Eu sunt fericita posesoare a unui credit de la BCR, care in decurs de trei luni de zile mi-a marit rata lunara cu 100 eur, adica de la 300 am ajuns la 400. Eh, o nimica toata!  Oare aia din BCR se intreaba daca veniturile mele mai reprezinta proportional rata lunara? Nu conteaza asta bai nene, ca, daca ar conta m-ar instiinta si ei ca imi creste dobanda, ca mai platesc un comision de protocol sau de secretara cu fusta scurta sau de stiu ce altceva.

BCR-ul sigur nu a auzit de acte aditionale la contract. Sau n-or avea bani sa plateasca niste juristi care sa faca actele astea sau nu stiu. Eu tot mai sper sa intru in posesia unui act aditional, ca altfel platesc ceva ce nu am in contract, ceea ce inseamna ca astia ma fura la drumul mare. Hmmm... o sa meditez la asta!

Pai fusta scurta a secretarei cu ce se tine sau concediul prin Orlando sau insule exotice, plus toate neamurile neamurilor care ajung din var in nepot si stranepot, in unchi si matusa, sa munceasca la caldurica in bancuta, chiar daca domniile habar nu au cum ii cheama.

Am scris la un moment dat si la OPC, da' cine sa raspunda? Sunt si aia ocupati cu soarecii din cutiile de beri, cu viermii prajiti din paine si alte orori de genul asta; ca doar nu s-or uita aia de la OPC in gura mea, cu dobanda mea majorata fara numar, fara numar.

Mai astept si azi sa-mi raspunda, ca poate or fi pierdut sesizarea mea... sau poate n-o fi trecut mai mult de o luna si sunt in termenul legal, desi am impresia ca prin februarie am facut sesizarea (si sigur nu e o impresie). Dar, cum ziceam, au si bietii oameni treaba... sa-i lasam sa salveze soarecii din cutiile de bere... saracii soareci. Tie ti-ar placea sa te innece cineva intr-o cutie de bere? Sunt convinsa ca nu!

1) Astazi am facut un "foto shooting" cu Vlad, un fotomodel de aproape doua luni (viitorul meu fin). A fost foarte cuminte si cred ca a inceput sa-i placa sunetul obturatorului. Eu m-am distrat de minune si cred ca si lui i-a placut. O poza cu el puteti vedea in dreapta textului :). In curand, o galerie foto completa.

2) Am vazut ca au aparut prin farmacii pastilele anti-mahmureala. Au un pret rezonabil, dar ramane de vazut daca si functioneaza

3) Ruby Tuesday sunt niste nesimtiti. Am iesit cu niste prieteni sa halim ceva la restaurantul lor de pe Decebal. In meniu doua noi produse marcate cu semnul "new!". Nu "in curand" nu "mai incolo" ci "incercati si...".

Evident cineva a vrut sa incerce produsele care "zambeau" ademenitor dintre paginile meniului frumos colorat. Cand a venit chelnerul... surpriza! Nu le avea, deloc, nanda, niente, nothing. "Nu ni le-au adus inca" zice chelnerul zambind. Luam telefonul si sunam si la alt rstaurant Ruby din Bucuresti. Nici ei nu le aveau pentru ca inca nu au aparut in Romania. In meniu erau foarte frumos imprimate...

In fine, drept rasplata le-am facut reclamatiepe site-ul OPC folosind propriul lor internet wireless. Muahahahahaaa!

Later edit: Cristina, care este vegetariana, m-a pus sa zic ca produsele erau vegetriene si ca vegetarienii sunt discriminati in Romania. Am zis si asa este! Nu?

4) In alta ordine de idei, sambata am vizionat caseta filmata la "cheful meu de 18 ani". Concluzia: Era mai frumoasa viata fara griji si fara bani, exact ca in melodie. A, da, era mai frumoasa si fara kilogramele in plus pe care le am acum :D

Upper Deck now owns the rights to the long-running OPC brand, once a Canadian Topps subsidiary.   Friday, UD issued a press release regarding the newest hockey card set.

Just as the first pucks were ready to drop to open up the 2008-09 NHL Season, Upper Deck’s latest O-Pee-Chee Hockey release was hitting store shelves across North America.  With a 600-card base set,  the 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee launch features a wide array of elements that Upper Deck says are sure to ignite the underlying passion of rabid hockey card collectors everywhere.

The overall collection is complemented by a stunning array of rookie cards (“Marquee Rookies”) and legends (“OPC Legends”) that combine at a rate of one in every two packs, on average. But it’s the loaded assortment of very cool inserts that will keep pack-crackers coming back for more.

The memorabilia and signature cards are headlined by “OPC Triple Materials” (1:108 packs); “OPC Signatures” (1:432); and “OPC Autographed Buybacks (1:432). Some of the top “Triple Materials” cards include star-studded scoring trios like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier, as well as extraordinary netminders like Patrick Roy, Grant Fuhr and Ron Hextall. Some of the more sought-after signature cards in this season’s O-Pee-Chee launch include Alexander Ovechkin, Marty Turco, Martin Brodeur, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Joe Thornton. The autographed buybacks afford a special look at yesteryear with former legends like Bobby Clarke (Flyers), Tony Esposito (Blackhawks), Brian Leetch (Rangers), Billy Smith (Islanders) and Phil Esposito (Bruins) headlining the list.

