the red-to-blue wave as it is one of the few in the country that flipped from voting Republican to Democrat between the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, perhaps indicating a demographic shift. As of September, Gaughran and Marcellino had roughly the same balance remaining in their campaign accounts, motivating both parties to pony up for the final weeks of the campaign. GOP support gives Marcellino an edge in overall funding that Gaughran's enthusiastic grassroots supporters can overcome, especially since Marcellino only won by 1.2% in 2016 over Gaughran.
Jen Metzger vs. Annie Rabbitt (SD-42) and Monica Martinez vs. Dean Murray (SD-3): Both of these districts were solid Trump districts in 2016 after having been solid Obama districts in 2012. Both enjoy large Democratic majorities and no incumbents. Metzger and Martinez are also winning the hearts and dollars of individual contributors over their GOP opponents. Metzger's impressive overall campaign funding advantage of 1.8 times Rabbitt is solid; Martinez's deficit to Murray of 1.4 times her fundraising can also be surmounted by a strong grassroots effort down the stretch.
Andrew Gounardes vs. Marty Golden (SD-22): This Southern Brooklyn seat represents why many GOP-held districts are vulnerable. Since 2012, when incumbent Republican Senator Golden won his last competitive race, the district's demographics have changed dramatically. Today, 40% of residents are now people of color, especially Asian and Hispanic; and 43% are immigrants, primarily Asian, eastern European, and Mexican. Residents work in blue-collar industries like transportation, wholesale, and construction. Virtually every racial group earns less than the median for New York State. These changes create the setting for the red-to-blue opportunity for progressive Democrat Gounardes, Golden's opponent in 2012.
In less than 30 days between the post-primary and the October filings, Gounardes has substantially narrowed the funding gap with Golden after having spent significantly during a hard-fought Democratic primary. Golden's 7 times funding advantage shunk to 2.3 times with the help of the state Senate campaign fund. The lopsided Democratic registration advantage in the district is a red herring; some of the district's constituents register as Democrats in order to have a say in New York City primaries, but vote GOP in the general election. Many registered Democrats in the district have voted Republican in mayoral and other elections for years. [Disclosure: I'm a member of Gounardes' finance committee.]
Aaron Gladd vs. Daphne Jordan (SD-43): This district is a conundrum. The GOP enjoys a strong registration advantage but went for Obama in 2012 and narrowly chose Trump in 2016. Gladd's advantage in contributors and overall funding sufficiently concerns the GOP enough to drop money to support Jordan.
Lou D'Amaro vs. Phil Boyle (SD-4) and John Mannion vs. Bob Antonacci (SD-50): In both races, the GOP is winning on number of contributors and overall funding balance going into the final weeks of the election. Mannion's situation may be so bleak that the Democrats have thrown a pile of cash into this race, while the GOP, smelling a potential win, has also invested.
Kevin Thomas vs. Kemp Hannon (SD-6) and Pete Harckham vs. Terrence Murphy (SD-40): It's very hard to imagine that Thomas and Harckham can overcome the massive campaign balance deficits as compared to their GOP opponents in the waning weeks of the election.
Aren't there Democrats at risk?
Incumbent Democrats appear safe. John Brooks in Senate District 8 on Long Island is often mentioned as a potential risk, probably due to his narrow 214-vote (0.2%) win in 2016 over then-incumbent GOP Senator Michael Venditto. But now-incumbent Brooks has a solid fundraising lead over his GOP challenger, Jeff Pravato, in a district that went for Obama and Clinton and has a solid Democratic voter registration advantage.
Democrats need to ensure that primary victors Rachel May in SD-53 and Alessandra Biaggi in SD-34, both of whom beat IDC members, continue their momentum through November. The IDC incumbents they defeated are likely to appear on other ballot lines and have significant money. May's opponent, David Valesky, reported a $340,038 post-primary balance to May's $41,209, though he has recently declared that he will not campaign in the general. Biaggi's opponent, former IDC leader Klein, reported a post-primary balance of $497,267 and has not indicated his plans for the general election.
On October 8, former IDC Senator Avella of Queens, who lost in the Democratic primary to John Liu, announced that he will actively campaign in a long-shot attempt to win the November election on the Independence Party and Women's Equality Party lines. As of the recent filing, Liu had a 3.3 times funding advantage over Avella and an energized and active campaign operation.
So what's going to happen?
On November 6, Democrats will take control of the New York State Senate with a solid majority that Republicans cannot hold back. This, along with holding onto a wide majority in the Assembly, will likely result in a steady stream of progressive legislation on the governor's desk to sign, giving Cuomo the opportunity to make history New York has been waiting for.
Art Chang is a writer, thinker and strategist at the intersection of technology and government. He is a former board member of New York City's Campaign Finance Board, where he led the creation of NYC Votes and Voting.NYC. On Twitter @achangnyc.
Tags: Andrew Cuomo • Elections • State Senate


