Between January 30th and February 1st, 4PSA will attend ITEXPO East 2013, the World's Communications Conference and Expo. The event will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida and is expected to host over 7,000 attendees coming from companies of all sizes and representing all sectors of the IP Communications industry.
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#1 ? vV?
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Posts:14513
Joined:24-October 03
Gender:Male
Location:Netherlands
Posted Yesterday, 06:44 PM
Quick answer to: http://forum.renoise...919#entry287919
-Right click in the instrument area. -Select "Save All Samples as..." You will get a dialog to define your first location, once set, it won't ask you any more (unless you click the browse button). -Either pick wav or flac and then click save.
If an instrument has samples, it will save them into a folder named after the instrument.
Whoops, first edit already required... The renaming schedule was broken if the same sample filename already existed...
V1.1 is available... Decided to also use the idle notifier. (Renoise was quite often nagging the script turn unresponsive) The status bar now shows some form of progress while exporting.
http://www.renoise.c...xportallsamples
Vv....
cpu Intel Core2 Quad CPUQ6600 @2.40GHz chipset nVidia nForce 4 SLI x16 -> Driver rev:5.1.2600.445 (management 4.4.5.0) mem 8 Gb 800Mhz os Win 7 64-bit SP1, DirectX 11 audio ESI ESP1010e - > Driver rev:2.0.1.0 video nVidia Geforce GTX580 - > Driver rev:306.23
Renoise Official Manual
3
#2 ? ostrogoth?
Group:Normal Members
Posts:36
Joined:17-February 12
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Location:france
Interests:do and hear music,read ,
Posted Yesterday, 10:40 PM
0
#3 ? vV?
Group:Moderator
Posts:14513
Joined:24-October 03
Gender:Male
Location:Netherlands
Posted Today, 12:16 AM
ostrogoth, on 25 January 2013 - 10:40 PM, said:
perhaps can you add the fact that once the sample are save the window will be close.
Done, plus a few cleanup stuff added as well. Download from the tools page or update through the tool updater.
Vv....
cpu Intel Core2 Quad CPUQ6600 @2.40GHz chipset nVidia nForce 4 SLI x16 -> Driver rev:5.1.2600.445 (management 4.4.5.0) mem 8 Gb 800Mhz os Win 7 64-bit SP1, DirectX 11 audio ESI ESP1010e - > Driver rev:2.0.1.0 video nVidia Geforce GTX580 - > Driver rev:306.23
??Andy Murray has beaten Roger Federer for the first time in a Grand Slam event to advance to the Australian Open final against top-ranked Novak Djokovic. The world No. 3 beat the Swiss star 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2.
?? ? ? ?Winter has already been colder, snowier and nastier than all of last year, yet there probably is nearly two months of disagreeable weather ahead.
Sure you can work on organizing your tackle boxes (doesn?t everyone have more than one?}, or read a good book while the snow and wind blow outdoors. Football season is over, so what?s to do? Outdoor sports shows can provide and escape for a few of those days, and be a nice winter break.
Shows also are a good place to plan trips, learn about the latest equipment whether fishing tackle, a boat or a recreational vehicle. Information these days is readily available on the web for computer users, but there is nothing like talking to folks face-to-face about their resort, area, RVs, boats, or other outdoor gear. You can see it and touch up, and probably try it up close and personal.
The 2013 Louisville Boat, RV and Sports Show starts Wednesday of this week and runs through the weekend. More than 100,000 square feet have been added for this year?s show at the state fairgrounds in Louisville in the South Wing and East Hall.
According to a new release from the Louisville Show, now sponsored by Progressive insurance,??When not shopping, visitors to the show can experience the benefits of the outdoors through a variety of new education and entertainment, including the new Paddle Sports Demo & Try-It Pool, a chance to meet the famous R.J and Jay Paul Molinere of ?Swamp People,? and Ron and Amy Shirley of ?Lizard Lick Towing.? Visitors also can? take a moment to sit and watch performances on the all-new Trampoline Wall, sharpen hunting and fishing skills at daily seminars, and much more.?
The show opens Wednesday at 5 p.m., and will operate Thursday and Friday from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, it will open at 10 a.m.?
The cost of the show is $10 for adults and youngsters 15 and under are free.
Next month, the big Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show is slated for the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. It will be the 59th year for the show that covers more than 650,000 square feet in six buildings at the facility. It?s a long trek to Indianapolis, but if you love the outdoors, the show is worth the time and effort.
?Acres of boats, RV?s, fishing tackle and hunting gear, outdoor destinations, paddle sports equipment, educational seminars, outdoor celebrities and unique and entertaining attractions combine to form a veritable outdoor supernova, which is difficult to be fully experienced in a single visit. ?
When I lived closer, I usually tried to schedule several days. Mid-week visiting is good when possible as crowds are smaller.
The Indy show is scheduled Feb. 15-24. It opens at 10 a.m. on weekends, and at 1 p.m. on Monday. Other weekdays, the doors open at 3 p.m.
Scout Day is slated for Feb. 18. All Scouts in uniform? can climb the rock wall for free as well as fish in the trout pond at no cost.
The fourth annual Quiet Sports Expo also will be part of the sports show. According to information provided by Josh Lantz, ?Human-powered adventure activities like, hiking, paddling, mountain biking, rock-?
climbing and fly fishing may leave a small ecological footprint, but are as hard-core as the ever- growing number of enthusiasts who practice them. ?