There is also a 1979-80 “Vintage Variation” series of cards inserted in every pack, with a retro set rainbow parallel that’s numbered to 100. A gold parallel of the regular base cards as well as the rookies and legends, inserted 1:4 packs, further bolsters the vast elements included this season.  And a lineup of five “Old-School” inserts, combining at a rate of 1:4 packs, provides a nostalgic look at seasons past. The “Team Checklists” (sporting a retro look); “Season Highlights”; “Trophy Cards”; “First, Second Team All-Stars & All-Rookie Teams”; and “2007-08 Stat Leaders” cards will add history and old-school design to this latest offering.

“O-Pee-Chee has a terrific fan following and this year’s release has something for every level of collector,” said Josh Zusman, Upper Deck’s Hockey brand manager. “With the new season just underway, now is the perfect time to launch a product of this magnitude. The ‘Triple Materials’ memorabilia cards and the autographed buybacks are two of my favorite inserts.”

Upper Deck’s 2008-09 NHL O-Pee-Chee carries a suggested retail price of $1.59 per six-card pack with 36 packs per box. Boxes and singles are already available on eBay.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS:

·600-card set ideal for set collectors

· ’79-80 Retro variation of the entire regular set

o All 600 players in new photos and a design commemorating the popular set (one per pack)

· Autographed Buybacks return, delivering an average of one per case

· Collect Winter Classic Highlights, averaging 1 per box

o These laminated cards are must-haves for anyone who enjoys hockey in its purest form

· Look for in-pack rookie cards of players who debuted near the end of the ’07-08 season

· Triple memorabilia cards (averaging 4 per case) and OPC Signatures (averaging 1 per case) give the set some big-time punch

· Five old-school inserts combine to deliver hits (1:4) the way they did in yesteryear

Je croyais que Protégez-Vous était un magazine gouvernemental payé à même nos taxes. Mea culpa. Lorsque j’ai voulu magasiner une automobile neuve, j’ai consulté leur dossier sur le sujet. J’ai adapté certains de mes choix en fonction des informations que j’y ai découvertes.

L’an dernier, lorsque j’ai connu le fonctionnement du magazine, je m’y suis abonné. Depuis, j’ai changé ma marque de pain. J’ai réalisé que les salades des restaurants fast-food n’étaient pas plus saines que leurs gros burgers… Avec les prises de conscience que j’ai pu faire cette année à la lecture de ce magazine, il était important que je vous présente Protégez-Vous dans ma chronique. Laissons Sylvain Masse vous conter son histoire.
- Raymond Viger

Notre plus grande réussite à Protégez-Vous, c’est d’avoir créé au fil des années une vraie référence pour les consommateurs. Il faut dire que l’équipe actuelle de Protégez-Vous, et tous ceux qui y ont contribué dans le passé, ont travaillé très fort à développer cette expertise en consommation. Et nos lecteurs nous le rendent bien. Ils sont fidèles et ils savent que nous gardons jalousement notre indépendance face aux pressions que le milieu pourrait exercer sur nous.

Historique
Ça fait plus de 30 ans que Protégez-Vous existe et il faut remonter à 1971 lors de la création de l’Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) pour comprendre d’où nous venons. À l’époque, l’Office s’était fixé deux champs d’action précis: informer et éduquer le consommateur québécois. Et c’est ce qui est à l’origine de la naissance de Protégez-Vous en 1973. Le magazine était un moyen de rejoindre une large clientèle. Il était alors gratuit et ne consistait qu’en quelques pages en noir et blanc. Puis, au fil des ans et des coupures budgétaires gouvernementales, le magazine a amorcé une démarche d’autofinancement et c’est alors qu’il est devenu «payant». Le désengagement de l’État s’est accéléré au cours des années 1990 et c’est finalement en 2001 que Les Éditions Protégez-Vous sont devenues officiellement un organisme sans but lucratif entièrement indépendant.

Les Éditions Protégez-Vous
D’un point de vue pratique, ce que l’indépendance a signifié, c’est que tout à coup nous devions assumer la totalité des coûts liés à la rédaction des articles, à la réalisation des tests, à la production et aussi à la diffusion de nos contenus. Or, ce qui a fait notre marque de commerce, c’est justement la qualité de nos dossiers, la rigueur avec laquelle nos tests de produits sont réalisés. Mais tout cela coûte très cher, alors vous pouvez imaginer que le défi à relever était de taille! Il fallait trouver des moyens ciblés pour s’autofinancer, tout en continuant à rejoindre notre public. Nous en avons privilégiés trois principaux: le magazine, le site Internet et les guides pratiques de la Collection Protégez-Vous.