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Rally Cross 2
a game by 989 Sports
Platforms: Playstation, PSX
Rumblin', tumblin' four-wheelin' off-road action returns to the PlayStation with Rally Cross 2. Under the guiding hand of the designers of the original Rally Cross, this sequel stands a good chance of ripping up the off-road turf. In RC2, one to four players can choose from 20 new off-road cars and trucks that they can customize, refining everything from tires to suspension to gear settings and even paint jobs. 989 Studios is ramping up RC2's graphics horsepower to render realistic racing environmerits and enhancements such as damage sustained by your ride. It's also improving the controls over the previous game's. You'll speed along on the game's 24 newly designed tracks, which will take you through jungles, deserts, mud, ice, and snow. Six game modes should rev the Fun Factor over the redline.
Download Rally Cross 2
Playstation Download
PSX Download
989 Studios is putting less bounce in every ounce of its off-road racing sequel, Rally Cross 2. The original game's gooey suspensions turned away many drivers, so 989 has tweaked the physics model to offer realistic, but more manageable, racing action. As for everything else, however, the law of sequels prevails. Ten new cars, eight fresh tracks (plus a track editor), Rush-style shortcuts, adjustable car setups, a paint shop, and analog Dual Shock support prove that more is still more. This one's loaded out of the showroom.
Fans of the original will still get their thrills and spills, with the return of forward and backward runs as well as the suicide races. Split-screen contests only sweeten the deal. Whether you loved or hated the original game, keep an eye on Rally Cross 2. It's shaping up to exceed its predecessor in every my.
THE ORIGINAL RALLY CROSS certainly took its lumps. Many racing fens were turned off by the cars' springy suspensions, which led to more bouncing around than actual driving. There's still a lot of bumpin' and jumpin' in the sequel, but the overall experience has been sufficiently enhanced--maybe enough to win back some of the critics.
My Name Is Mud
Rally Cross 2 isn't afraid to get dirty, offering eight tracks and ten off-road vehicles, ranging from sporty coupes to baja trucks.The courses and cars are unlocked through skillful driving in season mode; to earn them, you'll literally have to learn the tracks backwards and forwards, while keeping your eyes open for shortcuts and alternate paths--which your CPU opponents already know where to find!
Track to the Future
The track development in Rally Cross 2 really deserves special praise.You'll plow through construction zones, icy mountain passes, airport hangars, and more; and each path is littered with obstacles and tricky corners and features cool weather effects. The courses are challenging, realistic, intelligent, and reasonably attractive to look at, while dynamic replays will give you plenty of good views of the tracks' nuances.
When you've learned the secrets of all the existing courses, the track editor enables you to plan out your own--down to the track's last whoop-dee-do. Although this track editor is not as advanced as Moto Racer 2's, and you can't make courses equal to the ones that come with the game, RC2's editor is easy to use and lets you create instant, new challenges at will.
Tuned Up
Rally Cross 2 offers many more user options than its forebear, including tweakable steering and suspensions (which addresses the first game's main problem) along with a paint kit that allows you to slather the color scheme of your choice onto your car and save it to a memory card.
The realistic vehicle physics will no doubt still scare some drivers away, but gamers who like a good off-road ruckus will enjoy Rally Cross 2's enhancements. They're all shifts in the right direction.
ProTips:
A well-timed tap to the bumper of your opponent can send them careening off-course-Just be careful not to get caught up in the accident
The moment you feel your car start to flip, tap L2 or R2 to roll the car back into place as It lands.
Most shortcuts, like this one to the right of the bridge on County Air, feature tough terrain. Don't attempt them until you've mastered your car's handling.
Head for the beach, then take this useful shortcut through the rocks on Turn 2 of the Construction course.
lay off the gas while you jump; you'll have better traction if your wheels aren't spinning when you land.
Hug the side of the train to avoid the whoop-dee-dos on the back straights of the Switchyard.
The baja jeep is, in technical terms, garbage. Never use it.
Low-res textures allow the game ample speed, but that doesn't mean you won't notice them popping in late and dropping out early.The sight of 2D fens standing in front of 3D buildings seems freaky, too. Still, it's a good showing.
Adjustable steering sensitivity does much to keep these squirrelly little buggers on the right track. Dual Shock does little more than buzz at you, but the analog steering is nice. Powersliders will get what they crave.
The garage-rock tunes sound so generic that you might not realize they're playing. And do the engines sound like blenders or lawnmowers? You be the judge.
The original Rally Cross was a physics experiment; Rally Cross 2 has grown into a legitimate racing game. Excellent track construction, the track editor, and clever shortcuts make it a must-play.
Here's an example of a sequel done well. RC2 retains all the flavor of the first edition while improving in almost every category across the board. New things like better cars, a track editor and sharper graphics are nice, but are overshadowed by the much-improved game-play. The frame-rate is so much better, it makes the first edition seem slow. It wasn't though, it's just RC2 is just that much faster. For proof (should you decide to buy this game), fire up the old jungle track, which has been included. You'll be amazed at the difference. Also making a major impact is the vehicle physics and collision detection. The cars are much stiffer and don't bounce around as much. Nor do they get hung up on walls or fences as badly as last year. As far as Al goes, most races are kept relatively tight even when all seems lost. A few good laps will usually get things close again. That's not to say it's too easy, it's just balanced well. And while it may not be the most realistic rally game, the excitement of launching off ramps, power-sliding and flipping over bumps and hills overrides any realistic elements that may be lost. The 2P Mode works well. Not much slowdown, if any at all. I miss the four-player option but it's no biggie. It's a tough call, but I actually like this game better than Sega Rally, which was my former favorite.
I was completely taken aback at how great this turned out to be. I wasn't a particularly big fan of the original, but this is superb. Graphically it's not the greatest thing ever (the art's not great, and there's a ton of polygon tearing) but it's smooth, and more importantly, it's fast and the controls feel great. The thing that really brought a smile to my face though was the track editor - it's easy to use, .anc adds hours of life to the game.
I wasn't too happy with the first Rally Cross, and even though Rally Cross 2 is obviously a big improvement over the original, I'm still not all that blown away by it. There's plenty of cepth (lots of cars and tracks), and the game is well-balanced, but I don't like the touchy feel, and I can't stand how the cars flip over. It was lame in RC, they should've cut it out entirely for RC2. On the other hand, the Track Editor is real impressive.
Rally Cross 2 is a very impressive improvement over the original, which wasn't a bad game in the first place. The sequel's faster, smoother and most importantly, more fun. In particular, I like the track designs. You can race them in a fairly straightforward fashion, but you can really spend some time learning the tracks' nuances to improve your times. Nice, clean graphics and controls only add to this already solid package.
Like many of 989 Studios' new games, Rally Cross 2 has been rebuilt from the ground up. Standout improvements include a much-heralded (by Sony at least) Mstate-of the-art" 3D game engine, licensed cars and a load of physics and Al improvements. Uhmm, "state-of the-art game engine" doesn't mean much to anyone outside of the game development field.
In fact, you probably won't notice anything earth-shakingly amazing about the game's physics. But assuming you played the original Rally Cross (a great game by the way), you'll definitely notice RC2 has a different personality.