?Sometimes referred to as the quiet sports, these activities are some of the fastest-growing outdoor recreational pursuits.? And in this case, quiet certainly doesn't mean dull or mundane. ?
?Let's face it.? Indiana may not be the extreme, eco-adventure capitol of the world, but the Quiet Sports Expo is geared up to alter that perception.? How?? By offering existing and would- be quiet sports devotees an unequaled opportunity to see the latest, cutting edge quiet sports gear and learn from some of the best and most experienced adventure paddlers, backpackers,?
mountaineers and other quiet sports moguls in the world.? ?
Both the Louisville and Indy shows offer visitors a chance to escape the blahs of winter and look to a year of outdoor fun.
Fighting games are my fall-back of choice. When I?m not sure what to play, a few rounds of juggles (and jiggles) keep me busy or get my mind ready for something else. Over the years, however, I have become more accustomed to a fight stick than a controller, something that can take more of a beating. Sigh, I?m going to stop with the phallus humour now, promise!
Last year I shared my thoughts on Tekken Tag Tournament 2, with a roster of characters so stunningly large that still has me fumbling to find people on the selection screen.
The Wii U edition contains all of the characters and stages from the Xbox and PS3 versions of the game, giving you all the pugilists and every place to beat your friend?s face in. Characters like Dr B, with his flailing fighting style and Miharu, Xiaoyu?s busty friend, sit alongside Slim Bob, Ancient Ogre, Kunimitsu, Forest Law P.Jack, Alex, Angel, Michelle Chang, Sebastian and Lee?s alter ego, Violet.
If you are a Nintendo fan, this is going to be a treat. Get your favourite chars dressed up as: Mario, Luigi, Link, Bowser, Zelda, Peach, Samus (Zero suit) and Captain Falcon! These outfits range from suiting the character (Anna as Zero Samus) to completely ludicrous (Paul with Mario?s hat teetering on the top of his tower of hair).
Mushroom battle mode introduces power-ups, making several strategic sidesteps necessary. Collect mushrooms to get bigger and stronger than your opponent. Be careful for poison mushrooms though, they hurt and make you smaller. Grabbing a star makes you invincible and makes all your attacks unblockable for a short while, which can really turn the tables at the last moment. All of these stages feature upbeat versions of classic Mario songs.
Tekken Ball mode FINALLY makes its return, last seen in Tekken 3. Get ready to beat up your opponent by storing your attacks inside a friendly looking beach ball. No really, that is how it works. And while you play, your ears will be caressed by a song of food, falling in love and the BALL!
?All I really wanna do is hit the ball? BALLLL BALLLLL BALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!?
You can thank me later for the awesome music.
The third mode is not so much a game as a way to toss your gold away. Choose a character and give them some of your money. If they are in a good mood and you give them enough, they will give you an item! If they aren?t, watch your money disappear for nothing. Now maybe I don?t play enough fighting games, but I have yet to reach the point where I have spare money in TTT2, so adding a mode with no guarantee of items, a silly one minute timer between transactions and what feels like a really badly done dating game is puzzling, and feels downright stupid.
The game looks great on the Wii U, and you can set it to play only on the gamepad, moving audio and video off your TV so that Brenda can watch Jersey Shore. While everything is fluid during the game, there is this odd lag on the load screens, which looks almost like rubber-banding. With no option to install the game onto your HDD without buying it from the eStore, there was no way to tell if the digital download version was perhaps better.
The Wii U gamepad offers you filthy cheat mode OF FILTHY CHEATING. While it is admittedly noob friendly, I dislike games and platforms that offer you shortcuts for your moves. A single tap on the gamepad screen will unleash anything from a complicated combo to a special throw. You can also hold in the L button and the face buttons turn into another set of moves and combos.
Character customisation is still an oddly slow affair, but the more artistic among us may find using the stylus to create custom colourations of their characters to be a real treat. Hopefully we will see some impressive fan-made colourations in the future. Though be careful to avoid this situation: ?No, I had to rub my stylus there on that character, my loving, understanding wife! What do you mean why? Because it?s art! No please put that sword down. Help. HE~~~~?
Multiplayer is always a touchy subject for Nintendo. I couldn?t get anything to connect, even when I switched routers, obviously putting a bad taste in my mouth. What was interesting was instead of creating lobbies, you can search for games with your friends, or search for games with a certain passkey. This four digit number can then be used on forums, gaming websites or wherever to make for an easy way to connect to people whom you might know, but aren?t necessarily on your friends list.
The new modes, while fun, leave much to be desired. Odd failings like no tournament for the mushroom battle mode, as well as only one stage (with the exact same song every round) in Tekken Ball make this feel like a rushed attempt to be ready for the Wii U?s launch. The new content is great to have and is something any Nintendo fan should experience, but I keep going back to TTT2 on another console, where it is installed and I have a fighting stick already. At which point I get frustrated because I?m missing characters and costumes? sigh, this is tough.
In the end, it really boils down to whether you have it on another platform already or not. Are you a Nintendo fanboy? Of course you are if you own a Wii U, silly question! Personally, I?m still worried I will break the gamepad by playing fighting games on it. Because who hasn?t thrown their controller in a fit after losing to an annoying boss?