Mission possible
Ce que Les Éditions Protégez-Vous se sont données comme mission, c’est d’offrir aux citoyens des outils pour les aider à faire des choix éclairés. Aujourd’hui, tout va très vite et les gens sont confrontés à des choix de plus en plus complexes. Prenez l’achat d’une voiture par exemple. À une certaine époque, on basait notre décision sur quelques critères simples. En 2007, il faut non seulement vérifier les prix, mais aussi le rapport qualité/prix, le service après-vente, la consommation d’essence et ses effets sur l’environnement, les performances routières, la fiabilité, la durabilité et on pourrait continuer la liste encore longtemps. Or, il n’y a que 24 heures dans une journée, et le citoyen n’est pas un spécialiste dans tous les domaines de la vie courante. Il a besoin d’outils pratiques, fiables et surtout des sources d’information indépendantes. C’est ça, Protégez-Vous!

Le magazine
Le magazine rejoint chaque mois plus de 500 000 personnes. Bon an mal an, nous publions une vingtaine de tests, des enquêtes, des reportages, des guide d’achats, des débats et des dossiers étoffés sur des sujets aussi variés que l’alimentation, la santé, l’habitation, l’automobile, les nouvelles technologies et j’en passe, évidemment! Ce qui nous différencie véritablement des autres magazines, c’est le regard critique et objectif que nous posons sur ce qui nous entoure. Et ça, on le doit en partie à notre politique publicitaire sévère. Ne s’affiche pas qui veut dans Protégez-Vous! Lorsqu’on publie un test d’imprimantes par exemple, vous ne verrez certainement pas une publicité de Canon sur la page voisine ou sur aucune autre page du magazine d’ailleurs.

Internet
Le site des Éditions Protégez-Vous est un de ceux qui comptent le plus grand nombre d’abonnés payants au Québec. www.pv.qc.ca en est à tout près de 20 000 abonnés — dont 78 % sont aussi abonnés au magazine. La toile est au cœur de notre développement et nous travaillons très fort présentement afin d’offir une vitrine encore plus accessible et diversifiée. Pour tous les 25 à 45 ans qui ont adopté l’Internet comme source première d’information, sachez que la nouvelle vitrine verra le jour quelque part en 2007.

Les guides thématiques
La Collection Protégez-Vous, c’est une série de guides pratiques et de numéros hors série qui traitent de thèmes comme les finances personnelles, l’habitation, le droit, l’alimentation, la santé, etc. Avec ces guides, nous pouvons traiter d’un sujet en profondeur, ce qu’on ne peut pas faire dans le magazine. À titre d’exemple, nous venons de publier un guide sur les produits de santé naturels. Le guide lève le voile sur les mythes entourant les produits de santé naturels et donne l’heure juste sur l’efficacité de 50 produits, dont plusieurs connus du public. La collection s’enrichie de nouveaux titres tous les ans, et on peut se les procurer en kiosque ou en librairie.

Partenariat
Tout le travail que nous effectuons serait impossible à réaliser sans un réseau de partenaires solides qui partagent des valeurs communes aux nôtres. C’est le cas notamment de notre collaboration avec Option consommateurs pour réaliser le guide des jouets ainsi qu’avec l’Association pour la protection des automobilistes (APA) pour notre guide Autos. Nous avons aussi des projets précis avec certains établissements d’enseignement, des organismes gouvernementaux, des associations de défense de consommateurs.

Diffusion
Les enquêtes, les dossiers et les guides que Protégez-Vous pilotent sont souvent repris à la radio ou à la télé. Pour nous, l’essentiel c’est que notre contenu circule partout. La radio et la télé rejoignent une clientèle qui ne lit pas forcément nos guides ou le magazine, mais qui a tout autant besoin de conseils pratiques et objectifs. Nous encourageons cette diffusion, car notre mission première est d’informer et d’éduquer. En tant qu’OSBL, cette mission aura toujours priorité sur la poursuite du profit à tout prix.

L’avenir
La société québécoise vit de profondes mutations. L’ouverture de nouveaux marchés a littéralement fait exploser le domaine de la consommation. De plus en plus de produits sont disponibles, à des coûts de moins en moins élevés (du moins en apparence). Toutes ces nouvelles technologies se succèdent à un tel rythme que le citoyen n’a même plus le temps de se les approprier. Parallèlement, beaucoup de services à la population ont été dérèglementés (financiers, énergétiques, télécommunications), rendant le processus de décision très complexe. Le citoyen est envahi par «l’information intéressée». C’est dans ce contexte que Protégez-Vous compte maintenir le cap et continuer de jouer son rôle de chien de garde!

Pour vous abonner au magazine Protégez-vous: 1-866-895-7186 ou par Internet à www.pv.qc.ca

http://journaldelarue.wordpress.com/2006/10/20/a-la-decouverte-des-magazines-dici-quebec-science/

PUBLICITÉ
Internet-o-thon pour soutenir le magazine communautaire Reflet de Société édité par le Journal de la Rue. C’est le temps de vous abonner pour montrer votre soutien à votre revue sur l’actualité communautaire et sociale. Toute contribution supplémentaire pour soutenir notre cause est la bienvenue.

