text:
(It’s not strictly Tuba-Euphonium, as this is trombone stuff as well.)

OK, it’s been a few weeks, the horn works great…I believe it’s time to organize my practicing better. I haven’t been able to do as much as I’d like, but once we clear the Minnesota Music Educators’ Association midwinter conference this week (and this will coincide with what I hope is the beginning of the end of winter and my 40th….gawd, my 40th…birthday), I want to force myself to get at least an hour a day on the horn(s).

So I was thinking of redoing how I practice. How does this sound?

15% of practice time: warm-up. I use long tones, the Remington warm-ups, then scales. Right now it’s majors 2 octaves (I try to do 3 on F and E), octatonics (ST) 2 octaves, and chromatic 3 octaves (C2-C5). This may expand as I include the minors and other scales.

15%: Lyrical warmup. 2 or 3 Rochuts, with one of them read in tenor clef as well. One of these days, I’m gonna work up to alto clef.

15%: Technical warmup. An Arban characteristic study or two, and some other stuff from Arban’s and possibly a Blazhevich. I’m willing to consider other things as well.

30%: Solo literature. I’d like to get a couple of concertos and about 2 hours of solo rep under my fingers within the next year. I would probably include any chamber ensemble literature as well (and good news on that front – it looks like I’m going to be in a brass quintet!).

15%: Excerpts. In case I decide to do a major ensemble. I have the Bowman/Werden euph excerpts and vol. 1 of the Brown trombone excerpts.

10%: Cool-down. Long tones, some lip slurs, some pedals.

So I’ve got this euphonium now, and want to start a quartet. What’s some good recent (1990-later) quartet literature? I have found this, which is all the Grade 1 (highest) Texas State tuba-euphonium quartets, I get the feeling there are many, many more.

Also: If any euphoniumists are within, say, 60-90 minutes of Morris, MN, CONTACT ME. I believe I have a tubist or two, but I need another euphoniumist for the quartet.

Good news, everyone!

Gonna try a little something. I have a piece for solo euphonium that isn’t really…publishable (most places don’t particularly care for multiphonics). So, I’m going to make it available for download here! A couple of players have expressed interest in performing it, which is nice, but I want it to go far and wide. So, here you go – Euphemera for solo euphonium. It’s a .pdf.

If you happen to program it, drop me a note. This one’s on me.

So I was down in Cincinnati yesterday, visiting with old friends and former professors/colleagues, and I had the chance to stop in to the CCM Library. For those of you that haven’t been to CCM in a while, the library is now on the 6th floor of Blegen. It’s quiet, well-lit with lots of natural lighting, and all the stacks are right there – no more dungeon!

Yesterday was also Dr. Earle Louder’s 80th birthday. (Happy birthday, Doc!) So it seemed appropriate that I found this in the CCM stacks:

Some time ago, I had a list of ten pieces which every euphoniumist should try. Does anyone have anything they’d like to add to that list?

Been a while since I’ve done one of these.

As regular visitors to this little popsicle stand know, I’ll be teaching at the University of Minnesota Morris starting this fall. I’m quite excited about it, and have already been planning my first semester there. I’m about to completely overhaul how and what I teach; it feels good and right.

In addition, I am told by future colleagues that there may be a few performance opportunities. Put simply, I think I may be on the verge of forming a new tuba-euphonium quartet. This makes me very happy, for as Berio (after Beckett) put it in the third movement of the Sinfonia for 8 voices and orchestra (a piece that I can finally start listening to again, only a year after finishing my dissertation), there’s “nothing more restful than chamber music.” I played in a quartet all through my undergraduate years as well as one year of my MM.

So here’s a question for any quartet players out there – what literature do you like? It has been over 15 years since I’ve regularly played, and I’m not up on the current rep.

What makes a good tone?

This is arguably the hardest and most personal question of all. There are some generic, catch-all answers (warm, round, focused sound), but when it comes to varying degrees of brightness/darkness of sound, well, put two euphoniumists in a room and you’ll get three answers.

I play with a darker sound, one more suited for ensemble playing. The challenge that those of us with a darker sound face is keeping the sound focused. When you darken the sound, there’s a certain amount of fuzz that is created in the sound. A nice dark sound still keeps a strong, easily-definable center to the sound. To contrast, my college teacher (the legendary and still amazing Earle Louder) had a comparatively bright sound, better for solo work.* Both viewpoints are valid, to be sure, but I have found that I personally control a darker sound better and have an easier time with intonation and articulation.

Whatever you do in creating your own personal tone, it’s important to develop a good base for the tone. Keep a nice open oral cavity so that you can pump tons of air into the horn. Keep those corners firm but never tense. Get good warm air from the bottom of your lungs. Stay relaxed.

How do you handle issues of tone?

*which is not to say that Doc Louder doesn’t sound good in an ensemble. He does. Oh man, does he ever.

Continuing with the theme established from last week, I’ve decided to list ten absolutely on the audition excerpts. Some are from band music, some are from orchestral music.

In no particular order:

1. Holst, Second Suite, first movement, euphonium solo at reh. 5
2. Holst, The Planets, “Mars,” euphonium solo (this is the famous 5/4 excerpt) at reh. 4
3. Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel), Pictures at an Exhibition, “Bydlo” (originally played on tuba, lies very well on euphonium)
4. R. Strauss, Don Quixote (originally for Wagner tuba; according to David Werden, Strauss himself recommended euphonium after hearing the Sousa band)
5. Gould, Symphony for Band “West Point”, first movement, solo at reh. 11
6. Grainger, Irish Tune from County Derry (great for showing off good sound)
7. Sullivan (arr. Mackerras), Pineapple Poll, first movement, beginning to reh. 1
8. Shostakovich (arr. Hunsberger), Festive Overture, reh. 8
9. Barber, Commando March, reh. B
10. King (arr. Bainum), Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite

There are many others that could have made this list (it was a tough call leaving out Grainger’s Children’s March: “Over the Hills and Far Away” because I love that solo so much; ditto the Safranek transcription of Tchaikovsky’s 4th), but these ten mark a good cross-section of the standard rep.

What do you think?


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Westoe Beauty Clinic South Shields

Based in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, we offer a range of specialised body and facial beauty treatments including non-surgical facelifts, waxing, Microdermabrasion and bronzing treatments. We are also specialists in CACI non surgical treatments, a renowned face lift favoured by celebrity clients to re-educate and lift the facial muscles, reducing lines & wrinkles whilst toning sagging muscles & skin, producing immediate & dramatic results. For more information on CACI treatments please visit the CACI website.

Opening Hours

Monday – Sunday 9.00am – 9.00pm

Gift Vouchers Available Upon Request

Westoe Beauty Clinic,
75 Highfield Road,
South Shields,
Tyne & Wear, NE34 6HG

Tel: (0191) 456 1122

Mob: 07834 854160

Our Treatments and Services

We offer a range of beauty treatments including specialised body and face treatments, manicures, pedicures and waxing. Check out our services below or contact us if you like any further information.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-143-72-160.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-22
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for May 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
Shumei Meng

Shumei Meng, MBBS, PhD

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism

Appointments: (614) 685-3333

About Me

As a general endocrinologist, I treat all endocrine diseases, but I specialize in endocrine disease in solid organ transplant and islet transplant patients. I love my career because it allows me to utilize my previous research experience to manage endocrine disease more thoroughly and completely.

I believe that the core of delivering the most effective care is to build both a strong sense of trust and a caring relationship with each patient. When seeking medical attention, patients explain not only their symptoms, but also their life story. It’s truly a privilege to be a part of my patients’ lives and to help them with their healing processes.

I enjoy working at The Ohio State University because here we work together as one big family to achieve excellence in patient care.

In my free time I like to relax with my family, read and enjoy the outdoors.

  • Member of the Endocrine Society
  • Member of the Islet Transplant Selection Committee at Ohio State
  • Medical Student Liaison for Endocrinology at Ohio State
  • Transplant Endocrinologist at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Transplant Center
  • Rated in the top 10 percent of physicians in the nation for patient satisfaction, 2017

Additional Languages I Speak

  • Mandarin

Specialties and Conditions I Treat

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Thyroid Diseases
  • Transplantation
  • Bone Diseases, Metabolic
  • Endocrinology
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pituitary Diseases
  • Bone Diseases
  • Osteomalacia
  • Parathyroid Diseases
  • Thyroid Cancer
  • Pancreas Transplantation
  • Calcium Metabolism Disorders
  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Pancreatic Islets Transplantation
  • Goiter, Nodular
  • Adrenal Gland Diseases
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
  • Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring

Locations Where I Practice

Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location. Please call the “Schedule an appointment” number shown above for scheduling assistance.

Education and Training

Medical Degree

Taishan Medical College

Internal Medicine
University of Mississippi Medical Center
7/1/2007 - 6/30/2010

Johns Hopkins Medical Center
7/1/2010 - 6/30/2013

More About My Work

My Background

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Medicine

American Board of Internal Medicine

American Board of Internal Medicine (Subspecialty: Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism)

My Department

Internal Medicine

My Division

Endocrinology and Metabolism

146 Patient Satisfaction Reviews

The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.

The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

  • Overall
    4.9 out of 5
  • Explains Things Clearly 4.8
  • Listens Carefully 4.9
  • Gives Understandable Instructions 4.8
  • Knows My Medical History 4.8
  • Shows Respect 4.9
  • Time Spent Together 4.8

15 Patient Comments

Reviewed on Apr 21, 2018

Very wonderful doctor helpful informative caring person . My favorite Doctor. Wish all Doctors were more like her.

Reviewed on Apr 11, 2018

I have complete trust in Dr. Meng. She is very friendly, seems to be quite knowledgeable and listens to my concerns.

Reviewed on Apr 08, 2018

Very caring.

