Lutheran churches stood against Nazis and Stalinists

Lutheran churches in Germany were among the only institutions to stand against Nazis in the 1940s. For this reason they were left intact when the Stalinists took over. And forty years later, the Lutheran churches of East Germany were prominent in the crumbling of Stalinism. The revolutions of 1989 throughout the East Bloc were Lutheran revolutions -- from the epicenter in Bach's church in East Germany to the uprising in Timisoara -- all of these began in Lutheran churches. How accurate is Rorty's notion of Nazis and Christians being identical?

B3 Spirit

Beyond the B2

The youngest active stealth bomber in the U.S. turns 15 this year, and the other 19 B-2s in the Air Force fleet are nearly five years older. Meanwhile, the integrated defense systems they face have become much more sophisticated. Multi-static radar, which is now relatively common, is so sensitive that it can detect certain stealth craft. To stay ahead of such defense systems, the Air Force has budgeted $3.7 billion over the next five years to develop a successor to the B-2 that could be active by 2020. Actual designs of the new bomber are classified, but some secrets are already out.
Patents and bid proposals from Northrop Grumman, maker of the B-2, suggest that the new bomber will be narrower than the B-2 but maintain the familiar flying wing design, which reduces radar reflection by minimizing hard edges. Engineers are also testing new types of radar-absorbing coatings that could be customized to individual defense systems. And so a picture of the next generation of stealth bombers is beginning to emerge.

CUSTOM COATINGS

Most stealth coatings consist of a radar-absorbing material, typically a form of iron, suspended in paint. But they are heavy (which lowers fuel efficiency), need to be reapplied frequently, and don’t absorb all radar frequencies. Ceno Technologies, a particles-science company in Sanborn, New York, has developed a lighter, more durable coating that uses hollow ceramic spheres, called cenospheres. Because the spheres can be covered in carbon, silver or other metals that absorb slightly different wavelengths of radar, the coating can be customized to deceive specific radar systems.

SMOOTHER SHAPE

The B-2 has two semi-flush air-intake vents, the hard edges of which can reflect radar. In one design seen in a patent from Northrop Grumman, the new bomber has four small vents rather than two large ones. The smaller vents can be buried more deeply in the wing, reducing the possibility of radar returns.

SMARTER DECOYS

To confuse radar defense systems, the new bomber will probably carry something like the Miniature Air Launched Decoy made by Raytheon. The modified drones use radar reflectors to create bomber-like signatures that divert attention from the actual bomber. The decoys fly on a preprogrammed course for up to 575 miles and may carry radar jammers to further confuse air defenses.

RETRACTABLE WING

In one design from Northrop Grumman, engineers included a canard wing on the plane’s nose, which would provide extra lift during takeoff and flight, allowing a smaller bomber to carry a heavier weapons payload. Because its straight lines and hard angles would reflect radar, the canard wing will most likely be designed to fold flush with the bomber’s body as the craft comes within range of defense systems.

HEAVIER WEAPONS

The new bomber will most likely have a single weapons bay, as opposed to the twin bays on the B-2. It will still be able to carry conventional GPS-guided JDAM missiles, nuclear warheads and even the new 30,000-pound, bunker-busting Massive Ordnance Penetrator, but a single bay would reduce the cost of manufacturing—a major concern for designers on a relatively tight budget.

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I was searching for GIB 6.2 for free and couldn't find it.

Bought a Wii U on Launch day

picked up a Wii U at Wal-mart at 12:20 AM + Mario Bros. U. I had a lot of stuff to do. I couldn't find a Deluxe.  Wii U should allow you to install games on encrypted SD cards anyhow! I bought a 64 GB SD Card.
Now I am fully next generation. I didn't pick up a console at the release date since 9/9/1999 for Sega Dreamcast. I was at the Xbox 360 and PS3 launches at midnight (@ Wal-Mart 2005 and 2006) and didn't buy. They all say Wii U deluxe all spoken for. Amazon, the Deluxe cost $750. Since Rayman Legends is not a launch title (oh snap!), in that New Super Mario Bros. U claims victory. I made this mp4 with my Cisco Flip Video and went to bed with the greatest heavy metal song ever. I don't know if Metallica's best song is Enter Sandman or Master of Puppets, so I made an educated guess with help of child memories. My professional speaker skills stink so I subtitled the video. Thanks for watching.

I also bought Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed.  I got my reviews off IGN.com

Games Will Be The Reason Wii U Wins Next Generation

With The Wii U a little under a month away now, many gamers are anticipating the launch of Nintendos next generation console. With pre-orders sold out, and a slew of fantastic launch titles to pick from, Nintendo finds themselves in a much better situation with the Wii U launch, than the 3DS launch over a year ago. There has been growing concern among some gamers about the longevity of the Wii U graphics and will it be able to stand up against the PS4 and 720? Wii U doesnt have to compete graphically with the 720 and PS4. It just has to have fantastic games that appeal to all types of gamers. And Nintendo has proven they can definitely do that.


