Fuente: Revista Enter

Here are a few pictures from the scout.

Nu eens een heel ander soort foto:

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Comments on the same are highly Welcome!!!

U will enjoy and u will love the city unplugged.

This was a trip I had been waiting to make all summer long as I have a huge passion for mass transit.  Chicago has a great exhibit at the Historical Society (now formally referred to as the Chicago History Museum) with the first El car, but I think we can do better and devote a whole place to the CTA.  The MTA museum is in an old subway station, awesome.

So I naturally got on the 456 and took it to Brooklyn at Borough Hall.  The station was very nice and was busier than I had expected.  Walking up to the street I quickly thought the area was great.  It wasn't too congested and had a lot going on.  I wish I would have had more time to hang out for a while.  The issue was that the museum closed at 4:00 pm and I arrived around 2:10 pm.  I walked down into the familiar set of subway stairs and paid my $5 admission at an old attendant booth and asked the seller how long it takes.  He said 45 minutes; maybe if you have no interest in an enriching experience!

To get started I walked through a loose replica of the tunnels that were dug to begin the process.  It spoke to the harsh conditions and jobs required to create the system of tunnels.  This process was really neat and  not as complicated as one would think.  After looking at that I checked out the evolution of turnstiles since the beginning.  One of my favorite was the first full cage turnstile like you'll find at the zoo except this one looked as if it belonged in a prison.  After looking at the turnstiles I looked at the reason for the turnstiles, collecting money.  Every day the MTA makes $9 million with 7 million customers each day, so if we cut that in half because people use it twice, 3.5 million people ride each day.  This is 7 times that of the amount of Chicago daily riders. No wonder NYC is dominating public transportation.  What I loved about the money collection was the money train that comes through during the night with armored guards to collect revenue.

After looking at that, I went into the above ground informational room with trolleys, buses, and horse pull carts.  Some of the models and maps were very cool to see.  Next to that room was a video about the development of Grand Central which I wanted to watch but didn't have time to.

Finally I went into the coolest part of the museum.  In the level below the main museum were the tracks and most of the different cars used throughout the years.  I loved looking at each car and all of the old advertisements on the walls.  What I thought was coolest was that there used to be more windows throughout the cars. I understand that there are less today because of the sound, but I would enjoy having more windows to look out of on above ground tracks.  Lets look into it for Chicago.

Unfortuanately, I didn't have nearly enough time to take joy in all of the bountiful information around me.  Right before I had to go I saw the time line overview that I wanted to see more than anything else and thought didn't exist when I first got down to track level.  Oh well, the place rocked anyway.  I highly recommend it for all those who want to understand the history behind a great city.

-George the Future Post-Retirement El Operator

Seguimos la cruzada contra los cables con el Wireless USB Docking Station. Ya tengo ganas de que el WUSB se empiece a extender y no necesitemos conectar y desconectar cables, adaptadores,... en conectores que suelen estar en zonas poco accesibles. Sí, es posible usar un hub pero no quiero más cosas en la mesa.

Este accesorio no soluciona ese problema, sino que está pensado para usarlo con portátiles que soporten WUSB, de forma que, cuando lleguemos a casa, todas nuestras opciones de expansión estén disponibles sin necesidad de conectar cables al ordenador.

La Wireless USB Docking Station ofrece 5 puertos USB 2.0, un puerto DVI y una salida de auriculares, de forma que, al encender nuestro ordenador, podemos tener ya conectado un teclado externo, un ratón, un monitor y unos altavoces, además de otros accesorios como discos duros, todo ello a través de WUSB.

Soporte resoluciones de 1680 x 1050 píxeles en formato panorámico y de 1280 x 1024 en formato estándar, y su precio es de 230 dólares, algo caro para la comodidad que aporta.