Reviewed on Apr 04, 2018

Reviewed on Mar 30, 2018

Reviewed on Mar 20, 2018

Dr. Shumei Ming is an expert physician that has the phenomenal and rare attribute of a great memory, good tactile ability and phenomenal learning. It is obvious that she stays abreast of new research and changes in her field as she comment about having just read about this or that while I'm asking questions.

Reviewed on Mar 16, 2018

It is too difficult to secure an appointment with Dr. Meng. Earliest I can follow-up is 6-9 months. I was only able to see Dr. Meng because someone else cancelled their appointment, otherwise I would not have been able to see her in a reasonable time period. I like Dr. Meng but may need to change doctors due to availability.

Reviewed on Mar 14, 2018

Dr. Meng is the best!!! she takes time to answer my questions and takes care of my needs

Reviewed on Mar 10, 2018

The visit was a very good experience.

Reviewed on Jan 31, 2018

Always very thorough, listens to questions and concerns & great personality!

Load More Comments

Consulting and Related Relationships

At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.

As of 03/26/2018, Dr. Meng has reported no relationships with companies or entities.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Administration Faculty/Staff Bell Schedule
Guidance Forms Scholarships College Visits PSAT ACT SAT ASVAB Virtual (Online Courses) Bright Futures DE Students PERT
Academy of Information Technology Aerospace Engineering Agriscience Technology Biomedical Sciences Civil Engineering and Architecture Cox Communications Criminal Justice Emergency Medical Services/Fire Rescue Gulf Power Multimedia Pre-Professional Nursing Sports Medicine
Athletic Forms Baseball Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country Football Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swim & Dive Tennis Track Volleyball Weightlifting
ACE Anime Art Core Band_Colorguard Drama Environmental Club FCA FFA HOSA Innovation Center Key Club Mu Alpha Theta Orchestra SGA Spanish Club Table Top Gaming
Seniors Juniors Sophomores Freshmen
Attendance/Transportation FOCUS Gradebook FOCUS Gradebook Setup Parents PTSA

Senior Class Contacts

Tiffany Odom

Laura Rainey

Guidance Counselor:

A thru G--Ieasha Ridgeway
850-941-6225, ext. 2175

H thru O--Tammy Connors
850-941-6225, ext. 2130

P thru Z-- Marvetta Nesbitt
850-941-6225, ext. 2140

Senior Flyer--feeling overwhelmed?

Please see this flyer.

Schlolarship Information

Scholarship Information

Scholarship information is located in the Guidance Department and on the school website.  Contact a Guidance Counselor for assistance.

Parents: Has your address and/or phone number changed?

The Escambia County School District arranges transportation and other services by referring to the address on file at your child's school.

Please help us maintain accurate and timely service for your child and ensure we are able to contact you in the event of an emergency by keeping your address and phone number current at your child's school.

Contact the Main Office/Front Office of your child's school to make the necessary changes as soon as possible.

4th Quarter -- Lunch Rotations

Bldg 3 (Minus Health Classes), Driver’s Ed & Roland

Bldgs 18, 25, & Giles

Bldgs 5, 26, Krostag, & Health Classes

Bldgs 1, 8, 9 & Spanish Portables

Senior Bulletin 2018

Class of 2018

All of you are excited about your senior year and graduation, as well you should be.  This is a tremendous milestone.  You are to be congratulated on your accomplishment.

This bulletin will alert everyone to key dates, activities, rules, regulations, etc., associated with your senior year and graduation.

Senior Dues:

Senior dues for the 2017-2018 school year will be $40.00. After November 9, there will be a late fee of $10.00 added, for a total amount due of $50.00. This money will be used to pay for senior activities during the year, including senior field day, senior graduation breakfast, etc.  All seniors paying dues will receive the following special privileges:

  • Entry into all varsity home games free (includes football, baseball, soccer, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, and basketball). Seniors must present IDs for entry.
  • Eating lunch outside in designated area on west side of cafeteria.  If the designated area is not kept clean, however, this privilege will be revoked.  Participating seniors must keep the area clean and dispose of all trash in proper receptacles. Participating seniors must remain in the designated area on the west side of the cafeteria at all times and must be in possession of their senior IDs.
  • Participate in Senior Snack Attacks (make crowns for pep rallies while snacking)
  • Participate in Senior Field Day (Grilling, bounce houses, DJ, field games, etc.)
  • Senior Badge

Senior dues may be paid before school, after school, or during break to Mrs. Odom in building 3, room 336A.

Miscellaneous Costs:

Being a senior is an expensive time.  Some of the upcoming costs seniors may incur are:

                        Senior Dues                             $40.00* - $50.00

Senior pictures            $75.00 - $500.00

                        Graduation announcements    $50.00 - $250.00

                        Yearbook                                $55.00* - $80.00

                        Cap and gown                         $60.00 rental, prices increase after end of April

                        Senior dues                             $50.00

                        Panoramic picture                   $20.00-$50.00

                        Club fees                                 $10.00 - $40.00

                        National Honor Society          $5.00 - $10.00

                        Project graduation tickets       $15.00 - $40.00

                        Commencement picture          $20.00 - $50.00

                        Senior Trip                              $400.00 - $500.00

*Senior Due price of $40 will increase after November 9, 2017

*Yearbook price of $55 will increase after December 1, 2017

These are very rough estimates.  The total costs will be determined by the activities participated in or items purchased.

Graduation Announcements

On October 25, 2017, a Herff Jones representative will distribute ordering information for graduation announcements, caps, and gowns. Each student will receive a packet. Students who are not on campus the day of the meeting should see Mrs. Odom the next day to receive their packets. Herff Jones representatives will return to campus October 31, 2017, and be on campus from 10am-2pm to process orders. A deposit amount will be given at a later date.

The number of yearbooks ordered will not include extras; therefore, you should buy when the sale is conducted. Yearbooks will be on sale online at

*Seniors who have paid their dues can buy yearbooks at the reduced rate until December 1. See Mrs. Brand for details.

Project Graduation 2018

Project Grad 2018 will be held at the Corry Station Rec Center. A great variety of activities and food will be available. Some of these include, but are not limited to, bowling alley, pool, gym, movie room, video games, etc. The first 50 students to sign up will receive a discount price of $15 (non-refundable). After the first 50 students, the price will increase to $30 and after 100 students it will increase to $40. This activity fee can be paid at any point throughout the school year; however, the final deadline is April 2, 2018. NAS/Corry Station requires an activity form signed by student/parent. The forms can be picked up from Mrs. Odom—a completed form is required when depositing the activity fee.

Scholarship Information

Scholarship information is located in the Guidance Department and on the school web site.  Contact your guidance counselor for assistance.

Important Upcoming Dates

November 9               Last day to pay Senior Dues before an increase to $50.00

November 20-24        Fall Break

December 12 - 15      Exams (13th – 15th early release days)

Dec 18 - Jan 2            Winter break

January 3                    Students return for 2nd semester

January 15                  MLK Holiday

January 25                  Cap and Gown Portraits (See Mrs. Brand for more info)

March 2018      Announcements will be delivered to the school.  Balance must be paid in order to pick up  announcements.

March 17                    Prom

March 26-30              Spring Break

April 2                        Last day to submit Project Grad money AND required permission form

April 27                       Senior Field Day, periods 5-7. You must present your senior ID card as your ticket to

participate in the senior field day activities.  Non-participation in field day requires seniors to be               present in their regularly scheduled class.

May 11                                 Current senior books and fines must be paid by the end of the day.

If all obligations are not cleared, then the senior will pick up his/her diploma at school after graduation at a time designated by administration.  Failure to clear obligations to the school and district will not prohibit you from receiving your diploma, but it will prevent you from participating in the graduation exercises.

May 11, 14-16             Senior Exams

Attention Seniors and Senior Parents-----Please note the start time for all activities listed below.  This includes the senior breakfast (seated in the gym 7:45 a.m.) and graduation practice (seated in the gym at 12:45 p.m.).   Late students will not be admitted.  Both the senior breakfast and graduation practice are mandatory and required to participate in the ceremony at the Bay Center.

May 15                        Baccalaureate Service, 6:00 P.M. at Calvary Baptist Church (optional)

            Students participating need to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for arrangement to march in.

            Location: 6824 Pine Forest Rd, Pensacola, FL 32526

                                    Seniors wear cap and gowns to this service.

May 17      Senior Breakfast 8:00 A.M. Location: WFHS cafeteria.  All students must be seated in the gym by at 7:45 a.m. Seniors will be given  instructions pertaining to graduation as well as information about Bright Futures, senior honors, transcripts, and FLVS/EVA/Compass completion.  Please be on time.  Attendance is mandatory.  Working students, let your employer know now.

May 21       Senior Honors Night – Mrs. Nesbitt, Coordinator - 6:00 p.m. in the WFHS gymnasium

Those seniors being recognized wear their caps and gowns during the program. All seniors and their parents are invited to attend.

May 22       Graduation practice at WFHS - 1:00 p.m. All students must be seated in the gym by 12:45 p.m.  Practice is mandatory. Seniors must practice to participate in the graduation exercises.  Remember, this is a privilege and not a right.  If you choose not to practice, you choose not to march.  No excuses—work is not a valid excuse for missing graduation practice.  Let your employer know you will not be available to work May 22, 2018.  Practice is at 1:00 p.m. until released.  Parents, please help to get your senior here for this important time.

Graduation speeches will be rehearsed immediately following practice. If you do not rehearse your speech at this time, you forfeit your place in the program. Parents, please

re-inforce this with your student.

May 24       GRADUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2:30 @ Pensacola Bay Center (All students must be present at the Bay Center at 1:30 p.m.)   Students who arrive late or improperly dressed will not be permitted on the floor. They will be required to join their families in the stands.