Par téléphone: (514) 256-9000, ext.: 1-877-256-9009
Par Internet: http://www.refletdesociete.com/Abonnement.html
Par la poste: Reflet de Société 4233 Ste-Catherine Est Montréal, Qc. H1V 1X4

This trip is through Bemidji State University's Outdoor Program Center (OPC).  There are seven participants and three trip leaders going.  The drive is roughly eight or nine hours so we'll be staying in Winona the night before and leaving early Friday morning to get on the rock (and perhaps more importantly snag a coveted first-come first-serve campsite) as soon as possible.  The weather is predicted to be sunny in the mid sixties, so definitely beautiful for October.  I anticipate the place will be packed.

I haven't looked at the guide book lately, so I don't even know what climbs I'd like to hit up.  I'm probably just as excited to get away for another weekend and spend some time playing guitar around the campfire as I am to go climbing.

V-am obişnuit, cred, la rubrica „Clientul nostru, stăpînul nimănui” cu aceeaşi concluzie, nerostită faţiş, dar bănuită numaidecît: „Vînzătoarea era o scîrbă...”. Pîn' aici! Iată şi reţeta românească de combatere a vînzătorilor agresivi şi aroganţi. Ce OPC, care consumator, care protecţie... Nu vă grăbiţi încă, reţeaua nu s-a extins la nivel naţional, ci credem că doar în acele locuri în care reprezentanţii Oficiului pentru Protecţia Consumatorului ajung mai greu.

Şi uite-aşa vor fi date-n gît (şi mai apoi afară) vînzătoarele cu tupeu.

Prehistory -
Windows 3.0

The need for OPC is probably best traced back to the introduction of Windows 3.0 in 1990. With Windows 3 it became possible, on an inexpensive, mainstream computing platform, to run multiple applications simultaneously.

Even better, Windows provided a standard mechanism for those applications to exchange data at runtime. This mechanism was Dynamic Data Exchange, or DDE, and it was not long before users saw the benefits of having their process or plant data 'piped' into general purpose applications like Microsoft Excel.

Soon however, the limitations of DDE became clear. It was not terribly robust, there was no support for DDE across a network, and, worst of all, its bandwidth was very limited.

A number of notable attempts were made to rectify these shortcomings, of which Wonderware's InTouch^TM SCADA software had the greatest impact. It introduced a means of networking DDE traffic (NetDDE^TM, which was later taken up by Microsoft), and also greatly increased the effective bandwidth of DDE by packing multiple data items into each packet or message (FastDDE^TM). The main drawback of this scheme, and others such as Rockwell Software's AdvanceDDE^TM, was that they remained proprietary, requiring payments to their inventors, and thereby guaranteeing that they would never attain the status of a true industry standard.

OLE 2.0 and WinSEM

When OLE 2.0 was launched in 1992, it was apparent that it would eventually replace nearly all uses of DDE. It was more flexible, more robust, and used more efficient transport mechanisms.

Around the same time, a group calling itself WinSEM (Windows in Science, Engineering and Manufacturing) began meeting at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. This group's members were largely from the areas of industrial control and data acquisition, with Microsoft acting as a catalyst.

By 1994, there was firm interest, focused through WinSEM, in the use of OLE techniques for moving process data between applications in (almost) real-time. In particular, a number of SCADA vendors saw the chance to standardize the interface between the SCADA core and the device drivers which were actually responsible for acquiring the data. Potentially, this could benefit both SCADA vendors and equipment manufacturers: the SCADA vendor would not need to invest valuable effort in writing drivers, while the equipment manufacturer would have to provide only one driver which would work with all Windows software.

The most interesting proposal was submitted by US Data in March 1995. Seen next to the released OPC specification, this document now appears ludicrously simplistic. However, most of the key concepts of OPC were already in place.

After the publication of this promising document, progress towards a standard was, sadly, very slow. It was the view of a number of the those involved in the WinSEM effort (including Microsoft) that a smaller, more tightly focused group would be needed to ensure timely delivery of a standard. This was the origin of the OPC Task Force.

The Beginnings of OPC

The OPC Task Force went public at the 1995 ISA Show in New Orleans with a news release. Its members consisted of Fisher-Rosemount (now Emerson Process Management), Intellution (now part of GE Fanuc), Intuitive Technology (now part of Wizcon Systems), OPTO 22, and Rockwell Software. Microsoft was to be involved in a supportive and consultative role.

The first draft version of the OPC specification was released in December 1995, and was presented to the last WinSEM gathering (to date) in Redmond in January 1996. Despite a certain amount of pique due to the initial perception that an elite group had run away with the standardization effort, the overall response was quite favorable and very constructive.

A second draft specification followed in March 1996, and 'JumpStart' seminars were held in Dallas, Texas (April 1996), London, England (July 1996), and Japan (August 1996) to give interested developers a fast track introduction to the proposed standard.

OPC Version 1.0

The OPC specification version 1.0 was released on August 29 1996. A corrected version 1.0A of the OPC Data Access Specification, as it is now known, appeared in 1997.