Games have always sold any piece of hardware no matter how weak or powerful the console is. Nintendo understands the essence of gaming. Nintendo knows gameplay is king. Whether your playing Metroid Prime or Mario Galaxy, Nintendos core franchises seem to deliver time and time again, even after all these years. Nintendos range of IPs in different genres has been key to their success over the past three decades. Want a hardcore strategy rpg? Check out Fire Emblem on the GBA, Gamecube, or Wii. Want a fun party game? Mario Kart and Mario Party can do the trick. Want to blast somebody, jump on a goombas head, or play a puzzle-twitch based boxing game? Nintendo has Metroid, Mario, and Punch Out to suit those needs. Want to get a workout in? Wii Fit for soccer moms and casuals alike. Nintendos games stand the test of time, yet innovate in their own ways with each new release. With the Wii U, Nintendos IPs are bound take the industry and sales charts by storm. There are some gamers who feel the casuals wont jump on the bandwagon like they did with the Wii. While I cant say for sure this isnt true, I think Nintendo will give plenty of casuals reasons to pick up the Wii U. Games like Just Dance 4, Wii Fit U, and New Super Mario Bros have proven to be bonafide system sellers. There is no reason to believe casuals wont want more Wii Fit and Just Dance 4. Nintendo can always Repackage Wii Sports, slap HD on there, add some new games, and release that, which is highly likely based on their E3 Wii U videos.


With the soaring costs of development on current generation consoles, many developers will opt to develop their games on the cheaper Wii U console. This is already happening in Japan, with previous Sony exclusives like Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest moving over to Nintendo. Microsoft and Sony need to be really careful about how much power they put into their systems. The 360 and the PS3 had system problems due to overheating. Of course Microsofts red ring of death was far more prevalent, but the yellow light of death struck a lot of PS3s as well. The Wii U has been confirmed to have some solid heat sink technology. Nintendo could have the most reliable next generation system, which could of course affect sales in a positive light for Nintendo.


Xbox Live is awesome, PSN is solid, Blue Ray playback is useful, apps are handy, DVD playback helps, but in the end, its the games that decide the next generation battle. Games sell consoles and Nintendos games sell the best. Microsoft and Sony dont have one exclusive IP that can put up the numbers New Super Mario Bros or Wii Fit put up. Halo can get up there, but no cigar. Nintendo has Mario, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon. Between these five franchises Nintendo sold a staggering 144 million units this generation! This is leaving off games like Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. As of now, Microsoft and Sony have better 3rd party support. But the Wii U is fast gaining 3rd party supporters. Square Enix, EA, Ubisoft, Warner Bros, Gearbox, and many other companies are looking to put their games on Wii U.


Nintendo is doing a fantastic job at snagging up some non-traditional exclusives like Lego City Undercover, Bayonetta 2, The Wonderful 101, and Rayman Legends. Sony has Killzone, Resistance, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Starhawk, and a few others but none of those games have the mass console selling power like New Super Mario Bros or Smash Bros. Microsoft has Xbox Live, Halo, Kinect, and Gears of War, but they are going to need more than that to beat the Wii U. Especially because you have to pay for Xbox Live and Kinect is not that popular with core gamers. Nintendo has the franchises that people buy to win the console war. Nintendo has the Wii U Gamepad that can reinvent games like Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Wii Fit, and Zelda. Industry analysts like Pachter think differently than me but lets be honest here, Pachter was dead wrong about the Wii and 3DS. I say, lets wait and see, because Nintendo proved industry analysts wrong with the Wii and are proving them wrong with the 3DS. The Japanese 3DS sales are skyrocketing due to fantastic software like Project X Zone, Bravely Default Flying Fairy, Monster Hunter 3G, and New Super Mario Bros 2. Wait till Nintendo releases the Pokémon game on 3DS that links up with a Wii U version of the same game. Yes, that will happen, mark my words.


The Wii U might not match the sales of the Wii, but if Nintendo plays their card right, Nintendo should sell a ton of Wii Us. The Wii U has excellent 3rd party support, Nintendos classic 1st party titles, and a versatile/robust system that gives developers enough power to deliver awesome games while not breaking the bank. I feel a lot of people are selling the Wii U short. Nintendo still has some tricks up their sleeves. Remember, two Gamepad play is coming next year. That could create more new gameplay options on top of what the Wii U already offers. The Wii U is poised to win the next generation war, but like all previous console wars were going to have to have a wait and play approach.