Ora però Microsoft è riuscita a strappare un risultato storico, battendo in termini di vendite settimanali in Giappone la console di Sony. Nella settimana dal 4 al 10 agosto, infatti, la società di ricerche di mercato Media Create, che monitora i dati di vendita di circa 3.000 negozi giapponesi, ha rilevato 24.962 console Xbox 360 vendute, rispetto alle sole 9.673 PlayStation 3 di Sony. Il risultato così eclatante è legato al lancio del videogioco Tales of Vesperia di Namco Bandai, ultima edizione di una serie molto amata in Giappone; insieme al videogioco, disponibile in in Giappone dal 7 agosto, è stata anche lanciata una versione speciale della console Xbox 360 con un frontalino dedicato al gioco e un DVD bonus. Il giorno del lancio, davanti ai negozi più importanti giapponesi si erano formate code di centinaia di persone in attesa di entrare in possesso della console. Tales of Vesperia arriverà negli USA il 26 agosto e nella prima metà del 2009 anche in Europa.

Resta invece irraggiungibile in termini di unità vendute la console Wii di Nintendo, che nella stessa settimana di agosto ha venduto in Giappone 38.506 console.

pcworld.it

When the news suddenly broke out, I began to buy my tickets right away. I spent around $115 (estimated) for two tickets for the particular concert. If you combine this with the ongoing Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, It's going to be a hardcore show! I saved a lot of money on planning to go to that particular concert, by selling some stuff that I don't need on eBay along with the money that was left over from the Warped Tour this year. I also contribute all of my spare change that I had saved over three years.

Anyways, the things that I will buy from the concert are t-shirts, hoodies and many other things in between. I also made a video blog about the tour, which you can view here:

I hope that the tour will be successful! If you guys bought your tickets already, enjoy the show!!! :D

References:

"A simple plan - and a van." Herenb.com. 15 August 2008. 18 August 2008. <http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/magazine/article/385324>

"The BBQ report." Herenb.com. 14 August 2008. 18 August 2008. <http://herenb.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/383713>

"Simple Plan welcomes new special guests for tour." 09 July 2008. 18 August 2008. <http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=151228&sc=79>

NASA had hoped to minimize the gap, but additional funding to do so has not been approved by the U.S. Congress (You know, war and all).  The agency now hopes to to fly with Orion to the International Space Station by September of 2014.

Sarah, my neighbor, went to the State Fair with Mallory, Chloe, my mom, and Chloe's mom. Sarah doesn't like many rides because, like me, she gets sick on them. Chloe, Mallory, and I have Mega Passes.

The Story

Mallory and Chloe went on the train in Happy Hollow or Adventure Village, I'm not sure which it is. Sarah and I didn't because Sarah didn't want to buy tickets and the train is sorta boring. Sarah and I decided we would walk, or run, along side the train. Mallory and Chloe told the driver guy to speed up, he went slower. They tried to get the driver to say we weren't allowed to follow the train, too, but with no success. After about 5o feet, we got bored, so we ran to all the places where the train crosses the sidewalk in to Happy Hollow/Adventure Village. We beat the train back to the station. I'm proud to say I can run faster than a train!

• Part 1.  - Backstory
  

The club where I was employed in Orlando was very tourist-centric, and throughout the run of my stint there, I can say that over 50% of the people I waited on were from the British Isles.  

One night in late March/early April, because the club was slow, and I bore easily, I started chatting with four British guys at the bar, giving them directions for places to go in Orlando where you'll actually find locals, etc.  

When I mentioned that I was moving to London, and I usually did manage to mention that when chatting up people I liked, who were potentially from nearby, the conversation got a lot friendlier, and eventually ended in making plans for me to round up some girls and take them all downtown on my night off.

Tim was easily the one I talked to the most, since I'd mentioned wanting to work in television and he actually did.  He even offered to take a look at my CV and give me advice on British-izing it. 

Long story short, I gathered three girls and we took the guys out for a night on the town, which involved some polite confusion to the atmosphere at I-bar, a few of my friends getting pretty belligerently drunk, and a platonic goodbye with an email exchange.