OPC Foundation

Having sought opinion throughout the industry, a decision was taken that the OPC specification should be managed by an independent, non-profit organization to be called the OPC Foundation.

The OPC Foundation made its presence felt at the 1996 ISA Show in Chicago, with OPC server demonstrations from various companies at the Microsoft booth, and also the first General Assembly meeting of members. Further collaborative demonstrations have followed at major trade shows around the world.

Commercial products using OPC began to appear in late 1996. By mid-1998, the widespread support for OPC had confirmed it as the industry standard.

The Foundation has broad industry support (over 300 members in total), with off-shoots in Japan and China. It has its own website,
www.opcfoundation.org.

thanks to
www.opcconnect.com/history.php.

Intre timp, treptat treptat, casele au devenit acaparate de masculi feroce. De la tipul cu ghiuluri si bratari si lanturi si curea care are catarama cu diamante ce se invarte de ma holbam eu la ea in ultimul hal, pana la tipul cu trening pe care scrie (don't cry for me ) "argantina". Dar nici unul dintre acestia nu se ridica la faima lui Georgica. El era cel care se ocupa cu pusul obiectelor in plase, adusul cheii pentru a deschide casa si, ocazional, vrajitul clientelor. Sa vi-l si descriu nitel: 1.60, 15 ani maxim, mutra de smecheras si vorbe de fat-frumos. Ce mai, idolul femeilor. El era cel care ne trimitea bezele, noi eram cele care ne dadeam coate inrosindu-ne. Totul pana intr-o zi cand Georgica a disparut subit. Eu cel putin eram in pragul sinuciderii.

Peste vreo luna eram cu Mirela la Spring Victoriei, sedeam la zona cu shaormele sa ii vina lu asta mancarea. Stateam noi ca florile acolo, cand ce sa vezi, cine prajea de zor la cartofi acolo? Georgica!! Nu va mai descriu fericirea din sufletul meu. Revederea era mult prea emotionanta. Evident ca nu s-a putut abtine: "ce faceti fetele, nu vreti o shaorma in plus, hai ca va dau eu una, da nu-i asa ca veniti des aci pe la mine ?? ". Noi am luat mancarea si ne-am intors rusinate la noi la masa. Saptamanal ne duceam la Spring iar eu tot trageam de Mirela sa isi ia shaorma. Pana cand, surpriza surpriza, Georgica iar a disparut.

Mi-a luat iar cateva luni sa-mi revin moment la care am inceput noi sa frecventam Gregory's. Pentu frappe. Dimineata, frig, ploaie, coafura compromisa, intram noi zgribulite in local, dam sa cerem un frappe de caciula, asteptam 10 minute ca sa vina cine trebuia sa il faca si...deja v-ati prins, apare prietenul nostru Georgica! Normal, nici aici nu rezista mai mult de 4 luni.

Dupa care nu am mai auzit de Georgica mult mult timp. Acum un an parca mi-a zis cineva ca l-a vazut la KFC la romana. Acu juma de an ii povesteam de el lui frati-miu si mi-a zis ca l-a vazut la Pizza Hut la universitate...

Insa mai mult decat disparitiile lui bruste ma macina intrebarea: care e scopul lui in viata?

1. Sa ia la rand toate supermarketurile si fast-food-urile? Sa le incerce pe toate si apoi sa faca un studiu despre ele?

2. Vrea sa afle dedesupturile acestor mari franchize si apoi sa faca publice informatii dubioase din interior?

3. E omu de la OPC?

4. Georgica exista doar in mintea mea si a altor cateva persoane, ceva gen zanele si unicornii?

5. Georgica e detectiv particular? Spion CIA? Terorist care pun prafuri in shaorma?

...si lista poate continua...

Daca stiti, daca ati auzit ceva, orice despre el, va rog, nu ezitati sa imi aduceti la cunostinta. Ofer recompensa pentru informatii despre Georgica.

"The more public an aim is the more productive you will be in achieving it"

There. Now one can see the obvious argument in favour of such a hypothesis. Essentially boiling down to, the fact taht if you make a goal public, you would also have to make the success or failure of such a goal public and assuming that human beings are rational(remember by the naive kid inside me) you would do everything in your power to avoid your failure being made public and hence would force yourself to be more productive. Having no argument against this argument(except experience which I have waved aside in favour of a fresh start) I've decided to formally put this hypothesis to the test. Now obviously I'm an 18 year old and these days even we're not dumb enough to believe such idealist nonsense but I happen to be a particularly desperate 18 year old. I need to be productive and I need that to happen quick(before the cascade of abuses fall, please refer to my initial premise). So as obviously naive as this hypothesis is, I want to put it to this test and document the results so that even if, at the end of this experiment I end up not achieving what I set out to do(I'll come to what exactly this is shortly), this document will remian to warn or exhort other young souls against or for this path I have chosen.