For starters the cartoony cars have been replaced with actual licensed vehicles (hip hip hooray): the new VW bug, a BMW 3i8i and a Tigra, to name a few. The licensed cars definitely give the game a more legit look and feel. Beyond that, the standard brakes, transmission, tires, gear ratios and steering tweaks are the extent of the mod options. For pretty paint jobs an interactive paint scheme features colors of any shade imaginable. A three-tier adjustable graph lets you pinpoint a unique color from a spectrum graph-cool feature.
As far as the courses go, 989 Studios didn't stray too far from last year's themes: jungles, mountains, deserts, coastline, etc. Instead they put their creative energies toward the content of the courses. Railroad switchyards, junked trucks and deep waterways litter the courses. Interestingly enough, the deep waterways can be driven through without harm to the vehicles. In fact, some of the shortcuts involve just that.
But for flat-out road racing or several variations of, the game's easy-to-use track editor is the way to go. While RC2 has taken on a lot of new characteristics, it certainly hasn't strayed too far from its roots. Many of the sound effects are the same, as are the four-car field, flip-overs and the trademark spring-happy car suspensions. But unlike before, the cars can handle the bumps and jumps of the road while maintaining high speeds, a direct result of the revamped physics no doubt. Happily, flip-overs require just one button tap to right the car rather than time-consuming rocking. On a sadder note, the game no longer has a four-player split-screen option, though four people can still play via link cable.
Whether you look at Rally Cross 2 as a sequel or a stand-alone rally sim, it seems quite capable of both roles. Either way, Rally fans will soon get their fill of off-road goodness.
The first game that was ever released that supported a vibrating controller was Rally Cross. Unfortunately, the original vibrating controller ran into some problems just prior to release and was scrapped. Now we have the rock solid Dual Shock controller to take care of our vibrating needs (umm, you know what I mean). What does all of this have to do with Rally Cross 2? I have no idea, other than the fact that now the whole world can enjoy off-road racing in its full vibrating glory.
The original Rally Cross had a sort of cult following. The game had some problems, but people loved it because you could use your multi tap and play a four-player split-screen race. Well, gone are those days, because this game only plays up to 2 players. What you do get is a nice little track editor, a new 3D engine, the ability to customize your car, and some challenging racing action. If the idea of racing on courses that look they were designed for motocross racing sounds appealing, then this game may be right up your tailpipe.
With the number of racing games that are available for the PSX, you would think that there would have been a decent off-road rally-style racing game mixed in somewhere. But no, we get stuck with losers like Need for Speed V-Rally. The closest thing to a decent rally game yet has to be the rally tracks on Grand Tour Racing '98, but since that is only one part of the game, you can't really call it a rally racer. What I am trying to say is that there may not be much room in the racing arena, but if Rally Cross 2 could just pull off being a good off-road racer, it might just find its niche.
I guess you are reading this paragraph to find the answer, right? Does Rally Cross 2 pull it off? I would have to say yes and no. There are some things about the game that I really enjoyed, and there are other things that I did not. Is this game going to win in awards? No, but you will not get flogged by an angry mob if you're caught buying the game, either. If I had to describe my feelings of the game in one word, I think it would have to be "average."
Let me get to some of the features of this game to give you a better idea of what to expect. The first thing I want to talk about is the cars. This game does a good job of giving you a wide selection of vehicles to choose from. You can pick little cars that are light and fast, or you can go for the heavier trucks that stay on the road better and are harder to roll (more on this later). You give up speed on the heavier vehicles, but you will make up for it in stability. One of the cool things is that the game lets you change your vehicle before each track, so if you are racing on a twisty, turny track, you can change to a vehicle that is better suited for this type of track. After you unlock the first batch of vehicles, you should be able to find something that will satisfy your tastes.
Speaking of the tracks, this is another area where the game shines. They did a really good job designing the track. You will be racing through tunnels, snow, ice, rain, and water and jumps are everywhere. Some of the tracks feel like they were designed for a motorbike racing game, but you get to race cars and trucks on them. Needless to say, you will spend a great deal of time flying through the air. I don't want to make it sound like all the tracks are this way, but a great majority of them are. I personally liked the snow course. It has you winding down a hill, making sharp corners all the way down. I think the traction is probably not really that true to life, but it is still a fun course.
It seems that track editors are becoming the norm and Rally Cross 2 does not want to be left out. This means that when you get tired of playing the tracks that come with the game, you can create your own. Now, I personally don't usually have the time to spend making up tracks to race on, so the track editors are not that huge of a deal to me. Some people really enjoy the ability to create a track, and they find this feature to be god-like. If you are one of these people, then you should be happy.
This game does have one cool feature that I have never seen in a game before. You have the option of racing a standard race, which is you against three other computer-controlled opponents. You can also race head-on. This is you against one other vehicle and you race going in opposite directions on the same track. This means that you are guaranteed to cross paths. There is only one thing that will scare you more than flying blindly around a corner and running head-on into another car -- it's called the suicide mode. This has you racing in one direction and three other computer-controlled cars are racing in the other direction. So the one thing that is scarier than hitting a car head-on is hitting three cars head-on. I am sure that you are wondering why I didn't just avoid the oncoming racers. That works sometimes, but it always seemed like the other cars showed up as you flew around a blind corner. These modes were definitely great additions to the game.
Now for what I didn't like about the game. My main complaint was that it was just too easy to tip your car over. I liked the idea that you could roll your car, and I also liked the fact that you had to use buttons to flip your car back over, but I did not like the fact that your car would roll off something barely larger than a stiff gust of wind. If you clipped a corner, you might as well be prepared to flip, because it almost always happens. I can't tell you the number of times that I was winning a race, and on the last lap I clipped a corner and rolled my car, only to be overtaken by the 3 computer-controlled cars. Talk about frustrating.
My other complaint with the game is one I seem to be having more and more often lately. After playing for a few hours, my interest started to wander. The game was fun and learning the tracks was challenging, but I just seemed to lose interest in the game fairly quickly. I can't really explain why, but I think the game may have just lacked that spark that makes great games great and keeps average games average.
I have seen better and I have seen worse. The game looks good enough, and the effects look real enough, but there is really nothing earth-shattering about the graphics. The cars all look cool and you can customize the colors of the cars, but there was nothing overly spectacular. They do get the job done, and it is cool how your car shows damage during a race, but it still will not blow you away.
I have to say that this is the best game on the market for PSX that is devoted strictly to off-road rally racing. Be warned, because the only reason it is the best is because the rest of the games are all pretty crappy. This game definitely has its bright spots and you should get some enjoyment out of it, but I think the long-term playability may suffer. If you enjoy creating your own tracks, you may get a few more miles of enjoyment out of it, but I still suggest a rental first.
Other Games by 989 Sports
Syphon Filter
MLB 2000
NHL Faceoff 2000
NBA ShootOut 2003
Download Doom 3