And email we did.  On an almost daily basis, for four months, Tim and I exchanged emails that got progressively longer and more detailed about the respective things going on in our lives.  He even became engrossed with the Guitar Guy drama, following every step of the progression with frustration similar to what a soap opera fan probably experiences.

Upon returning to London, making plans with Tim was one of my top priorities, and we finally settled on meeting Friday (last night), at the Piccadilly Circus Tube Station, 8pm.

• Part 2 - The Unexpected Opportunity

Jane and I spent a few hours yesterday in Finsbury Park, which is pretty close to where I live.  While we were walking around, admiring the flower gardens and the sports areas, fantasizing about maybe coming back to play tennis sometime, Jane got a call from Royce, offering the prospect of drinks later.

Obviously, this presented me with some conflict.  On one hand I reaaaaally want to see Royce, and on the other, there would be far too much for me to keep track of with Tim and Royce in the same room, and reuniting with both of them in the same event ... it was just too much.  Jane convinced me to at least keep the option open, but man, people just have the worst timing.

• Part 3 - Waiting in Russell Square

When I arrived at Piccadilly Circus, I attempted to call Tim, and it went straight to voicemail.  Assuming he was still in-transit on the underground, I left a message telling him where I'd be waiting, and exited the station via Russell Square, taking a seat with a bunch of tourists on the statue, happy to continue reading my book (The Romanovs - The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie) while I waited.

Two 30-something Middle Eastern guys were seated next to me, and though I was aware they kept sneaking glances at me, I figured since it was broad daylight and we were in the midst of literally thousands of people, they weren't going to even try speaking to me.  I was wrong.

"Excuse me," the younger of the two said, waving a pink cannon digital camera at me.  "Excuse ... um, can we take picture with you?"

"You want me to take a picture of you?" I asked, relaxing and folding my book aside.  Working in Orlando, I got asked to photograph tourists all the time.

"Um ... no.  You sit with him, and I take picture," the Younger one said.  

"Oh!  Why?  You don't know me."

"We are tourists in Britian," the Older explained.  "From Pakistan."

"I'm not British," I said, laughing.

"Oh.  Where from, then?"

" ... America."

"Oh!" Younger one exclaimed, giving the Older one a shove to sit closer to me.  "Even better!  You take picture, yes?  For vacation."

"Oh, fine."  I relented only because I couldn't think of a good enough reason to kill his excitement.

I leaned only slightly toward Older One and gave a little smile, half amused and half disturbed by what was happening.  The Younger one introduced himself as Christopher, and was attempting to make conversation with me when Tim finally appeared. 

He gave a wary look at the Pakistani Tourists and said hi to me as I literally leaped down the four steps separating me from the pavement to reach him.  We began to walk away and I said, "They wanted to take a picture with me."

Tim gave me a look and then laughed, giving in to the absurdity of the situation.  "Of course they did," he said, and we exited onto the street.

• Part 4 - Cheers
  

I thought briefly that reuniting with Tim might be awkward because there would be practically no, "What's new?" type questioning, since we'd kept so updated on each other's affairs.  On the contrary, though, we were able to just jump into normal conversation, discussing what had happened since the last real email, which had been about a month ago.

Clearly slightly resentful of the touristy atmosphere we'd chosen, Tim led me to a pub called Cheers, which he claimed was the true British experience.  I probably shouldn't have, but I had to break it to him that there are hundreds of little bars called Cheers all over the US, including one that had been a stones' throw from where I stayed in Maitland.  That happens when there's a super popular television show about a bar by the same name.  

Either way, we wove our way through the milling crowds at Cheers, and he bought us a round of drinks.  I settled on drinking white wine for the evening, and he had a Heineken.  He offered to pay for the drinks tonight, on the condition that I cover a separate night on the town once I'm employed and making ends meet.  This seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

Somehow I doubt he'll ever cash in on that agreement, but I really would be willing to.

"So," he said, as soon as I had a drink in hand.  "How did things ever turn out with Guitar Guy?"