So theres the obvious question. Why so desperate to becime productive? Well a little back-story is required. One year back I contested for an OPC(Online Programming Contest) I was still relatively(and I stress this) new to programming back then and me and my team flopped miserably. Following the wash-out we all agreed there was a lot we needed to learn. Fast forward a year today I contested in the same OPC again and guess what the result was. We couldn't even solve a single question. And I realised I hadn't moved a single square in 1 year. I might try to fool myself highlighting all the other things I've accomplished but the fact of the matter is that I couldn't move even an inch closer to the dream given a year. While there were people who moved from unranked to the top 10 on the TopCoder rankings in a year. I was still stuck at unranked. i could go on with this wallowing in self-pity(I have done that for the length of the post thus far), or I could be pro-active as naive as that may be. Hence the "P-P Hypothesis". So allow me to throw in the publicity.

As with any other contest the key to good OPC performance is practice. I've identified that one of the places I'm falling behind is algorithm implementation. I've been concentrating on Information Systems and Web Development programming(mostly in Ruby) over the last couple of months. Its time I think, that I got back to C++, which is what most OPC require that you submit your code in. So aiming to bridge the gap I plan to implement at least one algorithm devoting 1 hour of time to it each day. I will post update the results of the experiment here giving it all the publicity I can. Lets see which way the productivity swings.

Pegue o vídeo aqui (requer a criação de uma conta, sem custo).

Para quem prefere o YouTube, o vídeo foi dividido em 2 partes: veja a parte 1 aqui e a parte 2 aqui.

This has been a hot topic on the boards everywhere lately... The Lord help us....women, please, by the sake of our families, church and the Lord, please remember God's design for women and men in all of its fullness and blessings. 

From GreenBaggins...read on

"If there is any more pressing issue in the conservative church today, I am at a loss to find it. Consistently, even in the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the issue of whether women should be allowed in ministry crops up just about every year in general assembly. A friend of mine recently said that it was only a matter of time before the GA voted to allow women into the ministry. I hope earnestly that he is wrong. I would be disappointed to have to leave the denomination in which I was baptized as an infant, and in which I grew up physically and spiritually (PCA). But the denomination would have left its moorings in the historic view of male headship as symbolized by Christ and the church, as well as any claim to see abiding principles in the Bible, rather than totally culturally determined “advice.” In this case, the slippery slope argument does work. Denominations that ordained women eventually ordain homosexuals, since Romans 1 and Leviticus 18 also become culturally relative. It is impossible to stop on such a slippery slope, as so many denominations have more than adequately demonstrated. Let us rather seek to be faithful to God’s Word."  ....read this in all of its parts in its entirety...

Luna mai nu a inceput mai bine pentru OPC-urile din tara. Potrivit unui raport al Autoritatii Nationale pentru Protectia Consumatorilor, un barbat din orasul bihorean Salonta a reclamat ca, dupa ce si-a cumparat un telefon mobil dintr-un magazin, cand a vrut sa plece, a confundat usa cu geamul si a intrat pur si simplu prin sticla. Patronii magazinului i-au cerut clientului sa ii plateasca geamul spart, insa acesta a refuzat pe motiv ca geamurile erau prea curate, astfel ca a facut plangere la Oficiul Judetean Pentru Protectia Consumatorilor. Un bistritean a cumparat un vibrator de ale carui calitati nu a fost multumit. Omul a facut o reclamatie in care a spus ca aparatul nu e satisfacator, fara sa fie limpede daca nefericit de prestatia vibratorului este el sau partenera sa de viata. La Iasi, un barbat a fost deranjat ca, in mod constant, prin fata casei lui trece o turma de oi si capre si le-a solicitat inspectorilor OPC sa se deplaseze la fata locului si sa spele turma cu sampon! Tot in Iasi, o persoana a vrut sa amaneteze o gaina congelata. Persoana respectiva a sesizat OPC pentru faptul ca reprezentantii firmei nu i-au primit gaina.

Foarte distractiv!:))

Acum stiu ce-mi doresc sa fiu cand am sa ma fac mare:Inspector OPC! :))

copiat de pe www.sibiul.ro

Am intrat pe site-ul OPC, am completat formularul de "plangeri online" gandindu-ma ca va fi in zadar si m-am dus revoltat acasa. Lapte stricat!!!!

Dupa 3 zile ma suna OPC-ul! Mi-a cazut fata!
- Buna ziua, de la OPC va sunam.
- Buna ziua, ce surpriza!
- Buna ziua, va anuntam ca urmeaza sa efectuam un control la magazinul pe care l-ati reclamat
- Foarte bine, spor la treaba!

Au mai sunat ieri de cateva ori ca sa ma intrebe unde este "alimentara" si astazi au revenit si m-au anuntat ca au efectuat controlul. Rezultatul: proprietarii au fost aspru sanctionati in urma mai multor nereguli descoperite.

Recunosc, aveam idei preconcepute despre OPC, dar acum ma declar multumit in totalitate de viteza de reactie si de interesul aratat fata de o problema ce poate parea minora in comparatie cu ale sesizari ale lor, sunt sigur.

Mi-a ramas doar orgoliul ranit de faptul ca am baut lapte stricat :P

Lässig, einfach nur lässig stehen sie da. Auf der einen Seite der „Über-Golf“ R32 auf der anderen die „Familienrennsemmel“ genannt Opel Vectra OPC. Außer einem dicken V6 haben sie noch eines gemeinsam – sie sind bald Geschichte.