May 24                       Project Graduation, Corry Station Rec Center (see specific info on page 3)

Senior Class Officers

Senior Class

Kyerra Hall

Christopher Childs

Abby Humphreys

Raegan Whiteaker

Yearbook Baby Ads

Attention Senior Parents: Baby Ad Space is officially on sale for the 2018 yearbook. Prices start at just $50. Look for the flyer coming home through English classes or on the school website. Please contact Mrs. Brand at with any questions.

Please see this flyer for more information.

Senior Information Night

Senior Information Night

Please see the attached PowerPoint from the Senior Information Night by the Guidance Department.

Also, here is the contact information if you need assistance with the FAFSA Application:

Free FAFSA Application assistance is provided by Obi Kalu, Student Services Specialist with Trio is available to assist parents with the Financial Aid process and her information is below.

Obi Kalu, MPH
Student Services Specialist
TRIO--Educational Opportunity Center (EOC)
Free FAFSA Application Assistance
PSC-Warrington Campus (850-484-2357)

ECSD Announces New Mobile App for Families and Friends

Download the ECSD Families App Today!

Escambia County School District announced a new way for students’ families to access information from a smart phone with the NEW ECSD Families App. The primary purpose for the ECSD Families App to make the Focus Parent Portal information system easily available and portable, as well as put District news and announcements right in your hand. The secondary goal is to make ECSD news more easily available to everyone interested in ECSD information, such as the calendar of events and sports.

Any parent, or guardian, who hasn’t already established a Focus Parent Portal account will find instructions on the opening tab of the App.
Everyone will be able to use the settings in the App to pick which ECSD news-feeds they want to see on their phone.

Available in the Apple App Store or on the Google Play store for Android phones, the ECSD Families App is free.

Having Chromebook issues?


text:
Oral Surgery Services from Dr. High in Wheeling, WV, and Ohio Valley

Philip D. High, DDS, Inc.

Welcome to Dr. Philip D. High, D.D.S., providing oral surgery in Wheeling, West Virginia, and serving patients in the Ohio Valley. Oral surgery services are very much in demand, and have seen a lot of change in the last 40 years.

The most effective surgeons stay on top of the cutting-edge procedures and products. When it comes to caring for patients, you can rely on Dr. High and his staff to see you through the process from start to finish. With the right anesthesia and the most effective skills and technologies available, you can be assured of the most comfortable and complete care in the Ohio Valley.

  • Oral Surgery
  • Wisdom Teeth
  • Teeth Extractions
  • Dental Implants


text:
Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

I’ve long taken issue with the work of the Wages of Wins Network, mostly in the form of twitter jabs or snide comments in the stuff I write. While the work being done on those sites is admirable, and they’re pursuing a noble goal–richer and more descriptive quantitative analysis of basketball–the prevailing no-questions-asked approach seems to fly in the face of what should be a scientific pursuit.

There’s no doubt an expanded use of advanced statistics and analysis has vastly improved out understanding of basketball. We have better ways of quantifying nearly every measurable event that occurs on the court. But we’re no closer to a Unified Theory of Basketball than physicists are to a Unified Theory of Everything, and yet the faith the WoW Network places in numbers often seems blind and absolute.

It’s one thing to insist again and again that Kevin Love is the best player in the NBA. We can talk all about the eye test offering proof that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and perhaps a few others are superior players to Love, but in the end we’re all just sharing opinions based on whatever criteria seem most appropriate. It’s quite another to assert that Green Bay, Wisconsin is incapable of supporting any professional sports team. But that’s exactly the conclusion reached by Arturo Galletti using a metric he devised to gauge a metro area’s capability of doing so. Green Bay is a casualty of a system that simply aggregates a huge amount of money and splits it into a few smaller sums. It’s Win Shares with dollars and cents in the place of rebounds and points.

If you examine the chart, you’ll see that Green Bay lands just barely on the positive side of the “Available Personal Income” divide. However, that calculation saddles Green Bay with only 30 percent of the burden for supporting the Packers. The rest falls on the already stretched thin Milwaukee metro area. In turn, that 70 percent stake in the Packers drives up Milwaukee’s “debt” and makes it the WoW’s number one candidate to have its NBA franchise relocated. If the full cost of supporting the Packers is shifted back to Green Bay, the city falls in the red. Galletti justifies the split by saying “the Packers are very much Milwaukee’s team as well”. But this is true of many franchises, particularly ones that represent a state’s only entry into a particular league. Why is Milwaukee the only one in which the calculations reflect this reality? What’s more, a 70 percent share in the Packers is outrageous. For any metric one could possibly devise, suggesting that any city other than Green Bay could bear a significant majority of the team’s “cost” is just wrong.

The scientific method places tremendous emphasis on falsifiability, and any theory that purports to be comprehensive has to hold in every case. So how have the Packers persisted in Green Bay? How can the tiniest market in the most popular sporting league in the United States compete with 31 other teams and win the Super Bowl? Because it’s about more than money. It’s about a fanbase that supports the team with greater fanaticism than any other. A fanbase that places newborn babies on a 955 year waiting list for season tickets. The Milwaukee Bucks currently lack such support. The Bucks can succeed in Milwaukee if they draft good players, make smart personnel decisions on the roster and in the front office, and play well. If they fail to do so, they will fail no matter which city they call home.

Read Full Post »

By popular account, the Lakers got obliterated in the playoffs this year because their defense fell apart, their stars didn’t perform at star levels, and because they had no trust in each other. Those reasons all seem plausible, though perhaps in different ratios than suggested in the screenplay that is so often Lakers coverage. The stories are easier to believe when plainly visible on the court: Dallas averaged an excellent 113.8 ORtg during the second-round series; Kobe and Pau Gasol were inefficient and ineffective. But the trust issues? Those were more subtle. Scowls and body language don’t always get picked up by television cameras; sound bytes get taken out of context and overblown. Still, I don’t doubt that they exist–the personalities and relationships of the Lakers are well documented.

So did we see the same thing out of the Miami Heat? In Game 2 of the NBA Finals? Smart basketball minds had little difficulty spotting the disaster they were creating for themselves even as it was happening. “Hero ball” took over and the points stopped coming. There was no chemistry, no semblance of order or purpose, just basketball players (albeit a few very very good ones) telling everyone and each other, “I got this.” What resulted was one of the most stunning collapses/comebacks (I suppose it depends on which camp you’re in) in Finals history.

Is there writing on the walls? If so, I’d warrant the paint is still wet.

LeBron James has stirred his fair share of controversy in the NBA, and not just in the past 10 months. But trust issues? Was there ever an inkling of dissension in the ranks, at least among the players, that threatened to derail a team of his? I’ve always imagined issues on or off the court being easily remedied by each player sticking his friendship ring into a circle and giving a loud, “huzzah!” It was so visible in Cleveland. The elaborate handshakes, the choreographed introductions and celebrations, it all pointed to a tight-knit basketball commune, bearing serious resemblance to the teams of the old Soviet Union who basically grew up together. It’s a departure from Jordan’s fiery intensity that is oh so relevant in the Great Debate. LeBron is praised for his distribution as much as his scoring; he elevated players to levels hitherto unknown (if you’ll forgive the narrative standby). It was still LeBron & the rest as far as talent and responsibility were concerned, but one man does not a basketball team make.

Unfortunately, that saying still holds true for three people–two if you trust Carlos Boozer. Yet that’s exactly what the Heat turned into Thursday night. It was subtle, again, but it was amplified by its results. What was first hinted at with Dwyane Wade refusing to give the ball up to Mario Chalmers during a two-on-one (he scored anyway, for the record) rapidly evolved into a me-against-the-world approach to basketball. And it failed, miserably. Chris Bosh was essentially frozen out of the offense in the last few minutes, and while he’d had an awful offensive game to that point, he remains the Heat’s third-best player by a wide margin. LeBron and Wade mixed dribbling with stepbacks and long threes. Even on the last play of the game, Chalmers–the guy who was 6 percentage points better from behind the arc than Wade this season, and had tied the game a possession earlier–was left largely uncovered just a step behind the arc. Time constraints obviously limited his involvement, but even if there was another second or two on the clock, is anyone confident Wade would’ve given that ball up?

The top guns of the Miami Heat seemed convinced that they were the only ones who could deliver victory in Game 2. These are the same guys that won just about every game for the Heat to this point, but it didn’t come off as confident in Game 2. It came off as stubborn, arrogant even, if you prefer to read that far into things. The supporting cast in Cleveland wasn’t great, but they certainly eclipsed their Miami counterparts. Maybe that talent disparity is enough to discourage the kind of cooperation that formed the norm in Ohio? Or maybe it borne solely of confidence, perhaps overblown by the very heroics that carried Miami to where they are now. It shouldn’t matter. The Heat are headed to Dallas with a “1-1” scratched into the whiteout covering the spot where “2-0” was penned in. They’re in this situation because of something that had previously been a non-issue. That’s enough to be worried about.

Read Full Post »

I don’t remember if I made a true “prediction” at the beginning of the year regarding the success the Miami Heat would enjoy this year. Between the two extremes of: “they’re going to steamroll the entire league” and “they’re going to be a colossal wreck,” I know I leaned toward the former, but it doesn’t matter. A lot of people said a lot of things about the Heat, about LeBron James, and about the future of the NBA in an era where players could pick their teams the way they pick vacation homes and designer watches. I’d venture roughly half of them were way off, and the other half weren’t much better. I don’t think preseason predictions are bad per se. They may not be the most informed or informative element of NBA pop-journalism, but they’re fun and they let us start talking about basketball that much earlier. I’ll readily admit to rolling my eyes at the people who roll their eyes at mock drafts published 12 months in advance, because who cares? Whose time are we wasting? What damage is it doing?