• Part 5 - Pub #2 and the Wine Spilling Incident
  

Properly caught up on the ending drama with Guitar Guy, and the fact that he was single now, which Tim claimed was frustrating to him as well, we decided to locate another venue, and exited, once more, out into the London streets.

We found a place a lot less kitsch, though I don't remember the name, and found a table outside to enjoy our next round.  The glass of wine I had this time was significantly larger, and because it was so crowded, we ended up sharing the table with a plump, middle-aged couple from Salisbury.  

Conversation ranged from the American political system (and this bizarre dream I had about kissing Senator Obama), to the recent incident where Tim took a 19-year-old girl out on a date (Tim himself is 29) and she started to go a bit insane, sending him racy text messages, immediately followed by psychotically possessive and demanding ones.  

"I guess you learned your lesson," I said.  "About 19-year-old girls."

"Right," he laughed, taking a swig of his drink.  "Until the next one comes along."

At some point, he went back in to get us another round of drinks, and I overheard the plump couple discussing their upcoming vacation.  The woman mentioned staying at a hotel in Kissimmee, and realizing they were going to Orlando, I piped in to give them a little input on where to stay.  

Finding me randomly conversing with strangers, yet again, Tim came back out and shot me a less extreme version of the look he'd given me at the Pakistanis and handed me my wine.

"They're going on vacation to Orlando," I said, weakly, then took a sip of my wine to keep from laughing at his expression.

Later, about 3/4 of the way into the glass of wine, I decided I wanted to nip to the ladies really quickly.  I dug under my chair for my purse and while in the process of setting it on the table so he could keep an eye on it, I knocked over the glass of wine, which projected itself, as though aimed, all over Tim.

"Oh, God!" I exclaimed, looking around frantically for paper towels or something.  He was torn between shock and laughter as I lurched up, a bit slowed by the alcohol, and flew into the pub to ask for something to clean up the mess with.  They gave me three red napkins.

"I'm so sorry," I kept saying, while he attempted to dry off, and he kept insisting that it was fine.  Thank God I'd gone with white wine instead of red.  

We decided we'd go to the restrooms in the pub and then move on.  

"At least no one will bother you on the commute home," I said.

"Because they'll think I'm a wino," he responded, but with a hint of amusement.  

I spent most of the time in the bathroom mentally smacking myself in the head.  

• Part 6 - Pub #3 and my slipping memory
  

The next pub we went to is a bit of a blur.  I had another two or three glasses of wine there while attempting to keep up with the conversation, though my brain was ready for sleep and maybe a late night snack.  

Because he was also a bit tipsy, I was able to talk him into telling me the rather lurid story behind one of his friends' nicknames, and to admit the true intentions of the other three guys we'd taken out that night in Orlando.  Most of it was exactly what I'd suspected, and I was sworn to secrecy directly after the revelations.

Last call occurred while we were at this pub, so considering he had about an hour and a half commute home, we begrudgingly stumbled back outside in search of the nearest tube station.

• Part 7 - The Commute Home
  

On the terminal where we'd have to part ways for the separate directions we were going in, Tim shot me a concerned look and asked me if I'd text him when I got home safely.

"Sure," I said.

"And, don't strike up conversation with random people, or anything.  Just because it's late ..."

"Okay," I said, swallowing my laughter.  I understand why he, at that point, thought I might very well end up chumming up to some random people as soon as I was out of his sight.  Also, it's just kind of adorable that he told me not to talk to strangers.

I got onto the train, and then the respective busses it took to get home.  There were several instances of scary men trying to talk to me, but I just responded with clipped, American-accented rejections, when necessary, and they left me the hell alone.

As soon as I walked through my door, the drunkenness fell back on me full force (I suppose there was a forced level of sobriety for getting home safely).  I stumbled into my room, peeling off a few layers of my clothing, texted him, and passed out.

• Part 8 - Still E-mailing/Afterthoughts
  

The First thing I did the next morning was to email Tim again, apologizing vehemently for the wine spilling thing.  