The cutter protection strip is one of the most important parts on your vinyl cutter. It allows for straight and true cuts without any jagged edges or ruined material. The teflon strip is white and runs the length of the cutter and fits: 24in Lynx, Bobcat, enduraCut, enduraCut Plus, and Panther. For the best cutting results, replace the teflon strip every six months and it is always a good idea to have one as a back-up.


We welcome able and bright people to join our organization to fill the various positions that may arise from time to time.
Min. 3 years relevant experience.
Experience in pressure vessel & heat exchangers is an advantage.
Transport provided at designated pickup points.
Working hours 8.00 am - 5.00 pm (Mon-Fri) 8.00 am - 12.00 pm (Sat).


La Palma is a small city in Orange County that was ranked 31st in the "Best places to live" among small cities (50,000 or less) in the United States by CNN's Money magazine. It has been consistently voted as one of the best small cities to live in the US with low crime rates and low police response time. Due to its family-friendly atmosphere, La Palma is also a very popular area for solar energy.
Homeowners in La Palma look for quality, which is why they've been choosing SunPower by Stellar Solar to install their solar since 1998. Our 140 reviews on Yelp and 54 on Google+ display why we are so deeply trusted in the area: we are known for our reliability, punctuality, and high level of installation quality. Those reasons are also why we've been voted as the best solar company in San Diego for 5 out of the last 7 years by readers of the Union-Tribune San Diego. Our longevity in the market has set us apart from the hundreds of other solar companies in the area.
Much like the quality of living in La Palma, homeowners in La Palma prefer the best of the best. That's why they consitently choose to install SunPower solar panels on their roof due to their quality and aesthetics. We are very proud of the fact that SunPower chose use to be the first Master Dealer in the San Diego area, through a stringent evaluation of our installations and processes. When you combine our award-winning installation quality with SunPowers award-winning panels, you have a winning combination that you cant find anywhere else.


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Orange County Choppers face foreclosure but not bankruptcy
American Choppers was a reality TV show which featured a family of roughneck bikers and steelworkers who turned their skills to building beautiful motorcycles at their Orange County Choppers facility in New York.
The business began as a side project to the family's steel works and Paul Tuetel Sr and Jr. facilitated the day to day running and design work involved in building the extravagant custom bikes.
American Choppers was a huge success, their bikes were (and still are) considered works of art, and despite the sometimes 'Osborn-esque' family tantrums – usually instigated by the hot-headed Paul Teutel Sr – it provided good entertainment; a rarity for reality TV.
Their work featured incredible designs which were commissioned for individuals and groups alike. One memorable bike, built for the fire brigade, had the look of a fire truck complete with fireman's helmet as the gas tank and a hydrant.
The crew of American Choppers also featured on Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman's The Long Way Round in which the pair travelled across the world on motorbikes. McGregor was such a huge fan of the show that he bought a bike while visiting them.
News today is a sad indictment of the times we live in as the company is now facing foreclosure on its facility. The problem has arisen after unpaid mortgage arrears of $96,400 and $14,000. OCC refused to make payments as they wanted changes made to the loan agreement, given that deflation has dropped the price of the property which houses Orange County Choppers.
With the help of American Choppers and celebrity endorsements, Orange County Choppers has become an international brand and one would assume that they will take strides to ensure the longevity of their business, all of which is run from the same building.
Please hare your thoughts on the foreclosure at Orange County Choppers' HQ by leaving a comment.
Read about Ewan McGregor's brush with death threats and battle against smoking, as well as former soccer star Avi Cohen's death in a motorbike related incident.
images: sports.rightpundits.com, orangecountychoppers.com