This week in theMichigan Court of Appeals,Defendant?s convictions arose from two separate incidents involving the C brothers in 11/10. In 3/09, MC hit defendant in the head with a crowbar and served one year in jail for the assault. At the trial in this case, MC and AC both testified that on 11/19/10, defendant held a gun out a car window as he rode past their home. Then on 11/21/10 while AC was driving with MC in the passenger seat, they encountered defendant at a traffic light. AC and defendant exchanged looks, AC followed defendant?s car, defendant brandished the same gun and AC urged him to ?shoot, shoot, shoot.? After hearing a gunshot, the C brothers observed blood coming from the back of AC?s head, where he was grazed with a bullet. The defense theory at trial was that defendant was not present. He argued on appeal that the evidence did not support the 25-point score for a life-threatening injury, and that OV 3 should have been scored at only 10 points for bodily injury requiring medical treatment. The court disagreed. The trial court?s scoring of the sentencing guidelines is reviewed to determine whether the trial court properly exercised its discretion and whether the record evidence adequately supports a particular score. Twenty-five points should be scored for OV 3 if ?[l]ife threatening or permanent incapacitating injury occurred to a victim.? The statute does not require medical testimony to prove a life-threatening injury. A score of 10 points is appropriate if ?[b]odily injury requiring medical treatment occurred to a victim.? The statute mandates assessment of the ?highest number of points possible.? The evidence at trial showed that defendant discharged a loaded firearm toward AC?s vehicle, and a bullet grazed the left rear of his skull. AC testified that he felt something hot, saw blood on his hand after he touched his head, and was in pain. MC observed ?a lot of blood? and described AC?s injury as a ?real big gash? on the back of the head. AC?s uncle observed a ?gush of blood? coming from AC?s head and rushed him to the hospital while calling 911. The uncle explained that AC was ?bleeding so much.? AC received stitches and was in the hospital for three hours before being released. At trial the actual scar on the back of AC?s head, along with photographs of his blood-stained shirt and his blood drippings in the car were shown. The court also held that none of the other issues defendant raised on appeal had merit and affirmed.
The court held, inter alia, that the trial court reasonably inferred from the record evidence as to the location of AC?s wound and the amount of blood the wound produced that AC suffered a ?life-threatening? injury. Thus, the evidence and reasonable inferences arising from it adequately supported the trial court?s 25-point score for OV 3. Aldrich Legal Sercvo
SEVARE, Mali (AP) ? Mali's government is warning soldiers to respect human rights following reports that the military killed civilians at a bus stop in central Mali.
A witness told The Associated Press that he saw soldiers fatally shoot at least three people and dump their bodies in a nearby well.
A French-based group has cited at least 33 deaths.
A government statement says "the army should be irreproachable."
Mali's military spokesman has called the reports "absolutely false."
Witnesses say the killings took place two weeks ago after the Islamists surged south and seized the town of Konna. France began its military operation to oust the Islamists the following day.
The Islamists rule northern Mali, and human rights groups have warned of retaliatory violence.
Purchase the local paper that contains the coupon circulars and advertisements for the week, or visit a pay per redemption site to find the desired deals.
Clip or print and cut the coupon of choice.
File the savings away for a time when it is useful.
Forget about the coupon and let it pass the expiration date without being used.
The entire process is pointless, if in the end the coupon is never redeemed. So wouldn?t it be nice to have a service that offers the coupons you want, the day you want them, for the products or services you wish to purchase? Stop wishing and step into the reality of myDealCompass and learn about the innovative ways they help you save on your everyday purchases.
Simply log on to the myDealCompass site and search your local area. The deals and savings that are offered on this site are specific to your location and you can feel confident you will receive the savings you want. The mobile coupons that you will find here are specific to your needs and are offered at no charge for consumers, ever.
Once you have found the savings that appeal to your needs, simply redeem them and use the savings the same day. There is no waiting or lengthy process to go through. Additionally, you do not even have to print the savings to redeem the deal. Simply access the deal on your mobile device and redeem at the time of checkout for instant savings. myDealCompass is providing a new and innovative method to save that is benefiting both businesses and consumers.
Every year, more drivers hit our roads and freeways. As this number goes up, the possibility of accidents also goes up. Car insurance can make the difference between a small setback and a large trial. But why do you need insurance and just how much should you purchase? Your insurance may be able to pay for car crash expenses ranging from car repairs to legal fees. By not owning insurance, you risk having to pay the total cost of the harm or injury you cause others or of repairing or replacing your car if it is damaged or stolen. Liability: This type of insurance will pay for the damage that you are responsible for. These damages might include personal injury, and property damage. It can also cover your legal fees if you are sued. Recommended, more comprehensive levels of insurance can be purchased that cover more events than the stripped-down, state-mandated varieties. Personal Injury Protection: This is mandated in some states and is optional in others. Sometimes referred to as no-fault coverage, this pays the medical treatment for you or your passengers regardless of who was at fault. This insurance may also pay for lost earnings, service replacement and funeral expenses. The minimum amount of this insurance is usually set by the state. Medical Payments: This coverage is available in non-no-fault states; it will pay despite who carries responsibility for a collision. It pays for all insured person?s reasonable and necessary medical or funeral expenses resulting from a crash. Collision: Damages resulting from a car accident will be covered under this type of insurance. Comprehensive: Protect your car from all non-collision damages when you buy this type of insurance. This can include protection from robbery, vandalism, and weather damage. Uninsured Motorist: Many drivers are breaking the law by driving a car without owning the proper amount of car insurance. This insurance will protect you if you are in an accident with one of these drivers. Under-Insured Motorist: Similar to uninsured motorist protection, this type of insurance covers you from people driving without sufficient insurance protection. Other types of car insurance, like emergency road service, are also available. Auto insurance Oakland
President Obama will not block a House Republican proposal to extend the nation's debt limit for just three months, the White House announced today.