He responded that it really wasn't a big deal, though he'd gotten some strange looks using the hand dryer on his jeans in the men's room.  There was some exchanged chatting about the coming week, plans, respective hangovers, etc. and I think Tim and I will be just as compatible as friends who can actually meet here and there as we were as pen pals.

I rehashed the events of the evening yesterday afternoon to Jane, while we explored some of the deep, wooded areas of Hampstead Heath.  She's got all sorts of suspicions about Tim and me and the connotations of our relationship, but I'm honestly not in any hurry to define them.  

She attempted to reschedule our rendezvous with Royce to Saturday night, but he flaked out.  More on that in another post, I'm sure.  I ended up just rendezvousing with Jane, having chips and one drink, then a shared cup of soup (£10 - I'm going to be completely broke in no time), which was fun and pleasant regardless of our mutual irritation with Royce.

"I think he's in love with you," she said, tossing her phone back into my purse.

"Who?" I asked, surprised.

"Tim," she said.  "I just get the feeling, from what you've told me."

"Oh, I don't think so," I said, taking a large gulp of wine anyway.  "When you meet him, you'll get a better idea, I think, of our friendship."

She shrugged, eyeing up this tall, dark, glass of water standing near the exit.  "Even if he's not, he probably wants to bang you."

"Probably," I agreed, following her gaze.  We then proceeded in the direction of said Tall Glass of Water.

Either way, perhaps the next time I see Tim, a nice, sober lunch is in order.

Aviation Calendar 2009

The military Aviation Calendar 2009 published by TEAMultimedia.com is available exclusively online through the TEAMultimedia PatriArt Gallery

The US and Poland reached a long-stalled deal on Thursday to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory, in the strongest reaction so far to Russia's military operation in Georgia.

Russia reacted angrily, saying that the move would worsen relations with the United States that have already been strained severely in the week since Russian troops entered separatist enclaves in Georgia, a close American ally.

But the deal reflected growing alarm in countries like Poland, once a conquered Soviet client state, about a newly rich and powerful Russia’s intentions in its former cold war sphere of power. In fact, negotiations dragged on for 18 months — but were completed only as old memories and new fears surfaced in recent days.

Those fears were codified to some degree in what Polish and American officials characterized as unusual aspects of the final deal: that at least temporarily American soldiers would staff air defense sites in Poland oriented toward Russia, and that the United States would be obliged to defend Poland in case of an attack with greater speed than required under NATO...

Read the complete article at the New York Times

Essa história da menina nos faz pensar na velha mania dos chineses de copiar outras marcas, sem nenhuma preocupação com o plágio ou com a lei internacional de copyright. Você pode ver exemplos em qualquer camelô, vai me dizer que nunca viu uma pilha chinesa idêntica a Duracell, ou um bichinho virtual random...

Essa pirataria chegou ao video-game, nos mostrando plágios descarados e cômicos de consoles famosos, falarei um pouco sobre os clones da geração atual.

PolyStation 3

A primeiro plágio de console que eu tenho notícia foi o PolyStation. Me lembro muito bem duma tarde de outubro, quando meu amigo chegou correndo no quintal de casa, me atrapalhando na ardua missão de sacanear meus amigos, dizendo que tinha comprado o PlayStation, o console do momento, na época.

Quando chegamos lá, a alegria do garoto foi transformada em lágrimas, ao desembrulhar a embalagem fomos apresentados ao PolyStation. Não entendemos. Só fomos sacar a sacanagem quando abrimos o driver de CD.

O menino, que agora não me lembro o nome, jurou morte a seus pais, que se defendiam dizendo que o 'moço da loja' falou que era quase igual... Era, fisicamente falando.

Hoje, com a evolução natural da tecnologia, o que impulsiona ainda mais o tráfico de chineses... digo, contrabando chineses, fomos agraciados com o PolyStation 3. O bicho vem com alguns jogos, todos clonados do velho nintendinho, alguns com modificações. Mario se tornou Pikachu, por exemplo.