Ja, es ist wieder soweit. Der Golf V wird früher als erwartet vom Nachfolger Golf VI abgelöst. Opel geht mit seinem Vectra sogar noch einen Schritt weiter. Gemeinsam mit dem Plattformbruder Signum gehen beide nun in den Ruhestand. Eine neue Ära in der Mittelklasse kündigt sich bei Opel an. Der Name: Insignia!
Zeit, um den beiden abtretenden Topversionen die letzte Ölung zu geben. Jeder mit einem geschulten Auge erkennt sofort, mit diesen beiden blauen Buben ist nicht zu spaßen. Aus Wolfsburg kündigen sich allradgetriebene 250 Pferde im soundgewaltigen V6 an. Aus Rüsselsheim zerren 280 turbogeladene PS an der Vorderachse. Wer sich also mit diesen Genossen anlegt, sollte ordentlich Potenz im Motorraum beherbergen.

Der Golf V: wie immer ein Millionenseller

Mit der fünften Generation des Golf setzte Volkswagen die Geschichte eines der erfolgreichsten Automobile überhaupt fort. Ein frisches Design sollte daherkommen – ohne die klassische Linienführung zu beeinflussen. Nüchtern betrachtet ist der exzellent verarbeitete Golf V ein neutral gebliebenes Kompaktauto. „Kompakt, dezent, gut“

Mit 2.344.000 Einheiten weltweit (Stand: Juni 08) erreichte die Volkswagen AG die anvisierten Verkaufszahlen voll und ganz. Ganz klar in Führung bei den Absätzen ist Deutschland gefolgt von Großbritannien. Besonders beliebt war hier der 1.9 TDI mit 105 PS und Diesel-Partikel-Filter. Diese Motorisierung macht knapp ein Drittel der Baureihe aus.

Auch in den USA lief der Golf unter dem lustigen Pseudonym Rabbit „den Erwartungen entsprechend.“ Genaue Zahlen wollte VW aber leider nicht nennen. Da die sogenannten Hatchback’s in Amerika vor allem als Hot Hatches (GTI, R32) gefragt sind, ist der normal motorisierte Golf des US-Kunden der Jetta. Mehr als acht Millionen hat Volkswagen seit 1980 verkauft, rund die Hälfte davon in den USA.

So gibt es auch eine GTI-Version des Jetta, den GLI: Er wäre in der angepassten US-Optik auch für manch einen europäischen Käufer eine Überlegung wert. Ebenso verkauft sich der New Beetle, der noch auf der alten Golf IV-Plattform daher kommt, wie geschnitten Brot. Mehr als eine Millionen New Beetle und New Beetle Cabriolets fahren mittlerweile um den Globus.

Die Topmodelle: Rennfeeling in geringer Stückzahl

Abgesehen vom Dollar-Kurs braucht VW sich also keine Sorgen um den US-Markt zu machen. Das Topmodell, der R32 mit 250 PS und soundstarkem V6-Motor, wäre wohl der Traum von vielen. Leisten konnten ihn sich allerdings selbst hierzulande noch nicht einmal 1 Prozent der Golf V Kunden..u. Wenn doch – dann am liebsten in Deep Blue Pearleffekt oder Black Magic Perleffekt.

Der Kult-GTI ist mit 3,8 Prozent Marktanteil in Deutschland schon eher in den nennenswerten Prozentzahlen vertreten. Der GT erreicht unter den PS starken Benzinern mit 8,5 Prozent lässig die Pole Position. Ob es vom R32 auch wie vom Passat ein R36-Model geben wird, damit lässt uns Volkswagen im Dunkeln. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass ein aufgeladener Vierzylinder ähnlich wie beim Audi TTS hier Einzug erhält, ist deutlich höher. CO2-Zwangsverordnung sei Dank. Aber man darf ja noch hoffen, oder? Wie lautet doch das Motto auf der US-Site? „Engineered for the Autobahn.“

Endgültiger Abschied nach 3 Generationen: Opel Vectra

Opel ist etwas radikaler mit seiner Nachfolge. Der Vectra ist zum Ende des Jahres Geschichte. Man möchte einen Neubeginn einläuten. Noch immer hallt der Ruf der teils enormen Qualitätsschwankungen Anfang der 90er hinterher.

Auch das Gerangel in den oberen Chef-Etagen von GM tat Opel mehr weh als gut. Es gilt also sich von diesem bösen Karma zu lösen und den Reset-Button zu drücken, mit einem hochmodernen Werk und einem neuen Namen im Mittelklassesegment – Insignia. Lassen wir uns überraschen.