"The bill still has to overcome some concerns expressed by members of the House and the Senate before it can pass both chambers and reach the president's desk. If it does and it reaches the president's desk, he would not stand in the way of the bill becoming law," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
House Republicans had suggested leveraging the debt ceiling to try to extract more spending cuts from the Obama administration, asking for one dollar of spending cuts for every dollar of increase in the debt ceiling. Late last week, however, the leadership proposed a three-month extension of the nation's borrowing limit, a move intended to buy lawmakers more time to work out a "Big Deal" on deficit reduction.
"The Administration is encouraged that H.R. 325 lifts the immediate threat of default and indicates that congressional Republicans have backed off an insistence on holding the Nation's economy hostage to extract drastic cuts in Medicare, education, and other programs that middle-class families depend on," according to a statement of administration policy.
"We support the idea that the debt ceiling ought not to be a political football that, by becoming that, does damage to our economy," Carney said. "We want to see the debt ceiling sort of removed from the process of the very important debates that we have over what we pay for, how much revenue we bring in, how we get our fiscal house in order."
The move comes one week after the president spoke out against such short-term extensions.
"We shouldn't be doing this on a one to three-month time-frame. Why would we do that? This is the United States of America," he told reporters at a White House news conference. "What, we can't manage our affairs in such a way that we pay our bills and we provide some certainty in terms of how we pay our bills?"
The White House continues to have concerns, but said today that the three-month plan put forward by House Republicans is a significant development in "de-escalating the sense of conflict."
At today's 2013 Qualcomm China Partner Summit in Shenzhen, China Mobile sent its Deputy General Manager of Products Wang Hengjiang to share some hardware stats. In 2012, over 60 million TD-SCDMA devices were sold, with December alone pumping out over seven million units. To put that into perspective, there are now over 220 million 3G phone users in China (as of end of November), meaning the carrier still has plenty of catching up to do as it had a late start in the 3G game. That said, Wang also announced that China Mobile aims to sell twice as many TD-SCDMA devices this year, with smartphones expected to take up over 80 percent of that segment -- hardly a challenge considering they already reached 94.4 percent in the last quarter. Wang added that out of the 120 million units to be sold this year, half of them will be customized by China Mobile -- presumably so that it can choose its own bloatware, right?
As for TD-LTE, China Mobile expects its 4G technology to bloom in China some time between 2014 and 2015, as it continues to help the development of devices that natively support five modes (GSM, TD-SCDMA, UMTS, FD-LTE and TD-LTE) along with 10 to 12 bands. Obviously this is the very reason why China Mobile is getting cosy with Qualcomm, the company who has SoCs that support all these radios. Wang added that ahead of the full launch of TD-LTE, his company will be initiating user trials for TD-LTE data devices and phones throughout 2013 -- the first half of the year for the former, and the second half for the latter. Well, we only have three words for China Mobile: hurry up already!
Algerian army trucks make their way on a road the gas plant where hostages were taken, deep in the Sahara desert in Algeria on Sunday. Algeria's special forces stormed the natural gas complex in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before the militants in turn killed seven hostages.
By Peter Graff, Reuters
ALGIERS, Algeria -- The death toll has risen to at least 48 hostages killed during a four-day siege at a gas plant deep in the Sahara as a veteran Islamist fighter claimed responsibility on behalf of al-Qaida for the attack.
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details at a Monday news conference about one of the worst international hostage crises in decades, which left American, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian and Romanian workers dead or missing.
A security source said on Sunday Algerian troops had found the bodies of 25 hostages, raising the number of militants and their captives killed to at least 80. He said six militants were captured alive and troops were still searching for others.
One-eyed veteran Islamist fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar claimed responsibility on Sunday for the attack on behalf of al-Qaida.
"We in al-Qaida announce this blessed operation," he said in a video, according to Sahara Media, a regional website. He said about 40 attackers participated in the raid, roughly matching the government's figures for fighters killed and captured.
Surviving hostages from the stand-off in Algeria describe the extreme brutality of their captors as fears persist that more terrorists may still be hiding. NBC's Annabel Roberts reports.
The fighters swooped out of the desert and seized the base on Wednesday, capturing a plant that produces 10 percent of Algeria's natural gas exports, as well as a nearby residential barracks.
They demanded an end to French air strikes against Islamist fighters in neighboring Mali that had begun five days earlier. However, U.S. and European officials doubt such a complex raid could have been organized quickly enough to have been conceived as a direct response to the French military intervention.
The siege turned bloody on Thursday when the Algerian army opened fire saying fighters were trying to escape with their prisoners. Survivors said Algerian forces blasted several trucks in a convoy carrying both hostages and their captors.
Nearly 700 Algerian workers and more than 100 foreigners escaped, mainly on Thursday when the fighters were driven from the residential barracks. Some captors remained holed up in the industrial complex until Saturday when they were overrun.
The bloodshed has strained Algeria's relations with its Western allies, some of whom have complained about being left in the dark while the decision to storm the compound was being taken. Nevertheless, Britain and France both defended the Algerian military action.