Pretendo Vii

Sim, sim. Ate o Wii, com seu controle inovador foi plagiado, ainda mais discaradamente se quer saber.

O Vii segue a mesma idéia do PolyStation, mas com games um pouco melhores e um sensor de movimento IR, acoplado no corpo do console. O "Viimote" é muito menos preciso que o Wiimote, tornando a aventura de jogar muito desastrosa.

Primeiro você tem que fazer o movimento de forma a ter certeza que o console vá identificá-lo. Depois tem que pensar no que fazer. Isso torna a idéia de jogar video-game muito mais trabalhosa. Consiste em pensar no que fazer e num jeito certo de fazer, para o console reconhecer.

O pior de tudo é que o Vii consiste numa placa de pouco mais de sete centímetros, porém, sua carcaça e muito maior e com procedência muito pior que a carcaça do Wii.

Até o momento não ví nenhuma cópia do Xbox, (E acredite, eu procurei), se alguém tiver alguma informação, fale pelos comentários, gostaria de fechar esse post com o Xbox...

Today Yesterday, we drove up to Romney to take a trip on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR). The railway features steam and diesel trains built to 1/3 scale of the real thing. So, because we went to the railway specifically for the steam engines, the first train into the station was... A diesel. But we didn't mind; we could get off at New Romney station and switch trains.

Not to say that a diesel isn't just as fun. On the trip from New Romney to Dungeness, we saw two lighthouses and a nuclear power station. When we arrived back at New Romney, we got off and went to the café for a cup of tea each, all the while looking at the various leaflets for other attractions that were conveniently placed next to our table.

After the tea, we waited for the next train, which we had worked out should be a steam train. And we waited... and waited... until, finally, a good 15 minutes late the locomotive chugged its way into the station. Those were 15 minutes well spent though, as we watched another engine being filled with water. As the next train pulled to a stop, we realised we would be travelling on the one we had just seen being refilled. The engines switched places and we got into a coach, ready for the next stage of the journey.

When we arrived at Hythe, the last station on the line, we were hoping for a nice place to eat lunch. However, all we found was a signpost to Town Centre that told us we were nowhere near an eatery. And to top it all off, it started raining. But, as if the property developers of Hythe were on our side, we poked our heads round the corner to see a small café, so we ate in there.

After lunch, we began our return journey, but not before watching our next engine go for a spin on the turntable. We then sat in the first coach so that we could open the window and hear the noise of the steam engine.

On arriving back at New Romney for the last time that day, we took the stairs in the café up to the model railway exhibition. That was very interesting, seeing the layout that had taken five years to design and create. It was capable of running 30 trains at the same time! It was also very inspiring; I have now decided to design my own layout.

So, that was my day!

Philippine displaced begin return

Tens of thousands of families were forced to leave their homes

Troops defused a bomb at a bus station in the southern Philippines, as people displaced by fighting between troops and Muslim rebels began to return home.

About 160,000 villagers fled violence which began in early August, after a deal expanding a Muslim autonomous zone was blocked.

Separatist rebels then occupied several villages in North Cotabato province, triggering a military assault.

Operations ended a day ago, and troops are encouraging families to return.

"We expect a considerable number of people to return home today. Since late Wednesday they were slowly going back, we are assuring them of their safety," an army spokesman, Lt-Col Julieto Ando, was quoted as saying.

But many people still feared for the lives and were reluctant to return, aid agencies said.

Early on Thursday, security personnel defused a bomb planted at a bus station at Kidapawan town in the center of the province.

A military spokesman said it was probably a retaliatory measure by the retreating rebels.

'Tainted relationship'

The violence began when a deal that would have expanded an existing Muslim autonomous zone in the south fell apart.

The agreement had angered many Christian communities, who appealed to the Supreme Court to block it pending further hearings.

Several hundred guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) then occupied 15 villages in North Cotabato - next to the autonomous zone.

The action triggered military air strikes and artillery assaults. At least two soldiers and more than two dozen rebels were killed.

Some of the tens of thousands of families who fled the fighting are now beginning to make their way back.