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Home › Board of Trustees › Robert B. Catell
Robert B. Catell
Chairman, Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) at New York State University at Stony Brook
Chairman, New York State Smart Grid Consortium
Mr. Catell was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KeySpan Corporation and KeySpan Energy Delivery, the former Brooklyn Union. His career with Brooklyn Union started in 1958. He became Chairman, National Grid, U.S., following the acquisition, by National Grid, of KeySpan Corporation. Mr. Catell is a member of the board of directors of KEYERA Energy Management Ltd. He is also the Chair of Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School (formerly Lourdes Academy), Futures in Education Endowment Fund, and New York Energy Policy Institute's Advisory Council (NYEPI). He is the Co-Chair of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. Robert Catell is a member of the board of directors/trustees of the following industry and business organizations:
Brooklyn Community Foundation (formerly Independence Community Foundation)
CAI Investments Advisory Board
City College of New York 21st Century Foundation Board
Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies
Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Hudson Clean Energy Fund Advisory Board
Long Island Angel Network (LIAN)
Long Island Association (LIA)
National Grid Foundation
New York Academy of Science (NYAS)
New York City Police Foundation
New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board (EDPAB)
New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Our Energy Policy Foundation
Tomorrow's Hope Foundation
He is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, CUNY Business Leadership Council, National Society of Professional Engineers, NYS Society of Professional Engineers, and the Society of Gas Lighting (SOGL).
Mr. Catell serves on the Advisory Board for SUNY Farmingdale, the President's Advisory Council at Adelphi University, the Winthrop Hospital Board of Regents, Advisory Board of EC Infosystems, and the NYU Poly Advisory Committee of the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable Economy (NYC ACRE).
Mr. Catell is a past Chairman of the American Gas Association, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Long Island Association, Partnership for New York City, Inc., U.S. Energy Association (USEA), and the Advisory Board of the City College of New York's School of Engineering.
He serves as a Member Emeritus of the Brooklyn Law School, and, until recently, he was also a board member of: the Brooklyn Public Library Foundation, Business Council of NYS, Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Energy Association of NYS, Long Island Foreign Affairs Forum, and the advisory board of HeartShare for Human Services.
Mr. Catell received both is Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the City College of New York and is a Registered Professional Engineer. He has attended Columbia University's Executive Development Program, and the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.
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Additional Board Members
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Ph.D., D.D.
Paul M. Aguggia
Martin Cottingham
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music and messages packed into files, accessible, tremulous.
the foot down onto the heavy pavement.
chiseled, aching to tell me its ingenuity.
This poem appears in Four Blue Eggs. You can still save 20% for National Poetry Month if you order now!


text:
Q: jaydebeapi Getting column alias names Is there a way to return the aliased column names from a sql query returned from JayDeBeApi?
For example, I have the following query:
sql = """ SELECT visitorid AS id_alias FROM table LIMIT 1 """

I then run the following (connect_to_vdm() establishes a connection to my DB):
curs = connect_to_vdm().cursor()
curs.execute(sql)
vals = curs.fetchall()

I normally retrieve column names like so:
desc = curs.description
column_names = [col[0] for col in desc]

This returns the original column name "visitorid" and not the alias specified in the query "id_alias".
I know I could swap the names for the value in Python, but hoping to be able to have this done within the query since it is already defined in the Select statement. This behaves as expected in a SQL client, but I cannot seem to get the Aliases to return when using python/JayDeBeApi. Is there a way to do this using JayDeBeApi?
EDIT:
I have discovered that structuring my query with a CTE seems to help fix the problem, but still wondering if there is a more straightforward solution out there. Here is how I rewrote the same query:
sql = """ WITH cte (id_alias) AS (SELECT visitorid AS id_alias FROM table LIMIT 1) SELECT id_alias from cte"""

A: I was able to fix this using a CTE (Common Table Expression)
sql = """ WITH cte (id_alias) AS (SELECT visitorid AS id_alias FROM table LIMIT 1) SELECT id_alias from cte"""

A: Hat tip to pybokeh on Github, but this worked for me.
According to IBM (here and here), the behavior of JDBC drivers changed at some point. Bizarrely, the column aliases display just fine when using a tool like DBVisualizer, but not by querying through jaydebeapi.
To fix, add the following to the end of your DB URL:
:useJDBC4ColumnNameAndLabelSemantics=false;

Example:
jdbc:db2://[DBSERVER]:[PORT]/[DBNAME]:useJDBC4ColumnNameAndLabelSemantics=false;


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text:
Sadler Wants GEM Drive for 2009, Not Money
Drivers To Get New GPS Unit, Navigon 5100 Approved by The FCC
Home > News > Gadgets
Published: 21 Nov 2012, 14:06 UTC • By:
Bogdan Popa
We all know that seeking for an unknown destination point with a car equipped with a GPS unit is as easy as night cruising for most drivers out there. However, don't forget that you only need a single GPS malfunction such as an error, a battery problem or a display issue, to get lost and turn the so-called night cruising into the seek for the light at the end of the tunnel.
Well, Navigon prepares to roll out what seems to be one of the most powerful GPS units of the company although some people say that it may be inspired by products belonging to its rivals, including Magellan or Garmin.
In fact, Navigon seems to adopt a similar market strategy as its competitors: the newly-designed Navigon 5100 is supposed to be available in a large number of variants, depending on the number of features. Obviously, the price of the whole package will vary on the functions, so the top version will be also the most expensive.
There are no confirmed features at the time of writing this article but the GPSTracklog.com editors inform that the upcoming Navigon 5100, which was recently approved by the FCC, may be equipped with Bluetooth connectivity support, a 4.3-inch screen combined with text-to-speech pronunciation of street names and directions. There's no word on the price or on the launch date yet but the device is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2008.
At the first look, the Navigon 5100 seems to share numerous functions with the older model 7100 which also features a 4.3-inch LCD screen with lifetime traffic updates and 2D or 3D maps. The 7100 model is available for about $300 so the upcoming Navigon 5100 may be sold for approximately 400 bucks.
GPS gadget navigon lcd
SKODA Roomster Small MPV BMW M4 CSL Coupe FORD Ranger Raptor Heavy Duty Pickup VAUXHALL Grandland GSe Medium SUV LAMBORGHINI Huracan Tecnica Luxury LAMBORGHINI Urus S Medium SUV MASERATI Modena Coupe VAUXHALL Astra Sports Tourer Large MASERATI Grecale Modena Medium SUV MASERATI Trofeo CoupeAll car models