"It's easy to say that this or that should have been done,? said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. France especially needs close cooperation from Algeria to crush Islamist rebels in northern Mali.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a televised statement: "Of course people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched this vicious and cowardly attack.
"We should recognize all that the Algerians have done to work with us and to help and coordinate with us. I'd like to thank them for that. We should also recognize that the Algerians too have seen lives lost among their soldiers."
Algeria had given a preliminary death toll of 55 people killed -- 23 hostages and 32 militants -- on Saturday and said it would rise as more bodies were found.
Among foreigners confirmed dead by their home countries were three Britons, one American and two Romanians. The missing include at least 10 Japanese, five Norwegians, three other Britons, and a British resident. The security source said at least one Frenchman was also among the dead.
Alan Wright, now safe at home in Scotland, said he escaped with a group of Algerian and foreign workers after hiding for a day and a night. While hiding inside the compound, he managed to call his wife at home with their two daughters.
"She asked if I wanted to speak to Imogen and Esme, and I couldn't because I thought, I don't want my last ever words to be in a crackly satellite phone, telling a lie, saying you're OK when you're far from OK," he recalled to Sky News.
Despite the incident, Algeria is determined to press on with its energy industry. Oil Minister Youcef Yousfi visited the site and said physical damage was minor, state news service APS reported. The plant would start back up in two days, he said.
The Islamists' assault has tested Algeria's relations with the outside world and exposed the vulnerability of multinational oil operations in the Sahara.
Algeria, scarred by a civil war with Islamist insurgents in the 1990s that claimed 200,000 lives, insisted from the start of the crisis there would be no negotiation in the face of terrorism.
Additional reporting by Balazs Koranyi in Oslo, Estelle Shirbon and David Alexander in London, Brian Love in Paris and Daniel Flynn in Dakar.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
Free Syrian Army fighters fire their weapons during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
Free Syrian Army fighters hold their weapons during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
A Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover, as another fires his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
Free Syrian Army fighters hold their weapons during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. The revolt against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011with peaceful protests but morphed into a civil war that has killed more than 60,000 people, according to a recent United Nations recent estimate. (AP Photo/Andoni Lubaki)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Russia said Monday it is sending two planes to Lebanon to start evacuating its citizens from Syria, the strongest sign yet that President Bashar Assad's most important international ally has serious doubts about his ability to cling to power.
The Russian announcement came as anti-government activists reported violence around the country, including air raids on the town of Beit Sahm near Damascus International Airport, just south of the capital.
Russian officials said about 100 of the tens of thousands of Russian nationals in the country will be taken out overland to Lebanon and flown home from there, presumably because renewed fighting near the airport in Damascus has made it too dangerous for the foreigners to use that route out of the Syrian capital.
Assad has dismissed calls that he step down. He has proposed a national reconciliation conference, elections and a new constitution, but the opposition insists he play no role in a resolution to the conflict. The U.N. says more than 60,000 people have died in the civil war since March 2011.
Russia has been Assad's main ally since the conflict began, using its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to shield Damascus from international sanctions.
Russia recently started to distance itself from the Syrian ruler, signaling that it is resigned to him losing power. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that he understands Syria needs change and that he was not protecting Assad.
Russian officials say the evacuation of thousands of its citizens from Syria ? many of them Russian women married to Syrians ? could be by both air and sea.
A squadron of Russian Navy ships currently is in the Mediterranean for a planned exercise near Syrian shores later this month. Military officials earlier said that the exercise will simulate marines landing and taking people on board from the shore.
Earlier this month, Lakhdar Brahimi, who is the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria, said that Russia seemed as determined as the United States to end Syria's civil war, but that he didn't expect a political solution to emerge anytime soon.
The Arab League chief said Monday that Brahimi's mission had not yielded even a "flicker of hope."
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nabil Elaraby proposed that the heads of state gathered there at an economic summit call for an immediate meeting of the U.N. Security Council. He suggested the security council adopt a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Syria and establish a monitoring force to ensure compliance.
Syria's defense minister said Monday that the army would keep chasing rebels all over the country "until it achieves victory and thwarts the conspiracy that Syria is being subjected to."
Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij's comments came as activists reported air raids and shelling around the nation.
Monday's fighting included a helicopter raid in the northeastern town of Tabqa that killed eight people, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory also reported a car bombing in the Damascus neighborhood of Dummar and said another car bomb exploded late Monday in central Syria, killing at least 30 pro-government gunmen in Salamiyeh.
In addition, the group said there were clashes in the town of Ras al-Ayn near the border with Turkey between fighters from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, which leans in favor of Syria's government and anti-government rebels, who entered the town in November.
Tensions have flared between Syria and Turkey after shells fired from Syria landed on the Turkish side of the border. As a result, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States decided to send two batteries of Patriot air defense missiles each to protect Turkey, their NATO ally.
On Monday, German soldiers unloaded trucks carrying the missile systems at the port of Iskenderun, while another ship, carrying the Dutch shipment, waited its turn anchored at the harbor.
The U.N. said that there are an estimated 4 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, including at least 2 million who are internally displaced. With harsh winter conditions, people are facing heavy rains and sub-zero temperatures, often without adequate food, shelter, water or access to medical care.