"The security situation has improved but it will probably take a bit of time before people feel secure enough to return home en masse," Stephen Anderson, country director for the World Food Programme (WFP), told Reuters news agency.

"We have to be looking ahead to people having to potentially rebuild their lives - a lot of houses, villages have been destroyed."

One local resident, whose house was looted, told the French news agency AFP that ties between Muslim and Christian communities would have to be rebuilt.

"The relationship has been tainted but our brother Muslims agreed we can rebuild it for the sake of our children."

MILF rebels have been fighting for greater autonomy in the southern Philippines for almost four decades.

You are not alone.

(Let's Drop!)

This is referring to setting up the board and game pieces.

(Yeah)

(Come On)

(Shake, shake)

These are just various cheers of excitement for the game to commence.

I'll take you home if you don't leave me at the front door (leave me at the front door)

The boy is offering to take the girl home if in turn she will play a game of chess with him at her house.

Your body's cold, but girl we're getting so warm

The girl is cold, but she's getting warmed up for the game.

And I was thinking of ways that I could get inside (get inside)

The boy's considering various tactical moves.

Tonight you're falling in love (let me go now)

Normally, the girl doesn't enjoy chess, but the boy is hoping that she will become a more regular player.

This feeling's stirring me up (here we go now)

He's referring to the anticipation of the game.

Now if she does it like this, will you do it like that

Now if she touches like this, will you touch her right back

Now if she moves like this, will you move it like that (come on)

At this point, the picture becomes blurry and we see a flashback. In anticipation of this game, the boy's friend is coaching him on which moves to use to counter the girl's moves.

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, uh shake it

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, uh shake it

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, uh shake it

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, uh shake it

Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, uh shake it

If achieving victory becomes impossible, the friend advises the boy the to shake the board as a very last resort.

Your lips tremble but your eyes are in a straight stare (eyes are in a straight stare)

Now the girl exhibits nervousness, but is able to maintain focus.

You're on the bed but your clothes are laying right there

Apparently, they upped the stakes and are playing strip chess, with the girl losing. Likewise, it appears that they were able to move the board onto the bed, presumably to be more comfortable.

And I was thinking of places that I could hide (I could hide)

Basically, the boy is referring to covering his king, castling perhaps.

Tonight you're falling in love (let me go now)

Again, the boy asserts his opinion that the girl will become obsessed with chess after this game.

This feeling's stirring me (here we go now)

The thought of creating a new chess player is an emotional experience for the boy.

Well I saw you dancing and I couldn't get you off my mind

From the context, it seems the girl was taking a long time to maker her move, so the boy imagined her dancing.

(I could tell that you could tell that I was taking my time)

It seems the boy was stalling his move or considering it carefully, and the girl noticed this.

I was thinking of ways that you would stay and be mine

Now the boy is having grandiose thoughts of making the girl his disciple.

(Your body's shaking, turn me on, so I can turn off the lights)

At this point, the game is nearly over. The girl distraught because she is on the verge of losing. It seems that this is causing her a long time to make a move, so the boy uses a poetic construction to requests that she wake him up when the game is over so that he can go home and go to sleep.

Going to the CNE has always been my part. I really love the food, the shopping, the attractions, the entertainment and most importantly - the airshow (that is held on Labour Day weekend).

This year's edition of the CNE marked some changes to their attractions. For example, the Farm exhibit that is used to be housed inside the automotive building is now located at the Better Living Centre. The automotive building meanwhile is undergoing renovations and in the process of turning into a conference centre. EXtreme sports used to be my favourite part of the CNE, but this year there's going to be an "Olmypic Themed" exhibit called The Olympic Spirit (or something like that). Maybe next year to my humble opinion, there will be some more EXtreme sports-themed exhibits. How about some more EXtreme rollerblading, BMX and/or skateboarding? We'll see.....lol

While there is no human cannonball this year, There's going to be a Circus Orange exhibit, an Escape artist show and among many other things too big to mention....lol