text:
OTHER COMEDY & STAND-UP IN ATLANTA
Brian Regan
Trixie and Katya
Hannah Gadsby
Hasan Minhaj Event homeBuy ticketsCustomer reviews Lewis BlackBrian ReganTrixie and KatyaHannah GadsbyTom SeguraAlan CummingImpractical Jokers
FABULOUS FOX THEATER
Tootsie (Jan 25 - 30, 2022)
Jeff Foxworthy (Feb 5, 2022)
Letterkenny Live (Feb 16, 2022)
Dancing With the Stars (Feb 26, 2022)
Ben Platt (Feb 28, 2022)
Alton Brown (Mar 2, 2022)
Iliza Shlesinger (Mar 5, 2022)
Steve Martin & Martin Short (Mar 6, 2022)
Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations (Mar 8 - 13, 2022)
Celtic Woman (Mar 15, 2022)
Legends of Hip Hop (Mar 19, 2022)
Nate Bargatze (Mar 26, 2022)
Disney Princess - The Concert (Apr 2, 2022)
Brothers Osborne (Apr 7, 2022)
The Bachelor Live On Stage (Apr 10, 2022)
Rain - A Tribute to the Beatles (Apr 15, 2022)
Jesus Christ Superstar (Apr 19 - 24, 2022)
Roberto Carlos (Apr 28, 2022)
LOL Surprise Live (May 6, 2022)
Eckhart Tolle (May 12, 2022)
Tom Segura (May 14, 2022)
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (May 20 - 22, 2022)
Disney's Frozen: The Musical (Jun 2 - 12, 2022)
The Masked Singer (Jun 26, 2022)
Blue Man Group (Jul 8 - 10, 2022)
Tedeschi Trucks Band (Jul 15 - 16, 2022)
Mean Girls (Jul 19 - 24, 2022)
Widespread Panic (Aug 10 - 13, 2022)
Fabulous Fox Theater Please selectVenue homeLocation and directionsPre-theatre diningOvernight accommodationSeating maps Tootsie (Jan 25 - 30, 2022)Jeff Foxworthy (Feb 5, 2022)Letterkenny Live (Feb 16, 2022)Dancing With the Stars (Feb 26, 2022)Ben Platt (Feb 28, 2022)Alton Brown (Mar 2, 2022)Iliza Shlesinger (Mar 5, 2022)Steve Martin & Martin Short (Mar 6, 2022)Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations (Mar 8 - 13, 2022)Celtic Woman (Mar 15, 2022)Legends of Hip Hop (Mar 19, 2022)Nate Bargatze (Mar 26, 2022)Disney Princess - The Concert (Apr 2, 2022)Brothers Osborne (Apr 7, 2022)The Bachelor Live On Stage (Apr 10, 2022)Rain - A Tribute to the Beatles (Apr 15, 2022)Jesus Christ Superstar (Apr 19 - 24, 2022)Roberto Carlos (Apr 28, 2022)LOL Surprise Live (May 6, 2022)Eckhart Tolle (May 12, 2022)Tom Segura (May 14, 2022)Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (May 20 - 22, 2022)Disney's Frozen: The Musical (Jun 2 - 12, 2022)The Masked Singer (Jun 26, 2022)Blue Man Group (Jul 8 - 10, 2022)Tedeschi Trucks Band (Jul 15 - 16, 2022)Mean Girls (Jul 19 - 24, 2022)Widespread Panic (Aug 10 - 13, 2022)
660 Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30308
Prices from: $140
One of the most authentic voices to come onto the storytelling scene in years. Above all else, Hasan is a master storyteller.
Catherine Burns, The Moth
Why See Hasan Minhaj?
the king's jester tour!
Former Daily Show correspondent and now host of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, the last few years have seen Minhaj gain the popularity he deserves as a comedian and political commentator. Known for his unflinching (and hilarious) style that picks apart race, identity, society and the current state of American culture, don't miss him live in 2021, when he brings his brand new show 'The King's Jester' to a town near you.
Minhaj's last comedy show, Homecoming King, received rapturous reviews from New York critics, including NPR who called it a "roller-coaster ride," and praised Minhaj as "a charming, energetic comedian and an absorbing storyteller". Yet another achievement from a comedian who has gone from supporting roles in Chelsea Lately to being one of the country's most talked-about talents.
Performance date: 20 February 2022
Image attribution: Staff Sgt. Kat Justen Used under Creative Commons License
Sun, Feb 20
Hichem : "Wonderful show! "
The show was great. It started a few minutes late, but almost everybody... more
L.S.: "Terrible Access- Missed Most of Show"
It took over an hour for us and what looked like hundreds of other people... more
Sound good to you? Share this page on social media and let your friends know about Hasan Minhaj at Fabulous Fox Theater.
Please note: The term Fabulous Fox Theater and/or Hasan Minhaj as well as all associated graphics, logos, and/or other trademarks, tradenames or copyrights are the property of the Fabulous Fox Theater and/or Hasan Minhaj and are used herein for factual descriptive purposes only. We are in no way associated with or authorized by the Fabulous Fox Theater and/or Hasan Minhaj and neither that entity nor any of its affiliates have licensed or endorsed us to sell tickets, goods and or services in conjunction with their events.


How about we begin to believe in being our own boss?
We co-create it with the universe. That is it!
There is no one else in the equation.
If we want something, we can have it.
If we allow someone else to dictate our world, then we hand over our power to them.
We have to be willing to take full responsibility for our lives.
We have to know that we have power and to use it with greater wisdom.
We have to be willing to follow our truth despite the opinions of family, friends, your employers, or the peanut gallery.
No one can hinder you from receiving your good!
Stop making excuses and saying how this person won't let you.
Your children aren't old enough.
Your wife won't let you.
Your hours at your job are preventing you.
Your mom doesn't expect that from you.
You rule your own life, every moment of everyday.