The McClatchy news organization published a report on Monday, supporting activists' claim that Syrian forces have been targeting bakeries. According to data compiled by the news organization, government forces attacked bread lines and bakeries at least 80 times last year, causing hundreds of casualties and in most cases destroying the bakeries.
The Syrian government, meantime, blamed a rebel attack on a key power line for a blackout that hit Damascus and much of the country's south overnight, leaving residents cold and in the dark amid a fuel crisis that has stranded many at home.
The Syrian capital's 2.5 million residents have grown used to frequent power cuts as the country's conflict has damaged infrastructure and sapped the government's finances. But some said Monday that the overnight outage was the first to darken the entire capital since the conflict began.
The blackout hit residents especially hard because of rampant fuel shortages and below-freezing temperatures.
"We covered ourselves from the cold in blankets because there was no diesel or electricity for the heaters," said retired teacher Mariam Ghassan, 60. "We changed our whole lives to get organized for power cuts, but now we have no idea when the power will come or go."
By midday Monday, power had returned to more than half of the capital, and Electricity Minister Imad Khamis said authorities were working to restore it in other areas.
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Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.
FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, a North Korean woman uses a cellphone on a sidewalk in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is loosening its restrictions on foreign cellphones and is allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. The policy reverses a longstanding rule requiring visitors to relinquish their foreign phones at the border. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File)
FILE - In this March 16, 2012 file photo, a North Korean woman uses a cellphone on a sidewalk in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is loosening its restrictions on foreign cellphones and is allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. The policy reverses a longstanding rule requiring visitors to relinquish their foreign phones at the border. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2008 file photo, released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people look at 3G mobile phones in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is loosening its restrictions on foreign cellphones and is allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. The policy reverses a longstanding rule requiring visitors to relinquish their foreign phones at the border. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhang Binyang, File) NO SALES
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? North Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign cellphones by allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. However, security regulations still prohibit mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals.
For years, North Korea required visitors to relinquish foreign cellphones at the border until their departure, leaving many tourists without an easy way to communicate with the outside world.
The ritual of handing over phones was part of an exhaustive security check that most visitors face at immigration in North Korea. Many foreigners ? including Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, who traveled to North Korea earlier this month ? choose to leave their phones behind in Beijing before flying to Pyongyang.
Now, foreigners can bring wideband, WCDMA-compatible mobile phones into the country or rent a local handset at the airport, and purchase a local SIM card for use in North Korea. The SIM card allows them to call most foreign countries, foreign embassies in Pyongyang and international hotels in the North Korean capital, according to Ryom Kum Dan of 3G cellphone service provider Koryolink.
Cellphones rent for about $3.50 per day and SIM cards cost about $67, she said Monday. Satellite phones are prohibited, she said.
However, foreigners will not be able to communicate by mobile phone with local North Koreans, whose cellphones operate on a separate network, and they will not have access to the Internet using locally provided SIM cards. They can phone Japan and the United States, but not South Korea.
Cellphone use has multiplied in North Korea since Egyptian telecommunications firm Orascom built a 3G network in North Korea four years ago. More than a million people are using cellphones in the country, according to Orascom Telecom Media and Technology, which runs Koryolink as part of a joint venture with North Korea's telecommunications ministry called CHEO Technology JV Co.
The 3G network also provides North Koreans with access to the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper for a fee, but not to the global Internet.
On Friday, Koryolink saleswomen were setting up cellphone rental booths at Pyongyang's Sunan airport. One poster depicting a woman in a traditional Korean dress with a cellphone pressed to her ear read, "Here You Can Buy Koryolink Visitor Line."
During his recent four-day trip to North Korea, Schmidt urged North Korea to provide its people with better access to the global Internet. The Google executive chairman noted that it would be "very easy" for North Korea to offer Internet on the 3G cellphone network.
"As the world becomes increasingly connected, the North Korean decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world and their economic growth. It will make it harder for them to catch up economically," he wrote in a Google blog entry posted Sunday.
"It is their choice now, and in my view, it's time for them to start, or they will remain behind."
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Kim Kwang Hyon contributed to this report. Follow AP's bureau chief for Pyongyang and Seoul at twitter.com/newsjean.
Jan. 21, 2013 ? Investigators from 15 children's medical centers, including Nationwide Children's Hospital, observed and evaluated critically ill children with influenza to evaluate the relationships between levels of systemic inflammation, immune function and likelihood to die from the illness. The study appears in the January issue of Critical Care Medicine.
The innate immune system is the cellular arm of the immune system that serves as a first-responder to new threats, and is thought to drive the inflammatory response in many forms of critical illness. Recent evidence indicates that suppression of innate immune system function can occur in critically ill patients.
This immune suppression can be quantified in the laboratory through measurement of the capacity of the patient's blood to produce a specific cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-? , when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a substance which should induce a robust TNF ? response. Patients with innate immune suppression produce reduced amounts of TNF? when their blood is stimulated. In its most severe form, this condition is known as immunoparalysis. Severe reductions in TNF? production capacity have been associated with the development of secondary bacterial infections and death in critically ill adults and children.
Immune function is not routinely measured in patients with influenza, though some therapies used in this population, such as corticosteroids, can be potently immunosuppressive.
"Both pro- and anti-inflammatory therapies have been proposed as additional treatment options for influenza infection," explains lead study author Mark Hall, MD, Critical Care specialist and principal investigator in the Center for Clinical and Translational Research of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "However, a lack of immune monitoring data in the pediatric population has made therapeutic decision-making difficult in children."