But the preseason prognostication was different this year, because LeBron James declared war on all that is good in professional sports, and it needed to be shouted from the hills! Or so you might have heard if you’d checked the internet last summer. The Miami Heat immediately became the NBA’s Evil Emperor, a looming shadow threatening to swallow up the pure, good-hearted souls and declare martial law for the next half-decade. It was the first time, I would imagine, that questions like “how many games will they win?” were interspersed with “will they destroy everything NBA fans hold dear?” Yet for all the griping and lamenting the passing of the good ol’ days, reasoned responses were there to be found. Plenty of people, probably more than one might think, acknowledged it as a basketball decision that could be explained in basketball terms. And why couldn’t it be? The only difference between the Heat’s free-agent haul and every other 2010 signing was that all three players are obvious stars. Other teams who undergo roster overhauls have to work out how everybody will play together too. They just do it without three of the most talented players in the NBA on their roster. Sure, the Heat have a weaker-than-average bench, but the impact of that disadvantage was probably overstated. The Heat are, as it turns out, just another basketball team, subject to the same rules and natural laws as any other, blessed only by the presence of three players who perform exceptionally well.

So I have to admit, I have taken immense pleasure in the Heat silencing critic after critic during these playoffs. Silence is the only appropriate response from the year-long detractors, perhaps augmented by a subtle nod. No new excuses that only became relevant within the past three weeks. No handicapping their opponents to deflate what Miami has accomplished. Just credit, where a whole mess of credit is due. Because in reality, the Heat weren’t a malevolent triumvirate heralding the end of days. They were a good-sometimes-great basketball team that excelled because they combined a ton of talent with a ton of hard work. Sure they had motivation. I don’t doubt that a nation of naysayers constantly hurtling insults–often varied only in degrees of childishness–inspired the Heat to work a little harder. But do we really think things would have been significantly different without the criticisms? Do we honestly think Miami is lacking in personal motivation?

If the Heat take this thing all the way, if they take home in a championship in the first year of this grand experiment, there will be a lot of resigned admission. Columnists will publish 800-word odysseys emoting sideways glances, grins, and muttered statements of “oh, you guys…!” Heck, it’s already begun, in the form of three hundred paragraphs devoted to Rick Reilly waving the communal white flag in valiant defeat. As if he’s doing the Heat a favor.

I’m no Heat fan. I don’t overtly cheer for them, at least not in the same way I cheer for the Bucks, or the Green Bay Packers, or whatever other team is geographically closest to my hometown. But I am smugly, maybe even arrogantly pleased with myself for respecting what they did from the very beginning. Not because it’s an accomplishment, but because I’m not stuck here worrying about eating my words for the next three months. I’m not exactly happy about the prospect of seeing the Heat dominate the NBA for the foreseeable future, but I’m willing to accept that they have soundly, completely, and legitimately earned it.

Read Full Post »

The big guns don’t rebuild, they reload.

So goes the saying–a  bit of conventional basketball wisdom that definitely counts the Los Angeles Lakers among those big guns. Until just yesterday, it was strange to think about what would follow the Phil Jackson/Kobe Bryant era, if only because the end seemed far off. Maybe not in a temporal sense, but certainly in a spiritual sense, which Jackson would probably appreciate. Phil was set to retire at the end of this year regardless, but it was supposed to be graceful. Either finish his career clutching the Larry O’Brien trophy, or bow out in honorable defeat, like an old man relaxing into his favorite armchair.

It definitely wasn’t supposed to be like this. The two-time defending champs, swept under the rug? And not just swept, but exposed. Revealed for the team they were, a team that fell short of the standards to which the organization held itself. There were individual incidents, certainly, and no shortage of minor controversies to boot, but there was still pride in the Purple and Gold.

Not yesterday. Yesterday tore it apart. I can’t speak to the incidents of the past, but I am hard-pressed to believe many offences rival what Andrew Bynum (and Lamar Odom, to a lesser extent) pulled on the court Sunday. Egregious physicality aside, to see a professional athlete strip off his jersey in front of the nation like that, to cast aside his teammates and organization in such a deliberate, base manner, was honestly shocking.

This season seems to have inspired a stunning amount of personal appraisal by the public of NBA athletes. We are not party to the decision-making process of our favorite players, but we’re all deeply affected by their actions. This is simply the unavoidable truth of sports today; it is not something I intend or even desire to ignore. We can debate the merits of Derrick Rose’s humility (boring-ness?), LeBron James’s confidence (ego?), and Vince Carter’s commitment (?), but I myself often make the mistake of passing judgement on such things without any real reason to do so. These are private guys, whose positions lend motives few of us really understand. Not the case last night. Anyone who watched the Los Angeles era crumble in Dallas last night knows exactly what happened.

So where do the Lakers go from here? The LA “title window” was not as small as that of this year’s Celtics, or maybe even the Mavs. Kobe Bryant may be slowing, but he is hardly out of gas. There is still a ton of talent in LA (not even counting the Clippers), and failing to maintain rule over the NBA empire for 1,095 consecutive days isn’t really a death sentence. Accept your fate, regroup, and set out next season to reclaim the throne.

I’m not sure such a thing is possible anymore. The organization may be equipped to handle the logistics, the finances, and everything else, but Sunday’s debacle put a psychological nail in the Jackson/Bryant era coffin. If there were trust issues before, what about now? What kind of impact does the utter breakdown of a team from defending champs to disgraced flameout have? I would trust a figure like Jackson to guide a team through it, but will he be there to do it? I trust Kobe’s dedication to winning to put everything else aside in its interest, but Kobe can’t do this alone anymore.

Even if the summer gives this team a chance to repair itself, will anyone accept it? This is hardly the Malice at the Palace, but it seems like events like this stand as a point-of-no-return. There’s no going back to the way things were. When that means leaving behind a legacy of champions, where do you go? In truth, I have no idea. But I will be surprised if the same team, or even one similar, trots out on the court when next season begins. It’s simply too hard to play basketball carrying this kind of emotional baggage.

Read Full Post »

I’ve been a fan of Wisconsin Basketball longer than I’ve been a fan of most anything else. Back when I was drinking milk out of little paper cartons and going outside to play between math and reading, I was a Wisconsin Basketball fan. It was my first real love in the world of sports. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t times where I truly hated Wisconsin Basketball.

I admit, Wisconsin doesn’t play a particularly aesthetic brand of basketball. I won’t make the mistake of equating beauty with effectiveness, because there is simply no way to argue with the consistent success this team has achieved: 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, stellar home record, plus a handful of Big Ten Titles. Every year it seems there’s no way the Badgers can continue that streak, or compete with a steadily improving Big Ten, and yet by season’s end they’ve battled their way to the top of the standings. Maybe not always the tip-top, but certainly not down in the basement. Impressive, no doubt, but the ride there isn’t always scenic.

Still, as long as I’ve been a student at the University of Wisconsin, I’ve found plenty to complain about. I wish Wisconsin would recruit more, and it kills me when top Wisconsin prospects leave the state. As good as this team is at holding a lead, I don’t think they can play from behind very well. As good a coach as Bo Ryan is, his dedication to a system sometimes limits the potential of his individual players, and when the system doesn’t work in a particular game, I don’t think he’s a great adjustment maker.

In that respect, this season was no different. Despite near record-breaking shooting from the free-throw line, the Badgers weren’t particularly good at getting there. The defense, while still good, wasn’t as strong as years past. And the player I had convinced myself was the best NBA prospect Wisconsin had seen in some time, Jon Leuer, turned out to be only the second-best player on the team for much of the year, overshadowed by Jordan Taylor’s spectacular play. Yet for all that, I again couldn’t question the results. For much of the season, Wisconsin was the best offensive team in the nation, eventually settling in second behind Ohio State. They finished third in the Big Ten, easily one of the top two conferences in the nation.

That’s exactly what made last night’s Sweet 16 loss to Butler so tough. On the surface, it was the same old loss to a mid-major that has ended Wisconsin’s season so many times recently. This wasn’t a typical Wisconsin loss due to some systemic flaw in the game plan, though. The Badgers matched up across the floor with the Bulldogs, and their statistical resume was superior nearly across the board. This was a completely disastrous single-game performance, plain and simple. Wisconsin could not for the life of them get the ball through the rim. The Badgers actually played reasonably good defense, holding Butler to under a point per possession. Despite the continual protesting from media members, they didn’t “settle” for jumpers. Nearly every shot Wisconsin took came from a reasonably efficient zone on the floor: either behind the three-point line or within about 10 feet of the basket. That didn’t lessen the frustration that flooded my veins every time a Jon Leuer hook shot bounced across the back of the rim or a Jordan Taylor three went long. It was a head-scratching loss, a performance that would have blindsided everyone had it not happened against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament two weeks ago. The excellent Big Ten Geek’s Blog points out a sad fact:

Twice this season Wisconsin has posted an effective field goal percentage under 40.0.  The first time was when the team scored 33 points against Penn State in the slowest game between Division I foes in some 13 years.  The second time was last night.

The Badgers played Wisconsin basketball last night, but picked a bad time of year to become wildly inconsistent with their shooting. The same guy who single-handedly dragged Wisconsin to victory over the nation’s top team during the regular season completely fell apart. The fourth-year senior who could have played his way into the first round of the NBA Draft was a mess. Few things went right, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. As a Wisconsin basketball fan, I’m pretty familiar with low expectations, and I’m almost as familiar with seeing the team exceed them. But last night, I expected a Wisconsin victory. If that was a mistake on my part, it’s a sad commentary on the state of this program. Either way, thinking about what should have been sucks a lot more than thinking about what could have been.

Read Full Post »

Value seems like the buzzword of the hour. The focus on ascribing some definitive number to every part of a team’s construction and performance has become measurable, visible in the databases filled with box scores and batted-ball spray charts. Suddenly even casual sports fans have trouble navigating the culture of their favorite teams without encountering some formulation of acronyms stuck to the front of a “-metric” suffix. Some (though perhaps fewer and fewer) lament the passing of days where a complete understanding of sports required no knowledge of regression analysis. While public opinion might not always follow along with willful enthusiasm, remember that the original motivation behind “advanced metrics” was to achieve a deeper understanding of what constituted success. Doing so proved an exceptional method of winning, a common goal for both the front-office brains and the fans who watched unorthodox methodology deliver the same result they always hoped for. Winning, after all, was the ultimate goal for everyone involved, and this value-based system was simply the latest tool.