Clink now ships with DLL files called clink_x86.dll and clink_x64.dll, but the isUseClink routine in ConEmu's Options.cpp checks for clink_dll_x86.dll and clink_dll_x64.dll.
As a result, if the user tries to enable Clink in ConEmu's Features page, the "Clink was not found [...]" error message is displayed.
If the user renames the two DLL files to match the filenames shown in Options.cpp then the next time ConEmu is launched it throws this error from Clink: "The code execution cannot proceed because clink_x64.dll was not found."
In short, Clink looks for one DLL filename; ConEmu looks for a different DLL filename.
WORKAROUND: Copy both DLL files and rename the copies to clink_dll_x86.dll and clink_dll_x64.dll. Then both ConEmu's and Clink's filename checks are satisfied.
Download and extract Clink v1.0.0.a1, following the instructions in ConEmu's Readme.txt to put the extracted files directly in ConEmu's clink folder.
Attempt to enable Clink in ConEmu's Features page.
The user cannot enable Clink without any errors.
The user should be able to enable Clink without any errors.
gh-1860: Support new clink dll names.
Seems to be good. I just tested it on two separate computers, and both allowed me to enable and disable Clink with no errors. Thanks!


text:
Remember all the great moments from the Wake Forest-N.C. State rivalry? Neither do we.
When the ACC raided the Big East a few years ago in a desperate attempt to become a football power, it ended one of the things that I used to love about the conference — every team played every other team once a year in football and twice in basketball.
I especially miss the double round-robin in basketball. The added familiarity with opponents better prepared ACC teams for March Madness, and it made conference rivalries stronger. If N.C. State lost its first game against one of the Big 4, I always knew there would be a rematch.
With the expansion to 12 teams, it was bad enough that N.C. State was no longer guaranteed to play Duke twice in basketball (or at all in football). With the conference growing to 14 in a year or two, it was inevitable that more rivals would play each other less frequently.
Under the new scheduling format announced last week, each basketball team gets one primary rival to play in a home-and-home every year. In N.C. State's case, it's Wake Forest. No offense to the Deacons, but the one home game that Wolfpackers care about above all others is against Carolina. Once every three years, the Tar Heels won't have to come to Raleigh.
1 Comment	| Basketball, Football	| Tagged: ACC expansion, Duke Blue Devils, N.C. State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Pittsburgh Panthers, Rivalries, Syracuse Orange, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink
The importance of a good application letter
Wake Forest defensive coordinator Brad Lambert (center) beat out several other candidates, including former N.C. State head coach Chuck Amato, to become the Charlotte 49ers' first football coach.
The Charlotte 49ers announced today that Wake Forest defensive coordinator Brad Lambert will be the school's first football coach when the team debuts in 2013.
Charlotte athletics director Judy Rose admitted that she'd never even heard of Lambert before getting his application letter three weeks ago. Rose said:
"I read his letter of application and I said, 'Oh my gosh, who is this guy?' It was not your cookie cutter letter. No, it talked about growing up on a farm in Kansas, work ethic and what he would do as coach. So I started making phone calls."
This is an important lesson for you soon-to-be college graduates out there: A good cover letter is crucial when applying for any job.
1 Comment	| Football	| Tagged: ACC football, Brad Lambert, Charlotte 49ers, Chuck Amato, N.C. State Wolfpack, Philip Rivers, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink
Do you know your enemy?
When I was a freshman at N.C. State, I quickly learned that I needed to know four words in the fight song above all others. I could be forgiven for not knowing the rest as long as I shouted "Go to Hell, Carolina!" at the top of my lungs. (The actual words to the song are "Come over the hill, Caroline," but really, what fun is that?)
For Wolfpack fans, it's crystal clear that North Carolina is their rival. But Sports Illustrated has a survey out that shows every fan base in the ACC doesn't have the same clarity, at least when it comes to figuring out who's their main in-conference rival.
The SI survey covered every I-A conference in the country. Andy Staples wrote a summary of its results, including this description of how it came about:
In October, we asked college football fans of all stripes to tell us about themselves. We received 33,144 responses to questions such as "What is your favorite team?" and "How closely do you follow recruiting?" We received responses from fans of all 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and everyone's answers counted the same — whether they came from Ohio State fans (the most, with 2,004 responses) or Florida Atlantic fans (the fewest, with four responses).
That last sentence tells me this wasn't the most scientific survey, but that doesn't make the data for the ACC any less interesting. Here's how fans from each school answered the question "What is your biggest conference rival?":
1 Comment	| Football	| Tagged: ACC football, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, N.C. State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Rivalries, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink
Instead of Texting Pick 'Em: Week 13
As is often the case with the holiday season, the last weekend of regular season ACC football seems a little anti-climactic.
Clemson clinched a spot in the conference title game last week, joining Georgia Tech for a rematch of their highly competitive game from week 2. Georgia Tech won the first half of that game, 24-0. Clemson took the second half, 27-6. The comeback wasn't enough in a contest we'll be revisiting next week.
Tech and Clemson take two final stabs at defending the ACC's honor this week. The Yellow Jackets host nemesis Georgia, while Clemson travels to Columbia to play arch-rival South Carolina.
Elsewhere, the intraconference games largely match bottom- and middle-feeders. Duke and Wake Forest will meet in a matchup of two of the conference's most prolific quarterbacks, eighth-year seniors Riley Skinner and Thaddeus Lewis. Maybe it only seems as though they've been playing college football that long.
Boston College seeks its second road win against Maryland.Virginia Tech seems likely to give Al Groh a rousing sendoff in what will probably be his last game coaching Virginia. Miami plays at South Florida in what may be the best matchup of the weekend.
Finally, we have the rotting husks of two rivalries: North Carolina plays at N.C. State, while Florida State travels to Gainesville to play Florida.
Closer to home, my lead in the IoT season standings is officially insurmountable. Jeremy and I differ on two games this week; sweeping them would only get Jeremy to within three games of me. I'd like to thank Boston College for nailing this one down for me by mailing in the Carolina game last week. At this time (midday) next week (Dec. 4), I'll be getting ready to eat a steak in New York, courtesy of Jeremy. Or, chicken on a stick from a street vendor. Depends on my mood.
Onward:
Jimmy's Picks (63-24) Jeremy's Picks (58-29)
Clemson at South Carolina Clemson South Carolina
at N.C. State North Carolina North Carolina
Wake Forest at Duke Duke Duke
Florida State at Florida Florida Florida
Virginia Tech at Virginia Virginia Tech Virginia Tech
Georgia at Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Georgia Tech
Miami at South Florida Miami South Florida
Boston College at Maryland Boston College Boston College
Leave a Comment »	| Football, Pick'em	| Tagged: ACC football, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, N.C. State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Pick'em, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink
Three weeks from now, Team IoT will meet face-to-face in New York City. One of us will be buying a grossly overpriced steak for the other.
This weekly picks column will determine whose wallet gets lighter in The Big Apple. Right now, I'm holding a two-game lead on Jeremy. As has become our custom, we differ on two games this week: Miami at North Carolina and Boston College at Virginia.
Four of six ACC games Saturday will occur in central North Carolina. The corpse of Florida State, beheaded last week by the needless loss of quarterback Christian Ponder, is traveling to Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest. Duke hosts Georgia Tech, the ACC's last hope for national relevance. Miami visits Chapel Hill to play North Carolina. And N.C. State hosts C.J. Spiller and Clemson. A warning to the Wolfpack: I'll be in the stands this week. State hasn't won a game I've attended in five years.
A tangent: at Carter-Finley, I'll be wearing my T.A. McLe … er, my Levar Fisher jersey. A funny story: at the last home game of the 2002 season, McLendon and Phil Rivers jerseys were both on sale for $20. "Why get a #17 that will only be useful for another year," I thought. "You'll be able to wear that 44 when Touchdown Anytime wins the Heisman in 2004! And hey, how about Kelly Rowland? Beyonce will rue the day she split with THAT hitmaker." Way to be, Jimmy. Way to be.
Elsewhere, Virginia hosts Boston College, while Virginia Tech travels to College Park to play Maryland.
at Duke Georgia Tech Georgia Tech
at N.C. State Clemson Clemson
at Wake Forest Wake Forest Wake Forest
at Maryland Virginia Tech Virginia Tech
at North Carolina North Carolina Miami
at Virginia Boston College Virginia
Leave a Comment »	| Football, Pick'em	| Tagged: ACC football, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Levar Fisher, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, N.C. State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Philip Rivers, Pick'em, T.A. McLendon, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink
IoT's Power Rankings: Week 10
As a former student reporter once said about a student government meeting, there was an awful lot of motion in the ACC last weekend with very little movement in the IoT power rankings. Most of the top and bottom of the rankings stayed the same, with some slight changes in the mushy middle.
Meanwhile, we're trying something a little different with the power rankings this week. Jimmy is tackling the Coastal Division (a.k.a. – the better half of the conference), while I take on the Atlantic. This arrangement works out rather nicely because it gives me the chance to do some gloating about a bit of a dispute we've been having. More on that later in the rankings — much later.
On to the rankings:
Leave a Comment »	| Football, IoT Power Rankings	| Tagged: ACC football, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, N.C. State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, Power rankings, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons	| Permalink