So schwer es Opel zurzeit mit seinem Ruf in Deutschland auch hat – der aktuelle Vectra kann nichts dafür. Er sorgte auch in seiner dritten Generation für zufriedene Käufer. Von den in Deutschland eher durchschnittlichen Verkaufszahlen sollte man sich nicht täuschen lassen – auch wenn es Opel ordentlich wurmen wird, dass der Passat nach wie vor der Beststeller in seinem Segment geblieben ist. 186.000 Exemplare wurden hierzulande vom Vectra C verkauft, mit 84.000 Exemplaren schlägt der Wagon (Kombi-Version) die Varianten Schrägheck (41.000) und Limousine (61.000) eindeutig.

Vauxhall verkauft sich excellent

Wichtigster Absatzmarkt ist Großbritannien. Dort verkaufte sich Vectra unter dem beliebten Vauxhall-Firmenlogo insgesamt 302.500 Mal. Interessantes Detail: die Limousine lag mit 14.000 Exemplaren wie Blei in den Läden. Auch der Wagon kam mit 28.500 Exemplaren nicht viel besser weg. Die Schrägheck Variante verkaufte sich allerdings mit 260.000 Exemplaren überdurchschnittlich gut. Weltweit entschieden sich insgesamt 959.500 Kunden für den Vectra.

Besonders vermissen werden wir die OPC-Variante. Mit viel Liebe zum Detail wurde der Vectra zur rennstreckentauglichen Sportlimo umgewandelt. Gerade mal 0,4 Prozent entschieden sich für diese äußert schmackhafte Variante der Babytransportgranate. Ähnlich wie beim R32 entschied sich der Hauptteil der Käufer für die Farben schwarz und ardenblau.

Auch Opel zeigte sich sehr optimistisch und hat die für den Lebenszyklus zu erwartenden Verkaufszahlen in Europa voll und ganz erreicht. Da heißt es für den Insignia nur, Daumen drücken und übertreffen, übertreffen, übertreffen. Verdient haben es die leidgeplagten Jungs aus Rüsselsheim allemal.

Macht’s gut…

Somit hoffen wir auf eine spannende neue Ära mit den neuen Modellen von VW und Opel und verabschieden uns leise und höflich von den Vorgängern. Möget ihr noch rostfrei und qualitativ hochwertig viele viele Tüv geprüfte Kilometer hinter euch bringen.

Text+Fotos: Mario-Roman Lambrecht

The current Ordained Servant asks, How is the Trinity a vital to the the church's praxis?

Contents

• Mystery without Mysticism: The Place of Mystery in Reformed Theology
  by Gregory E. Reynolds
• Developing a Trinitarian Mind
  by Robert Letham
• The Puritan Theological Method
  by John V. Fesko
• With Heart and Mouth: An Exposition of the Belgic Confession
  by David VanDrunen

I followed a link this mp3 file: http://www.trinitylectures.org/MP3/AubAveTheo_Collection13.MP3 , a critique of Auburn Avenue theology and theologians. I found some of what the speaker had to say excellent, and some of speech wanting. His most glaring error is to equate human logic, speech, precision of mind at this point in history with same from before the Fall, or at least pre-Babel-Tower. Failure of that magnitude by one who avows belief in the inerrancy of scripture is a significant lapse and bespeaks an agenda, a rubric elevated above truth claims in support of those truth claims.

The other place the speaker falls short is in his critique of another theologian (both speaker and names of his opponents have now gone from my memory, for the most part) who stated in effect: Extrapolating principles from the writings of the Pauline and other NT epistles, then rearranging those principles in systematic forms - confessions, for instance - tends to alter the meaning the biblical writers intended to convey. C'mon, although reasonable minds can differ on that one, I think that statement, identified by the speaker in this audio file as heresy, is clearly arguable and non-heretical.

Essentially the Trinity Foundation guy argues that post-canaonical, therefore non-inspired, human codification of biblical teaching and principles is unquestionably right, after having argued that human logic, communication, speech inerrantly derives from that of God. I'm not buying it.

Viele Wissenschaftler sagen: »Wer heute 60 Jahre alt ist und auch so aussieht, ist selber schuld.« Stimmt das? Haben wir es tatsächlich in der eigenen Hand, ob wir mit zunehmenden Lebensjahren immer noch eine halbwegs gute Figur machen? Gibt es ein Wundermittel gegen das Altern?

Die Autorin dieser Broschüre meint, dass es zumindest eines gibt, das an ein Wunder grenzt. Es heißt OPC. Gabriela Vonwald schwört auf den urgesunden Stoff, der in Traubenkernen enthalten ist:

»Die Natur hat uns diese Substanz geschenkt, um Alterungsprozesse wirksam hinauszuzögern. Darüber hinaus entfaltet OPC eine Vielzahl von positiven Effekten auf unsere Gesundheit und unser Wohlbefinden.«

Quelle: "Jungbrunnen OPC" Broschüre von Gabriela Vonwald

OPC ist eine Mischung aus ganz bestimmten Oligomeren Pro Cyaniden, daher der Name. Es ist in den USA patentiert und hat eine ganze Reihe von lebenswichtigen Funktionen.

Den "OPC - Bio Complex" (Nahrungsergänzung mit hoher Wirksam- und Bioverfügbarkeit) erhalten Sie bei der Tepperwein Collection.

Mehr Informationen, klicken Sie hier