The numbers sum up everything. They don’t value rough-and-tumble defensive stoppers, they value low defensive ratings. They don’t value 30-point scorers (er, kinda), they value 16 points on 10 shots. Sure, that’s overstating and oversimplifying things too much, but there’s a reason efficiency gets all the face-time these days. Efficiency gets results on the cheap. Efficiency doesn’t blow leads or hog the ball. It’s not sexy, but it gets the job done. Efficiency gives owners what they want: value.

One could say, then, that value is just little bits of winning. We grant that a player is valuable because the things he does help his team by a (reasonably) determinable amount. The only reason the numbers want Kevin Love to grab a rebound is because it has some specific value which, accumulated in high enough numbers, will help earn his team a win. It’s a mildly harsh reality, reducing the actions we see to parts of a sum, but it’s one that more and more people are warming to, myself included. I’m happy to grant that per-possession statistics are far more valuable than their per-game counterparts, or that protecting scoring opportunities is exceedingly important in winning basketball games. I’ll happily agree with anyone who says that maximizing the value of those shot attempts is an important factor in winning a basketball game, and that high-volume shooters might actually be deviously undermining their team’s success.

Given all that, it would appear I have managed to convince myself that I am kidding myself when it comes to Brandon Jennings. When Jennings fell just shy of a triple-double in his first career game, it jolted me out of my chair. When he dropped 55 points on the Warriors two weeks later, it sold me. It sold me so well that even as Jennings fell back to Earth over the next few months, I remained stoutly convinced that he was the future of professional basketball where I was concerned. Following that season, I started writing this site under a name inspired by his performance, even as doubts over whether it was all a cruel joke grew in my mind.

If you’re looking for an understatement, let me say that Brandon Jennings has experienced a drop-off since those torrid first weeks of his rookie season, to the point where there are times when the Milwaukee Bucks win in spite of him, rather than thanks to him. As that first season rolled along, it pained me to see criticisms of the team, identifying the frequent nights when Jennings would “shoot Milwaukee out of the game.” Why was I so affected by such scorn? After all, the number-disciple in me sided with the critics. I had no vested interest in Jennings outside his role as the starting point guard for my favorite team. I had no affiliation with the team beyond  that of a particularly interested fan, but I hated that every shot taken by Jennings would invariably lead to some shot taken at him. Yet through it all, my enthusiasm for his play never waned. It was cognitive dissonance wearing a #3 jersey. Screw value, I thought. Efficiency be damned, this kid is fun.

Is that irresponsible? Probably. Professional basketball is a business, where personal attachments only count for as long as they’re convenient. If Tim Duncan wasn’t the greatest power forward who ever lived, he probably wouldn’t have stayed in San Antonio his entire career. Draft picks staying with the same team for a full career isn’t exactly the norm. Is Jennings good enough to warrant the title of “Franchise Point Guard” in Milwaukee? That’s not a decision to be left up to me. But I can attest that Bucks basketball hasn’t been the same since Brandon Jennings joined the squad. He brought with him the most exciting performance and season in years. He has a dramatic flair and unquenchable attitude. Despite his undeniable struggles, when he has the ball in his hands, I always feel like something really, really cool could happen. Don’t tell me there isn’t value in that.

Read Full Post »

I was reading the latest article up on Hardwood Paroxysm, regarding the infamous “long 2” and it’s role in offensive and defensive efficiency, and was intrigued by the apparent disconnect between above- and below-average defensive teams and the percentage of long 2s they force opponents to take. As described in the article, the correlation between forcing long 2s and better defensive efficiency seems much stronger in below-average defensive teams than the elite defensive teams. Why is that? Why does forcing long 2s suddenly become less important when you start talking about the best defenses in the NBA?

I’d warrant that the key difference is this: the best defensive teams in the NBA don’t always need to force long 2s. The conventional wisdom (and, by extension, the statistical framework) doesn’t apply equally to good defensive teams. That sounds illogical, though. If long 2s are indeed the least valuable shots in the NBA, why would any team not pursue the advantage of forcing opponents into those shots?

Let’s not blind ourselves by looking exclusively at numbers. Consider those teams in the “elite” defensive efficiency range. Each has the benefit of a standout defensive player or players, an exceptional defensive system, or most likely a combination of both. San Antonio has Tim Duncan, Orlando has Dwight Howard, Boston has Garnett/Rondo, Cleveland had LeBron. Milwaukee has a great system plus perennial DPOY-snub Andrew Bogut. The Lakers have a great coach and a bunch of good defenders. Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and Miami all had solid defensive schemes and players in place.

The point is – and I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch – those teams all have factors contributing to their defense that are far more important than opponent shot distributions. In improperly-applied mathematical terms, the defensive efficiency of above-average teams is more a function of their own ability than their opponent’s shot selection. Meanwhile, those teams who can’t (or don’t) play high-caliber defense are far more subject to the performance of their opponents. Conceivably, the efficiency rankings for those below-average teams are a result of which teams randomly gave up more high- vs. low-percentage shots. Obviously this isn’t the exclusive factor – we can all agree that basketball is more complex than just shot selection, and we would expect the graph to be perfectly correlated in such a one-variable system. But the correlation is strong enough to suggest that affecting shot selection is a useful defensive technique. It is, however, still subject to an occasional hot-shooting night from the opponent.

In Basketball on Paper, Dean Oliver explains how inconsistency tends to drag teams toward a .500 record. The discrepancy in HP’s graph suggests that the best defensive teams avoid such inconsistency by excelling at factors that are easier to control. Maybe they have a good shot-blocker, or they defend pick-and-rolls well. If you imagine an idealized team that blocks a very high percentage of shots at the rim, it might even be advantageous to funnel opponents inside, rather than forcing long 2s. The point is, good defenses force opponents to conform to a game-plan that favors the defender. Teams who can’t do this tend to perform better when opponents shoot bad shots. Thus, the best teams can play effective defense independent of opponent shot selections.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »


text:
White Mice for Breakfast

"O mischief, thou art swift to enter in the thoughts of desperate men!"

καυτό πράγματα December 9, 2010

My DEAR Crumpets!

How dismayed I am to think how I have neglected you all these past months; the thought of my loyal fans languishing in their homes, beating themselves with stale baguettes in order to stave off the emotional pain of my departure fills me with nothing less than REMORSE and DESPAIR.

However, back I am from my visit to the Bermuda Triangle with Ricky and Leavis. It has been a most profitable trip, dear cornichons, since your own diligent food literateur found herself transported to many places over the world, not least to the island home of my old friend dear Geraldine Punnington.

Miss C. North and I languished for several days in bright sunshine, gorging ourselves on baklava, halloumi, tahini, and all variety of …OPITAS. Did you know that thAT means PIE in Greek, my dear CherryOpitas? We thus indulged in spanakOPITA, tahinOPITA, halloumOPITA… my, the list goes on!  Esther, you cry, do not taunt us with unillustrated morsels! Well here we are, crumpets:

Many OPITAS from Zorba's Bakery

And since you have been such pleasant companions, I shall also treat you to a picture of a remarkable groceria find!

Kolokothakia, that is LITTLE PUMPKINS, from Kipris

Remarkable, no?! It was indeed a delightful trip, with never ending mezzes abounding, such as the one at the Omodos Taverna, which continued for many days and nights, never ceasing! There were dishes of olives, and tzatziki and tahini, enormous greek salads, there were dishes of beans and rice, courgette and eggs, cous cous, plates of kleftiko (the interesting history for which can be read HERE) and when we thought we should perish from the piquant abundance of toothsome delicacies, there arrived a WHOLE BAKED TROUT.

Goodness, I recommend you all take out your embroidered E.C handkerchiefs and fan yourselves before you too faint away from fooxuberance. (Food exuberance for those who are uneducated in culinary lingo.)

I must dash and leave you for now, dear tureens; I hear Leavis calling me from the kitchen. (He is making a batch of devilled eggs, and I fear, hashing up my spice cupboard entirely.)

Never fear! Another baking bulletin will reach your eyes in the near future, with an AMBROSIAL ADVENT THEME.

Until then, clafoutises,

Esther. xxx


text:
Transformative Education
for Health Professionals

On governance and planning

  • What are the constraints and facilitators of developing effective policies of transformation and scaling up of the education and training of health professionals?
  • What are the effects of active participation of representatives from key stakeholder groups in the governance structures of health professional schools on the quantity, quality and relevance of health professionals?
  • Which governance structures and mechanisms contribute better to the sustainability of reform, and to maintain political and stakeholders’ commitment?


text:
Menu Close
0 My Total: $0.00

Nothing in your cart yet.

Go To Cart
Item #: 211039

Derma E Tea Tree & E Antiseptic Creme Soothing Skin Treatment 4 oz.

Derma E
4.0 Ounce

Product Overview

This rich, soothing crème with unlimited uses combines 5% Tea Tree Oil and 3,000 I.U. of Vitamin E with other synergistic herbs, vitamins and natural oils. Its antiseptic properties make it perfect to treat many conditions including blemishes, fungal infections, sunburn, dry skin, rashes, and dermatitis. It soothes itchy bug bites and also works as a natural insect repellent.
  • Recyclable Packaging
  • Sulfate Free
Size 4 oz.

Product Details

  • Product Features
    • 100% vegan,
    • Cruelty free, paraben free, gluten free, phthalate free, petroleum free, lanolin free
  • Ingredients

    Water (Aqua), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Glycerin, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Organic Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin.


text:
In other languages: Русский 中文

From Official Factorio Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

A Chunk is a unit defined as either an area of the map 32x32 tiles in size (containing 1024 tiles in total) or a distance of 32 tiles.