In this first-of-its-kind, multicenter observational study, blood samples from critically ill children with influenza were tested using highly standardized techniques to determine the capacity of the participants' innate immune system to produce TNF? when stimulated with LPS. Healthy control subjects also had their blood tested for the same properties.
Results indicated that despite high levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, critically ill children with influenza demonstrated lower TNF? production capacity compared with healthy control subjects. Further, children who died from influenza had markedly lower TNF? production capacity compared with survivors. Patients who were co-infected with influenza and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed the greatest degree of immune suppression.
While the reduced capacity to produce TNF? among the critically ill children compared to healthy subjects was expected, the degree of reduction in capacity was severe enough to be highly predictive of death from the illness.
"The study demonstrates a strong relationship between mortality and reduced innate immune responsiveness in critically ill patients," said Dr. Hall, also a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "It also demonstrates the feasibility of large-scale immune monitoring of the kind necessary to develop and test therapies for these critically ill children. The identification of potential treatment thresholds is important because strong evidence suggests that innate immune suppression associated with critical illness may be reversible."
Advocating for additional studies, investigators suggest that patient-specific immune monitoring could aid in determining the most effective treatment for these critically ill patients. Therapies that stimulate the immune system may have a significant role in the treatment of high-risk children with severe immune suppression associated with influenza infection.
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I go in these crazy crock pot cooking phases where I use it all the time and I am loving it right now.? Last week I whipped up a giant pot of my Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup.? It?s warm, thick and complete comfort food in a bowl.
If you are having guests over, this is a great recipe to have.? It serves 12-16 and makes the best leftovers.? I enjoyed it for lunch for a few days and was happy as a clam
You can easily split the recipe if you don?t need to make such a massive amount, but I?ll warn you, it?s incredibly delicious and you?ll want the leftovers.
Let?s take a look at what you?ll need.
Here?s what you?ll need.? Remove one of those chicken broth cartons.? I only used one and the cheese and cilantro are just for garnishing, so you won?t need as much in the picture
Dice a large onion.
Cook them in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add some garlic.
Transfer right to a LARGE crock pot.? I?m talking at least a 5 quart.
I used one whole rotisserie chicken for this recipe.? Discard the skin then shred the meat.? It?s about 4 cups if you want to bake your own chicken.
Transfer the chicken pieces to the crock pot.
Add your chicken broth, 32 ounces please.
Pour in two 28 ounce size cans of green enchilada sauce and two 10 ounce size Rotel diced tomatoes.? Make sure both say MILD on the can.
I added two packages of cooked Spanish rice.? It thickened the soup so nicely, I definitely recommend it.? I used the Knorr Brand, but any of your favorite Spanish Rice will do.? If you?d like to make your own, use 4 cups.? I have a great Homemade Spanish Rice recipe HERE if you need one.? Scroll down past the tacos and you?ll see it.
Add a good handful of cumin and 8 ounces of sour cream.? Stir and let cook on low for 4-8 hours.
Ingredients
2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
1 largeonion, finely chopped
3 tablespoonsminced garlic
1rotisserie chicken, about 4 cups shredded (no skin)
32 ouncesreduced sodium chicken broth
Two 28 ounce cansmild green enchilada sauce
Two 10 ounce cansMild Rotel diced tomatoes with peppers
4 cupscooked spanish rice (I used 2 packages of Knorr Fiesta Rice)
3 tablespoonsground cumin
8 ouncessour cream
2 cupsshredded cheddar cheese for topping
1 bunchfresh cilantro leaves for topping
1 bagtortilla chips for topping
Directions
Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer to a large 5 quart minimum crock pot with setting on low.
Add shredded chicken to crock pot along with chicken broth, enchilada sauce, tomatoes, rice, cumin and sour cream. Stir and let cook on low for 4-6 hours
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree has voluntarily met with police in their investigation into an alleged sexual assault in a hotel after the team's playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers last weekend, his attorney said Saturday.
"Michael fully cooperated with the inspectors and will continue to do so throughout this investigation," the attorney, Joshua Bentley, said in a brief statement emailed to The Associated Press.
Bentley provided no additional details and had no further comment.
The statement comes after police said they were investigating a sexual assault allegation involving Crabtree in a San Francisco hotel early Sunday. Crabtree hasn't been detained or arrested, and has agreed to be available for more questions in the future, police said.
The probe is being handled by the department's special victims unit. When the investigation is done, the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney's office, which decides if charges should be filed, police said.
Authorities didn't release any further details.
49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said the team is aware of the allegations.
"The 49ers take such matters very seriously," he said in a statement. "We will have no further comment at this time as the legal process is ongoing."
San Francisco is preparing to play the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC championship game on Sunday. The winner goes to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers said Crabtree made the trip to Atlanta. The team referred all other questions about the matter to Crabtree's attorney.
This season, Crabtree became the first San Francisco wide receiver to log more than 1,000 yards in a season since Terrell Owens in 2003. He had a career-best 1,105 yards receiving, including a single-game high 172 yards on eight receptions in a win over Arizona.
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Associated Press Sports Writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this report.