text:
Pokemon Masters Has an Unexpected Connection to Detective Pikachu
By Christian Hoffer - September 23, 2019 01:26 pm EDT
Pokemon Masters has an unexpected tie to the Detective Pikachu video games. Earlier this month, The Pokemon Company and DeNA released Pokemon Masters, a unique Pokemon game in which players collect Sync Pairs (consisting of one Pokemon and one trainer) to add to your team. The trainer/Pokemon duo consists of famous Pokemon trainers from the various Pokemon games, including a mix of gym leaders, Champions, and rivals. And while the game's developers have noted that they'll likely stick with characters from the main series games and not spin-off games like Pokemon Coliseum, there's still at least one way Pokemon Masters has a connection with a very popular spin-off game.
Voice actor Kaiji Tang voices Noland, the Hikers, and the PokeFans in Pokemon Masters, while Khoi Dao voices Paolo, one of the rival characters in the game. If you're wondering why those characters sound familiar, it's because Tang and Dao voiced Detective Pikachu and Tim Goodman in in the English version of the Detective Pikachu video game, which inspired this year's popular live-action movie. While Ryan Reynolds voiced Detective Pikachu in the video game and Justice Smith played Tim, Tang and Dao were the first people to bring these characters to life in English over a year before the movie was announced. Both Tang and Dao (like many of the voice actors who appear in Pokemon Masters) are veteran voice actors that works mainly in anime and video games. Tang has appeared in everything from the Fire Emblem series to Berserk to Sword Art Online, while Dao has appeared in B: The Beginning, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Cells at Work.
Pokemon Masters is currently available on Android and iOS devices.
Ubisoft Making Big Structural Changes to Create Better and More Unique Games
Pokemon: Twilight Wings Teases Gym Leaders Story
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Confirms Highly Requested Feature Is Coming in Next Update
New Disney Show Getting an Official Video Game Adaptation on Consoles and PC