Chunks are used for:

  • Map generation. When the player runs around and reveals the map or the radar explores the map, it is revealed in chunks.
  • Chunks are "switched off" to save CPU cycles. If nothing important happens in a chunk (e.g. there are only fishes swimming around in the chunk) the chunk is not computed in the next Tick.
  • The pollution model is based on chunks, and pollution spreads to neighboring chunks.

See also

  • Tile, the next smaller unit.
  • Region, the next larger unit.


text:
MicroProfile is a new effort that is underway which attempts to refine the enterprise Java specifications for use in microservices.

The currently included bits are:

  • JAX-RS

  • JSON-P

  • CDI

WildFly Swarm MicroProfile

WildFly Swarm provides a hollow MicroProfile standalone server which can be used to deploy any compliant .war application.

You can download the server here.

java -jar microprofile-2017.11.0-SNAPSHOT-hollowswarm.jar myapp.war


text:
My Cart

Who We Are:

Wild Magnolia is a Women's Boutique that began in April 2017. We are inspired by bohemian trends, earthly vibes, and classic comfort. We have been online since April 2017. We opened our Brick & Mortar location in Woodland Village, which is located in Cape May County, New Jersey. We are just a short drive from Cape May, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle, Ocean City beaches, and many campgrounds. We are just off of Route 9, across from Cape May Wicker.

Our return policy is that you may make returns on clothing only, for store credit.

Our current hours are:

Saturday: 10-5

Sunday: 11-4

After Memorial Day, we will be open 7 days a week from 10-5 everyday.

Here is what customers have been saying about us:

Jessica Leigh: Bought the cutest upcycled and embroidered flannel from Wild Magnolia. The customer service was HANDS DOWN fantastic! Worried about sizing and buying online, she was so kind as to compare measurements to ensure a perfect fit. Will definitely shop them on Facebook and Instagram again! 5*

Kailynn Ott: I bought the charcoal and mocha plaid dress and I absolutely love it!! It's so comfortable, flowy, and fits true to size. I paid a great price for it and shipping was quick! Highly recommend 5*

For more information or to reach out, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Both links can be found on the bottom of the page.

Thank you for supporting small business!

Hello You!

Join our mailing list


text:
Category Archives: History

Postcard-sized snippets on the history of Wimbledon Village and its environs

Two Fat Ladies?

Every morning, as I get off the 93 bus outside Centre Court shopping centre on my way to Wimbledon station, I see the sculptured statute of two ladies who have become known among my friends as ‘the two fat ladies’.  … Continue reading

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Elys Department Store, Wimbledon

Elys, Wimbledon, founded in 1876 Continue reading

Posted in History, Village Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment


text:
Wimminz – celebrating skank ho's everywhere

September 22, 2012

Dildos in messages

Today I want to continue the subject of addiction.

I’m sure most of you have some experience of this, something you’ve gone cold turkey on, smoking is a common one.

If you have experience of this, you’ll know exactly what I mean, you suddenly noticing, entirely by accident, the tobacco packet in the bin, that just might contain enough for one smoke, noticing entirely by accident the bit part player in that film smoking, noticing entirely by accident the sound of the zippo as the bit part player lights up, noticing entirely by accident that according to google maps it is 0.2 miles or 4 minutes walk from here to the nearest shop that sells tobacco…..

What I am describing here is the addictive pathways in the brain that crave nicotine taking every possible opportunity to ensure that not only are other addictive pathways and superhighways taken, but that your concious mind is aware of this fact, aware that you are cruising down the Marlboro Interstate, but you have no smokes, and here and here and here you could get some, and it would be so easy, and so satisfying, and anyways it’s not like ONE fucking cigarette, which is going to make you feel so goooood anyway, is gonna do you any harm…. not like you can’t still give up smoking, but maybe why try to do it all at once and fail, maybe better to cut down  and quit slowly, so maybe better to have just one smoke now, just have to swing by the shop, hey whaddaya know, I’m right outside the shop, ok, just one packet…

… and there you go.

It doesn’t matter if we are talking about tobacco or booze or heroin or cunt, it is the addictive process and pathways that are at work and that are of interest to us.

It is the addictive pathways and processes that almost act like independent intelligent agents, so clever and subtle and pervasive are their ways.

Me as a smoker is one thing, me as an ex smoker who hasn’t touched a cigarette for months is another thing, me in the transition stage from being a smoker to being an ex smoker is yet another thing entirely…

You might be able to trust me in either the smoker or non smoker stage to be an independent person capable of rational thought, but in the transition stage? Am I the sort of person you want watching your nuclear reactors or your bread ovens when all I can think about is how far it is to the nearest tobacconist and oh look a no smoking sign that has a picture of a cigarette, a cigarette that sounds nice about now, just the one, so relaxing, so calming so good for me, BOOM… the fucking reactor / bread over / whatever went tits up.

OK, OK, you get the fucking point, AfOR’s been banging on about this shit for three days now, and it still don’t make any sense, you giving up smoking again dude and having a hard time?

Substitute “smoker” with “blue piller” and “ex smoker” with “red piller

Again, the problems for each of these individuals are minimal, the individual with the problems is the one attempting to transition from one state to the other, the one trying to quit the blue pill, cold turkey, AWALT motherfucker, AWALT, and then some mangina or their daughter or current squeeze walks up and NAWALT…. and NAWALT is just that one smoke, because cutting down slowly and eventually quitting is so much easier and nicer and better than cold turkey, even though we all know nobody ever actually quit that way….

NAWALT is the smoker, every time you say or think NAWALT you get that hit of calmness and tranquillity, and while NAWALT / smoking may eventually fuck your life up or end it in FRA / Cancer or whatever, at the individual level, no such thing, there are no consequences, short term or otherwise, for having that one puff….

AWALT is the ex smoker (gotta be an ex smoker, lol, not a smoking virgin) who can actually stand being around smokers, provided they stop trying to offer me fucking smokes and blowing smoke rings at me, provided they stop denying that I told them so when they start dying of cancer / FRA, provided they stop being jealous of me for spending my “tobacco allowance” on rock’n’roll.

It’s the motherfuckers trying to transition…..Addiction

bad enough without all those blue piller smokers saying you won’t enjoy being a non smoker son, and you won’t get to take smoke breaks at work, and you won’t ever see marlboro country, come on down here and spark one up with us, cos NAWALT mofo, NAWALT…

Then after a while you start to notice that the transition phase is itself a third phase between the addictive phase and the denial phase, because the truth is everyone is a potential addict, that’s how it works jack, and then you start to see just how much of vehemently defended free will and individuality really might just as well be addictive phase, because that nearest tobacco store is still only a 4 minute walk from my home….

  1. “every time you say or think NAWALT ”

    At least you are saying and thinking. The real danger is when it goes under your radar; then you don’t even think about it. We have a special mechanism to make that happen, I think.

    Comment by Ted — September 22, 2012 @ 2:31 pm

    • Exactly, that special mechanism to let things fly under the radar is the part of our brain landscape ready for the addiction superhighway to be built.

      Comment by wimminz — September 22, 2012 @ 2:34 pm

  2. I was phrasing this to a friend slightly differently the other day. Using Jewish tradition as my example, before the Feast of Unleavened Bread they would sweep their houses clean, and sweep, and sweep again, making sure they got any leavening agent out (such as yeast) of their houses. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. That is what we have to do with bad paradigms, sweep, check, sweep again. Evaluate and reevaluate every idea that we’ve let take up residence in our world view and hold them up to objective truth and burn out anything that doesn’t measure up.

    Good read.

    Comment by I Art Laughing — September 23, 2012 @ 10:13 am

  3. Comment by podblanc — September 23, 2012 @ 10:58 am

  4. […] Dildos in messages (wimminz.wordpress.com) […]

    Pingback by Messages in messages « Wimminz – celebrating skank ho's everywhere — September 23, 2012 @ 12:48 pm

  5. One of the points I disagree with you is your insistence on AWALT, because NAWALT not only is true, but must be true, if only because of genetic variation.

    There are women with 6 fingers per hand, some have two vaginas, there are hermaphrodites, etc., there must be some such that NAWALT. But these seem to be very rare, and then Team Wimminz tries hard — and usually succeeds — to normalize them.

    So NAWALT. Even if AWALT for practical purposes, as it is pretty sad to find some few NAWALT women and discover that they feel bad about being abnormal and try to become a wimminz and follow AWALT. Anyhow the chances to have a story with one of the very few NAWALT are reduced by their feeling out of kilter.

    BTW by NAWALT I don’t mean saintly angels… Just bad/good mixes but without the usual sociopathic amoral attitude to men.

    Comment by sometimes — September 24, 2012 @ 6:21 pm

    • You can disagree all you like, doesn’t make it so, even if “she” has 3 vaginas and 27 fingers “she” is still a “she” in every court and law in the land and you are still a scum male rapist paedo deadbeat dad… and “she” hasn’t even raised a finger yet or opened her mouth yet…

      AWALT motherfucker, AWALT

      Comment by wimminz — September 24, 2012 @ 6:49 pm

    • All women are like that given the proper circumstances.

      Go marry a woman and refuse to do what she demands. See what happens.

      Comment by Jerefukkinmiah — September 27, 2012 @ 6:44 am

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Gentle marine giant stays more on our waters

A whale shark seen with a swimmer off Colombo. Pic courtesy Nishan Perera

As the sightings of whale sharks increase in our waters, experts say the world’s largest fish needs to be protected.

“We still know very little about whale sharks, but the fish is already ‘endangered’ and highly threatened by both target and bycatch fisheries,” says marine biologist from Blue Resources Trust, Daniel Fernando. He made the remarks at a lecture at an event organised by Sri Lanka Sub-Aqua Club this week.

The blue whale is the largest creature on Earth, but since it is a marine mammal, the crown of being the largest fish goes to the whale shark. A whale shark can grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) or more and weigh about 20 tons. The average whale shark is 8 metres long, but the ones found in Sri Lankan waters are 6-7 metres according to Mr Fernando.

Scientifically classified as rhincodon typus, the whale shark called ‘mini muthu mora’ in Sinhala is in fact a species of shark. But unlike other sharks, they do not have teeth and they are filter feeders that depend on plankton. By opening their huge gaping mouths closer to the surface, they scoop in these plants along with any small fish.

Divers have reported more sightings in the seas off Colombo.

Nishan Perera, a marine biologist who has made regular dives in the oceans off Colombo, reported more whale shark sightings in February and March when these fish are seen in our waters. “Two or three whale shark sightings during this period is normal, but this year there were dozens of encounters,” Mr Perera said.

A giant whale shark seen in colombo seas (c) Sanjeev de Silva

The Maldives is a famous destination for whale sharks and queries revealed a lower number of encounters in Maldivian waters when there was an increase in our waters said Mr Perera. The whale sharks have spots on the body and its pattern is unique for each individual. So, the Sri Lankan marine biologists also shared the photos of the whale sharks seen in Sri Lankan waters with other international whale shark databases to verify where they are from.

It could be the same individuals seen in different occasions, but the fact that they are seen more often means that the fish that are used to passing through our waters are staying a little longer than previous years.

Author of the “Sharks of Sri Lanka”; Rex I De Silva says the large number of recent sightings baffle him. He says these fish usually migrate to areas rich in plankton. These areas are where there is an upwelling of nutrient-rich water from the depths. So, it is possible that, fuelled by changes in hydrologic factors, such upwellings are now occurring with greater frequency in our coastal waters. Upwellings encourage the growth of plankton which, in turn, attracts other plankton feeders such as fish. Whale sharks also feed on fish (especially small scombrids) which are attracted to the plankton.

Changing oceanic patterns due to global warming is another reason according to the expert. However, these are just suggestions as to why whale shark sightings have become common in recent years. We just do not have sufficient data to draw firm conclusions, cautioned Mr De Silva.

Howard Martenstyn, another expert, points out that there are more nutrients in the western seaboard compared to 2016 as evidenced by increased rainfall and river outflows and that may explain more whale shark sightings. Mr Matenstyn also reminds us that the number of sightings in the same area does not usually equate to the number of whale sharks, highlighting the need for more supporting data and investigations.

The whale shark is a gentle giant, which allows divers swim with them. They pose no danger to humans but an accidental blow from the powerful tail can cause injury. Experts advise keeping a minimum distance of 1.5 metres from the front of the body and 3 metres from the rear.

The whale shark takes about 15 years to mature to reproduce and is vulnerable to overfishing. Sri Lanka passed laws banning the catching of whale sharks in 2015, but awareness of such regulations, along with implementation, is often lacking points out Daniel Fernando.

Published on SundayTimes on 30.04.2017 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/news/gentle-marine-giant-drawn-to-our-waters-238733.html

Experts urge Sri Lanka to join global effort to protect sharks
Sharks have slow reproductive cycles and cannot be fished at levels similar to other fish. But sadly, Sri Lanka is among top 20 shark killing countries ranked at 14th place according to a 2013 report by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC and the Pew Environment Group.

The Fisheries Department says that steps have been taken to protect sharks. Five species are protected by law, including three species of thresher sharks, oceanic-white tip shark, and the whale shark. The department says it even distributes tools such as de-hookers and line cutters among fishermen that can be used to release sharks caught in nets or hooks.

But more needs to be done to protect these apex predators in our ocean near the top of the marine food chain and help regulate populations of species in the marine ecosystem, the experts say.

Sharks are also important to the economic survival of the fishing industry and have the potential to attract tourists. So Sri Lanka should follow the example of the Maldives and other nations to support international conservation and protection of sharks, marine expert Howard Martenstyn, says.

Several species of shark migrate into different areas of oceans governed by different countries. So to protect them, the Convention of Migratory Species initiated a memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks in 2010. Sri Lanka has not yet signed this, but marine experts say this would be a great step forward in recognising the value of sharks within our national and regional waters, points out Daniel Fernando.

Sad plight of a whale shark in Galle, 2014- photo courtesy Lankadeepa

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Total Number of words made out of Reifs = 39

Reifs is an acceptable word in Scrabble with 8 points. Reifs is an accepted word in Word with Friends having 8 points. Reifs is a 5 letter medium Word starting with R and ending with S. Below are Total 39 words made out of this word.

Anagrams of reifs

1). fries 2). fires 3). frise 4). serif

4 letter Words made out of reifs

1). reis 2). refs 3). rife 4). rifs 5). rise 6). ires 7). reif 8). firs 9). fire 10). sire 11). seif 12). serf

3 letter Words made out of reifs

1). sir 2). res 3). rif 4). ser 5). sei 6). sri 7). rei 8). efs 9). ers 10). fer 11). fie 12). fir 13). ifs 14). ire 15). ref

2 letter Words made out of reifs

1). if 2). er 3). si 4). re 5). es 6). is 7). ef

Words made after changing First letter with any other letter in reifs

neifs seifs

Words made after changing Last letter with any other letter in reifs

Scrabble finderAnagram FinderCrossword Solver

Note: . Anagrams are meaningful words made after rearranging all the letters of the word.
Search More words for viewing how many words can be made out of them
Note There are 2 vowel letters and 3 consonant letters in the word reifs. R is 18th, E is 5th, I is 9th, F is 6th, S is 19th, Letter of Alphabet series.

Wordmaker is a website which tells you how many words you can make out of any given word in english. we have tried our best to include every possible word combination of a given word. Its a good website for those who are looking for anagrams of a particular word. Anagrams are words made using each and every letter of the word and is of the same legth as original english word. Most of the words meaning have also being provided to have a better understanding of the word. A cool tool for scrabble fans and english users, word maker is fastly becoming one of the most sought after english reference across the web.


text:
Support » Plugin: Delightful Downloads » HTTP Error when uploading files from computer.

  • Resolved xtranhu

    Whenever I try to upload a file from my computer (with any extension), this error shows up: “HTTP error.” As long as the file has more than ~1Mb it fails.
    Some small images pass trough tough. Its the weirdest thing.
    I can’t pin point the origin of this error due to the lack of information.

    My php.ini is set accordingly and ready for attachments bigger than 25 Mb.

    Any help would be appreciated.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Plugin Author A5hleyRich

    That is very strange. Does your server log show any error messages?

    Also, what do you have the following set to in php.ini? max_execution_time, max_input_time, memory_limit & upload_max_filesize

    What do you mean by server log?

    In WP debug log nothing shows up.

    My php.ini is set with:

    Plugin Author A5hleyRich

    You should be able to see your server log file under your hosting provider’s control panel. The log should give us more information as to why the uploads are failing.

    I use my own dedicated server with nginx. No control panel. I guess I could debug nginx but last time I checked debugging in ngix had to be enabled when compiled.

    Ok, I figured it out.

    There was something bugging me about the file size and only now I realised that nginx disregards php.ini values if you dont specify a larger value on vhost.

    Just added “client_max_body_size 100M;” to my nginx default.conf (under server) and now it’s working.

    Nothing to do with the plugin.

    Thanks for the support tough 😉

    Plugin Author A5hleyRich

    Glad you figured it out and thanks for the positive feedback.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • The topic ‘HTTP Error when uploading files from computer.’ is closed to new replies.


text:
Boullongne, Bon De

, eldest son of the preceding, was born at Paris in 1649, and acquired the principles of painting from his father, whom he resembled in his talent of imitating the works of the greatest masters. After a residence of five years in Italy, he was admitted into the academy, of which he became a professor, and employed by Louis XIV. at Versailles and Trianon. He excelled in history and portrait; his designs were accurate, and his colouring good. Besides his paintings in fresco, in two of the chapels of the Invalids, he painted several pieces for the churches and public buildings of Paris, several of which have been engraved. We have alsothree etchings done by him, from his own compositions, viz. a species of “Almanack;” “St. John in the Desert” and “St. Bruno in a landscape” its’ companion. He died at Paris in 1717. His brother Louis de Boullongne the younger, was born at Paris in 1654, and educated under his father, by whose instruction he made such improvement, that he obtained the prize of the academy at 18. His studies were completed at Rome, where he particularly studied the works of Raphael, and from his copies which were sent home, the Gobelin tapestries were executed. After his return he was received into the academy in 1680; and his works in the churches of Notre Dame and the Invalids, and particularly his frescos in the chapel of St. Augustin, were so much esteemed, that Louis XIV. honoured him with his special patronage, allowing him a considerable pension; conferring upon him the order of St. Michael; choosing him designer of medals to the academy of inscriptions, after the death of Anthony CoypeJ; appointing him his principal | jminter, and ennobling him and all his descendants. The academy of painting also chose him first for its rector, and afterwards director, which place he occupied till his death. He chiefly excelled in historical and allegorical subjects. From his performances it appeared, that he had carefully studied the most eminent masters; his colouring was strong, his composition was in a good style, the airs of his heads had expression and character, and his figures were correctly designed. His regular attendance at the academy, and his advice to the students, commanded respect: and the general mildness and affability of his disposition engaged esteem among those who knew him. He raised a considerable fortune by his profession, and died in 1734. Two sisters of this family, “Genevieve” and “Magdalen,” painted well, and were members of the royal academy in 1669. 1

Pilkington.—Strutt. Abrege des Vies des Peintres, vol. IV.


text:
Last Call for Womex 2006 proposals

Berlin, Germany – There are only 8 days left to submit proposals
to the Womex organizers. April 28 is when Womex
must have – in house – not only the Showcase Proposal Forms, but also all
materials. That means the form, 2 sets of press kits, including the latest CDs,
a full discography, stage-plan, technical rider, instrumentation, biography,
reviews, photos, videos, DVDs – and anything that will help the jury make its
selection. All this must be at Womex in Berlin by
28 April. Showcase proposal

The deadline for Conference Proposals is also April 28.
Conference proposal form.

The film market shares the same deadline, but submissions need to be sent to
a different address. The place to mail applications and film is IMZ
(International Music & Media Centre). For complete information, a proposal
application and information on where to send your entry, click

Author: World Music Central News Department

World music news from the editors at World Music Central


text:
Ruins – Place of No Pity

Ruins_Place (200x200)Down Under-hailing duo Ruins, by blending intricate DM drumwork, early Satyricon six-string serendipity, and the mighty Tom G. Warrior’s vokills, have risen far above a mostly stale stack of submissions this week with something sorta-Black and sorta-Death but is, refreshingly, not really either. Finally, a band has deduced what you would think is well known, but judging by the millionth Second Wave BM regurgitators and billionth Swedeath d-Beaters, is anything but: ways to honor your heroes and not just ape them still exist. Place of No Pity is not a complete reimagining of the Black and Death Metal tenets, but, hell, it may as well be; with this record, Ruins have taken three great elements of both genres and brought them together in a way no other band I’ve heard lately has. Guitarist/vocalist Alex Pope has taken the epic snarl of Celtic Frost voicings and added both clarity and his own interpretation of Into the Pandemonium’s vigor in its conveyance. And his employment of Satyr’s smudgeless guitar tone is also an ode and not a ripoff; with his own distortion thickened and front and center, Pope’s every chord is played with candor in favor of calamity. The choice to forego ‘Necro’ production remains a wise one amongst Place of No Pity ‘s movements that, while compelling the listener to actually pay attention to the notes spewing forth with fervor, further separates them from the growing glut of unoriginal panda-faced sheep clogging the bandcamps. And it will come as a shock to no one with even a passing knowledge of Psycroptic that the drums of David Haley exemplify a deeper wisdom of the kit than most modern players are willing to give. Though his Death Metal technicality rears now and again, especially with the talented kick-playing and fast rolls, he understands that less is often more when forming something that will linger and feel new. Alternating speed and slow with a deftness, Haley’s artful attack underwrites each song, accentuating the aggression when necessary and just as easily devolving it when Pope’s rare but finessed melodic moments surface. The interplay succeeds perfectly in the push and pull of ‘Winter’s Will’, a song letterbombing the listener at its onset, then giving the victim’s ears a mercy-killing with a sullen, anthemic outro that dissolves out as any ongoing epic should. Not that Ruins can’t simply rock when called upon; ‘Let them Perish’ recalls the stomp and power of later Taake with a reverence that stays on the correct side of worship. Never leaving the fray are, again, Pope’s Warriorisms, shouldering the weight of an album destined to inspires sighs of relief as to the state of Metal. Alright, I’ve said enough. Go find your own Place of No Pity , trust you are the better for it, and stay until the light fades. -Jim

Listenable Records

~ by cliftonium on January 16, 2013.

4 Responses to “Ruins – Place of No Pity”

  1. Hmm….This is sounding pretty good. Frost, Black, a tinge of Death, energetic good drumming, nicely placed vocals that sit well in the mix. I am digging this!

  2. Exactly! Glad you enjoyed it as well \m/

  3. I’m a BIG fan of Ruins, this one crushes but be sure to check out their other records as well (there are three more, equally delicious).

  4. […] and their label, Listenable Records (‘Place of Not Pity’ drops today in the US).  We are fans of this album, and suspect you will be too after pressing play. […]

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Archive for July, 2007

At first there is just a hint of blue on the far horizon.  Then you see the faint outlines of a water planet.  After a few tantalizing minutes a small island appears, which quickly grows into a small continent.   All the while the 3D camera swoops and spins over this ever changing 3D world.

Welcome to the Lunchgamer site.  This virtual world is created in WPF and deployed as an XBAP.

-Walt Ritscher

RSS Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Read Full Post »

All the classic games are getting the Silverlight treatment.  Now you can play hangman too.

Learn more and play the game.

Read Full Post »

Silverlight Game: Khet

Synopsis: Egyptian-themed chess with lasers

It’s an Silverlight version of a board game called Khet, which combines classic (chess like) strategy with a fun twist that uses lasers and mirrors. Players alternate turns moving Egyptian-themed pieces having two, one or no mirrored surfaces. All four types of pieces (pharaoh, obelisk, pyramid and djed column) can either move one square forward, back, left, right, or diagonal, or can stay in the same square and rotate by a quarter twist.

Each turn ends by firing one of the lasers built into the board. The laser beam bounces from mirror to mirror; if the beam strikes a non-mirrored surface on any piece, it is immediately removed from play. Your objective is to fry your opponent’s pharaoh, while protecting yours from laser attack!

Learn more and play the game

  • Registration required.
  • You can play against other players, not just the computer.
  • Game includes online chat window.
  • Upgrades available for small fee.
  • Original board game version available for $$.

Read Full Post »

Yet another WPF chart example

Did you know that there is no native support for charting in WPF?  It seems like a huge omission, yet I’ve not found it hard to create simple charts from the API.

If you are looking for ideas, Li Gao just published another WPF charting example.

So I went out to try something fun with WPF and see if we can create something similar to the charts you see on Google finance. …

Here is the results of this 4-hour adventure. I’ve created a WPF/XAML based 2D filled chart that supports dynamic zooming and panning, and track-ball of the current chart positions for time-series data.

 Updated:  Li Gao posted his source code.

-Walt Ritscher

RSS Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Read Full Post »

Eric Sink is a great technical writer.  He wrote a wonderful series about the business of software and authored a twenty-two part series describing how to market your software business.

Today he starts a twelve part series chronicling his adventures with WPF 3D

WPF 3D doesn’t know how to draw lines.

Shocking as it may seem, WPF 3D considers triangles to be more fundamental than lines.  Everything in 3D is a triangle.  If you want to draw a line, you have to somehow do it by using triangles.

Actually, this is not all that shocking once you really think about it.  The problem with a line is that it’s too fundamental.  Geometrically speaking, a line has zero width.  If you asked WPF to draw a line, it would have nothing to draw.  A triangle is the simplest bit of geometry that actually has any surface area.

We think that drawing a line should be simple.  In 2D graphics, it is.  But in 3D graphics, where the picture on your screen is a 2D projection of a 3D world which uses a completely different coordinate system, it’s not.

But still, sometimes we want to draw something that we think of as a line.  Maybe we want a wireframe view of our 3D scene.  Maybe we just want to highlight the edges of a solid figure to make it easier to see.  In practical terms, we know intuitively what we want when we think of “a line”.  Usually, we just want it to be one pixel wide on the screen.

Read the whole article

Looks like Eric is off to a great start.  I’m looking forward to reading every post!

-Walt Ritscher

RSS Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Read Full Post »

Sometime this year I became the WPF/Silverlight game expert.  I’m not sure who came up with this idea, but it wasn’t me.  All I did was write a few articles suggesting that game development helps push platform adoption and mention a few games written in WPF/Silverlight.  Now I’m getting press releases about new games and email from game authors touting their latest masterpieces.  Let’s not forget my readers either.   Yes, I’m talking about you, the dedicated few who read my blog posts and send me email telling me about cool WPF applications and games.  I’ve got dozens of links to write about and it’s time to get started.

You’re telling me you want me to be the WPF/Silverlight game guy?  So be it…

WPFWonderland companion site launched

Earlier this year I planned on creating a companion site for my blog.  I conceived it as a  place to stockpile WPF resources and tools, sample code, links to great WPF applications and so on.  Life intervened and the site never materialized.   Today the WpfWonderland.com site is active and the first announcement it that the game section of the site is open for your perusal.

I’ve got more games to add.  I’m also planning to add other non-game WPF/Silverlight content this summer.

I’ll keep you posted on upcoming changes.

Read Full Post »

Using FTP from Vista

I’ve had some trouble connecting to a new FTP server today from my Vista computer.  Here’s are some steps to check if you are getting the “An Error Occurred opening that folder on the FTP server” error message.

  1. Ensure that Port 21 is open in your Vista Firewall.
  2. Check to see if you can connect to the server using active mode.
    1. Open command prompt
    2. Type ftp and press enter
    3. type open sitename.com and press enter
    4. Enter your name and password as prompted
    5. Type dir and press enter.  If you see the directory structure of the FTP server then you know that you can connect.
    6. Type close and press enter
    7. Type quit and press enter
  3. Change settings in IE 7 (I only tested this fix with IE7)
  4. Under the Advanced tab in IE Tools\Options
    1. Uncheck the  “Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem…) checkbox
    2. Check the “Enable FTP folder view (outside of Internet Explorer”  checkbox

Mapping FTP drives

I found this slightly non-intuitive too.  You have to map a drive to  the FTP server in order to preserve the settings of the server.

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Choose Tools\Map Network Drive menu
  3. Click the “Connect to a Web site that you can  use… ” link.
  4. Follow the instructions

-Walt Ritscher

RSS Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »


text:
Archive | April 2017

“Right now, just now, I first imagined you” (poem)

Right now, just now, I first imagined you,
friend for six days, or twenty years.
You came into being just this moment.

Fall into the heartbeat first heard,
and wake into the smelling salts of love.
Hold your gaze to the curling fingers—
they vine through lattices;
they window for a world
you are blind to,
where your smile is born.

Right now you came into being.
Sui generis grandfather I’ve never seen.
Out-of-nowhere mother. And on and on.
Just now, my once-dead father is seven
and on his second cup of tea.

He sprung from my crown
fully formed, my
strange boy coming home to me.

(c) Timothy Tiernan, April 19, 2017