As of this blog posting, advance tickets are taking place at participating Shoppers Drug Marts in Ontario, GO Train Stations (within the Lakeshore Line including Union station) or online at www.theex.com

Advance ticket sales are taking place until August 14th, 2008. The discounted prices go as follows:

Fun Pass (Grounds only): $10.00CDN (save 29% off)

Magic Pass (Grounds + Rides): $31.00CDN (save 31% off)

You save up to 31% off the regular price by going into advance sales. After August 15th, prices will go up. You can still purchase CNE fun and/or magic passes, but only at the CNE gates and (to avoid the hassles of lineups) GO stations within the Lakeshore Line, but at regular prices.

General Admission: $14
Seniors (60 yrs & better): $10
Children (13 yrs. & under): $10
Family Pass (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children): $42
Babes in Arms (2 yrs. & under): Free

By the way, your CNE admission also includes grounds admission to Ontario Place - however certain features at Ontario Place such as rides, movies at the IMAX theatre and the Chinese Lantern Festival are NOT included in the CNE admission. The opposite is very similar to people who go to Ontario Place during the CNE. Ontario Place admission includes CNE grounds, but not the rides.

For those of you who are going to a concert down at the Molson Amphitheatre, your concert ticket includes admission to Ontario Place and the CNE. If you are entering via the CNE grounds, there's no need to pay separate admission for the CNE, just to get through to the concert down at the Molson Amp. All you need is show your concert ticket and away you go.

Transit service will be increased during the CNE. This includes GO and TTC services. TTC will increase their transit service frequency, while GO transit will provide extra trains for people going to the CNE. Make sure you are on the proper train or else you get stuck on the wrong train that will head you almost into Oakville! That happen to me once!

Exhibition GO station is a station along the Lakeshore West Line. It serves the CNE. As for TTC routes, this goes as follows:

• 193 Exhibition Rocket (non-stop from Dundas West subway station)
• 509 Harbourfront (from Union Station)
• 511 Bathurst (from Bathurst Station)
• 29 Dufferin (from Dufferin or Wilson station)

For more transit information, please go to www.gotransit.com (for GO transit) or www.ttc.ca (TTC subway/streetcar/buses).

I also made a video blog about this year's CNE, which you can view right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjAFwzaCr3g

Also here's your checklist if you need to follow my advice (or not):

• three to four bottles of water chilled and frozen
• A reusuable water bottle that is BPA-free (BPA = bisphenol A)
• An energy drink of your choice (limit 2 cans, but do not exceed the daily limit or else you'll end up into a toxic concoction). My favourite energy drinks are Monster (Reduced Carb, M-80, Assault, Khaos), Rockstar (Sugar-free, burner, Juiced, Punched) Full Throttle (Unleaded, Blue Demon, Fury), AMP Energy (original and overdrive) and Red Bull.
• Sunscreen
• A hat (skip this if you want to spike your hair that is medium to long)
• Your favourite pair of shades
• Cell (mobile) phone
• A digital camera whether on its own or on your mobile phone.

Optional:

• Your music player such as your iPod, iPod Touch (unless you have an iPhone) or Zune. Music cell phones count as well...:)

Let's go to the EX!!!! ^_^

___________

OVERALL GRADE: 66 D-

Construction workers begin diverting the Chay River to make way for the Bac Ha hydroelectric power plant in the northern province of Lao Cai. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuan Anh

LAO CAI — Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai yesterday issued an order to divert the stream flow of Chay River for Bac Ha hydro-power plant in the northern mountain province of Lao Cai.

The project was begun in 2005 and was designed to have a production capacity of 378 million of kWh per year in Coc Ly Commune. It is expected to generate electricity by the third quarter of 2010.

Hai praised the staff and workers of the Infrastructure Development and Construction Corporation (LICOGI), the project’s investor, for their efforts in ensuring the project’s progress in the past years.

The 90MW plant, which cost VND2 trillion (US$125 million), is the second one on Chay River after Thac Ba plant built in 1970. —