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Follow Jason Dearen on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JHDearen
The rise of downloadable games has been one of the more interesting elements of our current generation of consoles, with the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade offering some of the best value for money gaming experiences of the past five or six years. This kind of quality isn?t unanimous across these marketplaces however, with plenty of slapdash coded cliches waiting to sucker you in with a cheap price tag. In opposition to such titles are games like Fuel Overdose. The debut title from indie startup i-Friqiya, Fuel is a game that offers a niche gaming experience for a competitive price point. It?s fun, clever and offers a suspiciously decent lifespan, but its unique elements will likely prevent it from appealing to all kinds of gamers.
When you think of racing games, you either think of pure racing sims like Dirt, or the arcade/battle equivalent, such as Burnout or the Mario Kart games. Fuel fits into the latter category but, rather than focusing on the accessible arcade side of driving these games so regularly subscribe to, Fuel deems itself a tactical action racer, and tactics do indeed come into play. With hyper gauges to balance between specials and shields, multiple characters with unique abilities and a rather eclectic arsenal of weapons and utilities, Fuel Overdose is the thinking man?s combat racer; a fact belied by its somewhat misleading cartoon style.
Let?s get that out of the way first. A quick glance at Fuel will show you the cooky art style that, whilst definitely a pleasing aesthetic, causes a few problems. A lot of stock is placed in the characters on account of how differently each one plays and, whilst some of the visual designs are awesome, many of the female characters boarder into the typically risky gender politics of outrageously proportioned anime women. There is a story mode that introduces the post-apocalyptic setting and the racers that inhabit it, but it too is let down by the age old translation trope of a questionable localisation. It?s not that the writing is bad per se, but it is just too stilted to feel totally natural. It?s a shame too, as initial impressions of overly sexualised female characters and awkward dialogue run counter to how clever the actual gameplay in Fuel Overdose actually is.
Most races are, as expected, a simple case of being first past the finish line, though various other objectives are introduced liberally during the single player story. The handling is the first thing to separate Fuel from many other racers as, depending on your choice of racer and vehicle, your turning circle and speed can vary hugely. The sheer variety of handling styles on offer, as with many other aspects of Fuel is daunting initially, but it soon becomes all too familiar after a few games.
That said, there are plenty of game mechanics new players still have to get their heads around. You get three basic weapons in the form of the fairly self-explanatory machine gun, rockets and mines. Complementing these are grappling hooks that you can attach to scenery for a better turning circle, or to other players to pull yourself forwards or to deliver a harmful electric shock over the cable. You also get detonators that activate bombs that show up around the map but, these too are limited, meaning you have to use them sparingly. All of these weapons must be bought and levelled up prior to the match, and you only have a limited budget to use for each race. Further decisions must be made on whether you go for the level specific power ups, a devastating contextual power that players must bet on before the match starts. The highest bidder gets it, so it?s a real risk/reward scenario.
Outside of the equipment, character and vehicle choice is also essential. Characters and their cars both affect driving performance, allowing you to counter or accentuate a character?s native stats with an appropriate car. The main difference between the characters is their special moves. These are used through a combination of right analogue stick movements in a manner not dissimilar to 2D fighting games. Players have a hyper gauge that must be used up to activate these moves but, as this meter must also be used to power your shields, it can be a risky business using it for offensive purposes too regularly.
With all these options, gauges and abilities to consider, you can imagine how hectic things get in-game. Even in the simplest of games, things happen quickly and often, what with eight players vying for space on the cramped roads. Levels are designed in such a way as to provide frequent bottle necks and, whilst this ups the tension and gives the game a fantastic sense of speed and urgency, it can be absolutely bewildering at times. The sheer pace of the game often prevents you from really getting to grips with the game?s numerous mechanics, as it can be difficult enough just staying alive when you have seven other racers hot on your heels.
This is part of what makes Fuel Overdose equal parts frustrating and rewarding. Getting stuck in to begin with yields little aside from suffering, in spite of a fairly thorough tutorial, but the sheer amount going on means that the game just keeps on giving. Things are already lengthy enough with each character having their own story, as well as the usual time sink of online multiplayer, but Fuel is a game where it makes sense to have so much content. Too many games offer endless levels but without the depth of gameplay to keep players interested. Fuel, by comparison, provides greater intricacies the more you dig beneath the surface.
The online multiplayer is worth contemplating in more detail. It?s a lot of fun, and the complex myriad of mechanics in Fuel provide a large enough skill gap for multiplayer to become truly competitive. The issue comes in the lack of local or LAN alternatives. Though it isn?t the most accessible of games, a fast paced racer like Fuel would be just what the doctor ordered for a quality gaming night in, a reality that can?t be realised with online multiplayer only. Granted, I doubt Fuel would make sense in split screen, but it would have been nice to see i-Friqiya at least making an effort in this area. This becomes doubly true on account of how low the population is for Fuel?s online mode. Very few players are ever online at one time, making finding a match a huge drama. This is only likely to get worse with time, considering how alienating Fuel?s mechanics can be to new players.
Of the three main categories of game recommendation, Fuel Overdose falls heavily into the ?try before you buy? circle. It?s an interesting game, and one that, like a fine cheese, only gets better with time. Having said that, it?s not a smooth ride. Whether it?s due to misleading character designs, bad dialogue, or impenetrable and occasionally superfluous combat mechanics, Fuel is a game you have to work at to truly enjoy. Based on the kind of gamer you are though, this work up front may well pay off with the sheer depth on offer in Fuel Overdose.
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ostrogoth, on 25 January 2013 - 10:40 PM, said:
