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This is a community for those wholike JuC (Justin/JC) slash. Herepeople can post pictures, fictionor anything JuC-related. RULES:1) Your story (obviously) must contain the JC/Justin pairing.2) When posting the story please use a cut-tag. If you do not know what a cut-tag is, please check out LJ's FAQ's.3) Please include the rating of your story when you post it, along with any other pairings that may be invovled. 4) Please inform us if it is a Work In Progress or if it is a finished piece. 5) This is a JuC only community. You cannot post about other communities or anything else that is not JuC-related. 6) None of this "If I don't get any feedback - I won't write anymore!" If you post something saying that, I will just delete it.

[CU] voting required Hmm, i have noticed that some of you guys voted, while we still worked on templates layout. Many has changed and few additional has appeared, thus if anybody wishes to change their votes, do not hesitate to do so. Preferably under this post-will be easier for me to count. -- Kind Regards Patryk Benderz IT Specialist Linux Registered User #377521 +48 22 538 6292 ERSTE Securities Polska S.A. ul. Królewska 16 Warszawa 00-103 KRS 0000065121 NIP 526-10-27-638 REGON 011136053 Kapitał akcyjny: 15.500.000 złotych (w pełni opłacony) This message and any attached files are confidential and intended solely for the addressee(s). Any publication, transmission or other use of the information by a person or entity other than the intended addressee is prohibited. If you receive this in error please contact the sender and delete the material. The sender does not accept liability for any errors or omissions as a result of the transmission. Email secured by Check Point

Outside Reality When my lover and I play so intimately, so charged with eroticism, we incorporate a ritual of cleanliness to insure our enhanced pleasure. Part of our lovemaking process is this preparation. We use it as tender, loving, foreplay. It is our way of anointing our bodies for the lovemaking that follows. the siren * * * * * He waits for me out there somewhere in the woods. At the appointed time I am to join him. We have agreed that I shall be his birthday gift. He is to unwrap me and to use me in any manner he desires with no resistance from me. My heart races in anticipation of what carnal delights he has designed for his own amusement and our mutual pleasure. He has had carte blanche for over a month to conjure his plan. As I glance in the mirror to apply one last layer of lipstick before journeying forth, I notice a pink glow to my skin, evidence of my growing arousal. We have been here beside the Pacific Ocean for a week now; time enough to familiarize ourselves with the geography surrounding the cabin - nine acres in total, much of it hillside terrain, with an abundance of old growth forest. We have used this week to explore each other, filling our minds with the other's fantasies, and filling our bodies, every orifice with repeated offerings of pleasure. Each morning before sunrise he greets me fresh from the shower and already having cleansed himself in preparation for the day's activities. He delights in having prepared a glowing fire in the stove, a steaming cup of coffee with one sugar and warm milk, and lastly a warm enema bag hung beside the daybed facing the ocean to greet me when my eyes first open. He lovingly places me face down on the mattress with face towards the scenic view. He brushes my skin with his fingertips and soft kisses. His mustache sometimes tickles me unexpectedly and produces a rise of small goose bumps, but his warm breath soon sends them away. He massages my buttocks, stroking them so that he exposes my pink bud. With his thumbs spreading the cheeks apart and the private hole open he visually inspects the chamber. "You like this, don't you?" He whispers. I do not respond. Instead I sigh a deep breath that nestles my body further into the soft comforter all the while knowing that my silence would solicit additional stimulation. Two digits press against the sphincter for entry. Once again I sigh and they slide in; he massages and stretches until I coo with pleasure. The bardex soon replaces fingers. It is always such a wonderful surprise when the balloon expands and releases me from worry of any possible embarrassing leaks. He lies beside me and pulls me into the spooning position as he trickles the liquid into my hungry body. He cups a breast in his hand and caresses the nipple. His lips nibble the nape of my neck compelling my body to grind against his ready penis. He gently rubs my ever-swelling belly before pulling me to my knees and crawling behind me. He penis fills my vagina with a rush. My body is so thoroughly filled. He pumps with a deliberate steady rhythm. I feel him tug the hose causing the balloon to draw back and force my anus open. My mind saw and felt the sensation of two penises simultaneously fucking me. I love the feel of his penis as his orgasm builds and begins to pulse. This inevitably triggers my own release. On occasion, something magical happens in our coupling, and this was one of those wondrous moments. His penis had been in almost constant contact with that sometimes-elusive zone of a woman's body. The texture begins as fine ridges, and then softens and ripens when stimulated properly. His orgasm erupted through me. My body responds by ejaculating a slippery liquid all its own. Moments such as this are most indescribable. Suffice it to say that if there be a nirvana, this must surely be it. After unlocking from my body, he has me hold the enema while he sets about cleaning me up and washing me with warm cloths. He wraps a blanket about my shoulders and leads me to the bathroom for release. From Nathan's Journal: I remember every step of the pathway that leads to our secret place in the woods. It was not easy to get to from our cabin--through several ravines, a wooden bridge and two planks pretending to be a bridge and doing a great job! I was so excited as I made the journey! Just knowing that Diana was as excited as I fueled my anticipation. I arrived at our pre-arranged nest, laid out a few necessities, and stripped to await her arrival. Fortunately, the breeze was cool for the filtered sun's rays were warm on my naked skin--I did not have to wait long! This is a fantasy that has long played in both of our imaginations. It has been dreamed of, tweaked, and then re-dreamed of for over a year. So, whether it is coincidence or kismet, I know not; but yesterday as we walked the trails, the required elements began to fall into place We followed a trail that wound through the woods to a series of steps descending downward toward the ocean, across a primitive bridge, and then to steps leading up the hill on the other side of the ridge. From the bridge, by looking to the right a waterfall of cold icy water fed by the melting snow top mountains was the visual. To the left side, the view became a sharp drop where the flowing water collects into a tide pool before overflowing the boundary and cascading down the hill and into the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at a landing further up the hill where a bench had been strategically positioned for any who cared to sit and ponder the ebb and flow of tides or witness the hawks soaring on the waves of wind. Continuing on, the trail made many twists and turns before opening up to a small clearing with a view of the ocean. A freshly fallen log lay there invitingly. The rear of the clearing was comprised of a cluster of bushes and trees shielding the clearing from any possible prying eyes. Our eyes locked and we smiled in pure delight that a stage complete with backdrop had been presented to us to enact our little drama. It was wise of him to go on ahead of me and build our nest. I needed the time to prepare myself both physically and mentally. First, I showered and shaved my legs and underarms. Then, I paid particular attention to re-shaving my vulva so that it would be smooth and baby soft. Also while showering, I completed the preparations with a thorough cleaning of the inside of my body as well. My intent was to free myself from any potential embarrassment or distress. Achieving this meant focusing on each sphincter ring as the water nudged against it and concentrating on relaxing so that I would arrive to meet him ready to receive the fluids that he had planned for me. Mentally I inwardly envisioned the chambers of my body opening and letting loose of all stress. Over and over I filled small amounts of water and then drained. Each filling was an increased volume. It was at this point that he came into the bathroom and announced that he was leaving. He asked, "Do you think you can find your way alone, Diana?" "Yes," I nodded, "I can do it." This affirmation was vital! This was my commitment to the adventure; it was my acknowledgement that I entered into this game freely. He had taken the liberty of laying out the clothes that he wanted me to wear. I picked up the pair of black crotch-less panties and fingered the small lavender rose centered to sit above the Venus mound. My clitoris was so engorged, for I had rubbed the essence of Damiana over both sets of lips and massaged the inner vaginal walls. My sex absorbed the liquid! I could hear blood rushing through my ears! It was intoxicatingly erotic! I continued to masturbate with the liquid inside of my vagina as I expelled the last preparatory filling. He had chosen the dainty silver and glass earrings and necklace as my only adornment. Over my naked and unrestrained breasts I was to wear a very sheer while blouse, and finally a purple and black broomstick skirt. My hair was twisted upwards and secured with a barrette. After adding sunglass as a practicality it was now time to present myself to him. As I made my way out of the door, I turned to secure it. My first few steps were rather clumsy. I had stop momentarily to listen to my heart. The tempo was racing as if I had just run a marathon. Breathe in, now breathe out, I reminded myself! Only then could I resume forward progress. This time a smile of pleasure graced my face. By reminding myself that this was an adventure well planned, I was able to remain composed and calm. He was somewhere out there waiting………. As I reached the first plateau, I stopped to appreciate our beautiful surroundings. Then as though repeating .a mantra for my own ears I voiced, "We are grownups playing a grownup game. This game was mutually agreed upon and sealed in the alliance of our love for each other. I will not allow fear, not needless fear, to intervene. I go to him as though a virginal bride to join him at the forest altar he has created for us. I submit to his touch and to his pleasure. I desire to be his pleasure orifice. I will not resist. I will find a place within my mind that will provide stimulus and satisfaction for both of us." When I arrived at the edge of the clearing he was stretched out on the quilt with his arms folded behind his head. He wore nothing except a small black collar. His eyes were closed and he was smiling the smile he always has when he travels deep inside his head to his fertile fantasy playground. There was a backpack, a picnic of fresh fruit, a loaf of crusty bread, a block of soft white cheese, and an uncorked bottle of wine and two wine glasses. An open journal lay by his side. Perhaps sensing my presence he opened his eyes and smiled. He beckoned me to sit beside him and held his finger to his pursed lips indicating that we should remain silent. He looked so handsome, so comfortable in his nakedness, and his penis began to swell in greeting as I lowered myself beside him. He leaned forward and laced his fingers around the back of my neck and kissed me warmly. We gently explored the other's mouth. His tasted so sweet! He handed me the open notebook and a glass of wine. "Welcome to our playground. I'm glad you came .The bushes make this area very secure!" "Yes, I agree. As I walked the path, I stopped along the way to familiarize myself and to reassure myself of our solitude." "So how about a toast to the other couple somewhere in the universe, playing as we are right now…." "I'll drink to that. Have you determined that no one is at home on the other hillside?" "I haven't seen a soul, car, or anything else over there in 3 days. Now, please remove your blouse and lift your skirt so I can se you." "Are we taking sunburn into consideration?" "We will be in shade in 30 minutes" "I am having a wave of panic that we might get caught. Tell me again that we haven't drawn any attention to ourselves that might draw scrutiny." "Nothing, Dear! No one saw us and if they did it would look as if we were taking a picnic." He took the book from my hands and closed it and then leaned forward and took a breast into his mouth. First one and then the other until both nipples were hard and very very pink. He slid his hand between my legs as he tenderly guided them apart. A rush of cool air preceded the entry of his fingers inside the wet darkness. To both of our surprise, my body responded immediately as I climaxed on his hand. It was sudden, it was intense, for so great had the anticipation been that there was no holding back. "There will be many more of those before this picnic is over." He withdrew his fingers and got to his knees. He prepared us each a small plate and refilled our wine glasses. We only nibbled for both of us were more focused on the stirrings of our bodies and the erotic imaginings of things to come. Sensing this, he gathered the lunch items and put them away. He busied himself laying out a large heavy purple towel and draping it over the fallen log as if the log were a stallion and the towel a saddle. He patted the towel and indicated that I was to straddle the log. The towel was positioned to fit from my neck to the edge of my lips. He has rolled a small towel into a pillow where I could rest my head. He raised my skirt to above my waist revealing the delicate black panties, the vaginal lips shaved barren and the recesses of my glistening vagina. . From the backpack he removed a two-quart enema bag that he laid flat on the quilt beside the log. He attached tubing and a red bulb, which he explained was a pump. This device he said did not require a gravity feed. Once again he reached deep into the pack and removed a gigantic looking dildo that had life like markings of a male genitalia. "This is the nozzle, Diana. Do you want to feel it? There is a tube that runs through the shaft. When I fill you it will be like I am ejaculating my juices inside you." He placed a latex glove on his hand while smiling at me coyly. "Can you pass the rubber glove test?" He did not wait for my answer. My answer would not have mattered. I was his birthday toy. And he was the birthday boy, so he could play with his toy any way he pleased. First one finger, then two entered the first elastic ring. It snapped tightly around the digits. He curled his fingers and pressed down towards the vaginal wall. Then he began a slow deliberate circular pattern. Upon the completion of each circle he stretched the ring slightly open. My body shuddered. "Good girl." He stretched his fingers full length and thrust in and out before slipping them out completely. He held his gloved hand up for his and my inspection. "Very good. You are very clean!" At that moment, I experienced a pang of emotion, a mixture of minute humiliation and pride that I had pleased him. He picked up the artificial penis and lubricated it well. With one hand he spread my cheeks apart forcing the pink ring to pucker outward. He placed the tip of the head at the opening and instructed me "swallow it". With amazing ease it filled the cavity snugly. He fucked my body with this object , all the while watching my face intently for any nuance of change. My arms wrapped around the log just as I would caress a lover. "Ooooh!" I sighed my pleasure. He squeezed that big red bulb and a gush of water flowed into me. He waited. Then he squeezed again. He waited. He kept repeating this process before suddenly stopping. He slid the dildo out and placed his hand firmly on the small of my back. "Now, Diana, you must expel." My only resistance was to swallow hard on the lump that had formed in my throat. I simply contracted my abdominal muscles and a stream of water exited. "Don't worry. You are very clean. Just relax and enjoy it." Again the dildo and my rectum were united. Again he pumped the fluids, squeeze after squeeze, and then the release. He watched in fascination at his work. Each expulsion became easier. Each filling and expulsion made me crave more. I relished this freedom of nature and passion! He ran out of water before he came close to tiring of this game. He tugged on my skirt to indicate that he wanted to reposition my body. He placed me on my knees using the log to support my upper torso. My eyes faced the Pacific. He crawled behind me and penetrated my ass with his own beautiful erection. His thrusts were accentuated with guttural grunts. The texture of the bark made slight indentations in my torso, my mind blazed with erotic images, and my body eagerly received his intensified thrusts. “I could fuck you like this all day!” My breasts hung loosely over the side of the log. Each tempo change caused them to bounce against the log. The sensations were each so unique that my body responded greedily. This could best be described as a sensual overload. He told me that he was going to fill me with his orgasm. He clung to the curve of my ass. How delicious was the feel of the repeated throb within me! How intoxicating was the explosion of heat from his ejaculate! His body draped atop my own as we both clung to the other and absorbed the beauty that surrounded us. Afterwards, as we lay on the quilt together whispering terms of endearment, a magical happening occurred. A humming bird flew in to "our nest" only inches from my eyes. It hovered, its wings moving so rapidly , as we seem to study each other in equal awe. The last touch of whimsy to end a very perfect afternoon.

A steel Chronoswiss Timemaster Chrono Luminous Thursday, June 03, 2010 Article content This is a great example of Gerd Lang's driving force behind Chronoswiss. Utilizing the venerable Valjoux 7750, and executed very well, this watch has an amazing dial that one has to see to believe. When exposed to the sun or a bright light with UV, it glows green. The black hands and markers stand out against it to reveal the time or chrono recording. The value proposition from Chronoswiss is always one I appreciate, together with the well designed style of their watches. The finishing of the movement is good for the price and the case work is excellent. This piece comes with an extra long brown leather aviator strap and spare parts kit housed within an aluminum case.

If you're not going rest assured you can get all the latest news that comes out of Amsterdam right here on the CrackBerry blogs. We'll be live blogging the keynote, so be sure to tune in next week for all the happenings from Amsterdam. If you're attending, let us know. Don't forget to register for any breakout sessions you want to attend during the Jam. The BlackBerry Jam Europe 2013 Mobile Guide is also now available for download from BlackBerry World. I recommend downloading it if you are attending. CrackBerry is in no way Affiliated with BlackBerry. We take pride in our unbiased content, however do occasionally receive free products from vendors that we review or discuss. For more info click here.

Cosmo Lite sleeping pad May 25, 2019 Sleeping on the unforgiving ground in a tent doesn't always lend itself to a good nights rest. Finding a way to get comfortable on the ground has always been a challenge for me. As much as I love hiking and camping, a solution had to be found in order for me to continue enjoying an overnight in the woods. A history of shoulder injuries incurred while serving in the Ranger … [Read more…]

Wednesday, September 4, 2013 dance dance revolution I am looking for a dance class for Wren. When asked what class she wanted to take this year, she said Ballet. So fine. That's doable. Jane's taking Tae Kwon Do (of course she is) but that only lasts 3 months and then we might be putting her in whatever program we find for Wren. So that's a slight complication, but still totally workable. One would think. However I have probably put about 8 hours of computer/phone time into this quagmire/land war and see no sign of a happy solution. Here are things that are wrong with every possible dance program we could do in Austin, in no particular order: - the class descriptor uses the words pole and/or break. - the class takes place at an absurd time, such as 7:30 on a weeknight. Or classes for my 2 children, separated by 2 years, take place at the same time on different campuses. - the class costs a billion dollars OR only accepts a lump sum payment at the beginning of the semester (of a billion dollars). No prorating available, obvs. - which you only find out by calling, waiting, chit chatting about pointe shoes, and then finally, like you're pulling fucking teeth, they will tell you how much it costs. WHICH IS ABSURD, and a waste of everyone's time, because chances are it costs too damn much for me to afford. Whatever lady, thanks for taking the time to tell me on the phone. It's so much more personal. I'm glad you so carefully guarded that secret about how much your business charges for its one product. - the class requires prerequisite classes, from the age of 4. - the company has the word Austin in the title but in fact takes place in Circle C, Round Rock, Manor, Lakeway or Elgin. Or downtown Austin at 5:30 which is just as absurd. - It has the word Vaganova Technique on its curriculum (I don't know what that is but I don't want anyone teaching my daughters about it until college, AT LEAST) - the dance company has animation or music on its website that you can't turn off. I refuse to do business with anyone that would do that and I certainly won't trust the wellbeing of my child to them. We've done classes at the JCC before and that works okay except Rosh Hashanah is really early this year, like starts today? I think? And that means we've got Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah to get through in just the fall semester, not to mention Chanukah, all days when the J is closed for classes obviously, and that's a whole lot of missed ballet classes, you know? Blergh. I'm concentrating on this right now so I don't have to think about the looming deadline of next Monday when I start work, and Ben starts.... what exactly? Hanging out at our house for 5 hours solo? I think 'scrambling' is probably the best verb for what we're doing right now. We refer to our small gathering of childcare options by their most depressing qualifiers -- "Well Broccoli Cottage was closest to work, but they were eating greasy lettuce leaves about 2 feet away from the open door where that one kid was pooping..." Or "St. Waythefuckfaraway has such a nice playground! It'd be cool if the tuition was only slightly more than HALF my paycheck and not like 90% of it." BUT WHATEVER. Good problems to have, right? GOOD PROBLEMS. Looking for a dance class for my healthy, strong children with the requisite number of dancing legs among them, all functioning more or less to spec. Looking for childcare because I got a JOB! WOOO! Too blessed to be depressed. That's us. All the damn time. What is the racket with anything for kids? We're not there yet with activities and child care, but I experienced a similar issue when I started looking into having birthday parties somewhere other than our backyard since we're planning on having a 3 week old baby for Tate's birthday. Guess how much Chucky Cheese costs? About $500. That includes perks like "Evite invitations!" and "Rock Star Mention for Birthday Rock Star!" (???).

Biamp Expands Investment in European Region New Technology and Engineering Sales Roles to Provide Increased Expertise BEAVERTON, Oregon — July 10, 2018 — Biamp, a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems, announced the appointment of Brian Davies to the role of European technology architect. In addition, the company has promoted Dane Miller to field sales engineer. These new positions will strengthen Biamp’s global market leadership and provide additional resources for customers as the European AV market grows, with revenues expected to reach $43 billion by 2022, according to AVIXA’s AV Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) report. “As a global company, Biamp continually seeks ways we can deepen our commitment to the market and set the bar ever higher for customer satisfaction,” said Stephen Patterson, sales development director for Europe at Biamp. “As European customers seek out exceptional collaborative AV experiences and increase their appetite for AVoIP systems, Biamp will be there to provide expertise, guidance, and solutions. Establishing these new positions will ensure we continue to deliver the resources needed for distributor and integrator success throughout this growing region.” As part of Biamp’s commitment to European customers, Davies will assist end-user customers and consultants in providing the right solutions to solve their business communication needs. A recognized industry expert, Davies has more than 24 years of advanced technical and sales experience with AV solutions. He previously held roles as development and technical director for several global companies and holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Kingston University as well as several industry programming and system design certifications. In his new position, Miller will play a pivotal role in pre-sales projects and field sales engineering in Europe leveraging his vast AV experience that spans 10 years with Biamp. Previously, he was the international paging vertical market and business development manager and an applications engineer for Biamp. His technical knowledge has proved critical for in-depth system design help, onsite visits, and interpreting tender documents. More information on Biamp’s full product portfolio is available at www.biamp.com. # # # About BiampBiamp Systems, LLC is a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems that power the world’s most sophisticated audio/video installations. The company is recognized worldwide for delivering high-quality products and backing each one with a commitment to exceptional customer service. Biamp is dedicated to creating products that drive the evolution of communication through sight and sound. The award-winning Biamp product suite includes: Tesira® media system for digital audio and video networking, Devio® collaboration tool for modern workplaces, Audia® digital audio platform, Nexia® digital signal processors, and Vocia® networked public address and voice evacuation system. Each has its own specific feature set that can be customized and integrated in a wide range of applications, including corporate boardrooms, conference centers, huddle rooms, performing arts venues, courtrooms, hospitals, transportation hubs, campuses and multi-building facilities. Founded in 1976, Biamp is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, with additional engineering operations in Brisbane, Australia and Rochester, New York. For more information on Biamp, please visit www.biamp.com.

Welcome This is where we connect, share stories, and talk about arts, faith, culture and more. We will also share some how-tos from time to time. Let the conversation begin! About Chuck Neighbors A professional actor, storyteller and writer since 1974. Chuck's performances have been toured internationally to over 17 countries and to a wide variety of audiences including churches, theaters, universities, military installations and prisons.

Versuri What Do You Hear In These Sounds Words and music by Dar Williams I don't go to therapy to find out if I'm a freak I go and I find the one and only answer every week And it's just me and all the memories to follow Down any course that fits within a fifty minute hour And we fathom all the mysteries, explicit and inherent When I hit a rut, she says to try the other parent And she's so kind, I think she wants to tell me something, But she knows that its much better if I get it for myself... And she says Oooooooh,aaaaaaah, What do you hear in these sounds? And... Oooooooh,aaaaaaah What do you hear in these sounds????? I say I hear a doubt, with the voice of true believing And the promises to stay, and the footsteps that are leaving And she says Oh, I say What?...she says Exactly, I sayWhat, you think I'm angry Does that mean you think I'm angry? She says Look, you come here every week With jigsaw pieces of your past Its all on little soundbytes and voices out of photographs And that's all yours, that's the guide, that's the map So tell me, where does the arrow point to? WHO INVENTED ROSES? and....... Oooooooh,aaaaaaah What do you hear in these sounds? And...Oooooooh,aaaaaaah What do you hear in these sounds????? And when I talk about therapy, I know what people think That it only makes you selfish and in love with your shrink But Oh how I loved everybody else When I finally got to talk so much about myself............ And I wake up and I ask myself what state I'm in And I say well I'm lucky, cause I am like East Berlin I had this wall and what I knew of the free world Was that I could see their fireworks And I could hear their radio And I thought that if we met, I would only start confessing And they'd know that I was scared They'd would know that I was guessing But the wall came down and there they stood before me With their stumbling and their mumbling And their calling out just like me...and... Oooooooh,aaaaaaah, The stories that nobody hears...and... Oooooooh,aaaaaaah, and I collect these sounds in my ears...and Oooooooh,aaaaaaah, that's what I hear in these sounds...and... Oooooooh,aaaaaaah, that's what I hear in these...... that's what I hear in these SOUU OUUUN NNNDS!

Hello and thank you for following The Quest Gaming Podcast! This is Evarwyn of the The Quest and I wanted to drop you and line and say that we appreciate you as a listener! I also see that you are a Skyrim fan! As you may have heard, we’re going gaga over the game on the show (and yes, I used gaga lol). Here’s a little secret…we’re debuting a Skyrim podcast next week called “Skyrim: Off the Record”! You can already find us on iTunes by searching for the show and I’d like to leave you this link to the new show’s webpage:

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Contact dealer for most current information. Vehicle availability is subject to prior sale and system update. Price includes $698.95 dealer handling fees. Dealer is a Colorado licensed motor vehicle dealer offering new and pre-owned automotive vehicles for sale in Colorado and New Mexico. Vehicle pricing is in accordance and complies with Federal guidelines and the requirements of the states of Colorado and New Mexico. This offer is intended to solicit sales transactions in Colorado and New Mexico in accordance with federal and state guidelines for motor vehicle sales. Vehicle mileage is based on EPA city and highway estimates and reflect new EPA methods beginning with 2008 models. Your actual mileage may vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, vehicle equipped options, driving conditions, driving habits, and vehicles condition. Mileage estimates may be derived from previous year model. Vehicle dealer installed options are at retail. Pricing is not applicable in conjunction with special manufacturer purchase programs. Pricing may or may not be combined with other manufacturer or dealer offers. *These estimates reflect new EPA methods beginning with 2008 models. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle. Actual mileage will vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits and vehicle's condition. Mileage estimates may be derived from previous year model. Drag and drop a widget underneath here to make it available on every page of the site and opened up as popup. Not Found We have detected that you are using an outdated version of Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 10 or lower) that is no longer supported.To access this website, please upgrade to the new Microsoft Edge browser or Internet Explorer version 11, or alternatively you can use the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Neil Gorsuch Is Already Acting Like He’s Been on the Supreme Court for Years In its new term beginning October 2, the Supreme Court will consider many pressing questions. Can a baker refuse to make a cake for a gay wedding? Can states redraw districts to help a political party? And, does Justice Neil Gorsuch talk too much? Gorsuch has proven himself to be a forceful and dynamic presence on the bench, a jurist who cements the Court’s conservative tilt, infuriates liberals—not least because of the circumstances by which he got there—and breaks custom with his uncommon assertiveness. Considering Gorsuch in his robes is to grapple with what legacy President Trump will leave on the highest court, and he is inciting unusually strong reactions from both Republicans who love what they see, and Democrats who hate it. It didn’t take long for the newest member to make his presence known on the Court. Gorsuch, a conservative judge nominated by President Trump and confirmed in April, had been sitting in his first oral argument last spring for just 10 minutes before he asked his first question. Over the next hour, he asked 21 more, posing more questions at his first oral argument than any of his eight colleagues did at theirs. He blew past Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s previous record of 15 questions at her first oral argument, according to Adam Feldman, who runs a blog tracking Supreme Court data. That’s rare for a freshman justice. By the Court’s unwritten rules, new members are often seen more they are heard. “I think he has ruffled some feathers on the Court,” Garrett Epps, a professor at University of Baltimore School of Law, says of the newest justice. In his first month, Gorsuch wrote as many separate opinions as Justice Elena Kagan, the last justice to join the Court, wrote in her first two terms. In one, a 7-2 decision about statutory interpretation in which he and Justice Clarence Thomas were the only dissenters, Gorsuch’s pointed writing style was on full display. “If a statute needs repair, there’s a constitutionally prescribed way to do it,” he chided. “It’s called legislation.” In a religious liberty case, Gorsuch took on conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion. In his concurrence, which argues for a broader reading of religious liberty, Gorsuch wrote that, “respectfully, [he] harbor[s] doubts” about an aspect of the chief’s opinion. “He has not been shy,” says John Malcolm, vice president for the Institute for Constitutional Government at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Sometimes you might expect a new justice to sit back for a while before wading in on significant issues, certainly in writing dissents and concurrences,” Malcolm adds. “But [Gorsuch] has shown none of that. He’s acting as if he’s been sitting on the high court for years.” Gorsuch is drawing criticism off the bench as well. Some court-watchers on the Left have complained about his appearances outside the stately halls of the Supreme Court. In September, the justice appeared with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at an event in Kentucky, McConnell’s home state. The following week, Gorsuch gave a speech at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the symbolic focal point of the president’s business entanglements. Progressive activists held a protest outside the hotel during his remarks. Justices often give speeches to liberal or conservative groups, but Democrats are upset by the optics of Gorsuch’s recent appearances. “Generally, Supreme Court justices, whether appointed by Democrats or Republicans, do their best to avoid any outward support for an administration,” says Nan Aron, president of liberal judicial advocacy group Alliance for Justice, who argues Gorsuch has “erased any possibility that he is anything other than a partisan.” The vastly different reviews on the new justice from conservative and liberal groups are evidence of the nasty political battle that led to him taking the seat in the first place. Gorsuch, who spent a decade as a judge on the Tenth Circuit in Colorado, occupies a spot on the court that sat vacant for more than a year after Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. President Barack Obama nominated moderate liberal Judge Merrick Garland to fill the seat. But instead of confirming a nominee during Obama’s final year in office, congressional Republicans refused to consider the nomination, stalling the process until Trump was inaugurated, and then quickly confirming Gorsuch over cries from Democrats. “He takes the seat under a cloud for a lot of people,” says Epps. “Not because they personally dislike him, but because of the circumstances under which he got it.” At just 50 years old, Gorsuch looks poised to cement a conservative majority on the Court for a generation. More immediately, he’ll affect the outcome of many of the significant cases the Court will hear this term. Gorsuch, whose judicial philosophy revolves around interpreting the text of the law as written, has already signaled that he’s sympathetic to religious liberty claims, which could put him on the side of the baker who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. And he recently was a deciding vote blocking a Texas court’s ruling that new districts drawn by the state legislature had to be redone, which may provide a clue to his thinking on the partisan gerrymandering case Gill v. Whitford, which will be argued before the court on Oct 3. So far, Gorsuch has proven to be most in the mold of Justice Thomas, agreeing with the conservative stalwart in each of the 15 cases he heard last term. That plants Gorsuch firmly to the right of his old boss, swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he clerked in the 1990s. Gorsuch has sided with Kennedy 73% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. But while he has made a bold entrance to his new job, Gorsuch’s style on the bench may simply make him a natural heir to the voluble jurist he replaced. “From the get-go, Justice Scalia changed the tenor of the court dramatically because he was such an avid question–asker,” says Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network. “I know that some justices viewed that a little askance, like where’s this little upstart coming from?” “That doesn’t make [Gorsuch] unique,” she continues. “I think that’s always how the old guard reacts.”

Ways To Increase Revenue From Your Multifamily Leases, with Neal Bawa Founder of Grocapitus Investments and MultifamilyU, Neal Bawa, joins Jonathan on this episode of Real Estate Launchpad. Have you ever wanted to know how to increase revenue in your multifamily investments? Neal is a master of adding value to apartment communities by optimizing leasing revenue, using his L-A-S-A-L process! You don’t want to miss his explanation of his system and how to start applying it to your own multifamily investments today. Be sure to listen! The L-A-S-A-L systemNeal explains the L-A-S-A-L system is a free system of best practices and metrics. It incorporates the ecosystem of leasing. The most important thing an asset manager can do is not cutting expenses but driving top-line revenue. L-A-S-A-L teaches you how to increase revenue by managing ratios between each of the following below: L – eads A– ppointments S – howings A – pplications L – eases Be sure to listen to hear Neal give examples of how implementing this system can double leasing velocity in apartments! How these ratios increase revenueIn the L-A-S-A-L system, there are ways at each step to increase the ratio. Neal shares that the ratio increases from leads to appointments when the customer is contacted quickly. He goes so far as to say that call-backs within 5 minutes as gold leads, but a lead that has not been nurtured for a whole day is dead. Longer business hours and working during peak hours allow this contact to happen more! From the appointment to showing, the ratio increases based on the manager’s sales ability. From showing to application, the ratio depends on the cleanliness of a unit. Neal never shows a home that is not completely wiped down. This ratio is also dependent on how well the customer was screened on the phone. You don’t want a client to show up who simply cannot move forward. Lastly, the ratio between applications and leases is simply depending on processing time. The quicker the turn-around, the less time a client can get cold feet and walk away. Be sure to listen to hear Neal explain all of these ratios in more detail, and how increasing lease velocity can account for a 3 million difference in income in ONE year! How to add value to a property and increase revenueNeal turns to numbers to increase revenue and add value to a rental property. He is constantly measuring and benchmarking his own properties against one another to see what can be doing better. He believes in hiring the best photographer in the market to capture his properties because the difference in a cheap photographer and the best can be extremely different and result in more leases signed. Neal finds creative ways such as adding cameras not for security but to track whether tenants are not paying pet rent. This can account for an increase of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, so it is a simple way to increase revenue. Key factors to building a great real estate syndication businessNot only does Neal have processes to increase revenue in multifamily investments, but he also has a large team of investors that he works with. Neal believes that outreach is the best way to grow a syndication business, which is why he teaches a large number of free courses. He helps others learn which cities and neighborhoods are the best to invest in. He speaks at 25 conferences annually and teaches locally once a week. Through his MultifamilyU platform, he provides 100 free webinars a year that are simply educations – no pitch involved. Neal says his “secret sauce” to building a team of investors is by creating a vast education network. In This Episode Neal Bawa says…[1:51] Who he is and what he does[8:58] How he got into real estate[13:49] Problems real estate investors were having and how he helped solve them[18:33] The L-A-S-A-L system[20:30] How this system helps with property management[25:28] How leasing velocity adds to the top line[28:06] Reasons other ratios improve[39:24] What Neal does to add value to a property and increase returns[48:41] How he great his syndication business Resources Mentioned In The Episode Jonathan@MultifamilyLaunchpad.com – Learn to be an asset manager and InvestorBellwether Enterprise(sponsor) – contact Will Oldham will@bwecap.com Featured Course The purpose of Multifamily U is to provide education and networking opportunities for real estate investors in order to allow investors to make informed decisions. Multifamily U makes no endorsement, warranty or guaranty of any kind whatsoever with respect to the opinions, information, services or products mentioned or promoted by any of the speakers, presenters or sponsors of Multifamily U programs or events. Members, attendees and participants are expected to do their own individual due diligence before making any investment decisions, and are strongly encouraged to consult with their own legal and tax professionals. Neither Multifamily U nor its principals, employees, agents or volunteers are liable for any claims of damages or losses, direct or indirect, arising from any transactions of any kind involving members, attendees or any participant of a Multifamily U program or event. ENDS SUNDAY NIGHT MultifamilyU's sister company Grocapitus Investments offers investment opportunities for both Accredited and non-accredited (sophisticated) investors. We follow SEC guidelines, and we only post projects for Accredited investors to our website. If you are a non-accredited investor and would like to learn more about our investment projects, please fill out an investor application and we will contact you with information about available opportunities.

Sign in with MetaMask Beard About 39,760 kitties (6.294% of the population) express the beard cattribute. The average price paid for a kitty possessing this cattribute is 0.006 ETH which is about 7% lower than the current average of 0.074 ETH.

Obama's Mideast policies face their first test in Israel WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's promise to seek Middle East peace aggressively faces its first test Tuesday, not at the negotiating table or on the battlefield, but at the hands of Israeli voters. Israelis choose a new prime minister in elections for the Knesset, or parliament, that also will determine whether Obama has a willing Israeli partner in talks with the Palestinians or a reluctant one. One likely outcome, according to polls and analysts, is an unstable coalition government whose members could find it hard to strike the compromises necessary to reach agreement on sensitive issues such as the future of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Palestinian refugees. Final polls find the race tightening between the rightist Likud party, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the centrist Kadima party, headed by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The campaign's biggest surprise, however, has been the rise of populist politician Avigdor Lieberman, who's questioned the loyalty of Israel's 1.4 million Arab citizens and called on all Israelis to sign oaths supporting Israel as a Jewish state or be stripped of their citizenship. Lieberman's Israel Is Our Home party could win 15 to 20 Knesset seats, making it a potent force in talks to form a governing coalition. Likud's Netanyahu is skeptical of moving swiftly to political agreement with the Palestinians, although it isn't known how he'd govern should his party win. Livni, while she's no dove, has been a key player in the Israeli-Palestinian talks that then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice restarted 15 months ago. Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator in the 1990s, said that no party seemed likely to win even a quarter of the Knesset's 120 seats. "It will be a very unstable coalition, without a central, strong pillar," Levy, of the Washington-based research center the New America Foundation, said in an election eve telephone interview from Israel. That, he said, will put the onus on outside mediators, particularly the United States, to come up with a peace formula and press forward with it. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged from the outset to get involved more aggressively in Middle East diplomacy than President George W. Bush did. Obama appointed former Sen. George Mitchell as his special envoy on Jan. 22, and immediately dispatched him to the region. Obama and Clinton have given no clues to their plans, however. Nor is it clear how hard they'll press Israelis, Palestinians and Arab countries when the inevitable road blocks to progress arise. Netanyahu, whose lead in the polls has dwindled as Lieberman's has surged, opposes territorial concessions to the Palestinians anytime soon. Instead, he advocates focusing talks on strengthening the Palestinian economy, an approach that the Palestinian Authority, which rules in the West Bank, rejects. Yet Netanyahu also has shown a readiness to make tactical adjustments. As the prime minister beginning in 1996, his policies were a frequent source of friction with the Clinton administration. He was defeated for re-election in 1999. The lesson Netanyahu learned from those years "is that I can get tripped up domestically if I get on the wrong side of the White House," Levy said. "Bibi is an opportunist. Bibi is pressure-able," he said, using Netanyahu's nickname. Nahum Barnea, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote Sunday that Netanyahu had told colleagues privately that the Likud party "might get elected but we won't be able to govern." "Israel is liable to wake up on Wednesday morning with a crumbled, extortion-prone political arena that is filled with a lot of splinter parties but without a governing party," Barnea wrote. "Netanyahu's assessment is that within a year to 18 months we are going to have to hold elections again. He may be being optimistic." Join The Conversation McClatchy Washington Bureau is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

Car broke down? A CarFax app can help consumers find a mechanic Consumers have a new tool to help find a mechanic when their cars need repairs. CarFax Inc. has released an app for iOS and Android smartphones that enables consumers to view their vehicle service records, check maintenance requirements, obtain repair cost estimates and find local auto service shops. A motorist enters her vehicle identification or license plate numbers and letters into the app once she has registered an account with her e-mail address or Facebook log-in. The app then searches for service records from more than 25,000 automobile repair shops for their vehicles. The app also notifies consumers of any recalls. “The next owner can see the name and contact information of shops that worked on the car before,” a CarFax spokesman says. New owners tend to bring cars back to where the vehicle was previously serviced and mechanics are familiar with the car, he says. Vehicle service records are supplied by repair shops that are part of CarFax’s network. The records provide the date, mileage and a description of the work, such as an oil change or brake work. Multiple vehicles can be saved in the app. Consumers can add an image of their car or truck, edit the estimated mileage provided by CarFax and add service activity not reported to CarFax. CarFax developed the app internally, taking about a year. CarFax would not say how much the app cost to create. CarFax also offers apps for its CarFax Reports, which shows consumers vehicle history reports, and CarFax for Dealers, a business-to-business version dealers can use when buying vehicles for resale.

Introducing WorldStrides International Discovery Programs Casterbridge Tours is now WorldStrides International Discovery programs! Here, on our new website and program-specific micro-sites, you'll find an expansive lineup of exciting educational travel programs previously offered by the Casterbridge team. While the name and logo has changed, our commitment to quality, service, and uncompromising focus on education remain the same. To speak to a member of our team that you have worked with previously, just call 1-800-522-2398.

Indiana Democrats push their own road funding plan INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana House Democrats are pushing a road funding plan that they say won’t raise taxes on average motorists. GOP leaders in the House have proposed a 10-cent increase to the state’s 18-cents per gallon gasoline tax, as well as additional registration fees. Democrats say their alternative demonstrates there are other ways to pay for improvements. Under the plan shared Monday, House Democrats would freeze corporate and high-income tax cuts, put revenue from the existing sales tax on gasoline toward infrastructure and allow a trust fund to be used for local road loans. It also projects collecting $300 million annually in reversions through agencies cutting waste, fraud and abuse. 2 COMMENTS Our elected officials don’t use the current state tax that is charged per gallon of gasoline for Indiana roads. Why should we believe they will use a new tax for roads? Where is all of the money that is not being spent for snow removal thanks to climate change? What is the ridiculous amount of revenue from the Indiana Lottery used for??? I remember when that was going to be partially allocated for Indiana roads. They just want more money to squander on nothing as usual. No matter where they take it from. And the wheel tax and the Build Indiana Fund, when you criminal politicians can provide and accounting for all of the money already allocated for roads and infrastructure we can discuss a gas tax increase, not before. You people pi$$ me off. Public Inspection File Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station’s FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC’s online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.

Disclaimer Black Dragon is MY Viewer, i decide which feature i want to add and which to remove, i share this Viewer to show the world that user base size is not important, i do rate quality by effort, thought and love put into the project, not some rough estimated numbers. I consider feature requests only if i you can name proper valid reasons i can agree on. It is my (unpaid) time i'm putting into this project, i'm not here to cater to every Joe's desires. Tuesday, November 27, 2012 NOTE: See instructions below for solutions on reverting settings!UPDATE: Added Mig´s Linux version , please read the "Linux" part of this Blog down below hai hai :| lots of changes due to 2 weeks without update Fixing reverting/non saving Settings: First of all , this is mostly my fault. The Viewer you unpack is a local copy of the freshly and most up-to-date version (at the moment of packing) you can get , its the version i am/was using , that means you will basically get everything packed up i do have aswell and when i packed the Viewer i forgot to delete my presets with which i tested the save/load preset functions. This function will save ALL your (and mine) settings into a file , one of these settings is a string (a text) that resembles the name of your video card , this string is used to determite what video card you use and therefor what features you can use and which you cant use. Everytime this string changes , you will get a notification on startup that the video card has been changed and therefor graphic settings have been reverted to a default that should be fine for that new card. This is an intended feature and existed for a very long time in ANY Viewer. Heres the problem: If YOU load any of my presets , this "GTX 460" string will be set in your current settings. When you´re finished building your settings on top of that preset you will most likely save it again , you will also save that "GTX 460" string into those settings. If you relog now , the Viewer will notice that your video card changed from GTX 460 to X (whatever you got) and will revert your settings , usually you will want your settings back , so you´ll just load them again , causing GTX 460 to be set as your video card AGAIN , reverting your graphic settings on next start AGAIN. Solution: To break this semi-endless revert issue you will have to delete all my presets (and yours just to be safe). You can find them in:C:\Program Files (x86)\Nirans Viewer\app_settings\graphic_presets in this folder you´ll have to delete ALL files (DO NOT DELETE THE FOLDER!!!). now go to:C:\Users\Niran\AppData\Roaming\Nirans Viewer delete the "user_settings" folder. This will completely terminate all your settings and clean everything that could still cause any issue like this. start the Viewer again , set everything you as you want it to be and then save it as a new preset. Loading this preset should not cause any issues anymore. Heres problem #2 (not saving settings): You as the User need write permissions for the graphic_preset folder located in:C:\Program Files (x86)\Nirans Viewer\app_settings\graphic_presets otherwise the Viewer will not be able to save its presets in there. Solution #1: Log in to Windows with your Administration User (Administrator) , not your normal User (if you created one) Solution #2 (Not confirmed): Right-click the Viewer exe and select Preferences , select the "Compatibility" tab at the top and tick the option "Run as Administrator" , select "Apply" and then "Ok" (if you got the rights to do this) Solution #3: Log in to Windows with your Administration User (Administrator). Right-click the graphic_presets folder and select Properties , select the "Security" tab , in the first list , select your current user and tick "Full Control" on the left side ("allowed" column) and make sure theres a tickbox in every right especially "Edit" , now click "Apply" and then "Ok" User Interface: Changes here , changes there , changes everywhere =D starting with chiclets now beeing able to go from far right to far left (see picture) ESC will now close Preferences as proposed and requested. Only works when Preferences is open , otherwise it will reset your camera. I fixed the hide/always hide/deselect options which enabled/disabled each other making some strange combinations hard or impossible to achieve. Preset saving and loading has been upgraded a bit , it will now save all your settings weither they are default or not and it will overwrite an existing file instead of always adding ".nv" to its name. A bug that was reported causing the "Set Voice Key" dialog not detecting your pressed keys has been fixed and should now work correctly again. The Inbox panel in your Inventory when opened became extremly small and was hardly usable , i made it bigger and user resizable. Inspectors have been revamped because they looked broken and ugly , they should look much cleaner and visually more appealing now! Misc: Lots of code and comments has been removed and or cleaned up aswell as alot of Debug Settings that werent used anymore were removed. A bug that was reintroduced with Beta merge causing the inability to move an object more than once into the same container was fixed (was also reported by a few people) Translation and Socks 5 both have been removed from preferences and out of my Viewer code as both seem to be absolutely unusable and/or obselete. For the other tiny changes please see the changelog at the bottom... Linux: Miguael gave me a link to his Linux version compiled from the source 7 days ago , that means that it is missing some fixes/features , those fixes/features are: tweaked SSAO shaders and settings for a slighty smoother and less grainy look enabled Quiet Snapshot to Disk by default fixed save presets adding ".nv" on already existing presets and made it save all settings fixed hide/deselect chat options logic fixed Sidebar appearing on Left side instead of right fixed IM chiclets not beeing able to move to far left of your UI removed FPSCounterAsText debug PLEASE DO NOT REPORT THOSE! THEY ARE FIXED IN WINDOWS You can find it below the usual Windows Download. Rendering: Heavily tweaked shadow detail and appearance, they should now look like if you´ve set resolution to something like 2.0 , without hitting on performance , blurring also has been reduced a bit and projected lights will now throw much better shadows that dont go all jerky and pixelated that fast anymore. Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Before i can release, there are a few "things" im not yet sure what to do, so i figured i could ask you what you think about it. Write your answers into a comment like this: #1. blablabla bla blabla bla #2. blabla blabla bla blablabla #3. ... NOTE: This post might be updated with new questions... so check back sometimesUpdated: I added the overall summary in which my own opinion is also included and what it means for you , no obviously means that it wont be done. Login & First Use: #1 Would you like to see a "how do you want your Viewer" screen on first start that will ask you lots of questions and set the Viewer depending on what you set as answer? No. #2 Should i rename/relabel "Login to SecondLife(tm)" to just "Login" (is that a more obvious login button for you)? No, instead make user aware of it beeing a button and not a title. Code: #3 Should i merge up all the latest development code (earlier than beta), which contains lots of Firestorm Crashfixes, the new HTTP Project (which i had in 1.49), some UI optimizations and other stuff? (Warning this might make the Viewer again extremly unstable, no guarantee here) Has to be done, but not yet, will wait until next or next-next Release. User Interface , Widgets & Labels #4 Should i re-check all options for better labeling and missing tooltips? I should re-check them when i come by and someday start a systematic overall check. #5 Are you happy with the new Preferences Panel or is there something that could be done better (i thought about centering the panels on the right so they dont start at the top and enabling Escape Key to close it)? Yes, pretty much everyone seems to be happy, ESC close has been implemented and the Preferences Panel is beeing investigated if theres something that could be finetuned. #6 Do you want Floaters (windows) to fade out on close (or fade in on opening) like toasts (system messages , IMs and chat) do? Probably not, maybe some day... #7 Would you like to see a re-design of the main UI (Navigationbar , Favoritesbar , Menubar , IM chiclets , Local chat , Toolbars etc) and what do you think could it look like (more MMO-ish? something completely new?)? No. #8 Do you think the FPS bar (not text , at the top right) is useless and could be replaced/forced to text style all the time? Yes, its useless and has been removed. #9 Do you like the default skin or could there be something way simplier (like LL style grey as example)? The default seems pretty ok, will delay any plans on doing a new skin infinitely until theres a reason to do a new one. #10 Does the Viewer have enough options to set your preferred graphics or do you know anything else thats missing or could be added? Yes. Blog: #11 Do you like the new layout and look of the Blog or was the old one better? The old one seems alot better to most people, however i liked the old one more because it was different. New one will remain however. #12 Should i shorten my blog posts (release posts)? Should i lengthen them (explain more)? No. Misc: #13 Did my shader fix help you enabling Vertex Shader and/or Deferred , Shadows and that stuff that didnt want to activate previously? Fixed for those that had problems enabling certain options, did not alter the experience for everyone else. Perfect. #14 What do you think about this song? could it be used for a new video? maybe for login? Monday, November 12, 2012 WARNING: My Viewer uses a Depth of Field Resolution of 1.0 by default! this can cause serious FPS drops (if you zoom so close that your camera would start mirroring itself) up to a freeze at which your drivers will "freeze" and Windows will automatically start the driver recovery (black screen for a few seconds), this can either be prevented by disabling driver recovery or by pulling Depth of Field Resolution to a lower value, it can also be "prevented" by lengthening the amount of time (2 seconds by default) after which the driver recovery should kick in, this will give you alot more time to just turn the camera around/zoom out or generally clear Depth of Field again without the drivers crashing and therefor your Viewer crashing (however this needs some registry hacks, please see a tutorial on how to do these and please only do them if you know what you are doing!) NOTE: To all you people having problems with always re-baking avatars and objects, THIS IS NOT ONLY MY VIEWERS FAULT! It happens in all other Viewers aswell, so far users on Singularity, Catznip, Linden Viewer, Phoenix and Firestorm confirmed its happening to them aswell! Not sure tho if its a widely spread Viewer issue or Server issue. Sourcecode: The Viewer again has undergone some heavy changes internally, i rebased my code on Linden Lab´s latest Beta again so it contains all its shinies and also not so shiny things (if there are any) , those shinies so far include a fix for rezzing friendlists/grouplists causing extreme FPS drops, reducing memory usage, some pathfinding changes and fixes, group handling code for groups with 10k people, localization of server messages and other stuff i havnt yet noticed... User Interface: A few fixes here, a few fixes there, add some salt everywhere... I fixed those pesky green ad-hoc conversation icons that plopped up behind avatar icons when having IM/Group toasts active. Also the invisible login button of connection overlapping the "close viewer" button is also gone now...well its not gone its just shortened more so even with opened preferences you should be able to click it normally. Pressing ESC with opened "Set Voice Key" floater will now close it, in next update i will also make ESC close Preferences without you having to click cccept or its menu entry (or shortcut). Graphics: Graphics havnt been touched, just "fixed" the anti shadow acne. Here are 2 examples of what i mean... I MIGHT have fixed an compatibility issue with Exodus´s Post Shaders (i should tell Geenz about that fix if it works) that caused some video cards with older OpenGL especially ATI and OpenGL 4.0 to be unable to enable Vertex Shader and all its options, the same fix might also fix the issue for some other people that cant enable Deferred Rendering or Shadows and so on. Performance: Performance should have been drastically increased in terms of its longlivity, before, in Deferred my Viewer went into "crawl" mode really quick due to 1-2 avatars already occupying all its memory, now that the memory usage has been reduced drastically to a point where i can go into a club with 35 people and still only use 1.0gb memory, it will take ALOT longer for the Viewer to break down into crawl mode. "Crawl" mode will also usually only engaged in Deferred Rendering and higher so for all windlighters theres nothing to fear, nothing should have changed for you anyway. BTW: Oh and... i got bored again so i recorded a super smooth 30 FPS video with active Deferred and Tone Mapping =D Tuesday, November 6, 2012 NOTE #2: You can do a settings preset before changing to the new version, it might come in handy to just load your settings in again. Yea we´re getting back into that weekly update routine and i encourage you to update , all previous versions werent listed for some reason... User Interface: I remade the loginscreen as the Group and SLU users may have seen already , i´ve also made a new Video for it to go with the new loginscreen , watch it here! well...or on Youtube... you know... the whole new thing pretty much looks like this in the Viewer... and comes with a basic preference panel to revert core options if you broke something inworld and it somehow got saved , causing you to freeze/crash to death... clicking "Settings" will open it. For those that asked about the small one-way-in street sign (xD) to the left of those preferences ... well thats the unnecessary "Close Viewer" button you basically wont need because you can just click the X , however if you should come across Space Magic and the menu should vanish and the X button of Windows not work anymore then you can click that little X button over there haha... also the Version information at the lower left corner is now the "About" button , just click on it and the About Nirans Viewer floater will pop up. As you may have noticed , without the preferences opened it looks alot more basic than before , only revealing very important stuff like the huge LOGIN TO SECONDLIFE button which is actually the login button you have to press in order to login (Captain obvious Renamon just stated the obvious again). I fixed a missing code line that prevented the "set group button" (wrench icon) in tools floater from becoming enabled asswel as corrected a little "mistake" i made somewhere in SLURL code preventing the "none" label from appearing when no group was selected. All Privacy and Personal related options like "send IM to my E-mail when im offline" , "only friends and groups know if im online" , "show me in search" and all that stuff didnt work until now because the internal message delivering your personal information that are needed to pin those options to your account wasnt coming through to my preferences panel. They should be fixed now. I made a dangerous change in my Featuretable´s that will "hopefully" allow everyone to enable all high end graphic options even tho they are not supported or may result in complete breakage of the Viewer, crashing your drivers or even damage your OS. Please be FUCKING carefull with that, i think i´ll find a way to display you some more informations about what your video card can do in "About" in later updates, so you can see what your video card can do. You can then decide easier if it might be dangerous for you to enable certain options. Some minor things again most of you wont notice, i updated the tips n tricks shown in the loadingscreen tips floater and translated them, aswell as the local texture selection panel and the navigation bar Pathfinding tooltips when hovering over those Pathfinding icons About Users , the Blog , my opinion and stuff: A fact is that im really pissed, pissed because of alot of things, not just that it looks like some/one/all TPV dev/s seem to see me as the new Kirsten asshole. No! , im also pissed that some people seem to boycot updates which makes me start building up rage. As if that wouldnt be enough theres also those kind of users that dont even have the balls to read atlast the blogpost of the version they are downloading, its sad and it makes me angry. In meantime while the viewer is unpacking/downloading you could have easily read half up to a complete post. This would ensure that you atlast know whats new in this version and whats going on, especially if theres bad stuff known like bugs , crashes or things in general you should know, but alltogether this is by far not the worst. Some people dont understand what im doing here, im literally doing a whole Viewer on my own with all kind of side projects, like support, people that think im an evil person because sometimes im going in INSANE MODE on my blog are the worst... you have to understand that im trying to support all my users even tho i basically dont care about them WHILE caring about them. Its paradox, i know and thats why i will try to explain it. You leave = i dont give a fuck. You give constructive feedback where i want it = i care. This is "my" Viewer, if i would be in mood, i could just stop it, right here, right now, right out of the sudden and for no reason. So if all users whould run away now, i wouldnt care because, hey, no users = no people having problems and i would just go private with the Viewer, taking it off the TPV list and im fine. The reason im not doing that is because i am enjoying more or less happy users, also people would beg me and ask me for a download link if i would teaser them with my stuff all the time. Thing is, im really pissed and when i am pissed, i will tell you, beeing a dev behind a Viewer doesnt prophibit me to act like i want, remember im not restrained in any way, in that case im just a normal user just like you, i have the rights to use my mouth to tell you when you´re pissing me off and i will do, thats for sure.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK I can't give more than 3 stars as the cover is 'one size fits all' ( and not specific to MX5) and it is a bit too big for the Mk1 so wind gets under and it flaps about . I'm concerned about paintwork damage from the cover itself and the straps

...this is try to be a fair question, so please understand that point; kind of curiosity. I wanna hear other voices regarding this. So, I just watched couple of runs (in USA) videos and noticed that almost all the bikes (except a few HD shovels) are somewhat "new". Almost all are HD and some Japs; in other there are some new Triumphs.. the question is: where s the Triumphs? where s the other HD s? I mean, here we have a forum with tons of these motorcycles...but seems that no body on the main runs (USA)? Yes, I know about very long runs and problems with very old machines or smaller cc ones, but what happened with the Bonnies? A T120 can do the run, better yet a T140 or Trident...and the shovels and panheads? that sport a very big engine that can handle long runs without hurting the engine. -Those runs are not super bikes runs so the speed is kind of normal road or freeway speed. -All that time we put on these bikes for what actually? kind of thinking in loud voice I'm just generalizing here, but I think allot of people think of Triumphs as around town bikes. I know that here in AZ, our freeway speeds are all marked at 75, but if your running under 80 or so your going to get run over. Just my .02 when I first bought my triumph thruxton in 2004 I rode with the rat pack a couple of times. I thought it was ok but none of those guys shared my passion for old bikes. I stopped riding with them and have since sold my Thruxton. I like riding alone or with 1-2 other people. Not a lot of old bike riders around here. Big charity rides and "bike night" crowds that would rather drink and ride home than tune and ride an old bike aren't my thing. Perhaps you need to watch different vids? One world studios puts out some good stuff with older bikes and cars in it. You're judging popular culture via viedo, never a good idea. In the US, for every vintage Triumph or Harley, there are 25 brand new Couch Glides (or Japanese copies thereof) ridden by accountant "bikers" who like to play dressup. Those are the people that overwhelmingly dominate the big events because they're the people that spend shitloads of money. ...today just watched EDR and Revenge runs last week I watched couple of smaller runs like Born free Oh, well forget what I said then, I assumed you meant more mainstream events. There have been old bikes at everything you mention, I know that for a fact, but some guys will pull out the newer iron to avoid potential problems. And yeah, what the guy said above, EVOs and twin cams aren't "new" anymore...unless you're riding a new one. Speaking from experience, I was on the Revenge Run II Last year (on my '73 Yamaha), and was surprised at the lack of old bikes (not one old Triumph). There were definitely some but not the amount that I've experienced on the Gypsy Run the last few years. That run has a majority of old bikes I think. Although doing 80 on the highway for an hour last year didn't help the vintage bikes! This year I'll be on a Triumph or Shovel- I would have been on the Triumph last year but couldn't get it done in time. The Brooklyn Invitational has had a good vintage turnout also. I guess it just depends on what run you see. I've had issues myself as president of a vintage bike club trying to get people to leave the new ones home on scheduled rides and use the oldies...I guess I must have made enough noise as most of the core group now show up on what we term as vintage bikes. I think it boiled down to laziness, it was just easier and more comfortable to hop on a new bike and push the little button than it was to use the old machines. We mostly ride the side roads, so we don't go far, but we do run 6-10 hour days...and get sore arses. don't know about the us but all my friends ride the oldies most pre evo hd's and a couple triumphs and indians also a couple are running aroynd on pre '85 xs650's or beemers non of them owns newer bikes !!!! and the HDC i'm a member of are running usa build bikes pre '66 every other weekend there's a run ,this weekend for example theres a weekend run through 3 country's -a distance of 490 miles roundtrip newer bikes than '66 are not allowed the oldest ones this weekend will be a VL and a knuckle whe have lots of new bikes around the crowded roads here as daily drivers ,like everywhere else but i can say that there are also loads of classic dailys overhere

Are liberals so desperate now they'll ignore murder and genocide as just being "radical?" A recent writer equated Obama to Jesus Christ. Amazing and shameful. Amazing that anyone, especially someone who professes to be Christian supports Obama based on so many known facts. Their faith alone should make it seriously impossible to trust his judgment, much less vote him to the highest office in the free world. The Bible I read is not "pro-choice." To imply that Obama's radical thinking is normal and acceptable because "Jesus talked to tax collectors and prostitutes" is shameful. Obama had so much more than contact with those whose character make prostitution and money laundering pale in comparison. I seriously pray that if elected, Obama re-consider meeting unconditionally with radicals and terrorists. His life is at risk. President Ahmadinejad of Iran has so much hate for Americans it's frightening. Has Obama forgotten this radical has vowed to "wipe Israel off the face of the earth" and that he meant it? If being radical is a comfort zone for you, consider this: You've worked for the last eight years and have income. New management says the old way isn't fair so we're reducing your wage because the new hire needs more income, "just to be fair." Take my income and give it to someone else. While you're at it, take one of my children too and give them to the childless couple, just to be fair. They can afford it, I just gave them a pay raise. Sen. McCain's understanding of radical extremists and terrorists is clear, as is his resolve to fight them. It's been his life's goal and he has the scars to prove it. He is the clear choice. John E. Frost Saginaw Township An embarrassment Editor, The News: With the election so near and the polls starting to show more of a lead for Barack Obama, the Republicans are becoming an embarrassment. Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota said all the Democrats in Congress should be investigated for being anti-American, while Mel Martinez of Florida said Obama is a communist. The Republican Party is saying if you are a Democrat you must be a liberal and if you are a liberal then you are anti-American. I know this presidential race is not over but the Republicans are way over the edge on these claims. It sure sounds like desperation to me. A recent letter to the editor said Obama is not JFK. Obviously not. He does sound like John and Bobby Kennedy however. Obama has said from Day 1 that we must unite this country, and yet the Republicans at every turn are trying to divide us. Bobby Kennedy said in a speech shortly after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King: "What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need is not violence or lawlessness, but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice for those who still suffer in our country whether they be white or whether they be black." This has been Obama's message from the beginning. We don't need the name calling or the accusations: We need a United States. Dave Fox Burt The end is near Editor, The News: Thank God this presidential election is nearing the end. In all my life I never experienced such corruption. The journalists of this country are certainly a very sad lot. They are so liberal and so hateful on this coverage, it's unreal. If a Republican even has a hangnail, it is covered as if it's the start of World War III. Yet time and again anything Democratic is treated as if nothing happened. If a serious accusation is made against any Democrat, it's swept under the rug. All the Democratic public says, "it's lies all lies." I often wondered how so many people could become brain-washed. Well, here is a whole country that's being brain-washed. People have such hate that they are not willing to listen to the truth. I realize when things go sour we want to blame someone or something for situations we would like to change. But, before blame is given, one should do a little research. We are headed down a very dangerous road. When one wants to be any kind of professional, they need years of education and then experience. Unfortunately, Obama was elected four years ago to the Senate. Only problem, he only spent 12 months at that position as he has been campaigning ever since. His associations with very unsavory people should scare the heck out of all of us. His rules of what is allowed to be talked about and what can't be talked about should send multi-red flags up. I was sitting on the fence until reality hit me. Obama is not ready to lead the greatest country in the world. I hate the statement that "I'm a Democrat so I am going to vote for Obama." I would like to hear instead, "I am a Democrat and I don't feel, at this time, Obama has the experience or the ability to lead us in the right direction." Karen Hildinger Caro Yes to health plan Editor, The News: Tuesday, voters decide the fate of a health care millage request and the future of the county's 25,000 uninsured. The Saginaw Health Plan would expand access to basic, affordable health care and focus on disease prevention and early treatment. Not only does this save all of us money, it saves lives. Through the Saginaw Health Plan's preventive care programs, Saginaw County voters have the chance to reduce the amount of uncompensated care that is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year. It is not welfare by any stretch of the imagination. It is also not a permanent solution to a national health care crisis that has been years in the making, but it is a step in the right direction. When workers lose health care benefits, it affects all of us in the wallet. These are individuals and families who have jobs, but no health care options and they represent a growing number of Michiganians. They are struggling in this economy to feed their children, pay the mortgage and put gas in the family vehicle. It is well documented that people without health insurance go without preventive care like mammograms, vaccinations for their children or screening for treatable diseases like diabetes -- care they would get access to if voters approve the proposal. It is only after something catastrophic happens to their health that they seek medical help, most showing up at area hospital emergency rooms as a last resort. Two years ago, voters in Genesee County approved a very similar proposal and they are now seeing very positive results: Emergency room visits by those participating in the program are down by 38 percent, asthma has improved in 48 percent of those patients, while chronic pain is down 31 percent. A healthier population that needs less medical care reduces the costs for all of us. Healthier people are more productive and can better care for their children and families. There is no downside to this proposal. Brenda M.W. Coughlin, M.D. Frankenmuth Who am I? Editor, The News: I find it rather odd that the only candidate that is really being questioned on their qualifications is the Republican vice presidential nominee -- Sarah Palin. In researching all the candidates and their positions, I found the following rather interesting. Is it because the Republican nominee is female and good looking that we question her qualifications to the extent that the media has done? Who am I? I am under 45 years old, I love the outdoors, I hunt, I am a Republican reformer, I have taken on the Republican Party establishment, I have many children, I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office. Did you guess? Sound familiar? I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900. Enough said. Patricia Huch Freeland Vote pro-life Editor, The News: Just something to consider when electing law-makers: Are they pro-life or pro-choice, meaning if you want to murder the most vulnerable of the innocent. People who vote pro-choice will be guilty of their blood. You cannot pass on your guilt by claiming your union or party is suggesting how to vote. Each one of us will die, then will come our judgment. It's our choice. Bernard Jarabek Bridgeport Township Vote no on 2 Editor, The News: Please vote no on Proposal 2. Obama has been flooding Michigan with an ad that is a total lie. He states that McCain and Palin are against all stem cell research. They have only been against embryonic stem cell research, which is the use of cells from aborted babies. There have been some successes with adult and umbilical stem cells. However everything published regarding embryonic stem cells shows that they are unpredictable and volatile. Which other cells are volatile and unpredictable? Cancer cells. Is God telling us something? Obama also announced that if his daughter were to make a mistake, he wouldn't want to see her punished with a child. Evidently, it is better to do murder to a defenseless baby. He appears to be in favor of infanticide in the cases where a child lived through a botched abortion. America has a responsibility for the deaths of nearly 50 million babies, more than lost in all our wars. God says: Children are a blessing from him. How will he choose to punish a nation he has blessed for 230 years? Please vote no on Proposal 2. A yes vote is pro-abortion and anti-God. Mari Anne Dast Pigeon Good company? Editor, The News: Whatever happened to America's values? We used to be a nation united, backing our presidents. It is unbelievable we could elect a person, endorsed by The News, who associated with a domestic terrorist and radicals. This could have never happened 20 years ago. It would be scandalous. If elected, he would also team up with Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to run unchecked that could doom America. Under Obama's plan to tax the rich and redistribute income, what incentives would Americans have to work to achieve their own goals? This march toward socialism could stop American creativity and ingenuity. The changes made through liberal courts could leave this country with no real values as the courts will make them up as they go. What they will legislate will not be pretty. Look at Obama's views on partial birth abortion and abortion up to the day of delivery. It's just horrible. Shame on us. If journalism in this country did not have an agenda to elect a specific candidate, we actually might be voting for completely different candidates in this election, most likely Clinton and Romney. If the media could pin the current economic crisis on Republicans they would be doing it at full speed, but they can't because Acorn, Obama's pet community organization project. The News' endorsement of Obama has good company. The American Communist Party also supports him. Our enemies are also cheering him for his planned pullback or withdrawal of troops. I was amused by The News saying Obama has achieved so much. Oh really? The only budget he has ever balanced is probably his household. McCain's belief in a strong national security and his pledge to implement a spending freeze is what America needs. Someone in Washington has to take a breath and look where wasteful spending can be cut. The Democrats have no plan for spending cuts, just tax and spending increases. Elect John McCain. Duane Wortley Freeland Socialist nation? Editor, The News: Barack Obama denies having any ties with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and Bill Ayers, and says that his 20-year long alliance with hate-mongering Rev. Jeremiah Wright is over. Why did it last 20 years? He has donated huge amounts of money to ACORN, one of his community organized groups. It has been convicted of voter fraud before and is currently being investigated by the FBI. These people ... bribe the registrants with money, cigarettes and even crack cocaine. This is something the mainstream, liberal media knows but doesn't share with the American people. One of his many "mistruths"? Obama joined several highly questionable groups in his early days in Illinois that jump-started his career. He was a friend and cohort of Bill Ayers, an avowed enemy of America who founded the radical Underground Weatherman organization and, along with his wife, has bombed federal buildings and have been responsible for deaths of Americans. As recently as 2001, Ayers said that he does not regret his earlier actions and "wished I had done more." Consider Obama's lack of experience and his ineptness in the Illinois Senate, where he did not pass one bill. Also, he voted "present" 130 times, indicating he had no idea how to vote. Why? There is his repeated comment about not raising taxes for 95 percent of the American people. This is devious math since he should know about 5 percent of Americans pay the majority of taxes and a large percentage pay none at all. How can someone have their taxes lowered or receive a rebate on them when they don't pay any? This guy is scary and America is in no position to be taking chances on him in this election. If he's elected, welcome to the Socialist Republic of America. John L. Weber Au Gres Vote for Mantey Editor, The News: We have two men running for Drain Commissioner of Tuscola County. I'm sure they are both good men and have an interest in improving our county drains. We still have time to check the resumes of these men before we vote one into office. I urge you to look over their qualifications. When you read Bob Mantey's resume you will know he is the man for the job. He already has experience working with flood estimates for dams, bridges and culverts. He worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a hydraulic engineer, assisting with training drain commissioners on the basics of hydrology and hydraulics. He also worked for the Soil Conservation District as a soil conservation engineer. And there is so much more. I'm just thankful to have someone with his knowledge and experience willing to be our drain commissioner. He will be a great addition to our county government. Vote for Robert Mantey for Drain Commissioner of Tuscola County. Ted Schunn Juniata Township Pelosi heartbeats Editor, The News: Someone wrote that if John McCain is elected president Gov. Palin would be "one heartbeat" away from the presidency. He seemed quite concerned about that. Well think about this -- whoever is elected president, Nancy Pelosi is only two heartbeats away from the presidency. Now that is really a scary thought. Judy Jagels Thomas Township Catastrophe ahead? Editor, The News: Catastrophic change is what our country's in for if Obama prevails. We'll lose our democracy to socialism and that's frightening. However, that's what Obama's all about. I've been exposed to this socialistic atmosphere on several occasions while out of our great country and I can tell you there are a lot of unhappy people. They don't have anything good to say about their socialized medicine. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, representing our House and Senate respectively, are supposed to be working for us, the people. However, they appear to have forgotten that with their sneaky, underhanded, hateful behavior, our President Bush is far from perfect and it's obvious they hate him. Every time he submits a request they trash him verbally and throw every obstacle at him. Pelosi has repeatedly said, "We'll do whatever it takes to take back the White House." In the meantime, they've done an outstanding job of dividing our country at this critical time. They don't know the meaning of "bipartisanship." There should be a total government overhaul. Obama is buying this election with his negative, daily ads, gutter politics and character assassinations. Having been exposed to government "clearance" procedures (secret top secret), he'd never, never be cleared due to the company he's kept and his affiliation with ACORN, which we haven't heard the last of. Also, he's got the "hate-America," crowd behind him and the far left, and biased news media. Let's hope and pray that truth and honesty prevails. L.A. Duclos Thomas Township The hatred cycle Editor, The News: My parents, who are of Aztec descent and Mexican-American, were born in Texas. They were agricultural migrant workers in their younger days. We lived in Florida they moved to Michigan for a better life. I was 5, and my parents, Max F. and Aurora M. Delgado, found jobs at the Caro Sugar Factory and settled in Caro. We later moved to Vassar where my parents worked at Eaton Foundry and United Plastics. Both parents were born in the U.S. and worked hard to give their children a better life in this country. My brothers and sister and I have also worked hard to have a good life. When you hear the name Delgado do you immediately think that I am an illegal alien? Would you think that I don't speak English? When you see my black hair and tan skin, would you think that I am part of a South American drug cartel? Barack Obama comes from a bi-racial background, as do I and my children and grandson. When people question Obama's patriotism because his father is from Kenya, it reminds me of the prejudice I experienced. When people make fun of Obama's name, calling him Obama bin Laden, it makes me think of the racism of the past. When people suggest that because Obama's middle name is Hussein that he is connected to terrorists, it hurts me. It bothers me that we continue to judge others because of their names, race, religion, age, origin, martial status, gender. What has happened to our country? What are we teaching our children? I would love to see parents, grandparent and family members stop teaching hatred and ignorance of the past. It has no place in this time. Our children and grandchildren are our future.

Archives for March 28, 2014 I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen as a 2014 Women’s Health Action Hero!!! I applied for this months ago and then forgot about it, so imagine how I felt when I heard from Women’s Health that I have been chosen as one of their most “influential readers turned leaders”. As an action hero I will have the opportunity try out new products, blog on the Women’s Health website and participate in the Run 10 Feed 10 race in NYC. As an Action Hero I will be one of many, leading ... Primary Sidebar Hi! I’m Toni My name is Toni and I am a mother, wife, runner, blogger and RN originally from Long Island. I now reside in Tampa Bay. I blog about running, health, fitness and my life. This year I am taking my training to a new level as I train to run a 1:45 half marathon in 2018 in Naples. Follow me as I run, love and live my life to the fullest! Run Often, Love Completely, Live Fully

AdidasJawpaw CF Retailers' Descriptions Here's what other sites are saying: The Adidas Men's Climacool Jawpaw CF Water Shoe readies you for river trips and quick kayaking sessions before work. Its Adidas Drainage System fuses a quick-drying mesh upper to a water-draining sole for quick-drying comfort. Adidas designed the Super High Traxion sole specifically for slippery stones underwater.

Exercise Changes Genes Within Minutes Even a short bout of exercise can change your genes in ways that may ultimately make you stronger, a new study suggests. The researchers studied genes in the muscles of men and women before and after they spent 20 minutes on an exercise machine. After exercise, there were chemical changes in genes within the muscle cells, and these same genes were increased in expression. In other words, exercise helped "turn on" these genes, according to the study. When the researchers made muscles contract in lab dishes, they saw similar changesto the DNA. These changes appear to happen soon after exercise, which ultimately reprograms our cells for stronger muscles and greater endurance. Our muscles adapt to what we do, said study researcher Juleen Zierath, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. "If you don't use it, you lose it, and this is one of the mechanisms that allows that to happen," Zierath said. For those who don't like to work up a sweat, there may be hope. When the researchers exposed muscle cells from rats to caffeine, they saw changes in genes that were similar to those seen during exercise. In some ways, caffeine mimics the effect of exercise by causing an increasing in calcium levels inside cells, the researchers said. However, the researchers don't recommend drinking coffee in place of exercise, Zierath said. Pass it on: Exercise causes chemical modifications to genes that may ultimately play a role in the body's adaptation to running and lifting weights. Editor's Recommendations Live Science Staff For the science geek in everyone, Live Science offers a fascinating window into the natural and technological world, delivering comprehensive and compelling news and analysis on everything from dinosaur discoveries, archaeological finds and amazing animals to health, innovation and wearable technology. We aim to empower and inspire our readers with the tools needed to understand the world and appreciate its everyday awe.

China to allow full foreign ownership in telecom services in Shanghai FTZ BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- China will open up seven telecom value-added services to foreign capital in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, with five allowing for full foreign ownership, a senior telecom official said Tuesday. Services with no cap for foreign ownership will include app stores, store and forward, domestic multi-party communication, call centers and home Internet access, according to Wen Ku, head of the telecom development department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Online data and dealing analysis services will allow a foreign ownership of no more than 55 percent, Wen said. The move is another step in opening up the country's telecom sector as China has already committed under the WTO to open information service, store-and-forward, and online data and dealing analysis services, with a 50-percent cap for foreign stake. Enterprises that apply for the services should register and base their infrastructure in the Shanghai FTZ, and all services may be available to the whole country, except home Internet access services, which will be confined within the FTZ, Wen said. Detailed application instructions will be released to facilitate investment in the services, Wen added.

Croatia plans the construction geothermal cogeneration power plant 21. May 2020. / SEE Energy News The authorities set up a company Geotermalni Izvori, which is in charge of the project. The authorities of Srijem-Vukovar County are planning to use EU funds to accelerate the project for the construction of geothermal cogeneration power plant in the village of Babina Greda near Zupanja. According to previous study, the site, which was discovered by oil company INA in 1980s, has a potential for the construction of cogeneration plant with 27 MW thermal energy output and 1 MW power output. The preparation of documentation for the project has started and is expected to be completed within 10 months, when exploratory drillings could commence. If additional exploratory drillings prove the existence of even hotter water at greater depths, the output of the electricity segment of the cogeneration plant could reach 15-20 MW. However, these additional drillings would require investment of up to 20 million euros. The budget for documentation preparation is around 300,000 euros and it will be mostly covered by the European Union’s Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion. Last year, Croatia launched its first geothermal power plant. The Velika Ciglena project, located near Bjelovar in northeastern Croatia, exploits geothermal steam and hot water at 170 degrees Celsius to produce electricity which is then delivered to national electricity network. Italian company Turboden delivered and commissioned an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine system for the power plant, which successfully completed the nominal load test. The reservoir was discovered in 1990 by oil company INA, during an underground exploration for oil. The oil was never found, instead, a promising potential for geothermal energy was discovered. The installed capacity is expected to grow due to further similar projects. The plant has power output of 16.5 MW and Turkish MB Holding invested 43.7 million euros in its construction. Last September, MB Holding signed an agreement with local project design company Ekonerg on the design of the future 19.9 MW geothermal power plant in Legrad. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant will be build in Legrad, near the city of Koprivnica in northern Croatia, and will produce some 165 GWh of electricity per year.

(Newser) – Munroe Bergdorf was L'Oreal's first transgender model to appear in a British advertising campaign, but she's been fired after a Facebook post from last month. In the Aug. 27 post, which appears to have now been deleted, Bergdorf reportedly said, "Honestly I don’t have energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people." After the post started making headlines, the French cosmetics giant released a statement saying it was cutting ties with Bergdorf, Reuters reports: "L'Oreal champions diversity. Comments by Munroe Bergdorf are at odds with our values and so we have decided to end our partnership with her." Bergdorf herself, as well as a host of supporters, are hitting back. "When I stated that 'all white people are racist,' I was addressing that fact that western society as a whole, is a SYSTEM rooted in white supremacy," Bergdorf says. In a lengthy post on Facebook Friday, Bergdorf also slammed the Daily Mail, one of the first to report her original post (or, in its words, her original "rant"). That post was a response to the Charlottesville white supremacist rally and ensuing violence, she wrote, but more importantly, there's no denying the role white supremacy, slavery, and colonialism have played in "shaping the United Kingdom and much of the west, into the super power that it is today" or the fact that white people are afforded more privileges than people of color. Fader calls L'Oreal's firing of Bergdorf "unacceptable," while the New Statesman says this proves "brands want our brown skin but not our blackness" and Metro advises, "stop kidding yourself, white people are racist." Mic rounds up outraged reactions on Twitter and elsewhere, and the Huffington Post is pushing the hashtag #IStandWithMunroe. She wrote "Because most of ya'll don't even realise or refuse to acknowledge that your existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour. Your entire existence is drenched in racism. From micro-aggressions to terrorism, you guys built the blueprint for this s***." She is blaming all whites for the racism and terrorism of the world. As if black people can`t be violent and racist against other black people. Does she really believe all black people are angels, unable to be violent? Had a white model written the same thing about black people, she would have been fired too. She is playing out the race card and it works.

Sciencing Beauty with Pat McGrath: Couture Fashion Week Spring 2019 The world’s most influential makeup artist, Pat McGrath MBE recently left her mark all over Couture fashion week. Her delicate touch has resulted in many arresting looks in fashion weeks the world over, several of which were created with products from the self-titled Pat McGrath Labs. In order to gain a deeper insight into McGrath’s transformative powers we’ve conducted an investigation into the science behind some of her latest looks. Extreme Eyelashes - Valentino Source: patmcgrathreal/Instagram Delicate feathers fluttered down the runway with every blink at Valentino’s Spring 2019 Couture show. To create the bold look, the intricate feather-lash extensions were glued to the model’s lashes and coated with McGrath’s new FetishEyes™ Mascara. So what does science say about this mesmerizing look? Our collectively admiration for longer eyelashes dates back thousands of years. Researchers Mulhern and colleagues found that enhancing the appearance of women’s eyes through the use of eyelashes and mascara significantly increased attractiveness as rated by both male and female observers. Eyelash growth is also said to have a positive psychological effect on women (Jones, 2011). Some researchers have reasoned that we find long eyelashes endearing because they are typically possessed by those who we are hardwired to find cute – babies! And as we have learnt from the Baby-Face Stereotype, adults are rated more favourably when they have features (such as long eyelashes) that draw similarity to infants. Glitter and Gloss - Givenchy and Margiela Source: patmcgrathreal/Instagram Source: patmcgrathreal/Instagram In a show that largely featured simple, minimalistic makeup looks, McGrath ensured that Cara Taylor took center stage. Following her third haute couture collection for Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller said “I tried to take the most modern approach possible with everything.” McGrath compliment the modernity of the garments by adding in this futuristic look that saw the top half of Taylor’s face covered entirely in glitter. Over at Margiela, the model’s faces were a playground for McGraths brushes. One look that particularly stood out were the smudged gradient fuchsia lips topped off with a glossy top coat worn by both male and female models. And the science behind all this glitter and gloss? Evolutionary psychologists claim that are attraction to shiny things is linked to our ingrained need for survival. For example, in a study on children, infants aged 7-12 months old were found to put their mouths to glossy plates much more than to dull ones. Children had also been seen lapping shiny toys on the ground, the way an animal might drink from a puddle. Researchers have concluded that the connection between drinking and shiny design was an evolutionary artifact–a sign that “our crush on glossy is rooted in a primitive desire for water as a vital resource” (Coss, Ruff & Simms, 2010). Flower Power - Valentino Back at Valentino, McGrath went to work to create an intricate floral makeup look to compliment the gorgeous floral gowns. While the petals were lightly dusted in glitter, McGrath used a small cluster of crystals for the flower’s pistil – a 3D element that helped bring the look to life. Studies on adornment have long highlighted the positive impact that flowers and floral motifs have on attraction and wealth. In a study on tipping behaviour, researchers found that diners left larger tips for waitresses who wore flowers in their hair compared to when the same waitresses served them minus the flowers (Jacob, Guéguen & Delfosse, 2012). To get these makeup looks and all of the psychological benefits that come with them, check out the stunning new collections over at Pat McGra Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a Fashion Psychologist and writer who has been featured in Marie Claire UK, i-D, Who What Wear, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, Fashion Bomb Daily, The Voice Newspaper, Gal-Dem, Black Matters US and more.

Former Eel signs with ESL side Castleford He was a part of that stellar 2009 run for the Eels, and did several good things during that time, but since then, Weller Hauraki moved to the ESL, which has resulted in the back-rower signing a 2- year deal with Castleford. Limited to just 10 appearances at current club the Leeds Rhinos, however, a move was on the cards for Hauraki, with Castleford coach Ian Millward pouncing on the opportunity to sign the veteran back-rower. “I was on the lookout for a second rower with a strong presence both on and off the field, and I believe Weller offers the right qualities to fulfil this role,” Millward said. “His experience and exceptional attacking qualities will provide us with great stability and composure on the field, as well as a role model for the younger, less-experienced players on the team.” “He is a tough competitor and with his boxing background, I expect him to be a leading figure in training too. He ultimately gives us an overall package that is going to add a lot to the side next season. I look forward to working with him.”

BOCA RATON – Florida Atlantic didn’t begin Sun Belt Conference play the way they hoped to in a disappointing loss to South Alabama last Thursday. It was a different story on Saturday as the Owls defeated the Red Wolves 72-65 at the Burrow for their first Sun Belt victory of the season. “After a bad loss it usually isn’t as bad as you thought, and after a good win it’s usually not as great as you thought,” said Owls coach Mike Jarvis. The Owls (3-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) won a physical battle against the Red Wolves by playing two consistent halves of basketball and gelling at the right time. After trailing 33-30 at halftime, FAU went on an 11-3 run in the second half to build on its first big lead of the game. They led for most of the second half and were able to ward off runs by the Red Wolves and hold on for their first Sun Belt victory of the season. With about six minutes remaining, ASU regained a lead it hadn’t had since the early minutes of the second half. But the Owls responded with defensive pressure and some clutch shooting from leading scorer Greg Gantt. Gantt, who tied a career-high 29 points, scored 13 points in the final five minutes. Stefan Moody once again provided a spark off the bench for the Owls. The freshman guard scored 22 points, which tied a season-high set against Elon back on Nov. 18. He also showed off his dunking skills early in the second half to a chorus of cheers at the Burrow. “They were trying to take me away a lot and they forgot about (Moody),” Gantt said. Heading into Saturday’s game, ASU was second in the Sun Belt averaging 73.5 points per game, while the Owls were averaging 60.2 points. Red Wolves guard Ed Townsel, who came into the game averaging 17 points per game, was held to five points. FAU freshman guard Jackson Trapp continued to impress at the point. He had eight points, six assists and six rebounds for the Owls. GameBrowser: Owls 72, Red Wolves 65 Moving Forward: G Greg Gantt was 3-of4 from beyond the arc and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. ...The victory was the 55th at FAU for coach Mike Jarvis, who passed former FAU coach Sidney Green as the coach with most victories since the Owls moved to Division I in 1994. ...The Owls are 4-0 vs. Arkansas State at The Burrow.

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Not only have the Rays been the victim in the last two perfect games thrown in the major leagues -- last year by Mark Buehrle, Sunday by Dallas Braden -- but both came in afternoon games on getaway day. In fact, St. Petersburg Times beat writer Marc Topkin suggested something less than coincidence when he speculated in his game story that Sunday's performance might have had something to do with "having Saturday night off in San Francisco." So you wonder, is that why five of the last nine perfect games thrown in the major leagues were on Sundays (in Oakland, New York (twice), Los Angeles and Texas) -- and that six of the last nine were in day games? And you wonder, what is it about lefties? Five of the last six perfect games have been thrown by left-handers: Braden, Buehrle, Randy Johnson, David Wells and Kenny Rogers (with David Cone the lone righty in the group). Maybe it's just coincidence. Or maybe not. Two more thoughts on the perfect game: Not surprisingly, the Rays had the best record (22-8) of any team to have a perfect game thrown against them. Only two teams that were victims of perfect games have gone made it to the postseason in the same year (excluding the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers, who had a perfect game thrown against them in the World Series). The two? The 2004 Braves (Randy Johnson), who lost in the first round of the playoffs, and the 1988 Dodgers (Tom Browning), who won the World Series. And to echo what colleague Scott Miller wrote Sunday, what a great job by Comcast Sports Net California, and especially by announcers Glen Kuiper and Ray Fosse. Instead of adhering to the silly notion that they might jinx history by doing their job and mentioning it, Kuiper and Fosse set the scene perfectly -- and in doing so, proved once again that announcers don't jinx no-hitters (or perfect games). (And, on A's radio, Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo also told listeners that Braden was working on a perfect game.) In fact, in the most famous perfect game call of all, Vin Scully began the ninth inning by saying right away that Sandy Koufax was pitching a perfect game. When Koufax got it by striking out Harvey Kuenn, Scully let the crowd reaction play for 38 seconds, then said, "On the scoreboard in right field it is 9:46 p.m. in the City of the Angels, Los Angeles, California."

The revelation came directly after Trout launched a third-inning home run against New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. Before Trout even returned to the dugout, Buck asked if Harper agreed that Trout was the best player in the league, to which Harper responded, “If you don’t think that, you must not be watching.” At the same time, millions watching at home surely nodded in agreement. Harper’s opinion is a valuable one. Since Harper and Trout’s careers began in 2010 and 2011 respectively, they’ve been constantly compared to one another as they’ve developed from the future to the present of MLB. It’s a conversation neither has been able to escape, even though both have tended to shy away from it. There was no shying away Tuesday night. Harper shared his opinion while standing in the outfield grass at Nationals Park, his home ballpark in Washington D.C., and in front of one of the largest television audiences MLB will have this season. Angels All-Star Mike Trout (left) is the best player in MLB according to Bryce Harper. (AP) Truth be told, it hasn’t been much of a debate among baseball fans and experts in recent years. While Harper and Trout were comparable during the early stages of their MLB careers, few would argue that Trout has surpassed everyone, including Harper, and has probably even lapped most of the MLB field. At age 26, Trout has already won two American League MVP awards (with three runner up finishes) and earned seven All-Star selections. He’s a lifetime .306 hitter with 226 home runs and 619 RBIs in just 1,022 career games. The numbers don’t lie, and neither does Bryce Harper. Mike Trout is the man in MLB.

UPDATE: The CWIF Semis Results Upset...Finals at 6pm!! by Mick Ryan - Senior Editor - UKC Mar/2011This news story has been read 6,103 times Brian McAlinden of The Climbing Works Reports What a Semi-Final!!! A big big crowd watched a major upset as the uber-Euro Wads Nalle Hukkataival & Kleman Becan failed to make the finals. The collection of weird and wonderful problems shut down some of the best in the World, but not the local Brits who showed some incredibly strength, and ingenuity, to take the top 4 places. Through to the Finals in the Mens are:

Renee Richards Speaks Out Against Transsexuals in Female Sports October 5, 2011 “These days, Richards does not think transsexual athletes should be allowed to compete professionally. “I don’t think it’s a level playing field, even though theInternational Olympic Committee,in its utter wisdom, has declared that it is,” she explained.” Ahh, frackking ESPN has you locked out. I’ll post a replacement version if one becomes available. “He is the one muzzling in on women’s golf, isn’t he?” Lord, no. Thats a retired swat team officer named Lana Lawless who started his professional sports career in women’s golf at the age of 57. Renee Richards is the first transsexual to win the “right” to compete in women’s sports, specifically tennis. By so doing, he was able to start a professional tennis career at the ripe old age of 40something. He went on to become a coach, most notably working with with Martina Navratilova. A documentary on Dr. Richards is being featured this month on ESPN. Here is a clip: Thanks, I watched the trailer, not exactly satisfying though, so I googled a bit and found this: The Lady Regrets BEFORE Dr. Renée Richards had a sex-change operation, when she was an up-and-coming eye doctor and one of the top-ranked amateur tennis players in the East, she could be, by her own estimation, an arrogant fellow, tough and demanding. Talking with her three decades later, one still has the uneasy sense, at times, of that impatient male surgeon trapped in her body trying to break out. Not that Dr. Richards, 72 and still practicing, is ever anything but polite. She comes outside in the rain, in sneakers, warm-up pants and a red sweater, to greet her visitor, reining in her enthusiastic, 140-pound Bernese mountain dog. She’s had her assistant, Arleen Larzelere, 60, prepare lunch. She provides a tour of her cozy three-bedroom cottage in the hamlet of Kent Cliffs, in Putnam County, an hour north of New York City: the faded chintz armchairs, the walk-in closet where a mink shares space with a golf bag that bears her name. But as the conversation prompted by Dr. Richards’s new memoir, “No Way Renée,” runs to two hours, she grows restless. Dr. Richards is 6’2”, with the rangy body of a lifelong athlete, and in maturity, her angular bone structure seems to be pushing its way to the fore. And as she wearies of the interview, her body language seems to become more traditionally male, suggesting an athlete who is wearying of the game. “You’re writing this book all over again,” she grouses. And, later, on another subject, “I can explain, but I don’t think you’re going to be able to follow it.” Time to talk about, uh … décor. Those antique tennis illustrations; the plaque marking your induction into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. It appears, Dr. Richards, that there are no photos of you as a man. “I don’t like to have pictures of me as a guy in the dining room or living room,” says Dr. Richards, who was once Dr. Richard Raskind. “I threw away most of the pictures of Dick. In fact, pictures of Dick with a beard, I destroyed.” She leads the way to the bedroom, where there are photos of her as both a handsome young male Naval officer and a good-looking middle-aged woman. In one photo of herself, Renée stands with her father, who refused to acknowledge her sex change, even when she visited him in a skirt. He’s smiling at you, the reporter says. “Sure he’s smiling, you kidding?” Dr. Richards says. “The sun rose and set over me. Every clipping about me, Dick or Renée, he saved.” Dr. Richards never wanted to be a pioneer. But in 1976, while taking part in women’s amateur tennis competitions, she was revealed to have once been a man, setting off a media feeding frenzy. The next year, when the United States Tennis Association tried to prevent her from playing in the women’s events at the U.S. Open, Open, she went to court and won the right to play. “No Way Renée: The Second Half of My Notorious Life,” written with John Ames, deals with the long-term consequences of her surgery. Dr. Richards writes of life as a very young boy, when an older sister, “after pushing my penis into my body,” would say “Now you’re a little girl”; of their psychiatrist mother who occasionally dressed him in a slip. As an adult, there was off-and-on use of female hormones, which left Dr. Richard Raskind with breasts. He tried to compensate in the early years of his marriage by acting tough. “I swaggered like a macho man,” Dr. Richards writes, “but I jiggled when I did so.” The marriage, which produced a son, ended in divorce. Nor did Dr. Richards’s sex change bring her the great love affair with a man of which she dreamed, although there was affection and sex. Romance with a woman does not interest her. Though she has lived with Ms. Larzelere, her former office manager, for almost 25 years — she turns over her check each week and Ms. Larzelere handles the grocery shopping and cooking — their relationship is not romantic. Dr. Richards says there is a bond because both were scarred by their childhoods, Ms. Larzelere by an alcoholic father who beat her. Ms. Larzelere, a warm woman who is so insistent about being a caregiver that she calls the reporter three times with an offer to pick her up at the train station, explains it more simply. “I just take care of people,” she says, “that’s what I do.” Now divorced, Ms. Larzelere says she gave up on men in her mid-30s. Dr. Richards’s book also deals with the effects of her surgery on her son, Nick Raskind, now grown. Mr. Raskind was 3 years old at the time of the sex change, but was not told about it until he was 8. (When Dr. Richards saw her son during that period, she dressed as a man and wore a short gray wig.) Dr. Richards takes responsibility for her son’s problems: getting tossed out of prep schools; running away to Jamaica at 13. These days, Mr. Raskind is a New York City real estate broker specializing in lofts in the financial district, and Dr. Richards bunks at her son’s Park Avenue apartment when she works in Manhattan. Would Mr. Raskind be willing to talk about Dr. Richards? “If he thinks it would help him sell some lofts, he will,” she says. Mr. Raskind seems perfectly comfortable speaking about the woman who still considers herself his father — although he’s annoyed that his problems were always blamed on the sex change. He also refers to Dr. Richards as “he.” Why? “Because I have a mother that’s a woman,” he says. “My father could have an elephant change — he could be a dromedary — and he’d still be my father.” He has no memory of being told about his father’s change. “For a kid, it was a non-event,” he says. “I was a pretty fat little kid and I used to get teased about being fat a lot. Then between the time I was 10 and 13, kids at school did know about it and I used to get teased about it. That was the driving force behind me getting into martial arts very seriously later in life.” Back to Dr. Richards, who is surprisingly conservative. She calls the 2004 decision of the International Olympic Committee, which allows transsexuals to compete, “a particularly stupid decision,” explaining that when she sued to play at the U.S. Open, she was 40. “I wasn’t going to overwhelm Chris Evert and Tracy Austin, who were 20 years old.” And while she believes same-sex couples should receive the same benefits as those who are married, her idea of marriage demands a man and a woman. “It’s like a female plug and an electrical outlet,” she says. In Ms. Larzelere, she seems to have a wife, she is told. “How many famous actresses have said, ‘I want a wife,’ ” Dr. Richards says. “Katharine Hepburn had somebody like Arleen who lived with her for the final 30 years.” In her book, Dr. Richards never writes that she regrets having had her surgery, yet she lists so many regrets relating to her sex change that it is like someone who returns again and again to the edge of a great pit, but refuses to leap in. Those feelings were also evident in past interviews. “In 1999, you told People—” the reporter begins. Dr. Richards interrupts. “—I told People what I was feeling, which I still feel: Better to be an intact man functioning with 100 percent capacity for everything than to be a transsexual woman who is an imperfect woman.” In the same interview, Dr. Richards talked about wishing for something that could have prevented the surgery. “What I said was if there were a drug, some voodoo, any kind of mind-altering magic remedy to keep the man intact, that would have been preferable, but there wasn’t,” Dr. Richards says. “The pressure to change into a woman was so strong that if I had not been able to do it, I might have been a suicide.” Does she regret having the surgery? “The answer is no.” Dr. Richards’s game is no longer tennis; her knees are shot. Her great passion now is golf. “I swing a golf club four times a week, every chance I get, ” she says. “I try to cram in what I didn’t have until starting 12 years ago. And I can’t do it. No matter how excellent an athlete I was, maybe it’s like having a sex change, it’s something I can’t undo: I can’t undo the fact I didn’t play golf when I was a kid.” This interview is way more illuminating than the ESPN doc, which I watched while pacing and yelling at the tube. The documenatry is heavily weighted on the side of feeling sorry for good ‘ol Dick. The frustrating experience of re-living that asshole’s assault on women’s tennis was topped only by listening to interviews of the female tennis players of the era (Billie Jean King, Martina, etc.) saying how they empathized with him and supported him. Only John McEnroe gave any insight into how fucked up it was (and what a freaking sideshow). This interview shows just what a fucked up person he was and is. There’s your famous trans, folks, can’t decide whether he wants his dick or his privilege or his family, but we get a front row seat to his pathetic life anyway. He’s just an entitled, arrogant asshole who happened to have a fetish and enough of a giant ego to force that issue on everyone else. How in the holy fucking hell did everyone get deluded into ever thinking these men were any better than that? this is so true! my exact thoughts as i was reading the article. thanks Dave for that addition to the story… ugh, Noanodyne, so typical of them isn’t it, yes? cannot decide between the ol’ male privilege and their dream of being laydees. same old story, nothing new, lol… I give the author some points for not being afraid to say that RR isn’t completely convincing as a woman. But there are some astonishing WTF moments: “As an adult, there was off-and-on use of female hormones…” I’m going to ignore the dangling modifier and just go straight to the content. “Off-and-on use of female hormones.” What. The. Fuck…???!?!!!? What sane person does that to themself? Even most transitioners realize this is a Bad Idea. This guy doesn’t even have the excuse of ignorance — he went to medical school, for crying out loud. Then there’s the bizarre relationship with the assistant, a woman with a history of having been abused, and apparently no personal life outside her domestic servant duties for RR. “I just take care of people,” she says. Surprise, surprise, someone willing to take full advantage of that zeroed right in on her. ‘In Ms. Larzelere, she seems to have a wife, she is told. “How many famous actresses have said, ‘I want a wife,’ ” Dr. Richards says. “Katharine Hepburn had somebody like Arleen who lived with her for the final 30 years.” ‘ The WTFs in this one are layered, rather like a Russian doll. Can’t quite decide whether RR’s comparing himself to famous actresses in general is a) narcissism or b) a gay male, drag-queen sensibility showing through. Probably the answer is c) both of the above. Also, does he not realize that there have been persistent rumors that Katharine Hepburn was a lesbian? Then there’s this: “And while she believes same-sex couples should receive the same benefits as those who are married, her idea of marriage demands a man and a woman.” Of course — otherwise, all that mutilating surgery would seem kind of unnecessary. And of course, there’s the old household appliance/genitalia analogy so beloved of the less sophisticated homophobe: And this “—I told People what I was feeling, which I still feel: Better to be an intact man functioning with 100 percent capacity for everything than to be a transsexual woman who is an imperfect woman.” Better to remain intact, no problem, but describing himself as an “imperfect woman”? He’s not a woman, period. It’s also unutterably creepy that he has some notion that there’s such a thing as a “perfect woman.” As for M2Ts participating in women’s sports — I once came across an online discussion of this, in which some male transitioner was saying “After being on estrogen for years, I’m just as weak as any other woman.” He kept repeating that: “I’m just as weak as any other woman.” And there you have it, misogyny pure and simple. If he had had the slightest glimmering of respect for women, or for himself in what he imagined was his new, woman’s body, he would have said: “After years on estrogen, my physical strength falls within the standard range for most women,” or even, “After years on estrogen, I no longer have any male strength advantage.” But no, he kept harping on how weak he was, due to becoming a “woman.” Sounded kinda fetishistic, in fact. Then there’s the bizarre relationship with the assistant, a woman with a history of having been abused, and apparently no personal life outside her domestic servant duties for RR. “I just take care of people,” she says. Surprise, surprise, someone willing to take full advantage of that zeroed right in on her. Yeah, I thought that exact same thing. All those comments about ‘having a wife’ shows that his male entitlement remained intact, even after surgery. In hetworld, wife is codeword for ‘unpaid domestic/[reproductive/sexual] slave’. Basically most of what he has in Ms Larzelere, for a probable token wage and I gather living arrangement as part of the cheapskate deal. Good catch on the “I’m just as weak as any other woman.” It of course harks back to the view that females are defective males, and that males are the default of all to aspire to. You should see them side-by-side in the documentary if you really want a chill and a stomach lurch. The interviewer asks them about their relationship, which is just what you’re saying only worse and then RR waxes about all his sexual escapades. He’s a male through and through. It is my experience, from having done both paid domestic work, and advocacy for a Filipina “nanny” right’s group, that men view any woman working in their home as wife in some or all capacities, and act on their entitlement without fail. Renee is just proving that Renee is a man, and the protestations about other men stepping into his role of a castrated man who got away with it are mere jealousy, in my opinion. Katherine Hepburn was long suspected of being a closeted lesbian, so her relationship with Arlene was quite probably a lesbian one. Men always get confused about women who live together… he can only imagine his “live in” woman (wife) as a servant… how convenient to exploit this woman who like to “take care of” people. The interviewer should have asked about wages, social security benefits etc. But what I wanted to hear, was more about why he now thinks trans should not be able to play women’s sports… more on that, because that’s a final admission that the whole thing is a fraudulent way to interfer with women’s sports. And if you ask me, most men I know are emotional weaklings, and if you compared their emotional health to women’s you’d find them sadly wanting. Humpf! The other thing that RR admitted to in the documentary was that he wanted to be on the women’s tennis tour not because he expected to win (and he admitted that specifically multiple times), but that he wanted to “prove” or “show” or something similar that he was a woman. That’s something that Mag has helped us see over and over with these creeps — they’ll use whatever means to make their point that they really are what they say they are. What better way than for a shallow, selfish, arrogant prick to crow to the world: “I must be a woman, I play on the women’s tennis circuit.” As for the “weak on estrogen” trope and the documentary, Mary Carillo made the point strenuously how the poor, poor RR was just so impacted by all those hormones raging through RR’s body!! Oh my god, I could just hear trans nation wringing their hankies, verklempt and gasping at the drama of it all! The poor dear!! How sad!! What a tragedy!! What a brave fellow!! But, what is going on, when, as Noan says, McEnroe recognized this prick for what he was, while Lesbians Billie Jean King and Martina supported him? It’s all that misplaced identifying with the “freak” and outcast, while worshipping the maleness. This is the crux of the problem: Women and Lesbians must stop defending and supporting these men. Bev Jo… the day that lesbians finally defend their own best interests and reject these creeps… well it’s like hoping for the cow to jump over the moon. Amazing how McEnroe was on to this creep but Billie Jean King and Martina… yikes… lesbians would let a male with a shot gun into the house… hey he was starving and limping and needed help… we are suckers! Ugh. I know, not all of us are suckers, but I swear, if I have to hear about one more lesbian wanting us all to get along, I’m going to scream!! I hate how we coalition our needs out of existence, and then we wonder why our community still is so poor, so poor in resources. The one thing we need to change is loyalty to lesbian nation… even a desire for our space, and the guts to kick out the trans, get rid of creeps like Elliot… keep our spaces safe. If only we could all JUST DO THAT!!

Description Quran and Modern Science: This lecture describes the scientific nature contained in the Qur’an and other subjects to specialists from other disciplines. Astronomers, zoologists, geologists and specialists in the history of the earth would all have been struck, just as forcibly as medical doctors, by the presence in the Qur’an of highly accurate reflections on natural phenomena.

The Polar Bear Scientists "In the world there are probably fewer than 30 people who spend all or most of their effort working with polar bears. A veteran polar bear biologist, and the man in charge of Alaskan polar bear research for the past thirty years, Dr. Steven Amstrup has worked full time on polar bears since he joined the Polar Bear Project in 1980. The Polar Bear Project conducts ongoing research on polar bear populations and habitats in the Southern Beaufort Sea in Barrow, Alaska. Now under the leadership of George Durner, the Project has collected four decades of detailed, valuable data about how polar bears are responding to sea ice changes in the Arctic. This information has helped raised awareness about polar bears and their plight, and the same data may one day help scientists make new decisions for polar bear survival. Amstrup and Durner now spend most of their time 725 miles south of Barrow, Alaska at the University of Alaska, Anchorage campus, conducting research and drawing conclusions based on the discoveries that their team makes. Those scientists include polar bear biologists Kristin Simac and Mike Lockhart, based at times out of the abandoned Navy Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow. Every spring scientists like Kristin and Mike go out for six to eight weeks to capture bears on the Southern Beaufort Sea. By capture one means "tranquilize, take samples and measurements, tag, and release" -- The Polar Bear Scientists begins on the first day of capture season and follows Kristin, Mike, and their helicopter mechanic as they fly through the skies over Barrow, looking for polar bears, and finding more water and less ice than they've seen in the past. The process of capturing polar bears is an exciting and challenging one. The polar bears have to be properly tranquilized in a safe area -- so just because the team spots a polar bear, doesn't mean they automatically try to capture it. Tranquilizing a bear too close to water or thin ice might mean the polar bear could stumble in and drown. It's also a challenge to tranq a mom bear and her babies, but when the opportunity presents itself, the team does its best to get the job done. Once they are on the ground with a captured bear, the research begins. All sorts of information and measurements are taken, blood is drawn, tags are affixed. What does it all mean? Are the polar bears getting smaller and moving further to find food every year? Is there more water and less ice than there was before? What can be done?".

A sensitive microplate hemagglutination-inhibition technique has been used to ascertain the distributions of secreted blood group substances (BGS) in a population of 176 semen specimens and to characterize the stability of these substances in dried semen stains. The BGS concentrations in semen were found to vary throughout a wide range of titer. Despite this latitude of variation, the titers for the component BGS within the blood groups could be described by a lognormal distribution function. Studies of a number of sequential semen specimens obtained from the same donors revealed that the intraindividual variation in BGS titers was much more limited than the interindividual BGS titers. Attempts to correlate variations in titers between A and H in Group A semen or B and H in Group B semen indicated that the levels of these component substances vary independently. Studies of the stability of BGS in Groups A and O semen suggested that these substances were stable when the semen stains were stored at −20°C, 4°C, or at ambient laboratory temperature in a dry state. In contrast, stains stored at 37°C under hunmid conditions suffered a dramatic loss in BGS titer, with the half-life of the BGS being on the order of 30 days.

Cyber Security Audits LeoDigital leading Information Security Services protect your business from data breaches, negative publicity, damaged credibility and disruption of services. We deliver world-class offerings, security knowledge and experience to provide you with comprehensive information security. Our offerings combine unmatched technology, services, support and highly certified security experts. That means no more managing multiple vendors, no more juggling disparate services and no more worrying about the security of your data and your business. With our track record of success, it means more time for your organization to focus on other operational areas, while we focus on information security excellence for you and your organization. About Leo Digital is a company with a deeply-rooted entrepreneurial culture, creative innovation at its core. Our forte lies in as much as amalgamating innovations and innovators viz; strategists, creatives, storytellers, designers, technologists and producers to conceive and create Ideas Without Limits as in digital marketing. A diverse team, multi-disciplinary processes, and collaborative culture enables to unlock unlimited innovation potential for our clients.

In the late '90s my wife, Sheryl, and I were on a romantic ski vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho. We still felt like newlyweds, in spite of having two beautiful baby boys from whom we'd escaped for a rare evening out. Sun Valley is one of my favorite spots. It's old school (as the site of North America's first chair lift) and glamorous (the home of Hemingway and early Hollywood royalty), and boasts one of the greatest ski mountains in the country. I had been going there since the mid-'80s and always liked the mix of people you might encounter at any given time. One evening at a big holiday party, I felt a tap on the shoulder. It was John Jr. "How've you been, man?" he asked with a smile. I introduced him to Sheryl. He congratulated us on our marriage. After a while Sheryl went off on her own, leaving the two of us alone in the corner watching the party move on around us. Even in this more rarefied crowd, you could feel the occasional glare of curious observation. A ski instructor passed by, a movie star; a local ski bunny brushed by John and flipped her hair. "How did you do it?" he asked, so low against the buzz of the party that I couldn't quite hear. "I'm sorry?" "How did you do it?" he repeated. "I mean how did you settle down? You of all people." I looked at him and he was smiling, almost laughing, as if covering something else, some other emotion, something I couldn't quite discern. At first I thought he might be gently poking fun at me; up until my marriage, my life had been publicly marked by a fair number of romances, some covered with great interest in the papers. But I saw that his question was real, and that he seemed to be grappling with a sort of puzzle he could not solve. I realized he was looking across the room to a willowy blonde. She had fantastic blue eyes, and the kind of beauty and magnetism that was usually reserved for film stars. She was standing next to my wife, Sheryl, also a blue-eyed blonde with a beauty and presence that made her seem as if a spotlight and wind machine were constantly trained on her. I put two and two together. "Looks like you have a great girl. That's half the battle right there. She's obviously amazing and if she's your best friend, marry her. You can do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't, that you're not ready, or not capable. Come on in, man, the water's warm. I'm here to tell you it is; if she's your friend in addition to all of the other stuff, pull the trigger, don't let her get away. You never know what life will bring."

Share this: I got this sweater dress for Layla for Thanksgiving from Baby Gap. Initially she wore it as a dress with stockings but now it serves as a great sweater with leggings for our windy SoCal days. I love getting multiple uses out of Layla’s clothes because kids grow out of stuff so fast! Share this: Share this: I like to give Layla eggs at least every other day because its a good source of protein and the yolk is rich in iron. Usually I make scrambled because its easier for her to pick up the chunks. With every meal I give her a side of fruit as well. Share this: Share this: Layla and I had a busy week last week, so we took it easy this weekend. On Saturday we took a quick trip to Ikea…I am in the works of setting up a little kitchen corner for Layla and wanted to see what Ikea had (as soon as I get everything, I’ll make sure to post some pics). Layla basically turned Ikea in to her own little playground and whats an Ikea trip without some ice cream? This was Layla’s first time trying ice cream at Ikea. After we met up with some friends and got some amazing cake from Susie’s Cakes (if you live in SoCal you must go)!. Layla was a huge fan of all their colorful delicious looking cupcakes. On Sunday Layla hung out with her cousins while I did some grocery shopping and made her fruit pouches for the week. I promise to get the recipe up later this week. I use the Infantino Squeeze Station to make my own homemade pouches. After we went on a picnic with some friends…Layla ran around for three hours, burnt some energy and passed out! Share this: Share this: We are all about breakfast in our household…if you can tell! But with work and play date schedules we’re always on a time crunch so I’ve tried to find quick but hearty breakfasts I can make for the whole family! We all love French Toast and eggs and this recipe literally takes under two minutes to make. What you need: 3 eggs, 3 pieces of toast (any kind you like…we use multigrain, but some like cinnamon or other sweet breads), cinnamon, milk and maple syrup. I like to use all organic products.

WWRL Hosts Blog #RandiRhodes blog: The GOP is DOA by Randi Rhodesposted Mar 21 2013 5:07PM The GOP is DOA. LOL. I love that the Republican self-assessment immediately became known as an “autopsy.” Republicans used to have consultants. Now they have coroners. No more Frank Luntz for Republicans. Now they have Jack Klugman as “Quincy.” Conservatives say that changing the party’s message will alienate conservatives. So what? Where are they going to go—back to 1952? The autopsy is 97 pages long. It takes Republicans a lot of pages to say “We need to stop being idiots.” I guess it takes a long time to explain things to idiots. Here’s the conundrum: the Republicans need to attract other people into their party—and they despise everybody who is not already a Republican. One day after Reince Priebus called for Republicans to bring more minorities into the party, the Arkansas Republicans passed a bill to suppress the minority vote. Yes, the Republicans want your vote—and if they can’t get it, they want to take it. Hey Reince, if you really want Republicans to appeal to minority voters, maybe you should tell Republicans. At CPAC, Michele Bachmann gave a fact-free speech attacking Obama for the “lifestyle of excess” he supposedly lives at taxpayer’s expense. Bachmann claims that Obama’s lifestyle costs $1.4 billion a year to maintain. For the record, the Bush White House cost about $1.6 billion per year to maintain. Who knew that bicycle maintenance was so expensive? So the Bush White House cost $200 million more per year to run than the figure Bachmann cites for Obama—and George wasn’t even at the White House most of the time. A town in Connecticut seems to be trying to match the ugliness of the Steubenville, Ohio case of rape by high school football players and blaming the victim. But Torrington, Connecticut has upped the ante by making the victims 13 years old. In Torrington the accused high school football players are 18, and the victims are 13. This rape case is to the Ohio rape case what Newtown was to Aurora. The crime is just as horrific, and everything is made worse by the fact that the victims are children. The charges involve statutory rape, or as Todd Akin calls it, “non-legitimate rape.” Just like in Ohio, local students have flooded social media with support for the accused and further attacks on the victims. One person posted “If it takes two then why is only one in trouble?” Uh, murder takes at least two people as well, you know. Should we charge murder victims? Listen to The Randi Rhodes Show Monday through Friday 6 PM to 8 PM on WWRL AM 1600.

Trending: Why more and more experienced workers want a new career in cannabis A quick look at almost any news article on America’s cannabis industry will confirm its growth has been historic. In fact, a report earlier this year by New Frontier Data predicts the legal marijuana industry will create nearly 255,000 jobs by 2020 – with total market sales reaching more than $24 billion nationally by 2025. And testimony to that surging interest in the industry was on display at the recent Vangst Cannabis Career Summit in downtown Denver – where scores of job seekers shook hands and dropped off résumés with representatives from about 35 companies. Some of those firms were looking to fill up to 20 open positions. But one thing that did distinguish this fifth job fair for Vangst Talent Network, according to founder and president Karson Humiston, was the rising level of professionalism to be found among those looking for employment. “In 2015, working in the cannabis industry wasn’t exactly normal,” she said during an interview with The Cannabist. “And a lot of people with long-term professional careers, families (and) obligations weren’t willing to take the risk in joining an industry with a lot of uncertainty around it.” But now, Humiston noted, more people with established careers outside of cannabis are considering the leap into legal marijuana. “A lot of candidates with 20-plus years experience in another industry are looking to break in and apply their skills, knowledge, experiences to the cannabis industry,” she added. The Cannabist spoke with several dozen job-hunters making the rounds at the career fair. Here are some edited highlights from those conversations: Candice Tillery (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Candice Tillery Age 31. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska. Has lived in Denver 5 ½ years. Previous work experience: Currently in the cannabis industry, working in software on regulatory compliance and inventory management. Looking for: New work within the industry, either in compliance or something requiring new skills. Ambition: “I am open to a lot of avenues right now.” Quote: “I’m here to switch up my career and I’d like to broaden my horizons. I got into the cannabis industry about four years ago. I was here (in Denver) for a while, did documentation and titling at an automotive dealership. And I was literally sitting at my desk one day. And it was like, ‘Is this the end? Do I want something more?’ When I realized the cannabis industry was almost like a whole new avenue for this generation that can’t find jobs, I decided to jump into it.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “I’m from Omaha, Nebraska, and there’s really not a lot of pushback. I was actually surprised. They probably don’t tell all their friends and family members what I do, but from the people I know I actually had very positive reactions to it.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think they just think it’s a whole bunch of stoners being lazy, and there’s money laundering and all this craziness going on. But there really isn’t. Everything is very strict; everything is very regimented. They track everything. So there’s no way for things to get out of control. So it’s a very enclosed and safe system.” Quote: “I’ve been in a wheelchair 34 years. I was injured when I was 13 in a bicycling accident. I use medical cannabis. I worked in professional kitchens for about ten years, between Denver, Fort Collins and Telluride — and Aspen as well. These past four years have been at home with my daughter; I’ve started to reenter the work field. (Cannabis) seems like a burgeoning industry and I have a lot of cooking experience.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? No. They’ve encouraged me to pursue this field. What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think they think it’s a big party. I don’t think that they get our regulations and our professionalism with regard to it. I don’t think they truly understand the respect that is required with use and how to properly behave and remain professional. It can be a part of people’s lives in so many ways.” Shermirah Brachah (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Shemirah Brachah Age 69. Moved to Denver from New York State three years ago. Previous work experience: Office management, project management, research, government management liaison with local governments in upstate New York, recruiting and training. Looking for: Office management, administrative assistant positions. Ambition: Leaning towards edibles industry. Quote: “I’m in the job market and this seems like an interesting avenue to pursue. I didn’t know what to expect as far as the competition, but I did think that it’s not as steep as maybe the general job market, because it’s specialized. I’m fascinated; personally interested in (cannabis) for the past 42 years. And coming from a state where it’s been illegal into a state where it’s legal and you can use it, I’ve found it most helpful. I have a car accident injury from 20 years ago; I don’t like meds that zonk me out. But with CBD tinctures and topicals I’m just so thankful that there’s an alternative.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “We’re very supportive of the industry and hopeful for its continued success.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “The stigmas that have been applied to it are really based on fear and ignorance. Because we have a track record of its use now, we know that in states where it’s legal, Medicaid and Medicare costs have gone down, older people using it are less reliant on traditional medicines. And it doesn’t make people crazy, the way the “Reefer Madness” movie portrayed, which was more like a zombie apocalypse story.” Tasha Benally (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Tasha Benally Age 37. Moved to Colorado from New Mexico 2-plus years ago, to work in legal cannabis. Previous work experience: Hospitality and hotel industry. Looking for: Budtending work and more involvement in the “retail part of the industry.” Quote: “I look at it more for medicinal purposes than recreational. That’s what a lot of people have moved here for, the medicinal part of it. Getting in the industry was a little bit easy because I went through a temporary agency, which provided cannabis classes for me: budtending classes, the METRC system (Colorado’s seed-to-sale tracking program), harvesting and trimming. They also gave you experience in a grow house as well.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “As far as my immediate family, no.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think it’s more of the government side as far as just charging people, the criminal part of it. … A lot of the states are looking at it as a bad drug, and it really is not.” Paul Evans (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Paul Evans Age 52. From Colorado Springs, lives in Denver. Previous work experience: Retired U.S. Air Force, medical marijuana patient. Looking for: A position in the retail or business side of the industry. Ambition: Working with PTSD vets, to let them know there’s a way to feel better without opiates. Quote: “I’ve had several back surgeries. I was prescribed tons of opiates, and I credit cannabis with being able to get me off of opiates, so I’m a believer. I’ve been a stay-at-home dad for some years now. My youngest is getting close to pre-K age, so it’s time for me to rejoin the workforce again.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana: “No, I’m very open with my family and friends about my use and they’re very supportive.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think it’s still a young enough industry that they don’t see the adult in the room yet. And I think that when so much has been coming out positive about cannabis, I almost think that there’s a whole bunch of people outside of Colorado who say, ‘Well they’re calling it a miracle drug and that’s obviously not true.’ I think Colorado has established that it’s workable, the sky doesn’t fall and now other states are really – based on Colorado’s performance – gearing up for it.” Erica Haferkamp (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Erica Haferkamp Age 41. Lives in Cleburne, Texas. Previous work experience: U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Director of marketing for a digital agency. Looking for: A director of marketing or marketing manager position in a tech startup or a cannabis wholesale company. Ambition: High and happy in Colorado! Quote: “Cannabis is something I love and so is marketing, and I would like to marry the two together. I’ll have to do my homework a lot on the actual plant even though I imbibe. I need to further my education but I don’t think it’s going to be hard, because I’m going to love every minute of it. And I think it’s great that I can be here in my suit and look as professional as I do and be standing next to someone with blue hair, and that we’re both equally accepted and can communicate our professional abilities.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “My family already knows that I take it because I’m a disabled veteran. I was on narcotics through the VA and I really didn’t like it or how it made me feel. And when my mom was going through brain cancer we decided to switch (to cannabis). It eased her pain and it really helps me on a daily basis.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think they’re having to deal with bad propaganda that started in the early 1900s. Our forefathers grew the plant.” Jonathan Parker (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Jonathan Parker Age 37. Moved to Denver from Texas three years ago to join the cannabis industry. Quote: “I’ve been in (marketing and advertising) for about 15 years: account management, project management. But (the cannabis industry) is something that hits with me on all cylinders. I’ve budtended. When I first got here, nobody cared about 15 years in advertising and marketing and that I was a C-suite executive. No one cared at all when you’re changing industries. It’s like I was speaking Greek. But I wanted to be here, I just wanted to be in this industry. So they started me at a front desk position and so I learned everything from there. Recently I was a store manager at a dispensary. I’m just trying to find a right niche. I like educating people about the product.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “Oh, yeah. Friends and family. They say, ‘You’re stupid. it’s not the right industry for you to be in, they’ll never be able to pay you what you’re worth.’ I remember when Leafly had their first ad in the New York Times. I put that up in my office and that was not good.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “This is a legit business. There are real business people in it, thinking on real business terms. It’s not some back-alley operation. If you ask anybody on the illegal side if they could be on the legal side, they’d say yes, hands-down, every day.” Lyndsay Rogers (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Lyndsay Rogers Age 39. Moved to metro Denver from San Francisco three months ago. Previous work experience: Customer service, retail, call centers. Looking for: Entry-level work in the cannabis industry. Ambition: Cannabis dispensary manager Quote: “It’s a good opportunity to see a lot of places that are hiring, a lot of places that have a lot of different positions in the industry and just start getting in, which is what I’m looking for. I got my MED (Colorado marijuana certification) badge two weeks ago, which means I can start working now. I’m getting my start here and then, if I end up going back to California, I’ll have the industry experience. Customer service is a big deal. You want to get people to come back, in a dispensary or wherever.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “There’s been a little incredulity about it, some criticism, but for the most part people are getting used to it.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “I think recreational kinds of skews it, because the medical is very specific. Recreational (cannabis) isn’t giving it a bad name, but I don’t think most people know what that difference is. It something that should be acceptable and should be used. And to have that shut down just for stigmas or misunderstanding would be unfortunate.” Doug Grego (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Doug Grego Age 25. Moved to Denver from Pittsburgh two months ago. Previous work experience: Chemical engineer at a manufacturing company. Looking for: Work in the cannabis extraction/concentrates industry. Ambition: To bring professionalism and accountability to the legal cannabis industry. Quote: “I’m ready to follow my passion, ready to build a career doing what I love, every single day. As chemical engineers we’re trained to look at a process as a whole. So I look at it from start to end, how do we improve things here. Especially 10 years down the line, when you you’re going to have multi-million square foot facilities pumping out concentrates. As a chemical engineer what we’re trained to do is design those massive plants, run those massive plants, understand how to scale things up and down.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “No. Actually my family has been extremely supportive of it. They were kind of naysayers back in the day, but this is the first time they’ve seen me passionate about something. They’re happy that I’m happy.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “A lot more young, technical professionals should be entering this industry. They’re going to need trained professionals to do this.” Debbie Brock (Bruce Kennedy, The Cannabist) Debbie Brock Age 42. Moved to Denver from Dallas, 10 years ago. Previous work experience: Accountant for property management and cannabis companies. Looking for: Accounting positions in the cannabis industry Ambition: To be a controller for a cannabis company. Quote: “I moved out here for camping. I wasn’t happy at the place (where I was working) and found the (cannabis) job on Craigslist – I said this was something I could really get into. I was the accounting department; I loved it. I’ve been doing accounting for 25 years and there’s only so much automation that can be done with that. They need to have trustworthy people in those positions.” Any pushback from friends and family about working in marijuana? “I did when I first moved to Colorado, but not anymore.” What misconceptions do you think people have about the legal cannabis industry? “A lot more people are doing it than what they realize; I mean grandmothers and stuff like that.”

The last time we checked in with Patrick Priebe he'd crafted a replica of the Dead Space plasma cutter using a pair of 1.5-watt blue lasers. This time he's back with a ridiculous spinning gatling gun packing a total of six 1.4-watt blue lasers, and a less intense green laser used for targeting. Watch in awe and horror as a wall of 26 balloons gets wiped out by its intense blue glare. Want to build your own? The YouTube video's About section puts an abrupt end to that ridiculous idea. "NO PLANS, NO TUTORIALS. NOT for sale, its just a prototype." And that's probably the best safety advice you'll read all day. [YouTube via Gizmag]

10 January 2019 by Rachel Holey Working in partnership with Spacecraft, a strategic digital design agency, accessibility and total digital inclusion underpin everything we do. The same should apply to you and your website if you want to ensure no one gets left behind.

Interpretive Summary: Improving the processing quality of sugarbeet would enhance beet sugar’s competitiveness with cane sugar and alternative sweeteners. Amino-nitrogen is one of the naturally occurring constituents of sugarbeet, referred to as impurities, that interferes with the extraction of sugar during normal factory operations. Amino-nitrogen concentration is of special interest because of its direct relationship to nitrogen fertility management. This study examined the extent amino-nitrogen concentration could be altered by selection within a genetically diverse line and the impact selection for amino-nitrogen had on other components of processing quality. Four cycles of selection for low amino-nitrogen concentration resulted in a 29% reduction; whereas, selection for high amino-nitrogen concentration increased the concentration by 50%, compared to the parental source. The line selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration had higher concentrations of two other impurity components, sodium and potassium, and a lower sucrose loss to molasses than the line resulting from selection for high amino-nitrogen concentration. Selection for amino-nitrogen concentration, either high or low, did not have a detectable impact on sucrose concentration. However, root yield of the line selected for low amino-nitrogen was 9 Mg ha-1 greater than the root yield of the line selected for high concentration. Attempts to improve processing quality by selecting for individual impurity components will be complicated by interactions among the impurity components and environmental interactions. Technical Abstract: Improvements in sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) processing quality, and therefore the cost-effectiveness of processing, will enhance beet sugar’s competitiveness with cane sugar and alternative sweeteners. Amino-nitrogen is one of the naturally occurring constituents of sugarbeet, referred to as impurities, that interferes with the extraction of crystallized sucrose during normal factory operations. Amino-nitrogen concentration is of special interest not only because of the relatively high weighting it receives in most formulas used to estimate the sucrose loss to molasses, but also because of its direct relationship to nitrogen fertility management. This study examined the extent amino-nitrogen concentration could be altered by selection within a broad-based germplasm line and the impact selection for amino-nitrogen had on other components of processing quality. Four cycles of mass selection for low amino-nitrogen concentration resulted in a 29% reduction; whereas, selection for high amino-nitrogen concentration increased the concentration by 50%, compared to the parental source. The line selected for low amino-nitrogen concentration had higher concentrations of two other impurity components, sodium and potassium, and a lower sucrose loss to molasses than the line resulting from selection for high amino-nitrogen concentration. Selection for amino-nitrogen concentration, either high or low, did not have a detectable impact on sucrose concentration. However, root yield of the line selected for low amino-nitrogen was 9 Mg ha-1 greater than the root yield of the line selected for high concentration. Attempts to improve processing quality by selecting for individual impurity components will be complicated by interactions among the impurity components and environmental interactions.

Nerfs Blizzard's latest Hearthstone nerfs try to tone down the power of Galakrond Shaman, but this deck won't even feel these changes. Have you played Hearthstone recently? The Descent of Dragons expansion came with some rather powerful cards. Now, we have seen cases of Shamanstone before. This class is either never played or it completely… Hearthstone players are all gleaming with joy now that one of the most brutally aggressive classes got a pretty important nerf. Rogue is always a problem in Hearthstone. No matter what cards they get in the new expansions, their… Giggling Inventor, Mana Wyrm, and Aviana have all been nerfed in the latest Hearthstone balance patch for being too powerful in the current meta. Giggling Inventor is a card that had a power level too great for one card. Absolutely… Why does my boy Ornn get nerfed all the time? Granted, when he first came out, he was a tanky CC machine that could kill pretty much anyone while disrupting the entire enemy team. He was also very hard to kill, but after a steady stream of… We talked about the latest nerfs that Blizzard announced for Hearthstone, and now they are here. Surprisingly, besides the changes to certain deck archetypes that needed a power adjustment, there were even changes to a card that is now only… Besides the new sessional event that we got in the form of the Overwatch Archives 2018, there's also a new patch. As you would expect from a patch, it's bringing lots of bugfixes, but also some changes to the heroes, most notably Reaper and…

One of my favorite tracks on the album. The video is awesome in some parts and sort of iffy in others. I would pre-order the shit out of that shirt if it didn't have a picture of a guy with ropes around his neck. Mehr

Search form Search form A pilot project called Better Together provided home-based palliative care in the U.K. and reduced hospital admissions for patients with advanced congestive heart failure and increased the likelihood they would die at home or in hospice. Researchers reported in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care that the team-based program was designed to identify and manage patients who did not respond to treatment. Related Summaries Patients with hematologic cancers were least likely to die at home or in hospice, according to a study published in PloS Medicine. Patients who were divorced, widowed or single were less likely than married patients to die at home or in hospice. Baby boomers who become caregivers for parents can find it has serious financial consequences, especially if their retirement savings and other investments were reduced by the recession, Elizabeth O'Brien writes in her Retire Well column. Many caregivers do not have a long-term strategy and begin to look ahead only when a parent needs help. The first step is to start a family discussion, she writes. Patients and families need help coping with their feelings, hopes and fears along with symptoms of disease, and not just treatment for their illnesses, Dr. Ira Byock told MidMichigan Health's 12th Annual Spiritual Care Conference. A "shift of mindset" is needed for health care professionals because their training is so focused on medical aspects of care, he said. Advance directives help foster communication and counseling for families making stressful decisions, he said. Scripps Health asked a bankruptcy court for permission to acquire the assets of the San Diego Hospice, which said it would close in the aftermath of a Medicare audit of its enrollment policies. "I think there's a growing understanding of hospice care for society and it makes sense for us to have it within our system," said Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder, who added with court approval the company would be able to offer appropriate care based on patient preferences. Indiana University researchers surveyed primary care physicians about colon cancer screening using different patient examples and found 45% would test a 50-year-old with unresectable lung cancer, 37% would test a similar 65-year-old and 25% would test an 80-year-old person with that diagnosis. University of California at San Francisco geriatrics professor Dr. Ken Covinsky in GeriPal writes that it is difficult to envision physicians considering colon cancer tests for these patients "thinking clearly about the extensive range of palliative services their patient really needs."

Reflections on God's Love and Reflecting God's Love in our Lives Being God’s Beloved: Day 29: Jesus and Judgement Being God’s Beloved: Reflections on God’s Love. On Day 17, when we reflected on God’s Love and God’s Standards, we saw how Jesus, in fulfilling the Law, actually raised the standards by requiring not merely outward compliance with Law, but a whole-hearted, authentic expression of Love. This culminated in his command for us to be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Given these tremendously high standards, where there is no place to hide, we might expect Jesus to be perpetually disappointed in us and quick to judge. After all, with such high standards, we all wind up failing much of the time. Yet, Jesus’ ministry frequently combines judgement and forgiveness, high standards and generous love. The narrative that perhaps most strongly juxtaposes judgement and forgiveness is the story in John 7:53-8:11 of the woman caught in adultery. This narrative was incorporated rather late into our Bibles, and most Bible scholars are in agreement that it was not written by John.[1] However, most scholars are also convinced that it is an authentic account of Jesus’ ministry and therefore it has been accepted in our Bible. We can, I believe, have full confidence in the veracity of this story as reflecting Jesus’ ministry and voice. Here Jesus presents himself as the forgiveness of sins – “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11a). But he also requires and empowers the woman to change – “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11b). This woman is brought by the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees to trap Jesus. They present him with a seemingly impossible challenge – if he says they should not stone her, he violates the Law; if he agrees that she must be stoned, he violates his principle of Love. It was a clever ploy. In doing this, however, they perpetrate a terrible crime against this woman. They dehumanise her. They disregard the fact that she is created in the Image of God. “They made her stand before the group” (John 8:3) suggests that she was standing in the middle of a circle of men – Jesus, perhaps some of Jesus’ disciples and the teachers and Pharisees, with probably a gathering circle of onlookers around them. This in itself is profoundly humiliating – she has no place to hide, no support, no dignity. And we may rightly ask, as many have, where was the adulterous man? It takes two to commit adultery. Why just the woman? This story has therefore been seen as a key example of patriarchy and misogyny in the Bible – of the subjugation of women by men. Let us be clear, that the Old Testament takes a strong stand against adultery, something contemporary society has all but abandoned. Deuteronomy 22:22 says, “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel” (see also Leviticus 20:10). But note that the judgement is against both the man and the woman. So the teachers and Pharisees’ statement, “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women” (John 8:5), is a half-quote, which further points to their exploitation of her – their objectification of her – to achieve their own purposes. Jesus is thus faced with two human problems, both deserving of judgement: the woman has committed adultery and the men have dehumanised one of God’s beloved. Jesus chooses to address the men’s sin first, and then the woman’s. “Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger” (John 8:6b). What is this writing about? There have been many theories,[2] though in truth, of course, we don’t know. If we physically act out the scene, however, we find a possible explanation. The Pharisees arrived full of zeal and bluster, angry at the woman, eager to trip Jesus up and fully expecting to succeed. But having presented to Jesus their case, there is a moment of silence – they hold their breathe to hear what he has to say; she is standing in the middle, clutching her robe and wishing to die; the crowds are drawing closer in anticipation of something exciting. And Jesus bends down and starts to write in the ground. It is as if time is suspended. The men are in shocked disbelief. The woman is so dissociated she is oblivious to what is going on. The crowds are whispering to each other, “What’s going on? What is he doing?” Indeed, what is he doing? Some of the men come up behind Jesus to peer over his shoulder, to see what he is writing. Is he writing down the Law of Moses? Is he writing down the woman’s sin? Is he writing down their own sins? What is he writing? They can’t make out what he is writing, so they stoop down themselves, to get a better look, screwing up their eyes to make it out. Jesus has created a pocket of suspended time; a moment of stillness in the midst of the fervour. The woman is, for now, forgotten, saved from the hostile glares – Jesus’ writing is now the centre. The peering men lose confidence in their assumption that they will beat Jesus, and begin to experience doubt and uncertainty. Inevitably, they begin to fear that Jesus is writing something about them. Perhaps they too have some sin that is worthy of stoning. Perhaps they, like her, will be publically humiliated. What if he knows what they are hiding in their hearts, their secrets? Some of the men continue to question Jesus. He suddenly stands up and says the famous words, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7b). And then he stoops down again and continues to write on the ground (John 8:8). Jesus’ doodling in the dust[3] has prepared the soil for the confrontation, not of the woman, but of the men. They are ready now to recognise their own sin, the injustice of their actions, their ill-treatment of the woman. In the face of such an invitation, how could they stone her? Perhaps, they think, this is a good time to abandon this ploy and get away. Fortunately, Jesus has gone back to his doodling, so they can escape without him watching, judging – a moment of grace. The older ones are the first to recognise that they have no legs to stand on; the younger ones take a little longer to let go of their pride and self-assurance, but even they do, until they have all dispersed. By this point, Jesus has saved the woman from public humiliation by drawing attention off her, confronted the men with their own sin by his doodling and statement (which is a form of judgement), and invited them to repent by not watching as they give up on their ploy go home (which is a form of forgiveness). All who are now left are Jesus and the woman. He stands up, and asks her two questions: “Woman, where are they?” and “Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10). He speaks to her with dignity, “Woman”. He does not judge or attack. He asks her questions, in order to engage with her as a human being. Jesus is humanising her again – recognising her worth as a person, her dignity as a creature of God, her value as a woman. She says, “No one, Sir”; and he says, “Then neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11a). Jesus was the only one there who was without sin – he was the only one with the right to stone her. And yet, he withholds judgement. He could condemn her, because he is sinless and because she has indeed sinned by committing adultery. But he elects to not condemn. This is a statement of forgiveness. Even though he does not say it straight, “I forgive you your sin”, these words of forgiveness are inevitably implied in his words.[4],[5] And finally he says, “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11b). He does not pretend that she is sinless. Forgiveness is not about acting as if someone has not sinned. She was, indeed, deserving of judgement. Nevertheless, notwithstanding her sin, Jesus forgives. In the tension between judgement and forgiveness, condemnation and grace, love always wins, because love is at the heart of God. “Jesus does not condone her sin – he specifically calls it ‘sin’ – but he does forgive it, and as all forgiven Christians know, this free, undeserved pardon is the single greatest incentive for new and improved behaviour.”[6] Jesus’ words convey a sense of empowering her to not sin – it is more than just an exhortation or instruction; it is also an equipping for a life of purity. Judgement is present when we sin. Jesus in no way condones, permits or even tolerates sin. Sin is everything that goes contrary to God’s desire and vision for us. But it is also entrenched in the character and values of God to reconcile, to forgive and to empower. In this story, we see Jesus doing all of this with both the men and the woman. All are convicted of their sin, and in this way judge themselves. And all are forgiven and given a chance to live a life that is worthy of God’s love for us. We are all God’s beloved ones. God finds creative ways to mediate between offenders and victims that remind all of us that we are sinners in need of grace, and that we are loved-ones in need of forgiveness. Meditation for the Day Think of those times that you have relied on God’s forgiveness – where judgement was warranted, but you still asked for and accepted forgiveness. Think also of those times when you have been reluctant to forgive someone else – where judgement has had the upper hand. Prayer for the Day Merciful God. Thank you that you are always willing to forgive, even when I am deserving of judgement. Infiltrate my heart and mind with a culture of forgiveness and generosity. [1] Bruner, pp. 507-508. [2] Bruner, pp. 505-506. [3] I am of the view that he was just doodling, not writing. His doodling was intended to draw attention off the woman and onto the men, and to invite introspection and doubt. Post navigation 2 thoughts on “Being God’s Beloved: Day 29: Jesus and Judgement” Adrian – I am so grateful for these reflections, thank you. Each day has been meaningful. I am nearing the end of a rather grueling (for me) week. Now in dar es salaam. Your daily reflections have sustained me. Interestingly, I am unable to access the you tube Michael card song as it is unavailable for copywrite reasons in Tanzania …. I will listen when I return home. I do hope this will not be your last series! I also look forward to the compiled book of daily reflections as I might have missed some and it would be good to read through as one ‘story’. May you have a blessed day and as always you and your ministry remain in my prayers. Welcome! My name is Adrian. I am a lay preacher at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Anglican Church, in Irene, South Africa. I am a professor of social work between Sundays. I’m married to Trina and we have a 19 year old son. I love the opportunity to preach – to reflect on God’s love for the world and our calling to be loving in response.

Episode 2: So Sexy She Might Pass Out What's Hot Today So Sexy She Might Pass Out 395 watches Ryuko is fatigued after her battle and retreats, eventually passing out and ending up in the care of Mako's family. That night, Ryuko recalls how she was introduced to the uniform, which she decides to name Senketsu, who was created by her father. The next day, Ryuko comes across the tennis club captain, Omiko Hakodate, who knocks her away when Senketsu fails to activate. She is found by her teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, who explains Senketsu is a Kamui that requires her blood to operate, providing her with a glove to help her in that regard. Ryuko then goes to face Omiko which, after some interference from Mako, results in a tennis match between the two. Ryuko gets off to a rough start, but soon manages to fight back with her scissor blade and destroy Omiko's Goku Uniform, winning the match on technicality. Afterwards, Satsuki herself appears before Ryuko to challenge her to a fight, wielding a blade that can cut through Senketsu, prompting Ryuko to escape. Ryuko is fatigued after her battle and retreats, eventually passing out and ending up in the care of Mako's family. That night, Ryuko recalls how she was introduced to the uniform, which she decides to name Senketsu, who was created by her father. The next day, Ryuko comes across the tennis club captain, Omiko Hakodate, who knocks her away when Senketsu fails to activate. She is found by her teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, who explains Senketsu is a Kamui that requires her blood to operate, providing her with a glove to help her in that regard. Ryuko then goes to face Omiko which, after some interference from Mako, results in a tennis match between the two. Ryuko gets off to a rough start, but soon manages to fight back with her scissor blade and destroy Omiko's Goku Uniform, winning the match on technicality. Afterwards, Satsuki herself appears before Ryuko to challenge her to a fight, wielding a blade that can cut through Senketsu, prompting Ryuko to escape.

We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.Find out moreJump to Content About Oxford Medicine Online is a digital platform hosting Oxford University Press' prestigious medical titles. This resource brings together authoritative texts by world-renowned authors available online for the first time. "It has the advantage of being able to go to one place and look up almost anything you want to look up" - Craig Panner, Associate Editorial Director, Medical Books Learn more about Oxford Medicine Online: We have published over 1,000 books on Oxford Medicine Online, many of which include exclusive digital tools such as videos to further enrich your learning and practice. Our online medical content continues to grow through new series titles, which include:

Rated 4 / 5 stars2005-08-10 22:08:16 Rated 4 / 5 stars2005-08-09 02:02:18 Good Job Someone reviewed this and said in the end it was too boring. He must be right, Columbine was really boring. (Sarcasm) I think you did an awesome job. Things could have been longer, not perfect of course, but it kept me thinking. Alot of people want to forget things like this, and not actually think why it happened or how it could happen so easily again. Well done, keep submitting flash.

Your stateroom offers up to 472 square feet in which to unwind. Wrap yourself in the soft bathrobe, ease into your slippers, then settle down to a film on your TV. The turndown service sets the tone for a comfortable night's sleep. Your stateroom offers up to 472 square feet in which to unwind. Wrap yourself in the soft bathrobe, ease into your slippers, then settle down to a film on your TV. The turndown service sets the tone for a comfortable night's sleep. Your stateroom offers up to 472 square feet in which to unwind. Wrap yourself in the soft bathrobe, ease into your slippers, then settle down to a film on your TV. The turndown service sets the tone for a comfortable night's sleep. Luxuriate in your own secluded haven of approximately 520-707 square feet, featuring marble bathrooms and whirlpool baths. An expansive private balcony commands impressive sea views, perfect for sipping champagne or curling up with one of the books on offer. Refrigerators are stocked to your preferences; your concierge or butler will gladly attend to your every whim. Catch the sea breeze on two exclusively reserved terraces, or relax in feather-soft terry robes on your own private balcony, charting your position in the atlas. Your lavish suite occupies up to 513 square feet, with flourishes that include personalised stationery, a Bon Voyage bottle of wine, fresh fruit, and a concierge service; there's even a pillow concierge to ensure you sleep soundly. Luxuriate in your own secluded haven of approximately 508-771 square feet, featuring marble bathrooms and whirlpool baths. An expansive private balcony commands impressive sea views, perfect for sipping champagne or curling up with one of the books on offer. Refrigerators are stocked to your preferences; your concierge or butler will gladly attend to your every whim. Luxuriate in your own secluded haven of approximately 508-771 square feet, featuring marble bathrooms and whirlpool baths. An expansive private balcony commands impressive sea views, perfect for sipping champagne or curling up with one of the books on offer. Refrigerators are stocked to your preferences; your concierge or butler will gladly attend to your every whim.

Description SUCCESSFUL MOTEL, 80% OCCUPANCY with mostly month to month renters. Has a 2 bedroom apartment for a Manager's living quarters, next to the Motel Office. Total of 12 Units: 5-two room units with Kitchenette, 4 efficiency one room units with Kitchenette, and 3 standard motel rooms with 2 queen beds each, no kitchen. Most units completely remodeled in 2017. Detached Garage/Workshop/Storage for a property manager. A common area Laundry room, and 24+ parking spaces. All furnishings are included, and most long term renters wish to stay. All information is deemed reliable; however, it is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Real Estate offerings are subject to error, omissions, prior sale, change, withdrawal without notice and approval of seller. Properties are provided courtesy of Springfield MLS. All information is deemed reliable; however, it is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Real Estate offerings are subject to error, omissions, prior sale, change, withdrawal without notice and approval of seller. Properties are provided courtesy of Springfield MLS.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon gets physical with Winnipeg Jets center Bryan Little at the net during the first period at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday, September 21, 2013. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo) Minnesota Wild's Marco Scandella, left, and Winnigeg Jets' Jerome Samson, right, go after the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid) ST. PAUL, MN – SEPTEMBER 11: Marco Scandella of the Minnesota Wild poses for his official headshot for the 2013-2014 season on September 11, 2013 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Andy King/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marco Scandella *** Local Caption *** Marco Scandella ST. PAUL, MN – SEPTEMBER 11: Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild poses for his official headshot for the 2013-2014 season on September 11, 2013 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Andy King/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jared Spurgeon *** Local Caption *** Jared Spurgeon Marco Scandella has about 6 inches and 40 pounds on his Wild defensive partner, Jared Spurgeon. But despite their physical differences, Scandella said, they play a similar game when they’re together. Both Wild defensemen have taken advantage of coach Mike Yeo’s newfound desire to have blue liners jump into the rush, and it has led to scoring chances. “Skating is one of my strong suits,” Scandella said. “I think I have to bring that more in my game. I have the ability to do that more, and when me and Spurgeon are playing well, we have the opportunity to get in the rush.” Despite their strong play moving the puck, Yeo said it’s still the defensive play that has stuck out with the pair. “Those guys, as impressive as their execution and their willingness to get up ice is, I thought that they defended really well (Friday night),” Yeo said. “I thought Marco had a really strong game. He skates well, he’s got a big, rangy stick, he separates guys and he’s been in good position. “But the way that those guys can skate and move the puck, there’s not question that we want them involved in the offensive part of our game. When there’s an opportunity to get up ice, to beat a man, to get involved in the rush, we definitely want those guys part of that.” Chad Graff joined the Pioneer Press in April of 2013 -- long enough to cover three straight Wild playoff exits at the hands of the Blackhawks -- after working for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe. He's lived in California and Texas, but most recently spent a decade in New Hampshire. He watched New England fans celebrate seven championships in his time there, yet somehow his only sports allegiance lies with Nebraska football. As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here. More in Sports For the first time since going down in August 2016 with a torn ACL, Teddy Bridgewater will be back this week on the practice field. The Vikings quarterback was cleared Monday by a doctor, and head coach Mike Zimmer said he will practice Wednesday. Although Bridgewater is eligible now to come off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, Zimmer... It looks like Zach Parise’s return to the Wild lineup might have to be put on hold. Parise left Monday’s practice at St. Thomas Ice Arena after only about 20 minutes following a session in which players went through intense one-on-one drills. “I talked briefly with (general manager) Chuck (Fletcher) and he said it was setback,” coach Bruce Boudreau said.... If star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. can’t recover from his hamstring injury this season, the Gophers will explore applying for a medical redshirt for him to gain an additional year of eligibility. Winfield, a sophomore, was carted off the practice field after initially hurting his left hamstring in preseason camp on Aug. 8. He returned to play in all three... Taj Gibson was entering his second season with the Bulls when Tom Thibodeau was named the team’s head coach. Five years the coach and forward spent together in Chicago, yet they only really spoke for the final three of them. “I didn’t speak to Thibs for almost two years,” Gibson said. Jimmy Butler had a similar experience in Chicago, saying... The Vikings spent the entirety of their shortened week preparing for a quarterback so revered that Everson Griffen called Aaron Rodgers “the best,” while Mike Zimmer said he can’t recall a quarterback who can do what Rodgers consistently does. And then 7 minutes, 56 seconds into a much-anticipated border battle, everything changed for an already swarming Vikings defense. Rodgers exited...

Virtual Reality & Kids Posted by: Jessica Oaks - April 18, 2016 It's not uncommon to see kids as young as two expertly using smartphones to play games and watch videos with no parental intervention required. Given the high demand for the Oculus Rift and the growing availability of mid-priced VR headsets like the Gear VR for the Samsung Galaxy S7 (the most affordable VR experience available at the moment), you can expect that kids from toddlers to teens will be immersing themselves in virtual worlds in the near future. Just because kids have a knack for adapting to new technology doesn't mean that a future where VR gaming is the norm will be a healthy one. In fact, the current crop of major headset manufacturers seem to agree that virtual reality is a 13+ pursuit. However, there are developers churning out kid-friendly titles that work with everything from Google Cardboard to the more expensive headsets, such as Mattel's new View-Master – a Cardboard-esque take on the original that's designed for and marketed to young children. So assuming virtual reality is here to stay and will become a fixture in the average home, it only makes sense to think of the positive applications. VR in the Classroom Laptops and tablets opened up a new range of educational experiences for students and it's inevitable that virtual reality technology will do the same – particularly in cash-strapped districts where field trips are out of the question. Nearpod VR lesson plans are currently being tested in classrooms in the San Francisco Unified School District and Polk County Public Schools in Florida. The curriculum (which includes VR and non-VR content), paired with branded Google Cardboard units, lets kids go on virtual field trips that include first-person tours of notable sites like the caves on Easter Island, the Great Barrier Reef, Giza's pyramids, historical US landmarks, and more. VR in Hospitals and at Home VR Kids is one nonprofit organization that believes in the power of virtual reality to improve the quality of life of mobility impaired and hospital bound kids. They bring all of the virtual reality equipment necessary to create a personalized therapeutic experience in homes and hospitals. In some cases, these experiences are designed to offer a few moments of peace before surgery or other medical procedures. In others, VR gives kids relief from stress and anxiety or a chance to explore new spaces when they are unable to do so in the real world. Clearly virtual reality systems like the Gear VR and others will find footing as more than merely toys, despite the early influx of kids' games without much substance. It's likely that widespread consumer adoption will come before the widespread use of VR in schools and in healthcare simply because kids and parents will need to be familiar with the technology before administrators in both settings will agree to explore it as a tool. In the meantime, parents shouldn't shy away from introducing kids to virtual reality games. Treat this tech like anything else. Read the manual, set limits as a family, and have fun! It's not uncommon to see kids as young as two expertly using smartphones to play games and watch videos with no parental intervention required. Given the high demand for the Oculus Rift and the growing availability of mid-priced VR headsets like the Gear VR for the Samsung Galaxy S7 (the most affordable VR experience available at the moment), you can expect that kids from toddlers to teens will be immersing themselves in virtual worlds in the near future. Just because kids have a knack for adapting to new technology doesn't mean that a future where VR gaming is the norm will be a healthy one. In fact, the current crop of major headset manufacturers ;seem to agree that virtual reality is a 13+ pursuit. However, there are developers churning out kid-friendly titles that work with everything from Google Cardboard to the more expensive headsets, such as Mattel's new View-Master – a Cardboard-esque take on the original that's designed for and marketed to young children. So assuming virtual reality is here to stay and will become a fixture in the average home, it only makes sense to think of the positive applications. VR in the Classroom Laptops and tablets opened up a new range of educational experiences for students and it's inevitable that virtual reality technology will do the same – particularly in cash-strapped districts where field trips are out of the question. Nearpod VR lesson plans are currently being tested in classrooms in the San Francisco Unified School District and Polk County Public Schools in Florida. The curriculum (which includes VR and non-VR content), paired with branded Google Cardboard units, lets kids go on virtual field trips that include first-person tours of notable sites like the caves on Easter Island, the Great Barrier Reef, Giza's pyramids, historical US landmarks, and more. VR in Hospitals and at Home VR Kids is one nonprofit organization that believes in the power of virtual reality to improve the quality of life of mobility impaired and hospital bound kids. They bring all of the virtual reality equipment necessary to create a personalized therapeutic experience in homes and hospitals. In some cases, these experiences are designed to offer a few moments of peace before surgery or other medical procedures. In others, VR gives kids relief from stress and anxiety or a chance to explore new spaces when they are unable to do so in the real world. Clearly virtual reality systems like the Gear VR and others will find footing as more than merely toys, despite the early influx of kids' games without much substance. It's likely that widespread consumer adoption will come before the widespread use of VR in schools and in healthcare simply because kids and parents will need to be familiar with the technology before administrators in both settings will agree to explore it as a tool. In the meantime, parents shouldn't shy away from introducing kids to virtual reality games. Treat this tech like anything else. Read the manual, set limits as a family, and have fun!

Production Multihulls Have a sail-away vessel built to your specifications A number of boat builders specialise in building our designs, some are smaller yards who build customised boats, others are full production yards using molds. Whatever your needs, we can have your dream catamaran built for you by the World's best! Optimus Yachtbuilders Optimus Yachtbuilders produce the Optimus range of production catamarans, based on the Arrow Series. Electric propulsion and regeneration systems by Oceanvolt. Solar systems by Sunbeam. Sizing of lithium battery-banks and solar capacity is optimized in collaboration with the Flemish Innovation partner VITO. Optimus yachts have ample self-sufficiency for traveling and making fast-crossings in any part of the world. Cure Composites Cure Composites are a highly regarded factory that has produced a number of Schionning designs including the G-Force 1500, Legend 60 and G-Force 1800 SSS designs. Specialising in lightweight construction of both racing and cruising vessels, Cure Composites are among the top composite manufacturers in the world. Multihulls PCM Multihulls PCM are builders of the PCM 330, a great little cruiser for all conditions. Featuring all of the Prowler design features such as excellent fuel efficiency, unrivaled stability and a fantastic smooth ride in any sea conditions you can't go past this price! Take a look at the Multihulls PCM website for more. Pantawee Marine Pantawee Marine are offering Schionning designs built under qualified foreign supervision standards from their factory in Pattaya City in Thailand. They have extensive experience and have been operating for over 20 years building sailing and power vessels up to 65'. Location: Chonburi, Thailand Balticat Werft Balticat Werft are a specialised composite boatbuilder based in Germany, who offer the Arrow 1200 and G-Force 1500. A reputable builder of seaworthy, fast catamarans that can tailor a build project to suit you. Noosa Marine Noosa Marine specialise in custom boat building services and work closely consulting with the owners and designers to create a craft that will suit their needs. When taking on a project, the client can be assured that their project will get full dedication with an outstanding result. Julian has been responsible for some very impressive boats on the water, including a G-Force 1500, G-Force 1800 (pictured) and the G-Force 2000. Current Marine Current Marine are an experienced Schionning building yard located in Knysna on the East coast of South Africa. With 2 Arrow 1200 designs currently being finished in the Current Marine factory, and having finished a G-Force 1400 previously, their team can handle any of our designs. Northstar Yachts Northstar Yachts are a production firm that are capable of building the performance oriented G-Force 1500 Cruise in CE Certification as well as the Arrow Series. Northstar have a large factory in Cape Town and have launched one G-Force 1500C 'MAJOR TOM' thus far.

“I just wanted to say never give up,” writes a sixth-grader named Savannah who attends Clarendon Elementary School. The letter is one of many that were written by local students for Little Ferry families who suffered great losses as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Inside a green tree, one student quotes the wizard Albus Dumbledore from the “Harry Potter” series, “Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, only if one remembers to turn on the light.” In addition to the letters, school children, parents, teachers and school staff have helped send loads of books, clothing, toys, and household items to Little Ferry classrooms and families. Huber Street Elementary School sent more than 20 cases of books for kindergarten and first grade classrooms, while Clarendon Elementary School sent families more than 20 boxes filled with food, plus toys, clothing, household items, and furniture in addition to a number of gift cards. Helping fellow teachers Huber Street Elementary School Principal Linda Wilhelm initiated the effort. She reached out to Huber Street Educator Sharon Holsten and Clarendon Educator Felicia Maloney to coordinate the drive at their schools respectively. “We heard a lot of things about Little Ferry,” said Wilhelm in regard to the destruction and loss from Hurricane Sandy. “We have a couple teachers who live here. We have a grandparent of a child in one of the schools...I wanted to do something.” Over 80 percent of buildings in Little Ferry were damaged, according to news reports. The storm’s tidal surge caused the Hackensack River to overflow and flood homes and buildings. The kindergarten and first grade classrooms in Washington School until recently were uninhabitable. Holsten contacted Donna Doran in Little Ferry to figure out what type of donations would work best. Doran works for the Little Ferry Health Department and has been designated as the Humanitarian Aide. Holsten, who teaches fourth grade at Huber, suggested to Doran getting the kindergarten and first grade teachers personal classroom materials – items that they would normally have purchased out of pocket to help grow their libraries or learning activities. “That is what I would miss the most…if my personal children’s library was destroyed,” said Holsten. “It is very difficult to run a classroom without having things at your disposal and they lost everything.” She sent out a letter to parents asking for a book donation per child and also sent a letter to teachers asking for contributions of puzzles, learning activities, and other educational materials. The entire elementary school pitched in. School children brought in enough books to fill 20 cases. “They were so generous,” said Holsten. “It really could happen anywhere, at any time. It could have very well been us,” noted Holsten. Helping families Maloney teaches special education at Clarendon Elementary School. When Maloney spoke to Doran she learned about families who needed assistance. “As we spoke…she began to tell me about the families,” said Maloney. “They had all been displaced.” At the onset Clarendon adopted a family with three children: ages ten, seven, and seven months. However, with each subsequent call to Doran, Maloney learned more about other families in need. When Maloney asked what the families needed, she was told, “everything.” The entire school got involved including parents, teachers, and children. Clarendon collected a variety of items including clothing, new toys, glasses, mugs, and other household items. They also gave a dining room set, a bedroom set, and three bicycles. “At least the families have something to start with,” said Maloney. For the family with the baby, the school secured a crib, highchair, and walker. One teacher bought each of the three children winter coats because they needed them immediately. Other donated items included a comforter, bed sheets, pillowcases, stuffed animals, and books. “People were very, very generous,” said Maloney. Among the donations, the school also sent one mom a $300 gift card to use anywhere in addition to gift cards to local supermarkets and retail shops. One school staff member collected $1,000 among her family and friends for a hardware store gift card so that a family could purchase a washer and dryer. In addition to the physical contributions, students have written letters and made holiday cards for Little Ferry families. Maloney said that they could open them on Christmas day.

Google’s Chromecast companion app for iOS has just been updated, with the marquee feature being the introduction of that Material Design which users have been craving for. Full details, as well as those download link, can be seen after the break. Just as Apple did last year with iOS 7, Google has overhauled the appearance of its mobile platform, but whereas most of the Cupertino’s changes were skin deep – at least, until iOS 8 arrived a few months back – Material Design is pushing a new “layered” initiative that seeks to offer a more streamlined user experience. Android 5.0 Lollipop, which arrives with Material Design out of the box, has yet to reach the vast majority of smartphones and tablets that will eventually run it, but nonetheless, those waiting have caught snippets with updates to a number of the Big G’s major apps. Gmail has already been treated to the UI changes, to name but one, and with the search giant also ensuring that its range of apps for iOS are catered to, Chromecast now boasts Material Design. Chromecast, lest we forget, has been something of a revelation itself. The super-cheap HDMI dongle enables streaming from all manner of devices straight to television sets, and operates in a similar manner to a set-top. Being as cheap as it is – you can now snap one up online for less than $30 if you’re lucky enough – many have taken a punt at buying one, and the move to release the product last year has prompted rivals like Apple and Amazon into drastic action. As well as Material design, the changelog on the App Store allude to some bug fixes and stability amendments, so if you’ve encountered any nagging issues, the update is waiting for you below. Owning a Chromecast is not obligatory – the app is free, after all – but you won’t get much use out of it unless you do, and if you like streaming content from device to TV, it’s well worth the small investment.

Is Obligatory Holiday Sex a Thing? When it comes to sex, I’ve always kind of gone by the rule that it’s a good thing to do when one or both partners are up for it (preferably both, I suppose, now that I really think about it). But according to an article at Momlogic.com, there’s a whole world out there of unspoken pressure to have sex on random holiday nights like New Year’s Eve, and that pressure means that sometimes, that holiday sex is bad. Am I the only one who didn’t quite realize this? I mean, the article talks about feeling obligated to have sex on Valentine’s Day, and on your anniversary. So, sure. I hear that. But 1) I didn’t know about sex on other big holidays, like New Year’s, and 2) do people really stick to these so-called obligations? It kind of reminds me of like I need to put out because someone bought me dinner or something — an awkward kind of feeling, not at all sexy, and difficult to initiate because you’re not really into it. So my question is, what’s the point? I mean, shit — I know a number of couples who didn’t even bone on their wedding night because they were too tired. There are so many other nights you can have sex — why insist on doing it on specific days of the year rather than just doing it when the hormones strike?

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT DEFENSE - PAGE 3 — Andy Reid began Donovan McNabb Week with appropriate and well-timed praise of the guys who'll be in charge of stopping him next Sunday. The Eagles coach took particular care on Monday to point out a job well done by a unit that came into Week 3's 28-3 win over Jacksonville having given up the most points in the league. By the end of Sunday, the Eagles had the league's 12th-ranked defense with an average of 309 yards allowed per game. "I thought our defensive line came out and were very, very aggressive," Reid said. Every other day, it seemed, Larry Johnson Sr. entered a meeting room with one more injured player. Through it all, Johnson maintained an outward calm. "I tried not to let anybody see that I was struggling because we lost our guys," Penn State's defensive line coach said. "I tried to make it very positive: 'You're the next guy up; this is why you came to Penn State.' You sell that in the room. If kids understand that, it makes them be overachievers. " Despite that earnest effort, Penn State's defense struggled along with its coaches in 2010. Not since 2004 have the Eagles had a championship-caliber defense. That has become evident in their three playoff losses since that Super Bowl season. The Eagles have given up 93 points in those games -- 27 against New Orleans in 2006-07, 32 against Arizona in 2008-09 and 34 against Dallas last January. Last season, they were outscored 157-75 while going 0-5 against playoff opponents. Kevin Kolb, in his first year as starting quarterback, could be the second coming of Joe Montana and still never get past the first round of the postseason unless they fix that component. If Southern Lehigh's offense was in mid-season form during Friday night's game against Catasauqua, it perhaps would have coasted after building a big lead early in the first half. But it was the season opener for both teams and coach Tom Falzone's Rough Riders displayed plenty of heart, so the Spartans had to sweat out their first win of the season, 21-0. Two fourth-quarter touchdowns finally sealed the deal for Southern Lehigh. But coach John Toman's defense gets much of the credit for that victory. PHILADELPHIA — Being out of the playoff race is one thing; becoming an embarrassment is another. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel isn't ready to concede the former and will never allow the latter and that's why he had his team on the field about 30 minutes earlier than normal on Tuesday afternoon, working on basic defensive fundamentals. The Phils only had one error in Monday's 6-1 loss to Atlanta, but had several other mental blunders. That performance, along with the influx of newcomers, may have prompted the extra work. To the Editor: This is in response to Pat Morales-Poole's letter of July 9, "Ritter on list." Ms. Morales-Poole decries Rep. Ritter's voting history on defense appropriations. She states that the B-1 bomber is an "outmoded weapon that will not enhance U.S. deterrent capabilities." She also questions the value of the MX missile and the Trident II submarines, but she offers no alternatives to aid in strengthening U.S. defense capabilities. The need for the weapon systems is quite apparent; they will replace weapons that are obsolescent if not obsolete. To the Editor: Many well-informed and otherwise sensitive Americans are remaining silent while their dollars and weapons are being used by the Israelis to brutalize the Palestinians. People who wouldn't hesitate to condemn U.S.-backed terror in Central America or South Africa are refusing to speak out publicly about Israeli policy. One is reminded of the "good Germans" who stood by silently in the midst of the Holocaust and later told their children and grandchildren, "But we just didn't know." PHILADELPHIA — The single most revealing thread in the Eagles' locker room following Sunday's thrashing of the New York Jets was the gentle acknowledgment by multiple parties, including defensive coordinator Juan Castillo himself, that things were moving too fast for Castillo for a good portion of this season. Castillo, who had no professional coaching experience on defense before being switched from offensive line coach in the offseason, needed time to get his calls correct often enough for his unit to function properly. Matt Cohen's birthday present came a few hours early. Just a few hours before he turned 24, Cohen, the former Central Catholic High School and Lehigh University football standout, got a chance to again play the game he loves. Cohen, who had not played much in two seasons with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, got extensive playing time and made his presence felt in a hard-fought 25-19 Indoor Football League victory by the Steelhawks over the Cedar Rapids Titans. The former All-American linebacker showed he still possessed the hands of a high school running back when he came away with a reception on a two-point conversion and fought hard to the bottom of the pile to recover a Titans fumble late in the game when Cedar Rapids was threatening.

ODEON Cinemas Group uses cookies to make this website better. Our Privacy and Cookie Policy contains information about how we use cookies, and how you can manage them. If you continue to use our website, we'll assume you are OK with them. Hide this message NEWS & AWARDS Every week we welcome 2.2 million guests to our 360+ cinemas across 14 countries - and we have an ambitious strategy to help us welcome even more. Take a look at our spotlight reports, press releases, blogs and award wins to find out more about how we're making that happen. 22 June - Film fans in Birmingham can now experience the ultimate in cinema luxury as the newly transformed ODEON Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza officially opens its doors in the city where it all began for ODEON 25 May 2018 - ODEON has today announced it will be launching the UK’s largest ODEON Luxe cinema in the city of Birmingham, with ODEON Birmingham Broadway Plaza re-opening as a fully-reclining ODEON Luxe site this June. 23 February 2018 - ODEON UK has once again achieved a placing in the Sunday Times Best 25 Big Companies to Work For list 2018, at number 25. In addition, ODEON is placed number 15 in Ireland’s Great Places to Work (Best Large Workplaces) 29 November 2017 - ODEON has today revealed London will soon be home to three of its new ODEON Luxe cinemas, offering London film fans exciting new, fully-reclining venues to enjoy the latest films in luxury – just in time for Christmas. 29 November 2017 - Finnkino is developing the Finnish cinema scene by opening the most modern cinema in Finland in the Itis Helsinki shopping center. Finnkino Itis will open by the end of 2018. The new theatre will include nine cinema halls, one of which will be the first IMAX® theatre in Finland. 23 November 2017 - IMAX Corporation and ODEON Cinemas Group today unveiled the new IMAX VR Experience Centre in the ODEON cinema at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester. The IMAX VR Centre is the first to be installed in Europe and the fifth IMAX has launched worldwide... 22 November 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group was triumphant in the ‘Best Talent Management’ category at last night’s Personnel Today awards. The judges were impressed by the originality of the Group’s Brand Heroes programme focusing on emerging talent in the business. 1 November 2017 - ODEON Blanchardstown will mark the first ODEON site in Ireland to have two screens featuring its new luxury fully reclining seating. ODEON Blanchardstown will be installing a state-of-the-art IMAX screen and transforming its existing iSense screen with its newly launched ODEON Luxe reclining seat experience. 27 October 2017 - ODEON has today announced ODEON Leeds Bradford will be re-launching as an ODEON Luxe cinema, making it the first in England. Following the launch of Europe’s first ODEON Luxe cinema in East Kilbride, Scotland in October, film fans in Yorkshire will soon be able to enjoy the ultimate in luxury when the new ODEON Luxe Leeds Bradford fully launches on 9th November. 18 October 2017 - ODEON has today announced it will be re-opening ODEON Wester Hailes as a brand-new ODEON Luxe cinema, making it only the second ODEON Luxe cinema in Europe and home to the largest fully-reclining iSense screen in Europe. 17 October 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group has today announced the appointment of David Anderson as its new Chief Commercial Officer, as the Group continues to enhance its industry-leading capabilities in the European entertainment market. 4 October 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group, alongside its partners at Walt Disney Studios, Disney Life and Sea Life are thrilled to have been awarded the prestigious ‘Best promotional and shopper marketing’ award at the 2017 Masters of Marketing Awards... 2 October 2017 - ODEON East Kilbride is to become the first ODEON Luxe cinema in Europe – launching Thursday, October 12th. Guests will be able to enjoy the new, fully-reclining cinema with 652 new handmade luxury recliner seats across nine upgraded screens. 11 July 2017 - Cinesa in Spain has been awarded ‘Best Digital Multichannel Campaign’ at the International Selligent awards on 20 June 2017 and the 'Best CSR project promoting the work of non-profit organizations’ award at the 6th annual Social Business Awards in Barcelona in July 2017 for its ‘Cinesa se mueve’ CR initiative. 28 June 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group is delighted to have been awarded the ‘Leading Transformation’ award at the prestigious HR Excellence Awards 2017, held yesterday evening at the Hilton Park Lane, London. 26 June 2017 - Three ODEON locations, Leeds-Bradford in England, and Wester Hailes along with East Kilbride in Scotland, have begun their renovations that will bring AMC’s proven theatre renovation strategy, including popular plush power recliner seating, to moviegoers in the UK 24 May 2017 - Construction work is nearing completion on the first phase of the London Islington Square development which will be home to ODEON's new six screen lounge cinema, anticipated to open in May 2018. 24 May 2017 - ODEON’s seven screen cinema centred in Oldham’s Old Town Hall, a Grade II listed building, has won numerous accolades with its combination of modern architecture and key heritage elements. 26 April 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group has been recognised with two silver awards at the 2017 Employer Brand Management Awards, for ‘Best communication of the employer brand to the internal audience’ and ‘Best ongoing commitment to employer brand management.’ 11 April 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group is set to become the largest IMAX operator in the US and Europe as AMC signs an agreement for 25 new screens. 10 IMAX theatres will be added to existing ODEON complexes throughout the UK/Ireland, Germany, Spain and Italy, with the locations of the remaining sites yet to be determined. 28 March 2017 - AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc, the world’s largest movie exhibitor, announced today it has completed its acquisition of Stockholm-based Nordic Cinema Group Holding AB (“Nordic”), the largest theatre operator in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Nordic will operate as a subsidiary of London-based Odeon Cinemas Group. AMC has hit the never-before-reached movie exhibitor milestones of 1,000 theatres and 11,000 screens across the globe. 1 March 2017 - As part of our platinum sponsorship with the National Film and Television School (NFTS), ODEON awards a scholarship to a select number of MA students. In 2017, three lucky students will benefit, including former ODEON colleague, Zsófi Szemerédy. 24 February 2017 - ODEON UK has, for the first time, achieved a placing in the Sunday Times 30 Best Big Companies to Work For 2017 list, at number 25. In addition, we are placed number 16 in Ireland’s Great Places to Work (Best Large Workplaces) and were awarded an excellence award for Most Inspiring Place to Work in Ireland. 24 February 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group continues to win more awards and has just been awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) award for ‘Most Innovative Approach to an Internal Communications Challenge.’ 10 February 2017 - To celebrate the release of Academy Award® and BAFTA® nominated HIDDEN FIGURES, Twentieth Century Fox and ODEON joined forces to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. 10 January 2017 - Carol Welch appointed UK & Ireland MD; Duncan Reynolds promoted to Group Development and Real Estate Director; Andy Alker promoted to Chief Finance Director. ODEON Cinemas Group is further strengthening its Executive Committee with the appointment of three senior executives to drive its transformation programme across Europe, as the Group starts to confirm its exciting plans as part of AMC Theatres, the largest theatre exhibitor in the world. 31 October 2016 - ODEON – Europe’s largest cinema chain – will bring its unique brand of entertainment to Northwich as part of an exciting new £80m retail and leisure development at Barons Quay, overlooking the River Weaver. 25 August 2016 - ODEON – Europe’s largest cinema chain – will be bringing its unique brand of entertainment to Oldham after more than 30 years away, heralding a big step in the wider redevelopment and investment in the Old Town Hall. 21 September 2015 - ODEON is offering guests across five European countries the chance to enjoy all the live action from the red carpet world premiere of Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi blockbuster The Martian. 22 June 2015 - ODEON Cinemas Group is proud to announce the official launch of two new Innovation Labs in London and Barcelona, following the success of a pilot scheme in London in the first six months of 2015. The move represents the research & development arm of the company’s strategic programme to explore and develop 22 June - Film fans in Birmingham can now experience the ultimate in cinema luxury as the newly transformed ODEON Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza officially opens its doors in the city where it all began for ODEON 25 May 2018 - ODEON has today announced it will be launching the UK’s largest ODEON Luxe cinema in the city of Birmingham, with ODEON Birmingham Broadway Plaza re-opening as a fully-reclining ODEON Luxe site this June. 29 November 2017 - ODEON has today revealed London will soon be home to three of its new ODEON Luxe cinemas, offering London film fans exciting new, fully-reclining venues to enjoy the latest films in luxury – just in time for Christmas. 29 November 2017 - Finnkino is developing the Finnish cinema scene by opening the most modern cinema in Finland in the Itis Helsinki shopping center. Finnkino Itis will open by the end of 2018. The new theatre will include nine cinema halls, one of which will be the first IMAX® theatre in Finland. 23 November 2017 - IMAX Corporation and ODEON Cinemas Group today unveiled the new IMAX VR Experience Centre in the ODEON cinema at intu Trafford Centre in Manchester. The IMAX VR Centre is the first to be installed in Europe and the fifth IMAX has launched worldwide... 1 November 2017 - ODEON Blanchardstown will mark the first ODEON site in Ireland to have two screens featuring its new luxury fully reclining seating. ODEON Blanchardstown will be installing a state-of-the-art IMAX screen and transforming its existing iSense screen with its newly launched ODEON Luxe reclining seat experience. 27 October 2017 - ODEON has today announced ODEON Leeds Bradford will be re-launching as an ODEON Luxe cinema, making it the first in England. Following the launch of Europe’s first ODEON Luxe cinema in East Kilbride, Scotland in October, film fans in Yorkshire will soon be able to enjoy the ultimate in luxury when the new ODEON Luxe Leeds Bradford fully launches on 9th November. 18 October 2017 - ODEON has today announced it will be re-opening ODEON Wester Hailes as a brand-new ODEON Luxe cinema, making it only the second ODEON Luxe cinema in Europe and home to the largest fully-reclining iSense screen in Europe. 17 October 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group has today announced the appointment of David Anderson as its new Chief Commercial Officer, as the Group continues to enhance its industry-leading capabilities in the European entertainment market. 2 October 2017 - ODEON East Kilbride is to become the first ODEON Luxe cinema in Europe – launching Thursday, October 12th. Guests will be able to enjoy the new, fully-reclining cinema with 652 new handmade luxury recliner seats across nine upgraded screens. 26 June 2017 - Three ODEON locations, Leeds-Bradford in England, and Wester Hailes along with East Kilbride in Scotland, have begun their renovations that will bring AMC’s proven theatre renovation strategy, including popular plush power recliner seating, to moviegoers in the UK 24 May 2017 - Construction work is nearing completion on the first phase of the London Islington Square development which will be home to ODEON's new six screen lounge cinema, anticipated to open in May 2018. 11 April 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group is set to become the largest IMAX operator in the US and Europe as AMC signs an agreement for 25 new screens. 10 IMAX theatres will be added to existing ODEON complexes throughout the UK/Ireland, Germany, Spain and Italy, with the locations of the remaining sites yet to be determined. 28 March 2017 - AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc, the world’s largest movie exhibitor, announced today it has completed its acquisition of Stockholm-based Nordic Cinema Group Holding AB (“Nordic”), the largest theatre operator in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Nordic will operate as a subsidiary of London-based Odeon Cinemas Group. AMC has hit the never-before-reached movie exhibitor milestones of 1,000 theatres and 11,000 screens across the globe. 1 March 2017 - As part of our platinum sponsorship with the National Film and Television School (NFTS), ODEON awards a scholarship to a select number of MA students. In 2017, three lucky students will benefit, including former ODEON colleague, Zsófi Szemerédy. 10 February 2017 - To celebrate the release of Academy Award® and BAFTA® nominated HIDDEN FIGURES, Twentieth Century Fox and ODEON joined forces to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. 10 January 2017 - Carol Welch appointed UK & Ireland MD; Duncan Reynolds promoted to Group Development and Real Estate Director; Andy Alker promoted to Chief Finance Director. ODEON Cinemas Group is further strengthening its Executive Committee with the appointment of three senior executives to drive its transformation programme across Europe, as the Group starts to confirm its exciting plans as part of AMC Theatres, the largest theatre exhibitor in the world. 31 October 2016 - ODEON – Europe’s largest cinema chain – will bring its unique brand of entertainment to Northwich as part of an exciting new £80m retail and leisure development at Barons Quay, overlooking the River Weaver. 25 August 2016 - ODEON – Europe’s largest cinema chain – will be bringing its unique brand of entertainment to Oldham after more than 30 years away, heralding a big step in the wider redevelopment and investment in the Old Town Hall. 21 September 2015 - ODEON is offering guests across five European countries the chance to enjoy all the live action from the red carpet world premiere of Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi blockbuster The Martian. 22 June 2015 - ODEON Cinemas Group is proud to announce the official launch of two new Innovation Labs in London and Barcelona, following the success of a pilot scheme in London in the first six months of 2015. The move represents the research & development arm of the company’s strategic programme to explore and develop 23 February 2018 - ODEON UK has once again achieved a placing in the Sunday Times Best 25 Big Companies to Work For list 2018, at number 25. In addition, ODEON is placed number 15 in Ireland’s Great Places to Work (Best Large Workplaces) 22 November 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group was triumphant in the ‘Best Talent Management’ category at last night’s Personnel Today awards. The judges were impressed by the originality of the Group’s Brand Heroes programme focusing on emerging talent in the business. 4 October 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group, alongside its partners at Walt Disney Studios, Disney Life and Sea Life are thrilled to have been awarded the prestigious ‘Best promotional and shopper marketing’ award at the 2017 Masters of Marketing Awards... 11 July 2017 - Cinesa in Spain has been awarded ‘Best Digital Multichannel Campaign’ at the International Selligent awards on 20 June 2017 and the 'Best CSR project promoting the work of non-profit organizations’ award at the 6th annual Social Business Awards in Barcelona in July 2017 for its ‘Cinesa se mueve’ CR initiative. 28 June 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group is delighted to have been awarded the ‘Leading Transformation’ award at the prestigious HR Excellence Awards 2017, held yesterday evening at the Hilton Park Lane, London. 24 May 2017 - ODEON’s seven screen cinema centred in Oldham’s Old Town Hall, a Grade II listed building, has won numerous accolades with its combination of modern architecture and key heritage elements. 26 April 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group has been recognised with two silver awards at the 2017 Employer Brand Management Awards, for ‘Best communication of the employer brand to the internal audience’ and ‘Best ongoing commitment to employer brand management.’ 24 February 2017 - ODEON UK has, for the first time, achieved a placing in the Sunday Times 30 Best Big Companies to Work For 2017 list, at number 25. In addition, we are placed number 16 in Ireland’s Great Places to Work (Best Large Workplaces) and were awarded an excellence award for Most Inspiring Place to Work in Ireland. 24 February 2017 - ODEON Cinemas Group continues to win more awards and has just been awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) award for ‘Most Innovative Approach to an Internal Communications Challenge.’

A house on a hill filled with crochet, colour, music and love Tag Archives: chutney Crikey!!! I think this has been the longest I have left my little chats with you. I’ve been very, very busy! Mostly because m has been working all the hours god sends and so I have been busy with my little friend, and also…. The impending Halloween festivities have had my fingers busy and messy at every opportunity. Well…. I think I am nearly done. So much to tell and show! The weather has suddenly changed to the gloomiest fog and drizzle and I am longing for the beautiful Sunsets and bright days we had recently. This sunset was caught from my upstairs window. that night, after my sister informed me, I put little b to bed and assumed position to watch the international space station go over. It was very impressive. I had no idea at the time that a crew of 33 were whizzing over my head, guided by a female captain! The following night, I gave them all a wave and b was singing her goodbyes to the world and waved to the ‘rocket’ as well! Everyones chimneys are suddenly smoking as it has turned chilly, chilly, chilly! It’s a comforting sight. So many green tomatoes failed to ripen this year and I can’t bear to waste them so in the pan they went with half their weight of onions, a large amount of dried fruit, mustard seeds, brown sugar and white vinegar to make…. Green tomato chutney! Yum! Poor little b had her foot painted and stamped to make these cute little witches and sent to loved ones in the post An army of them!!! Oh, it was funny. I did laugh, squelching her gorgeous, tubby little feet over and over, and watching her confused, amused and giggling face as we did so. B and I watched my beloved David Attenborough in a documentary (well, a clip of it on youtube) about fruit bats and then set about recreating the scene. I tend to do this with most things that she doesn’t see in real life to explain and contextualise things for her. It was actually an amazing clip. Hundreds of thousands of fruit bats greying the exotic skies. She looked quite interested in my tale of one weeing on me as it flew over on my travels in the past! Anyhow…. I cut some bat shapes out of cardboard and let her loose with the black paint. And we even cut up an egg box and made it into bats… Cute! Not hundreds of thousands, but she seemed to understand… Maybe we’ll add to it! These sponge sticks are great for little hands and short attention spans. They make things so much easier. Whilst b was asleep, I made these little felt bats to hang by the fire…. They look pretty cool…. And will flutter when the fire’s lit. But these are my favourite creations so far, along with these…. My crochet garlands! The first is basically just a flat circle pattern…. That is embellished with some added leaves. I just poked my hook through my finished orange circle on the very edge And pulled through the green yarn Then chained 8 to make the stalk I then did half double crochets back down the stalk And slipstitched it back on to the pumpkin. I then chained 6 and worked my way back down with a single crochet, half double, double, half double and finally a single crochet. This makes a nice leaf. Fasten off and go to the other side of the stalk and do the same again. I made five pumpkins. I like odd numbers when making garlands. I then chained 80 then slip stitched in between the pumpkin and the leaves along the tops. I then chained 30 stitches between each pumpkin. After the last pumpkin, I chained 80 again. I then made the faces with a needle and black wool. And am really pleased with them! I will do another post very soon with the pattern I made for my cute little bat garland. Do you remember my little pompom spider I made b? Today, we made him a web out of icelolly sticks! And hung him up! He’s much happier. B and I also made this lovely little lantern We always collect pretty leaves and I put them straigt in a heavy book until I can figure out what to do with them. Well, this was really easy for little fingers! Simply brush clear children’s glue on the jar, put the leaves on and brush glue on top of them! I’ve decided this is to be our craft lantern and will be lit each time we make something together. Well, there’s more to come, but here is a little corner so far. What I love about this the most is the happy afternoons that b and I have spent at the dining table making our things. It’s nice to sit and work together and see where things take us. I feel that we are more connected spending time together on activities like this, rather than just running around the planet from activity to activity. B certainly seems very content and happy too. I can’t wait for her to wake up tomorrow, as I have put all of our handy work up tonight after she went to bed. Phew! Tonights been a long one! See you soon xxxxxxx Thanks for dropping in at Windyhill. I'm Eve. I've taken a parachute jump out of the rat race for a while and am staying at home with my beautiful daughter instead. Life focuses around nature and nurture here on windy hill. There's many a craft go on, some attempts at baking and lots of alternative therapies and music. I hope you enjoy your visit, do say hi! Love, Eve xxxxxx

Julie & Julia & ToT I miss movie nights. I especially miss hoarding all the popcorn and candy at the AMCs or United theaters in the States. But in all honestly, Manila cinemas are the shiznitz for seat comfort, food variation (who would think, Binalot!) and unwaivering cold ac. So imagine my jubilations when my girlfriend C sends me an insta-sms asking me to be her date to a movie. I ask which movie, she answered, and the rest is history… Well not really. Julia & Julie is THE film I was dying to watch. Beyond Meryll Streep’s overabundant personification of ze Julia Child, it is the plot of a twentysomething lady with a lot of “duh” on her head who decides to blog about food. Specifically, a one year cook-off from Ms. Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. (Note to self: get a copy of the book) While waiting in line, we were greeted by these adorable women dressed up in Le Cordon Bleu outfits, which is where Julia Childs took up her culinary studies C with her goodies at hand Then, more LCB clad ladies began giving us treats for our show. TREAT! Hello Santa, I’ve been a good Trip or Treater! The gourmet sandwiches from Barbara’s Kitchen were delish, and was perfectly apt for the film because, uhm, a film about french cuisine might still feel snooty over Chippy or Jamaican Pattie. The Lean & Light drink I was not a fan off, considering it was laced in sugar and other sugar cousins yet was promoted as the next big health drink Still, C & ToT couldn’t resist. The pull of butter and popcorn married together was too strong, and we couldn’t resist. and Damnit! It was GOOD! (Note to Self: Buy popcorn at powerplant on a Tuesday) We weren’t even halfway and our grub was running empty. Good thing there were enough laughs and hearty chuckles too keep us satisfied the entire time. Clearly, the movie left us… well, famished! From talks of butter, and wine and more fat and this and that, the movie bunch was desperate for a late night fix. Hello Barcino’s The go-to place for a relaxing time over some vino and tapas, Barcino’s became the foodie’s tavern especially after watching a superfoodcharged movie. There were lots of dishes to discuss, and even more nibbles to bite on. So we ordered, and we ate… Paella Negra – Squid Ink Paella. Don’t gross till you try it. Mike’s Jalapeno bites which were NOT not spicy. It’s a total trap. My Angulas… Mi amor… ahhh And of course, FROMAGE! FROMAGE! Manchego fromage… Now the crap part about all this is that we literally had a divided table. versus C, what will it be, 28? 29? Can we make it 32??? I give Julia & Julie a 5 Treat rating! I will see it again, this time complete with Andes mint chocolate, Jamaican Pattie, and those baho Squid chips/rings you can only buy in Robinson’s Galleria that smells like stinky feet. Oh, and Kiwi Kraze from Big Chill To head off to Barcino’s call +6326362963 for Ortigas, +6324685942 for Fort.

Thursday, June 5, 2014 West Papua I recently visited West Papua and was very surprised how different it is from the rest of Indonesia, Journalists are banned from entering the region so the outside world rarely hears about what happens.West Papua was colonised by the Netherlands in 1898, along with the islands that now make up Indonesia. When the Republic of Indonesia became an independent nation state in 1949, West Papua remained under Dutch control. The Dutch government began preparing West Papua for its own independence throughout the 1950s. At the end of 1961, West Papua held a Congress at which its people declared independence, and raised their new flag – the Morning Star. But within months the dream was dead. The Indonesian military invaded West Papua and conflict broke out between the Netherlands, Indonesia and the indigenous population regarding control of the territory. The US intervened and engineered an agreement between Indonesia and the Netherlands, which in 1962 gave control of West Papua to the United Nations and one year later transferred control to Indonesia. The Papuans were never consulted. However, the agreement did promise them their right to self determination – a right which is guaranteed by the UN to all people in the world. By 1969 there was widespread resistance to Indonesian rule. The Indonesian military had killed and imprisoned thousands of Papuans in the seven years it had occupied the country – yet it was under these conditions that the people were supposed to exercise their right to self determination. It was agreed that the UN should oversee a plebiscite of the people of West Papua, in which they would be given two choices: to remain part of Indonesia or to become an independent nation. This vote was to be called the ‘Act of Free Choice.’ But the Act was a sham. Instead of overseeing a free and fair election, the UN stood by while Indonesia rigged the vote. Declaring that the Papuans were too ‘primitive’ to cope with democracy, the Indonesian military hand-picked just 1,026 ‘representative’ Papuans, out of a population of one million, bribed them and threatened to kill them and their families if they voted the wrong way. So strong was the intimidation that despite widespread opposition to Indonesian rule, all 1,026 voted to remain a part of Indonesia. Despite protests from the Papuans, a critical report by a UN official and condemnation of the vote in the international media, the UN shamefully sanctioned the result and West Papua has remained under control of the Indonesian state ever since. The Papuans now dub this episode ‘the Act of No Choice’. Consigning the fate of a million people to live under the brutal occupation that ensued is one of the most shameful chapters in the history of the UN. Recently there have been a number of detailed reports that heavily criticise the actions of Indonesia, the UN, and its member states during this period. In recent years a new independence organisation, the KNPB (National Committee for West Papua) has become prominent. Under its guidance huge independence rallies have been held across West Papua and the West Papuan’s voice is united more than ever. As a result, many of its members have been arrested, tortured and killed. In 2012, the KNPB chairman Mako Tabuni was killed by Indonesian police, whilst many others face lengthy jail sentences of up to fifteen years just for raising the West Papuan flag. You can lean more by checking the West Papua Subreddit or searching for the Free West Papua organisation in Oxford.

Herefordshire Headway Improving Life After Brain Injury Our Members Stories Living the Dream by Doug Webb, Member I was reading the newspaper the other day when I noticed the date— I realised it was the anniversary of the day I had suffered my stroke, some 10 years ago. I had lost my health, my sight, my wife, my home and my working days were a thing of the past. I could no longer drive and I was living in a small flat feeling lonely and desperately unhappy. I attended the day centres and worked on coming to terms with the fact that my life was over. However, I got involved with every activity on offer, anything to try and break the monotony. There were weekly visits to the local leisure pool and this is where I met a lovely nurse called Jane, who I eventually married. I didn't think it was possible but I started to live again, I had a future to look forward to. I wrote a Wish List; Shopping in Sainsbury's and visiting the Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch were just two wishes, fairly mundane by normal standards. But, at the top of the list was to travel by train through the Canadian Rockies, perhaps more a dream than a wish. Well, 9 years later in 2011, I was LIVING MY DREAM and here are the pictures to prove it!!

Drop in Large Stones Dents Gem Diamonds RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds’ profit fell in the first half of the year, as the volume of large stones unearthed at its Letšeng mine in Lesotho has significantly declined from last year. Profit plunged 75% to $6.6 million for the six months ending June 30, the company reported Thursday. The miner recovered three stones weighing more than 100 carats during the period, versus 10 of that size last year, and compared with the average seven mined in the first half between 2008 and 2018. Revenue from rough diamonds fell 44% year on year to $94.5 million, while sales volume dropped 10% to 55,714 carats. The average price slid 38% to $1,697 per carat. The company sold 15 stones for more than $1 million each, totaling $41.6 million, which was significantly down from the first half of 2018. Production at Letšeng fell 8% to 56,668 carats as the miner retrieved a larger proportion of its ore from the main pipe. Diamonds from that area have a lower grade and quality than those in the Satellite pipe, which constituted most of the ore recovered during the same period last year, it explained. Gem Diamonds recorded a loss of $2.4 million from the cost of discontinuing operations at its Ghaghoo site. It expects the sale of that deposit to be finalized in the second half of the year. The company has implemented a cost-cutting program, which has saved $42 million to date. It predicts it will reach its planned savings of $100 million by 2021.

Suggested Uses Chop House Steak Sauce $10.99 Bring home your favorite steak flavors with this Chop House Steak Sauce. A saucy blend of onions, spices and mustard seeds with cracked black and cayenne peppers. This sauce is just right on steaks, gourmet burgers, ribs and more.

No deal for Najib; Harapan’s institutional reform; no rush to make Anwar PM KINI ROUNDUP | Here are the key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief. No deal for Najib Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government has no intention of cutting a deal with his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak, who is accused of graft in relation to the 1MDB matter. The Swiss Office of the Attorney-General has renewed its request to coordinate investigations into 1MDB following the installation of a new government in Malaysia. 1MDB chairperson Irwan Serigar Abdullah – who has been suspended from his duties as treasurer-general – was slapped with a travel ban, together with former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar and attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali. The California Central District Court is likely to grant the US Department of Justice protective custody of the superyacht Equanimity, according to a Bloomberg report. Auditor-General Madinah Mohamad announced the declassification of the 1MDB audit report. Harapan’s institutional reform The Council of Eminent Persons announced the formation of a Committee on Institutional Reforms, in line with Harapan's manifesto to strengthen institutions for check and balance. Council member Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the former Bank Negara governor, said the abolishment of the GST may take longer than the promised 100 days, but a clear plan would be available by then. The police force saw a reshuffle among senior officials, including the transfers of aides-de-camp of the former prime minister and former deputy prime minister. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said he regretted not telling Najib the truth about discontent among the grassroots before the party and its coalition were trounced in GE14. Khairy also said Umno has to “consider all options” to remain electable, including opening the party to other races. No rush to make Anwar PM Daim Zainuddin, a member of the Council of Eminent Persons, said it would be foolish to rush PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's installation as the eighth prime minister. This was echoed by deputy prime minister-designate Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who said that the new government should prioritise reforms instead. The Aviation Commission (Mavcom) denied forcing AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes to cancel the additional 120 flights the airlines provided to enable Malaysians to travel home to vote in last week's election.

Fisher of Pens Apollo I met Carl Fisher and was introduced to his company, Fisher of Pens, for the first time at the Washington DC Pen Show in August of 2016. He and his lovely wife were sitting behind a table in the lobby of the hotel, behind an array of lovely handmade pens. We chatted for a while (as I’m always excited to get to know about new custom pen makers) and looked over his wares. I knew I was going to end up picking up one of his pens during the show, but I had decided I was going to wait until Sunday to make most of my purchases, this year. When Sunday rolled around, I found Carl sitting in the main ballroom of the hotel (having been relocated from the lobby), and with a much smaller selection of pens than I had seen on the previous Friday. I perused his table, and found myself repeatedly drawn to one particular pen made of a vintage lizard skin celluloid and ebonite. I’m a sucker for green pens, and a sucker for celluloid, so this one was a true no-brainer for me. The pen is what Carl calls his Apollo model, and I think it highlights one of the things that helps the Fisher of Pens writing instruments stand out from a lot of other custom-made pens: the size. It seems that many custom pen makers opt to make large pens with relatively thick grip sections. While I like both large pens and wider grips, I have heard from a lot of people who prefer smaller or shorter pens, or pens that are a bit narrower. Of the pens laid out at Carl’s table, they all seemed to be possessed of more moderate proportions: not so small that they would be unusable, but neither were they so large as to rule out those who don’t love the giant pens. The pen I purchased was something of a one-off, though. Vintage celluloid, like the green lizard skin celluloid from which my pen is made, is forever increasingly more difficult to get ahold of. And Carl warned me, when I finally decided on this particular Apollo, that he had no more of this material. Concerned that reviewing a pen in a material that wasn’t available anymore was going to be an exercise in frustration for both himself and for potential customers, he asked if he could send me another Apollo for review and giveaway, which is how I was able to receive this Dragon Yin-Yang Apollo. The Dragon version of the Apollo is a clean design that highlights the materials from which the pen is made. It is one of Carl’s stepped cap designs, meaning that the cap and the barrel are not completely flush when the cap is closed. The cap uses a finial with a slightly domed top to hold on a silver-colored, folded metal clip in a pretty standard clip design. The rest of the cap, made of the icy white, grey, black, and semi-transparent swirled material, is unadorned. The barrel of the pen has a slight curve to it, ending with a domed terminus. The Fisher of Pens of Logo is engraved into the side of the barrel. Under the cap, there is a section of bright, orange/red and black swirled acrylic which sets off the fire and ice theme of this pen quite nicely. The semi-translucence of the ice material means that you can see hints of the color peeking through the material, but not so much as to be distracting. The section itself is nicely concave, with a very reasonable diameter of 10mm, making the pen much more appropriate for writers who like a more slender grip section. The pen is made almost completely of acrylics, and the threads are smooth and tight, meaning you could eyedropper the pen if you wanted to, and have a very interesting (and potentially quite lovely) eyedropper experience through the frosted acrylics. The pen utilizes a standard #6 Jowo gold-plated steel nib in medium. The nib is wet and smooth, just like I like them, and has been quite consistent for me, even having been inked and left sitting for several weeks in a row. The Green Lizard Apollo is a modified version of the Apollo design. It has a slightly different profile meant to highlight the vintage nature of the material, with flatter end caps and an art deco-style clip in gold. it also features a black cap and a black finial, also with a flat end. The lizard skin material is gorgeous, and quite unlike any material being made today. It’s my understanding that this material was made by creating it in sheets then wrapping it around a mandrel. Likely due to the limitations of the width of the rod stock, this Apollo is just a touch more slender around the barrel, but the section is basically the same. My Apollo came with an extra-fine nib, which if you know me, would not be my nib of choice. That being said, the EF was actually a very lovely writer. It was a wet writer (for an EF) so the line was a touch wider than you might expect for an EF, but it had a nice smooth finish with just a bit of tooth to keep your nib from slipping around the paper. I inked it up initially with Aurora Black, the first time I’ve used black ink in many a year, and it was a wonderful performer. Like any custom pen maker worth his salt, Carl’s pens are very well-made. All of the joins are nearly seamless. The threads are tight and smooth. The polish on the materials is flawless. Despite their more slender size, I still find the pens beautifully balanced and quite comfortable in the hand. Neither pen posts particularly well, so if you’re looking for a pen that posts deeply, you may need to request a customization of the design when you place an order (or look at one of his other, more postable models.) The pricing at Fisher of Pens is quite reasonable for custom-made pens. The base rate for many of his pen models starts as low as $200, with additional charges for nibs, specialty materials, or customizations. The Green Lizard Apollo was purchased with my own funds. The Yin-Yang Apollo was provided by Fisher of Pens for review and giveaway to Pen Habit viewers (and to give viewers a more accurate indication of what a “stock” Apollo would look like. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions expressed herein are my own. We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our shipping systems. If you are unable to place an order, please use the contact form to send me an email including what you'd like to purchase and your shipping address, and I'll send you an invoice directly. Apologies for the inconvenience. Dismiss

MSHA: Coal firm illegally sues worker who complained The federal agency that oversees mine safety claims a Western Kentucky coal company broke the law by filing a lawsuit against a former worker who complained about unsafe working conditions. Using a federal law designed to protect workers, welder Reuben Shemwell lodged a complaint last year against Armstrong Coal after he was fired in 2011 from his job at the company's Parkway Mine. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Agency, an arm of the Department of Labor, investigated but ultimately decided not to pursue Shemwell's complaint. The agency got involved again this month when Armstrong Coal sued Shemwell. MSHA said Armstrong's suit, filed in August, violated the section of the law designed to protect miners who file discrimination complaints. "I've been doing these cases for over 30 years ... and I have never heard or experienced a coal company suing a miner because MSHA turned down their case on the merits," said Shemwell's attorney, Tony Oppegard. Oppegard said Armstrong Coal's lawsuit should be viewed as a retaliatory action and could intimidate other miners from bringing discrimination complaints. Mason L. Miller, a Lexington attorney representing Armstrong Coal, said Oppegard is attempting to use news media to influence the outcome of a case. Miller declined to comment on the cases since the litigation is pending. "If Mr. Oppegard was truly concerned that publicity concerning the lawsuit would intimidate miners from bringing complaints, then he wouldn't be spending so much time publicizing it," Miller said in a statement. Miller described Shemwell's complaint filings as "wrongful actions" that reflect negatively on Armstrong Coal's 900 other employees. Oppegard said in response Wednesday that the company is trying to bully his client "and they don't want public light shined on their actions." Armstrong Coal has maintained that Shemwell was fired for using his cellphone too much on the worksite, and not for complaining about work conditions. Shemwell worked for a division of Armstrong Coal called Armstrong Fabricators. The company runs several surface and underground mines in coal-rich regions of Western Kentucky. "Shemwell filed his discrimination claim for the purpose of causing (Armstrong Coal) to incur unnecessary and substantial costs in defending against his false discrimination claim," according to the lawsuit filed in Muhlenberg County Circuit Court. The suit asks for damages and attorney fees, but no amount of money was specified. Discrimination complaints filed by miners against their employers over suspensions, layoffs or firings have increased in recent years, according to MSHA. The mine safety agency can petition to have workers reinstated to their job while their claims are pending. MSHA filed an annual average of 34 requests for temporary reinstatement from 2009 to 2012, including a high of 46 in 2012. The agency filed an average of just six per year from 1993 to 2008. "We take these rights under the Mine Act very seriously and will vigorously investigate all discrimination complaints," Joe Main, the assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, said in a statement Tuesday. Shemwell, a father of three who is divorced, has not been able to find work in the mining industry since his departure from Armstrong Coal, Oppegard said. He is installing carpet to make ends meet. Shemwell had claimed he was overcome with fumes and refused to continue working on a piece of machinery, and in a later incident on Aug. 30, 2011, he refused to weld on a piece of machinery because it was operating, according to Oppegard. He was fired about two weeks later. Armstrong Coal said in its suit that Shemwell was disciplined three times for using his cellphone during work hours, the last time being on July 22, 2011. Shemwell has disputed that he was disciplined on three occasions for using his phone. After Armstrong Coal filed the lawsuit against Shemwell, he responded by asking the mine agency on Jan. 8 to get involved again because he felt he was being retaliated against. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, an administrative court in Washington that handles the discrimination complaints, has scheduled oral arguments for Shemwell's case on Feb. 27.

Pages The party that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan founded won the most votes in Sunday’s Turkish general election. But for Mr Erdogan himself, a man who had hitherto racked up nine consecutive victories in national votes, the night had the unmistakable taste of defeat. Mr Erdogan was not on the ballot for the parliamentary election. Turkey’s constitution forbids the head of state from any ties with political parties. But he had been campaigning hard in any case, calling for 400 MPs to change the constitution to give him extra presidential powers. The election signified a national rebuff to Mr Erdogan’s ambitions, a new era of political and perhaps economic uncertainty and, according to many commentators, a return to checks and balances in a political system that had increasingly been characterised as authoritarian. “The majority of the Turkish electorate evidently chose the uncertainty inherent to parliamentary coalition politics over President Erdogan’s vision of a strong presidential system,” said Francis Ricciardone, a former US ambassador to Turkey now at the Atlantic Council, a think-tank. The result was in line with many pre-election polls. But so dramatically has it changed Turkey’s political landscape that it came all the same as a shock. Mr Erdogan’s plans for a formal presidential system now seem the stuff of history — but his powers as president remain formidable and clashes between president and parliament are far from unlikely. Many commentators also forecast a period of infighting within the AKP. Amid economic slowdown, corruption scandals and controversy about Mr Erdogan, the ruling party has seen its vote slump nine points from almost 50 per cent at the last general election. It is due to hold a congress this autumn, a gathering that could select a replacement for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the handpicked successor with whom Mr Erdogan has been increasingly at odds. One possible contender is Abdullah Gul, Mr Erdogan’s predecessor as president, who has made no secret of his ambition to lead the party and has set out differences with Mr Erdogan across the range of policy, most notably on the presidential system. “This may be the moment when we see what kind of mettle Gul has,” said Soli Ozel at Kadir Has university in Istanbul. Nor will the formation of the next government be an easy task, despite a defiant, self-styled victory speech by Mr Davutoglu on Sunday night. Two of the three opposition parties, the left wing, pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic party, or HDP, and the Nationalist Movement party, or MHP, are ideological antagonists, making any opposition coalition hard to conceive. But all three opposition parties have also forsworn entering a government with the AK party. Nicholas Spiro of Spiro Sovereign Strategy, a risk consultancy, described the election in a note as “one of the most dramatic political developments in emerging markets in recent years [that] takes Turkish politics into uncharted waters at a perilous time for the country’s financial markets”. The result was in many way the result of a bet by the HDP, part of the broader Kurdish movement led by Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party, or PKK. In earlier contests the HDP and its predecessors gained representation in parliament by running candidates as independents. This time, however, the party and Selahattin Demirtas, its joint leader, gambled on breaking through the 10 per cent threshold to enter parliament. The mathematics of the HDP’s efforts were clear. If the HDP were excluded from parliament, the AK party would be well placed to win the 330 seats needed to put the constitutional changes sought by Mr Erdogan to referendum. If, however, the HDP made it into the legislature, the AK party could even lose its majority — as turned out to be the case. Mr Demirtas used those two stark alternatives, allied with his own firm denunciation of Mr Erdogan’s ambitions for a presidential system, as the basis of his appeal to secular Turkish voters, arguing that if Mr Erdogan was to be stopped it was essential that the HDP pass the threshold. He also won the support of religious Kurds, who hitherto had supported the AK party but who were distraught at Mr Erdogan’s seeming passivity in the face of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) attacks on Syrian Kurds and dispirited by problems with the stalled peace process with the PKK. Indeed, on election night, the HDP swept the largely Kurdish southeast, winning 75 per cent of the vote in the province of Van and 79 per cent in the unofficial Kurdish capital of Diyarbakir. The HDP’s advance left the main opposition party, the Republican People’s party, treading water. Its 25 per cent of the vote represent a small decline on its share in the last parliamentary elections. Meanwhile the rightwing Nationalist Movement party marked an advance in its vote, from 13 to 16 per cent. Unsurprisingly, the biggest celebrations of the night were in Kurdish strongholds. “We’ve overcome Erdogan, we’ve overcome the threshold, we’ve overcome 40 years of bloodshed,” said Bahuz Capar Yalcin, a 32-year-old construction worker in Diyarbakir. “After tonight, the war is over, brotherhood and freedom has won.” Selda Arzu, a housewife, added: “It’s a victory for the whole country — it shows we are not alone.”

Newsroom Katie Rodihan '14, an intern for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., was at the Democratic National Headquarters yesterday when the Supreme Court upheld President Obama's Affordable Care Act. Katie reaches out to tell us more: Democratic National Headquarters must have been one of the most exciting places in the world to be when the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, probably second only to the White House. For the half hour before Court released its opinion, my entire floor crowded around the TV and every computer in the room had SCOTUS Blog up. When we found out the Court ruled the individual mandate constitutional, the whole room filled with an overwhelming combination of joy, relief, and excitement. Looking around the room at people to whom this law meant so much, and thinking about politicians like Ted Kennedy, who dedicated their careers to passing universal health care, I started to cry. I don't think I have felt that happy since the day I was accepted to CMC. We were so excited. We ran down the street to the Supreme Court to show our support for the decision, and for the President. Outside the Court I talked with so many people who felt just as thrilled as I was. It was amazing to hear stories from people about the impact the Affordable Care Act will have on their lives. One man I met worked in the health insurance industry. He told me that his specific area of work would probably become nonexistent in 2014, and he would be unemployed. He supported the law, though, because his son had been diagnosed with cancer at age 36. Their entire family had to adjust their lives, not only to cope with the struggle of having a family member with a deadly disease, but also because of the ineffectiveness of his son's health insurance coverage. In the end, his family managed to pay for the treatment, but he recognized that millions of Americans are not so lucky. His story was one of many I heard from Affordable Care Act supporters during the morning. Sometimes it is easy for me, as a student who wants to work in government, to feel discouraged by the record-low approval ratings of Congress, and by the immense partisanship that exists in government today. Nevertheless, after hearing more and more stories like the one this man shared, it is impossible to not feel immensely proud of what President Obama and Congress have accomplished. It was an inspirational time to be a government student. Being in front of the Supreme Court during such a historic moment was amazing. Today made me realize what an influential city Washington, D.C., is, and that being here puts me right in the middle of American politics and news. At one point, Michelle Bachmann came out in front of the Supreme Court and gave a speech. I read a Los Angeles Times article later in the day that said, "At times, Bachmann (R-Minn.) was almost drowned out by supporters of the law calling for four more years' of Obama." I started that chant.I will always cherish the memory of being present during such a momentous day in American history. I would not be here without the guidance and encouragement of professors at Claremont McKenna, or without the funding I received from the Center for Civic Engagement. The belief that CMC students are "leaders in the making" is apparent in all aspects of Claremont McKenna. CMC professors rarely speak in the hypothetical. They truly believe that we will be influential policymakers, lawyers, or politicians in the future. The connections that my professors make between what we learn in the classroom and what goes on in the real world are what motivated me to come to Washington, D.C., this summer, and experience politics firsthand. It is a natural complement to the pragmatic education I receive at CMC. The reassurance and inspiration I received from the College was what brought me outside the Supreme Court building, on a day I will tell my grandchildren about.(Editor's Note: While Rodihan was in Washington, D.C., on behalf of her internship at the DNC, here in Claremont, Calif., CMC professor Jack Pitney was called upon by a number of journalists on Thursday for Republican analysis on the Supreme Court's decision. Pitney was interviewed by KFWB and NPR radio stations, and also was quoted in the Capitol Confidential. The Supreme Court decision gives opponents of the law "even more incentive to work hard for Romney," he said.)

Send Links Faster With Email This Geek Tip: Send Links Without Page Jumping Jumping pages wastes time. You know, like when you see a link you want to send to a pal, you have to copy the link, open a new tab, sign into your email, paste the link, etc. You jump from one page to another, hence page jumping. So if you're the type to send a lot of links (and are a Firefox user) you may want to check out the Email This add-on. Email This allows you to highlight the text you want to send, click the toolbar button on your browser, then from a pop-up window, Email This will automatically populate the title, address, and highlighted text into a message so you can send your link and be on your way without leaving your page. It's saved me quite a bit of time, since I love sending links. I bet you would have never guessed that about me, right?

BBW Facesitting BBW facesitting is one of the fetishes that is gaining popularity in the last period. There is some healthy logic in that. I’ve heard that the best facesitting is delivered by the oversized woman. I think that these brutal face sitting photos below are the best example of the BBW facesitting fetish. Even if it is totally unexpected and not planned, this facesitting torture session went perfectly good. After looking at the size of the dominant girl, it is a real question was there any other way. She knows that the biggest pleasure is always to dominate someone weak and poor. Following this logic, Dominatrix picked up the perfect person for her kinky pleasure. She is waiting for the poor janitor to get into the toilet and do his job. Once he is there, the last thing he is expecting is the attack of a female that is so strong that he doesn’t have a chance of defending. But that is exactly what happened. Basically, he didn’t have a chance to react. ION the matter of seconds, the janitor was pinned down to the floor with the full weight of his new owner. And just take a look at the domination photos below and you will easily figure out how serious this is. Without the chance of running or even trying to escape and resist, slave cooperated satisfactorily. We all know that it is hard to please a dominant female, especially if she is so fat as the girl on the photos. All that volume is a really hard to handle. But this guy did it pretty well. Not perfectly, but good enough considering that he is suffering under big ass for the first time, probably. This is one of those BBW smothering sessions that he will remember for a long time. Still, if this BBW facesitting scene is not enough for you (what is hard to imagine), check out a double domination where two fat strapon girls are pegging slave with the strapon. All that in nature, so they can get some clean air!

Indian media company Bennett, Coleman & Co has bought Virgin Radio for 4.5 billion rupees ($106 million), local newspapers reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the Indian company. Bennett, Coleman, publisher of the Times of India paper, bought Virgin Radio Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries in the UK from Scottish media group SMG Plc through wholly-owned unit TIML Golden Square Ltd, the Economic Times said. SMG had put Virgin Radio up for sale as part of its plan to sell off non-core assets. TIML will manage the station along with Absolute Radio, and invest 15 million pounds in "developing and re-launching the brand" over the next few months, the Economic Times said. The deal is expected to be completed by June-end, the Times of India said. Malaysian pay TV operator Astro All Asia Networks, Global Radio, Absolute Radio and UTV Media had been reported to be bidding for Virgin Radio. Bennett, Coleman also has a presence in television and operates FM radio stations in India. Indian companies have announced overseas deals worth $7.2 billion so far in 2008, data from Thomson Reuters showed.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, repeatedly asserted that the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack stemmed from a protest — which turns out to be incorrect. Spencer Platt/Getty Images October 19, 2012 ADVERTISEMENT Sign Up for Our free email newsletters 10 things you need to know today Today's best articles Today's top cartoons The good news newsletter The week's best photojournalism Daily business briefing Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has been the focal point of accusations that the Obama administration misled the American public about the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. On Sept. 16, five days after the attack, Rice asserted on several news programs that the attack stemmed from a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim video, a claim that the White House has since corrected. Rep. Peter King (R, N.Y.) has called on Rice to resign for "misinforming the American people," and she has been heavily criticized by conservative media. However, Rice has maintained that she was only relaying what intelligence officials had told her, and it looks like she's telling the truth, say Adam Entous and Siobhan Gorman at The Wall Street Journal: Some intelligence came in on Saturday evening [September 15] that contradicted the protest claim and prompted the office of the Director of National Intelligence to begin to question the agencies' initial conclusions, intelligence officials said. Despite their growing uncertainty, intelligence officials didn't feel they had enough conclusive, new information to revise their assessment. Ms. Rice wasn't warned of their new doubts before she went on the air the next morning and spoke of the attacks being spurred by demonstrations, intelligence officials acknowledged. More information casting doubt on the protest element came in on Sunday morning, around the time that Ms. Rice was completing her TV appearances, the officials said. She began taping the shows early Sunday morning. By the time intelligence analysts began to realize "there's enough here to build a body of evidence that there probably were not protests, those things were already recorded and she [Ms. Rice] was already out there," a senior intelligence official said. So is time for Republicans to lay off Obama's U.N. ambassador? "Rice did not choose all her words perfectly that weekend, even based on what was known at the time, it is true," says Michael O'Hanlon at CNN. "There should have been a bit more nuance and more acknowledgment of the uncertainty in some of them. But there is no basis for concluding that she sought to mislead, and no reason to think that harm came to the country's interests because of her comments." However, it still took the administration weeks to openly acknowledge the new evidence that was being collected at the time Rice was speaking. "That's a little late, no question about it," says Michael Tomasky at The Daily Beast. "We need to know what happened and people need to be held accountable."

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Monday, March 22, 2010 PHOTO MONTAGE BY HARALD KUNZE. Clockwise from upper left: duck legs in Málaga wine sauce with red Torques 2002; Harald Kunze, who took these photos; old posters; raspberry sorbet with dark chocolate truffles; piquillo peppers stuffed with bonito in tomato sauce; duck leg and sauce to mop up with bread; spring flowers; Julian Sanjuan introducing the wine and me, sniffing; two of the wines sampled; wine labels. In the center, duck liver pâté and aged sheep’s cheese from León. I recently participated in a Wine and Food Pairing event at the Museo del Vino, a museum and vinoteca in the village of Mijas on the Costa del Sol. Sponsored by the local Foreigners Department of the Mijas town hall, the tasting attracted residents who were British, American, Canadian, Scandanavian, German, Dutch and even a few Spanish. Featuring five wines and five (small) plates of food, the lunch-hour tasting cost €20 ($27). Thirty of us sat around four heavy wooden tables in the upper level of the Museum, decorated with ceramics, old posters and other wine paraphernalia. (Downstairs is a wine bar, tasting room, cellars, shop and charming patio.) Julian Sanjuan, proprietor and host, made the rounds to introduce each of the wines as they were poured. Julian, who originally trained in art history, got into the wine trade by the side door. His purpose was to convert historic buildings—a distillery in the village of Ojen, an electric switching station and village house in Mijas—to small museums, originally featuring the wines of Málaga. As both sites became popular tourist destinations, he gradually increased his knowledge and stock of wines from all the regions of Spain, taking courses in oenology and tasting at the University of Málaga and University of Barcelona. FIVE WINES, FIVE DISHES We started with a chilled white wine, Castaño 2008, from DO Yecla in the eastern province of Murcia. Yecla, once known mostly for producing bulk wines of little distinction, now makes some superb wines. Composed of half Macabeo, a rather blah variety, and half Chardonnay, the Castaño never spent time in oak, so kept its freshness, aromatic qualities and pleasing acidity. The wine was a good aperitif and a sprightly contrast with piquillo peppers stuffed with bonito and napped in tomato sauce. “You need a wine with some structure and weight to complement the intense, mouth-filling taste of the sweet peppers and tomatoes,” said Julian. “The chardonnay in the coupage gives it that point of acidity.” Next was pisto con atún, a medley of vegetables including zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. This version included chunks of potatoes and meaty tuna. We tasted Pagos de Araiz 2007 from DO Navarra (north of Spain, next to La Rioja). An estate-bottled wine made up of 60 percent Tempranillo, Spain’s main red-wine grape, and 20 percent each of Merlot and CabernetSauvignon, the Araiz had three months on oak. “The sautéed vegetables (called sofrito) present a cocktail of forceful flavors,” commented Julian. “They need a wine that starts off strong. The Araiz is young and powerful, clean in the mouth, very fruity. But, it’s not long in the after-taste. You want to leave room for what follows.” What followed was, for me, a whole new experience—a red wine from DO Málaga. Málaga, for centuries famous for its sweet muscatel wines, now produces table wines of some note. This was Torques 2002 from inland Antequera, a blend of half Syrah and half Merlot—neither of them Spanish varietals—with 12 months in new oak. At first taste, it seemed tannic, but as it opened, I could taste lovely flavors of fruit compote and spices. The Torques accompanied braised duck legs with a reduction of Málaga wine, PX and the duck juices with prunes. “A very polished wine,” said Julian, “to go with the rich duck meat and sweetness of the sauce. The Syrah helps to maintain the structure, the Merlot gives the ripe fruit, the oak gives a hint of chocolate. This is quite an elegant wine.” Funny how, after a few glasses of wine, the noise level goes up. Our group of tasters was now gabbing and talking back and forth, comparing notes. The wine that came next was a revelation for me—Señorio de Broches, a sweet white moscatel of DO Málaga, from the Bodegas Dimobe in Moclinejo. The grapes are sun-dried a week before pressing. The must is cold-fermented and fermentation stopped with the addition of grape alcohol in order to keep residual sugar. It was fresh, not too sweet, with hints of tropical fruit, apricots and orange blossom, truly delightful. The Señorio de Broches was paired with pâté of duck liver sprinkled with coarse, spiced salt and aged sheeps’ milk cheese from León. “You would have to serve a red wine with plenty of structure to go with the strong, salty flavors of the pâté and cheese,” said Julian. “But instead of repeating a red wine, we chose the sweet white. It has a clean, intense flavor, with fruity, floral aftertaste and a good balance of sweetness and acidity.” The final wine, a true dessert wine, was also a muscatel, also with DO Málaga, from Bodegas Málaga Virgen (also in Antequera). The mahogony-colored wine was syrupy, but with hints of bitterness. Julian explained that the grapes are “raisinized”—dried in the sun for 20 days before vinification. Grape alcohol is added to stop off the fermentation, maintaining the natural sugars. The wine is then aged 10 months in French oak, smoothing the flavors and giving them balance. It was served with a spoonful of tart raspberry sorbet and a dark chocolate truffle. The chocolate seemed to turn the wine into caramel sauce. Yum. Recipes for some of the dishes served at this tasting meal have appeared, in somewhat different versions, in previous blogs. Vegetable medley (pisto) is here; stuffed piquillo peppers is here. My version of the sauce for duck is below. Salsa de Higos y Vino Dulce Fig and Sweet Wine Sauce This sauce is similar to the one served with the duck legs at the wine-tasting lunch. If desired, use prunes instead of dried figs. Serve this sauce with foie gras, grilled duck breast or braised duck legs, pork tenderloin or with any dish where the sweetness of the fruit makes a good contrast. Pedro Ximénez wine (also called PX) is a superb choice, but Muscatel or oloroso Sherry could be used instead. If desired, add a splash of Sherry vinegar to the sauce for a sweet and sour effect. Cut out the stems and rinse the figs in running water. Chop them coarsely. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and sauté the shallots for 3 minutes. Add the orange zest, figs, wine, water, salt, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until figs are softened, 15 minutes. Serve the sauce hot or room temperature. Tuesday, March 16, 2010 My artichoke plantation has been through several incarnations. First, I imagined the stately, perennial plants on the rough slope above my terrace. I harvested a few, but the plants did not thrive, for the soil was too poor. Next I tried two separate locations in “loamy” garden soil (loamy, in quotes, because in southern Spain, except in river bottoms, loam does not exist). The ants devastated the plants, tunneling beneath them, turning them into aphid farms. Now, in a fourth location, the fledgling artichoke plants appear to thrive. However, I am still weeks away from harvesting the buds—artichokes—so dare not count my chickens before they hatch. Impatient, I bought a dozen at the market. (In southern Spain, they come into season early in March.) Once artichokes, a cultivated thistle, seemed the most exotic of vegetables, but, for me, they have become familiar and desired. When my kids were little, I would buy artichokes by the crate at the wholesale market and experiment with every possible way to prepare them. Kids, by the way, adore artichokes. I think it’s the entertainment value of plucking off leaves, dipping in sauce, pulling them through the teeth, piling up the debris. Or maybe it was just the mayonnaise—my kids would eat anything served with (homemade) mayonnaise. Tips and Chokes After watching Spanish home cooks prepare artichokes, I’ve thrown out a lot of received culinary wisdom about this vegetable. First and foremost—forget rubbing them with lemon or dropping the trimmed artichokes in acidulated water. Lemon changes their natural sweetness and turns them an unnatural color. Without lemon, artichokes will darken slightly, but it’s a natural, dark green. The only trick, really, is to have the water boiling or the oil heated and to cook the artichokes immediately. Another suggestion: trim minimally, but be willing to eat them “hands on.” My favorite everyday way with artichokes has always been to cook them whole in boiling salted water (having cut off the stem and snapped off only a few outer leaves). They are done when a leaf pulls off easily. After draining upside-down, I open up the leaves into a wide rosette (usually one artichoke per person) and use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the fuzzy choke. This leaves a nice well to be filled with olive oil, vinaigrette or mayonnaise. You pull off the leaves, one by one, and dip them into the vinaigrette, then pull the leaf through your teeth, extracting the tasty pulp. Discard the fibrous leaf. When you get down to the heart, also called the bottom, use a knife and fork to cut it into bite-sized bits. Another easy way to prepare artichokes is to cut whole ones into quarters (or, if large, into sixths). Use the tip of a knife to nip out the choke and immediately add the artichokes to the pan. To eat them, pick up the pieces by the leaf tips and bite off the whole fleshy bottom, then discard the tips. In paella making, quartered artichokes are added to a sofrito before the addition of rice and stock. I used to parboil them, thinking to stabilize the color, but I noticed that Spanish cooks don’t bother. Artichokes add a very special flavor to paella rice. Again, you have to expect to pick up the artichokes with fingers—but then, in home style paella, diners might need to shell the shrimp too. Should you prefer no-mess, fork-ready artichoke hearts, then, yes, get ready for some trimming. Cut a slice off the artichoke bottom, discarding the stem. Remove about three layers of outer leaves. Use a serrated knife to cut off the top two-thirds of the leaves and discard them. Now you have a round artichoke bottom. With a knife tip, pare around the base, smoothing it out. Scoop out the fuzzy choke inside. You should, in theory, have a fleshy artichoke bottom that is totally edible. Cook it immediately or drop into acidulated water as you prepare the rest of the artichokes. Alcachofas a la CordobesaArtichokes with Ham and Córdoba Wine This is a favorite dish in the tabernas of Córdoba. The artichokes are first sautéed, then simmered in Córdoba wine, the dry fino of Montilla-Moriles, which is similar to Sherry fino. Supposedly artichokes don’t pair well with wine, but fino, whether from Montilla-Moriles or Jerez, makes a perfect match. Artichokes prepared in this manner make a good starter. Sunday, March 7, 2010 I go into the village three mornings a week to work out at the local gym. I’m not becoming musclebound, by any stretch, just desperately trying to keep toned. Afterwards, I head for a café in the plaza for a café con leche, strong espresso coffee with milk. The café is sort of like my living room—I sit by the window, read the local (Málaga) newspaper and keep an eye on comings and goings. Then I check the mail at the post office and stop at the market for fresh fruit and veg, meat, eggs, fish. The other day, a recipe in the newspaper for a mussel gratin with spinach caught my eye. I’ve got lots of spinach in the garden, so that became my dinner plan. No pumping iron to get this kind of mussel! I bought the mussels at the market and headed home. But, then it started pouring rain—and never let up all day. I couldn’t go pick the spinach without getting drenched, so I looked for another mussel recipe in one of my cookbooks, MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN (yes, that’s the title of the cookbook as well as the blog), and came up with a Galician mussel and potato stew. Most mussels come from Galicia in northwest Spain, where they are “farmed” on flats anchored in the Atlantic surf. They are plump and meaty, but do require considerable scraping and cleaning. First, I steamed open the mussels and removed the shells. The potatoes cooked in a sofrito with white wine until tender, then the mussels were added at the finish. A pleasing rainy-day supper with, of course, a Galician white Albariño wine from the Rias Baixas district. (Albariño is the grape varietal; rias are estuaries on the Atlantic coast. The Albariño vineyards reach nearly to the shores of the estuaries.) Next time, I think I’ll add chopped spinach to the potatoes as well. It won’t be traditional Galician style, but I think very good. Galician Mussel and Potato StewGuiso de Mejillones a la Gallega Pimentón is Spanish sweet paprika. In this case, it is not smoked paprika. If you like, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne as well. Salt may not be needed, as the mussel broth is fairly salty. Put the mussels in a pot with the bay leaves and water. Cover and place on a high heat. Shake the pot several times, until the mussel shells have opened. Remove from heat. Drain them, saving the liquid. When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove mussels from shells and discard shells. Heat the oil in a cazuela or skillet and sauté the onion, pepper, garlic and sausage, if using, until onion is softened. Add the potatoes, wine, pimentón, thyme and pepper. Strain the mussel broth through a fine sieve and add 1 cup of it to the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the mussels and reheat. Wednesday, March 3, 2010 By 8 pm, early for Madrid, I was ravenous. Three of us ducked into a neighborhood bar near where I was staying with friends in the Ventas district of Madrid. Glasses of red wine were set before us and, without asking, a plate of lacón, sliced cured and cooked pork, sort of like picnic ham, drizzled with a little olive oil and pimentón (paprika). Though I never saw the name of the bar, my guess it was El Gallego—the guy from Galicia—because lacón is such a signature dish of that northwest region. The evening’s tapa-hopping would take us on a virtual tour of Spain’s regions, with a stop in a La Rioja wine bar and on to a standard-bearer for Andalusia. Billing itself as an Andalusian taberna, El Rincón de Jaén (with five different bar-restaurants in Madrid) specializes in shellfish and ibérico ham. Within minutes of ordering red wines, a plate heaped with fritura mixta, mixed fish fry, with rings of calamari, small, fresh anchovies and a few shrimp was set before us. Piping hot, it was as delicious as anything I’ve eaten back home in Andalusia! We ordered another round of wine and asked for a plate of mollejas. These are sweetbreads, a delicacy of traditional tabernas. Fried crisp on the outside, they were creamy morsels within. The plate came with lettuce, tomato and fried green peppers. The total bill was €27 (about $37.00) for six glasses of wine, “free” plate of fried fish and plate of sweetbreads. El Rincón de Jaén is at Don Ramón de la Cruz 88; Madrid. The next evening found us in the up-scale barrio of Salamanca, full of sophisticated shops and bars and restaurants. We selected Sula, the Madrid beachhead of chef Quique Dacosta, he of two-starred El Poblet of Denia (Alicante), in collaboration with Joselito ibérico hams from Guijuelo (Salamanca). (This gastrobar recently got a mention mention in the New York Times’ travel pages.) Trendy, modern decor sets Sula apart from tipico tabernas, but, surprisingly, the tapas barely wink at the avant-garde. The soldaditos de Pavía, puffy, batter-fried salt cod, crisscrossed with strips of red pimiento, were classic renditions of this Sevilla bar tapa. We didn’t order the house specialty, exquisite ibérico ham (truth be told, we were getting lashings of it at the tasting stands of Madrid Fusión gastronomy conference). Instead, we sampled two cuts of fresh ibérico pork, secreto and solomillo, each grilled and served atop bread. The secreto was, frankly, chewy; the solomillo, or tenderloin, was melt-in-the-mouth tender. These we chose as part of a six-plate deal for €13.65 (about $18.60) that also included, asparagus tempura and mini chicken burgers with caramelized onion relish (yum) and pisto (similar to ratatouille; see the recipe below) with fried quail’s egg. I ate the quail’s egg in one bite, but the other tapas we shared. With a lovely Garnacha wine, our tapas supper was much enjoyed. Sula flips the “cellar” concept on its head—racks holding 4000 bottles of wine aren’t cellared, but soar to ceiling height (the restaurant is on the upper level). Sula is at Calle Jorge Juan 33, Madrid. On Day 4, we were off to a tapas event at the Mercado San Miguel, a market right next to Madrid’s grand Plaza Mayor, where stalls proffer meat, fish, fresh produce, bread, pasta, oysters, wine and tapas. On the way there, we stopped off at Lhardy, a Madrid institution. Not actually a tapas bar, it’s a delicatessen and high-class take-away food shop (restaurant above), where a restorative cup of consommé or dainty ham sandwich can be had. We had a glass of red wine with puff pastries filled with chorizo.Lhardy, Carrera de San Jerónimo 8, Madrid. Right on the Plaza Mayor is Casa María, where you can get a tapa or snack from 9 am right through until 2 am, every day of the year. We nibbled ham croquettes and watched waiters carrying bubbling fish stews to diners in the restaurant.Casa María, Plaza Mayor 23, Madrid. On my last night in Madrid, I declared, “No more tapas.” (Lunches at the gastronomy fair were grazed, on foot, at stands proferring everything from Asturian cheeses, ibérico ham, Castilian garlic soup, Andalusian olive oil, to canapés of sea urchin roe.) I wanted to sit at a table, eat salad, eat a meal with knife and fork. I offered to cook—but first, I had to make a trip to the funky, local market a block away (open late into the evening) to pick up salad greens and a few other groceries. And, wouldn’t you know? Across from the fruit and vegetable stand was a little bar. We joined the locals for a slice of tortilla de patatas, potato tortilla, and a glass of red wine. My last tapa hop—until the next trip. VEGETABLE MEDLEY WITH QUAIL’S EGG PISTO CON HUEVO DE CODORNIZ This is a splendid vegetable dish, that can be served hot or cold. Topped with a fried egg, it’s a great supper dish. For tapas, serve small portions of the vegetables topped with fried quail’s eggs. Place the cubed eggplant in a colander and sprinkle it liberally with salt. Let it drain for 1 hour. In a pan, heat the oil and sauté the onion and eggplant for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and green pepper and sauté another minute, then add the tomatoes and zucchini. Sauté on a medium heat another 5 minutes.Season with salt, oregano, pimentón and pepper. Cover and cook on a slow heat until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently so vegetables don’t scorch. The mixture should be juicy, but not soupy.Serve hot or cold, garnished with chopped parsley. If serving cold, add a touch of vinegar.

The Nutritious Rice for the World (Rice) project, a World Community Grid BOINC project, ended a few weeks ago. BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) is a non-commercial program and infrastructure which allows volunteers to donate their computer’s spare computing resources to take part in very interesting, computing intense scientific projects. Many people around the world contributed their CPU-resources to help figure out the structure of proteins of the most common strains of rice. In the end, about 25,761 years of CPU-time were contributed to the project. IBM heavily contributed to this project through their World Community Grid (WCG) program, offering Rice a massive userbase and community. Rice is one of the most common foods in various parts of the world. It’s in the interest of us all to find varieties and breeds of rice which are most nutritious or resistant against pests; the project’s goal is to find out which varieties of rice interbreed with others to give the best results so that we’ll get new strains of rice which are harder, better, faster, stronger. Dr. Ram Samudrala A lot of BOINC-users who contributed to the project (like myself) are now asking themselves a lot of questions. Who are the people behind the scenes? How much work is necessary to get a project like this into operation? What was IBM’s role? What will happen with the contributed results? And after all, who will benefit from the project? Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in the Rice-project.Ram: I’m a professor researching computational biology at the University of Washington Seattle. My overarching interest has been to understand and model how the genome of an organism (genotype) specifies its behaviour and characteristics (phenotype). We develop computational algorithms to this end that are applied to whole genomes and we work on many organisms. Rice was specifically chosen since our collaborators at the Beijing Genomics Institute had just finished sequence (and we annotated the refined version) and I also got a $1.9 million grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to predict the structure and functions of all proteins encoded by the rice genome. We developed algorithms to do this and we applied it to all rice proteins. Then IBM came along and offered us the means to redo some of our calculations on the most difficult proteins using the WCG and then we ported our code over to work on the Grid. When was the first time you considered using voluntary distributed computing for your project?Ram: Since the days of SETI@home, and since we built our own local clusters to do structural computational biology, but porting our code to BOINC was always a inertial challenge. Did you consider using other DC-infrastructures except BOINC, like distributed.net? If yes, why did you decide using BOINC?Ram: No, we used BOINC since it was what was supported by IBM WCG. Have you considered asking the NCSA for computing resources?Ram: Yep, but it’s a cumbersome process, like applying for a grant, and again, porting software to work on different architectures. The barrier is that we get grant money to do research and not develop software. I have used NIST supercomputing resources in the past. You said you would need 200 years of computing time using your available resources. Besides voluntary distributed computing and the University of Washington, were there other universities or institutes directly contributing computing-resources to your project?Ram: Not for this project, no. Rice BOINC Splashscreen You were using algorithms from the Protinfo website. Which one did you actually use, how much effort did you put into customizing it for using it in BOINC? Can you tell us if those algorithms and implementation are released under a free license?Ram: It’s the Protinfo AB algorithm, which is our ab initio or de novo simulation protocol. IBM spent a fair amount of time porting the code to work with BOINC. The original algorithms/software are all freely available without any claim of copyright (i.e., in the public domain). Could you explain “de novo” and “ab initio” for non-scientists, please?Ram: “De novo” and “ab initio” generally are translated to mean “from first principles”. In the old days, this used to mean using pure physics energy potentials for protein folding. These days, to us, it means any set of general principles that is not biased to a particular protein or organism. If the algorithms you used are under a free license, did you already manage to publish the modifications, if there are any?Ram: The modifications involving the porting are with IBM and they are unpublished. (Ed. note: Since the software was released in the public domain there’s no requirement to publish the modifications.) IBM helped you out in customizing the protein-prediction algorithms for various platforms. Can you tell us how much they contributed?Ram: All the customisation was done by IBM engineers. We just gave them the original software and ran sanity checks on the output. I’m a strong free software and anti IP proponent, to the degree that I encourage commercial use without restrictions on the software (people can always use the public domain versions if they want to). Rice Terraces How much time did you save by using the World Community Grid’s infrastructure compared to if you would’ve set it up all on your own, like other projects do?Ram: IBM took about six months or so to port our software, so I presume it would’ve required that kind of an investment. Keep in mind that they had a lot of prior experience with BOINC. IBM now maintains the code and does the PR and runs the predictions for us. I’d say this would be a full time programmer/sysadm type of person and if I had that extra money, I’d rather spend it on someone doing the basic research. If there are flaws about BOINC, which would you like to be addressed first?Ram: I can’t think of any in the way we did it with IBM, but without IBM, the PR machine has to be powerful to get people on board. It’s more than just recruiting people, but also motivating them as IBM does with badges and giving them a sense of community and providing a support infrastructure. This is hard for a research lab to do on their own (it can be done, but is it really the best use of our talents is the questions). Programming and debugging is an iterative process. Looking at your sourcecode-repository, how many releases of the software were necessary until you got the cow flying?Ram: For this case, internally we probably had about 10 or so iterations in total, but the basic science part of the software is something that has evolved over 18 years. How did you do beta-testing, did you use the publicly available beta-projects at WCG? Or, were you actually just doing it in your lab?Ram: It was mostly in our group. We just submitted sequences for which we knew the answers and we did a dry run initially with the same sequences. I’m curious there – were these structures predicted by other algorithms or was that done the hard way, using X-ray crystallography?Ram: These were done the hard way, at the bench. These are our gold standard for when we know we’re right or wrong, so we benchmark our methods against all this. When we did the rice project, we did sequences with known answers to see how well things would work and that there was no chance of anything going wrong. Dr. Ling-Hong Hung How was is like getting in touch with the community? Was the feedback helpful? How many people from your team were actually dealing with the community?Ram: At its peak, we had 3 people dealing with the community, our sysadm and project lead Michal Guerquin, our programmer and scientist Ling-Hong Hung, and myself. Opening our software to the Grid and the community definitely presented some challenges, which I believe will be the focus of our first paper. An interesting tangent of that is that we’ve had to port some of our analysis software to work on GPUs so we could handle all this data. So some good technological developments here that we’ll be writing about shortly. Michal Guerquin A lot of people are concerned about “Frankenfood”. Your project’s website explicitly states that this is not about genetic engineering, but about finding the most nutritious rice-strains for interbreeding with other rice-crops. Is there anything you’d like to explain to people who are still concerned?Ram: We’re simply extending what farmers have been doing for millenia in a more rational way, and also what has been going on in nature for billions of years. The problem to us is scientific and all knowledge that is produced (which from our end will be completely free and transparent) can be used in various ways according to the will of the people. But we have governments and politicians to handle the deeper societal implications. What I mean by this is that people should petition their representatives, as they are doing successfully in many parts of the world, to decide where to go with genetically modified organisms, which I see as ultimately having a socioeconomic/political solution. Your project is one of the very few with a fixed end, almost all other projects are handing out work-units for new phases. How comes that you’re finished now? Is everything from the rice-genome now analyzed from a computational point-of-view and nothing else left to do?Ram: Not at all. We obtained a huge amount of data and we’re now pressed to analyse it. I honestly can say that we were overwhelmed with this data. My goal as a scientist though is not just to develop technical tools and produce large tables and graphs but try to come up with something tangible that is prioritised and can be tested at the bench that really changes the make up of rice in a desired manner. The computations and the Grid are the means by which we arrived at this step, but our job now is to figure out where the best low hanging fruit is in collaboration with rice researchers (which we are doing with researchers around the world including IRRI, Phillipines). [Ed. note: IRRI, International Rice Research Institute] Focussing on the data: Now that you know how those proteins really look like, where do you draw a line and say “this protein is more nutritious than others”? My basic understanding is that the nutritious parts in rice is actually carbohydrates (starch), proteins and some fat. How do I have to imagine this analysis?Ram: So the proteins we’re talking about are gene products, that carry out almost all the functions in rice (or any other organism). So we use the protein to refer to a molecule that does this, rather than the nutrition use of the word “protein” which refers to these biological molecules broken down and aggregrated (see “Protein” and “Protein (nutrient)” in Wikipedia). By nutrition we mean anything that leads to higher range of bioavailable substances like dietary minerals and vitamins. In rice, examples include elements like iron or organics like vitamin A. Incidentally the “golden rice” GMO is a product of Monsanto that has higher beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A (“Golden Rice” at Wikipedia). We’d like to get to something like that by crossbreeding without the use of genetic engineering, working on both micro and macronutrients. So in the end, we need to be able to create a rice strain that does have enriched nutrients and is perhaps better than current strains in terms of yield and/or hardiness. Before we go off and start crossing rice, there are a number of molecule biology bench experiments that can be done to say whether predictions we make about the activity of certain proteins will be correct so we’d do them first. Do you plan to publish all your results in an Open Access Journal?Ram: Yep, that would be the ideal. Publishing in Open Access Journals also sometimes costs money. I’m not a big fan of the “pay to publish” model—it’s not a lot of money and some scientists have grants to do this, but it’s not a good principle. Thank you very much for this interview!Ram: Thanks; I enjoyed the questions! Dr. Ram Samudrala is a tenured Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. He’s head of the Nutritious Rice For The World project and one of the inventors of protein prediction algorithms. He’s a notorious contributor of scientific papers and generally a very nice guy I’d like to buy a drink. Dieses Werk bzw. Inhalt ist unter einer Creative Commons-Lizenz lizenziert. The rice picture is copyrighted and CC-BY-SA by Flickr-user kadaoor. The rice-paddy picture is copyrighted and CC-BY by Flickr-user ~MVI~ The pictures of the teammembers were used by permission of the Rice-team. The BOINC splashscreen is copyrighted by IBM and the World Community Grid and was used with permission. The NCSA wrote a very easy to understand, yet quite complete article with explanations about David Baker’s Rosetta project, an theoretical approach to deduct a protein’s structure using computer-simulations. Things I learned from this article: The code does not start with a “flat” protein-molecule, starting to wiggle it around, but with a “homologous known protein structure” as a starting point. I don’t understand if that’s good or bad, but it limits the permutations to be checked. David created a portal known as Robetta, where other biologists can submit their models to be crunched. The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search reports that they’ve probably found the 44th Mersenne prime: “On September 4, 2006, a computer reported finding the 44th known Mersenne prime. Verification will begin shortly, probably taking a week or so to complete. If it is verified, this will be GIMPS’ tenth prime!” The probably heaviest request from users during the last BOINC user-survey was definitively “Introduce a more fair credit-system”. It’s still kind of frustrating that some projects hand out lots of credits per CPU-hour where others are more close-fisted with their credits. And there’s also the issue that we have “calibrating” BOINC-clients which sail around the known credit-issues and manipulate the claimed credits for a work-unit. Some people consider this cheating, others claim that this is self-defence – their argument is “why should we get less credit in total even if we crunch more data per day?” Both have a point, so some projects finally decided to go away from the naïve BOINC credit-scheme (which is based on the internal benchmarking algorithm) and create their own, CPU-hour based scheme. Why would someone who’s into science care about the credit-system anyway? There’re several reasons: Motivation and individual success is the absolute base for public voluntary distributed computing, something which some people out there didn’t understand yet. If you want to build up and maintain a large user base you need to give them incentives. Credits, public blessings, and – important – constant reports about the project’s success which show more than just how many percent of the project is already done like RC5 does. (OK, i have to admit, there isn’t much to report in the RC5-project, but you get my point, don’t you?) And that’s the reason why you have to care about how many credits you issue and how you discuss the credit-issue in public – never underestimate the so-dubbed “credit-whores” – they’re your user-base and might wander of to projects which hand you more credits. If you’ve lost a user you’ll never get him back – most probably. Be opportunistic and go for the high-performers even if they’re just after the credits. Be nice to your users and give them real reports every couple of weeks. Participate in the fori and give your users feedback. If possible, organize parties to meet your users (no one ever said anything about that you should pay). Optimize your science-application and be as fair as possible with the credits. Take rants and criticism serious. If people start optimizing your science-application: Embrace the changes and let them take part in the validation-process. Remember: Even if tuning your science-application to be as efficient as possible takes a lot of effort, remember: Your users will thank you because they can crunch more data and you push your project onto a new level. Corrections: (1) Bernd Machenschalk from the Einstein@Home-project correctly pointed out that they did not change the credit-system but only the calibration of the system they’ve introduced with the S5-run. Sony and folding@home start working together to develop a native folding@home application for the Playstation 3 which uses the Cell CPU. The BBC claims that 10,000 Playstation 3 consoles would make a raw processing-power of “a thousand trillion calculations per second” – read: 1-Peta-FLOPS. “A graphical interface, also being developed between Sony and FAH, will eventually allow users and the scientists to look at the protein from different angles as it folds in real-time. The graphics application is currently undergoing tests and is expected to be finished by September. When the program is released to PS3 owners, the scientists say they will be able to “address questions previously considered impossible to tackle computationally”. Ben Owen of the Einstein@home science-team posted an update about the ongoing efforts; this posting was done in the Science-forum, not on the frontpage, where one would expect it. He reports that the National Science Board officially certified the project as “reached the initial design goal” which means “we’re officially in business”. He also points out that the S5 raw-data is twice as good as S4 was; they had some problems with the precission of their interferometers, mostly due to construction-works outside the L1-site. RALPH@home is the official alpha test project for Rosetta@home. New application versions, work units, and updates in general will be tested here before being used for production. The goal for RALPH@home is to improve Rosetta@home. So if you got any spare CPU-cycles and want to help improving cutting-edge rosetta@home applications, go and sign up!

IT'S EASIER TO SCAPEGOAT AN HONEST PERSON WHO OWNS A GUN THAN TO DISARM A CRIMINAL. by Alan Korwin My deepest heartfelt condolences went out to Bill Cosby, whose work I have enjoyed since the days of I Spy, on the loss of his son. Words failed in expressing the sorrow I felt for his tragic loss. No parent should have to bury a child. The murderer who committed this horrific act deserves swift and sure punishment. I find it reprehensible that some public figures have seized on this and other tragedies to pursue personal agendas regarding the civil rights of Americans who choose to keep and bear arms. I urge the news media and the public to remain aware that: 1. Efforts should focus on stopping criminals, not disarming honest Americans. Guns are already banned for criminals. If the media or the authorities try to convince you that the only thing left is to legislate guns away from the law abiding, do not be fooled by this politically motivated whitewash. Taking guns from honest people cannot and will not stop murderous highway robbers. 2. It is totally and completely illegal for a criminal to even touch a gun, or for anyone to use a gun in any crime whatsoever. Do something, anything, to get the criminals off the streets, using all the good laws we already have on the books. We need enforcement and judicial process, not more paperwork from Congress that promises to do what no prior paperwork has ever done. I support programs that will shortstop youngsters from entering criminal careers. In the meantime, we must protect ourselves from the element in society that regularly and with impunity preys on the public. We must contain the really bad ones longer, and reduce the rate at which they leave and return. I call on Mr. Cosby, reportedly one of the world s richest men, to build memorial prisons with funds he can raise, that our government cannot afford to spend, and to support the apprehension and incarceration of as many criminals as humanly possible. More than half the crimes committed in this country are done by people who should be in jail but for the space and ability to house them all. We must catch more murderers. We must stop releasing murderers. We added 50,000 more police officers (maybe 100,000), yet Attorney General Janet Reno reported recently that arrests have dropped. Dropped! This is an outrage. Only one arrest is made for every five serious crimes reported in America, the FBI tells us. If it's true that you want to stop criminals, and you add large numbers of police, arrests should go up not down. This is where a fix is so sorely needed. Too many criminals face no consequence of their actions. And the authorities convincingly sway public opinion with nonsense about arrest rates. Declining numbers of arrests, with crime so prevalent, is a really bad sign folks. Little could be more dangerous or deadly serious than being stranded on a roadside in a luxury car, a target of every thug who happens by. Police are not stationed at the scene of an attack to protect you, only the attacker and the victim are present. A loaded defensive firearm might have averted the Cosby tragedy, but was essentially prohibited by law. Isn't that a cold irony. In its dubious wisdom, the government had outlawed the honest, leaving the weaponry to the outlaws. Do nothing to further this agenda. We have no ability to keep drugs out of this country. A total ban on firearms will accomplish the same thing. Criminals will import them by the freight load, while the honest will be left empty handed. Criminals will arm themselves. Sorry, that s history. We cannot, must not, ban firearms for the good, in the name of stopping the bad. I implore anyone who would deny our historical right to keep and bear arms to re-focus your energies instead on the criminals. Any effort that disarms criminals has my support. Efforts that tend to disarm good and honest people must be suspect and are counterproductive to the safe society we all seek. IT IS 100% TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY ILLEGAL FOR A CRIMINAL TO: Touch a gun Get a gun Try to get a gun Buy a gun Try to buy a gun Use a gun Sell a gun Have a gun Give a gun Make a gun Fix a gun Point a gun Shoot you Shoot at you Shoot at all Hit you Hurt you Threaten you Molest you Restrain you Harm you in any way There now. Don t you feel safer? We have outlawed every connection between outlaws and guns. The only thing left is to outlaw guns for the rest of us but why would you do that, unless your goal has nothing to do with stopping crime. Alan Korwin is a full-time free-lance writer and author of seven books on gun law, including Gun Laws of America Every Federal Gun Law on the Books with Plain English Summaries. Permission to reprint this article is granted to non-profit organizations, provided credit is given to Alan Korwin, Bloomfield Press, Phoenix, AZ. All others, just call us.

Go, Do, Be. Categories I was never that much of a skater, but I wore enough road-rash on my knees to appreciate these vids that I ran across this week. The skate through a warzone aesthetic is the common theme. Where'd they film this first one? It's good to see that the youths of todays are capable of using their dynamites for a skate movie instead of the jihad. It's from a skate vid called Fully Flared. The explosions make a lot more sense when you read that Spike Jonze is involved in the production. He gives good boom. I thought this one was interesting too. I thought I'd see if I could steal the player from the time.com video pages since I'm working on a really fun video project right now.

SEO Reseller Opportunity Request More Info San Juan Capistrano, CA, May 23, 2011 – BWP Inc. announced today the unveiling of its new website GetSEObot.com that was designed to make the business of Search Engine Optimization or SEO much easier and more profitable. The Company said that the “GetSEObot.com” Automated SEO platform was developed for resellers supporting or having influence on small to medium size businesses who desire having their websites appear first in major search engine queries or SERPS. These resellers would include companies that offer web hosting services, Internet marketing, SEO services, PR firms, web design firms, and online business consultants. The getSEOBOT.com platform enables resellers to quickly add keyword specific content without having to touch the existing structure, format or content of the client’s website. Additionally, on-page optimization is done automatically by the system as well as all relevant inbound linking. “The operator simply decides on the keywords or keyword themes and enters the original content into our online template and the system does everything else automatically” said Eric Nester the Company’s Vice President of Operations. There is no cost for the reseller to sign up and the platform can be customized to reflect the reseller’s brand. The Company is paying a 50% residual on all sales made by the reseller. Another application according to the Company is for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) customers that want to quickly and easily improve the keyword relevancy and authority of their landing pages. “By improving Quality Score, AdWords customers can save thousands of dollars and improve the ranking of their ad placements” ”, said Rob Bibb the Company’s president. “This application is a God send for those businesses spending a fortune on PPC campaigns” said Mr. Nester. “GetSEObot.com is an example of how a reseller can customize their own site “continued Mr. Bibb. The GetSEObot platform is currently available for anyone that would like to try it for free. The user gets 5 free keywords and full access to the systems capabilities to evaluate. “This is an evolutionary step for SEO because we have eliminated many of the time consuming aspects to getting keywords highly ranked” concluded Mr. Bibb. BWP Inc. specializes in software development designed to Automate SEO Processes. The Company was founded in 2004 by Mr. Robert Bibb and employs software engineers from around the world. Seo Keyword Research Tool

Hottest Online News Portal 21 Telecommunication Towers, Worth RM50.4 Million – Salleh KUDAT – The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is building 21 communication towers, worth RM50.4 million, in Kudat and Pitas to increase Internet access in the affected areas. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak, said 13 of the towers, costing RM31.2 million, would be built in Pitas, while the remaining eight towers, costing RM19.2 million, would be built in Kudat. “We will implement it this year. Tender for the project has been called and it will be finalised soon. “With the construction of the communication towers, it will increase Internet coverage in the affected areas,” he said. Salleh, who is also UMNO Treasurer, told this to reporters after a lunch with Kudat Barisan Nasional (BN) here today. He said the better Internet access, it would help to increase the socio-economic standard of the residents in the area. “The government will focus on three matters in telecommunication. First, the coverage, second is the speed and third, the cost,” he said. He said since there were still areas in Sabah which did not have Internet facility, it was the government’s responsibility to provide it. “With the construction of the telecommunication towers, it will ensure Internet facility and higher speed in the areas concerned,” katanya. – BERNAMA

The Real War on Women This morning I did an interview on a local Kansas City, MO NewsProgram – Fox 4 News. Here’s the link to that interview: http://fox4kc.com/2015/07/24/divorce-expert-calls-women-in-affairs-with-married-men-girl-fiends/ My points about the Ashley Madison Infidelity Site Hack. The Ashley Madison Infidelity site has 37+ million members. The site has numerous safety and security awards, “100% discreet.” Well, it turns out to be “not so much.” Someone has hacked the site and is threatening to publish all the names and personal information of the Ashley Madison members. I hope there were people on that site sweating bullets and having some sleepless nights wondering if they will be “outed.” I’ve got a lot of problems with this site: – but here are two: 1. What low have we come to that more than 37,000,000 people are willing to go online and get hooked up for an extra-marital affair. 2. What kind of person does this? I know that the gap is closing so that now almost as many women are unfaithful as men. I want to talk about the real WAR on WOMEN: Girl-FIENDS. Any woman who is willing to get involved with a married man. Anthropologists tell us that in very early communities and tribes, when faced with danger there was the well-know Fight or Flee responses. But scientists are discovering something else. The Tend and Befriend response. It seems that from earliest times women were more likely to face danger by coming together as a supportive, protective group and to tend to the vulnerable in the tribe … the children and the old and infirm. So, what’s happened to this sisterhood of women? These Girl-FIENDS … whether on the Ashley Madison site or on the company business trip or in your husbands office …. are women who knowingly develop a relationship with a man they know is married. My RADiCAL women are always asking, “What kind of woman does that?” Here’s what I think all Girl-FIENDS should know: 1. The great majority of people across all cultures and all countries, both genders, young and old think infidelity is “always wrong.” 2. Men who cheat with you will also cheat on you. Men who cheat don’t respect women, don’t keep their promises and will lie to your face. He did that to his wife. He will do that with you. Get used to it. 3. His children, extended family and friends will tolerate you, but they won’t really respect you if you were involved with him before his divorce. 4. If you had an affair with him, you remind him every day that he is not an honorable person and deep down that begins to bother him. 5. You knowingly betray the “sisterhood of women.” You cause much pain and suffering to another woman and her children. Here’s something all women out there need to think about: Respect yourself enough to say “No” to a married man. Men …. you should have the integrity to say “No” to a woman who is pursuing you and willing to have an emotional or physical affair with with you. In my divorce recovery work I have discovered that one of the favorite phrases men us is, “I’m not happy at home.” What if every woman said to him, “Okay, you aren’t happy. Have the guts to say to your spouse, “I’m not happy, let’s fix this …. and if we can’t – something has to change or I want a divorce.” I don’t want to have any part in destroying your marriage, so I don’t want to hear from you again until you are divorced. Period.” Until then. No contact. And that includes during separation. He is still married during separation. The purpose of being separated was originally to see if you can figure out a way to fix things and get back together. It is not a green light to have affairs …. he is still married. So for all of those 37+ million members of the Infidelity site. I hope you have spent some sleepless nights this week. You should not be doing something you would be embarrassed for your children or your friends and especially your spouse to know about. Fix your marriage. If it absolutely can’t be fixed, get a divorce. Only then should you start even thinking about another relationship. For those women on this Midlife Divorce Recovery site whose wasband had an affair and left. Keep in mind that once they go down that path, it get’s easier to cheat. Be happy that you can choose to have people in your life that you don’t have to worry they are seeing someone on the side. All men do not do that. The ones who do bring heartache and trouble. Be glad that is someone else’s problem now. Suzy developed Midlife Divorce Recovery as a safe refuge for people healing and surviving the overwhelm of divorce. Starting her first RADiCAL support group in 2003 she's been helping women navigate the journey of divorce ever since.

LatestStories Tuesday, October 01, 1996 Managing Dissonance in the Iron Triangle Economists have recently found the psychological theory of cognitive dissonance useful as a means of explaining certain economic behaviors and rationalizing a variety of public policies. Developed by Leon Festinger in 1957, the theory provides a framework for analyzing the psychological discomfort that may occur after a choice has been made and alternatives are forgone. A 1983 article by George Akerlof and William Dickens in the American Economic Review applied the theory to a model of individual choice among workers in hazardous industries. They argued that workers would first accept hazardous jobs lured by relatively higher wages, and later, because of dissonance, force themselves to believe that their jobs were not hazardous, and therefore, they would not buy available safety equipment. Akerlof and Dickens concluded that safety legislation is needed to restore Pareto optimality since the workers have an incorrect assessment of the marginal rate of substitution between safety equipment and money income. They also used the same argument to justify Social Security legislation and to argue against Gordon Tullock’s position that higher penalties serve to deter crime. All three of their arguments identified cognitive dissonance as a source of potential market failure and suggested public-sector action to alter the behavioral outcomes. However, they failed to notice that public-sector choices are also subject to cognitive dissonance whether they relate to safety, social, criminal, or any other type of legislation. Most importantly, they failed to notice that cognitive dissonance can be manipulated in the legislative process to the self-interest of public-sector agents, and the public sector becomes a market surrogate where dissonance is exchanged like any other commodity. Dissonance and Individual Choice Dissonance is the discomfort created when the outcome of individuals’ choices is not consistent with their pre-choice beliefs. The dissonance, however, occurs only after decisions are made; the act of choosing, therefore, creates dissonance. For example, an individual may consider the costs and benefits of smoking cigarettes and decide to smoke. After experiencing respiratory discomfort, bearing the social stigma placed on smokers, and frequently viewing the surgeon general’s warnings, an individual may reformulate his preferences and decide not to smoke. This earlier choice, which was made in the context of the choice-influencing costs, was changed when the smoker incurred the choice-influenced costs similar to those postulated by James Buchanan in 1969. Dissonance that results from decision-making can be reduced by: (1) revoking the decision, (2) increasing the attractiveness of the chosen alternative, (3) decreasing the attractiveness of the unchosen alternative, and/or (4) establishing more similarity between the alternatives. Involuntary information in society may also create dissonance. New information to which an individual is involuntarily exposed may conflict with his current opinions or attitudes, and thus cause psychological discomfort. Individuals may be involuntarily exposed to information, accidentally or forcibly, through broadcast or print media, as when a smoker first reads the surgeon general’s warnings. Dissonance caused by involuntary exposure to information can be reduced by intentionally misperceiving or avoiding it or changing one’s opinion after being exposed. Festinger asserts that dissonance is also created in most social settings. Specifically, he argues that disagreement with other individuals, or groups of individuals (i.e., lack of social support), tends to create dissonance. Dissonance caused by lack of social support can be reduced by changing one’s opinion to agree with the disagreeing persons, persuading the disagreeing parties to change their opinions, or disparaging the disagreeing persons. Dissonance in the Iron Triangle Dissonance theory can be applied to choice-influenced costs that result from decision-making under uncertainty. The psychological costs of choice are not easily quantifiable and change with human interpretations after the choice is made. They are also heavily influenced by exposure to information, peer pressure, and social support. With such psychological attributes, dissonance becomes a valuable tool for rent seeking in the iron triangle of legislators, bureaucrats, and special interest groups. Legislators, bureaucrats, and special interest groups frequently attempt to influence the voting public’s preferences through dissonance management by orchestrating information that is supportive of their goals and programs. Their success in getting programs through the congressional authorization and appropriation process depends, in part, on how efficiently dissonance can be managed. Therefore, managing dissonance becomes the stock and trade of public officials whose job is to choose in the public interest, special interest groups whose mission is to influence the votes of these officials, and bureaucrats who stand to increase their power, influence, and resource base in the process. Environmental issues provide an example of dissonance which arises from choice, uncertainty, and involuntary exposure to information, as well as showing how dissonance is managed by public sector agents to their own advantage. All three basic sources of dissonance come into play here. Choices are made, and costs are borne. The voting public is exposed to both voluntary and involuntary information, and interest groups support or oppose each other. When legislators, bureaucrats, and special interests address an environmental issue, they actively engage in both quelling dissonance in regard to the choices they support and fomenting dissonance regarding the choices of their opponents. The groups who support a specific environmental bill coalesce to point out damages to the environment caused by the lack of such regulation in the past and the potential for future harm in the absence of their proposed legislation. They trade in the fear of the unknown by fomenting voter dissonance or anxiety over prior environmental choices. In effect, they attempt to scare up some votes by popularizing terms like the China Syndrome or Nuclear Winter. At the same time, they offer public-sector action as the solution to the problem and reassure voters regarding the costs and benefits of their proposed legislation. They may also attempt to quell a voter’s dissonance regarding the failures of past government efforts by criticizing deviant government agencies. In this way, the public sector manages dissonance as a commodity, and therefore, each of the components of the iron triangle should be examined individually. Legislators: Public-choice theorists have argued that voters are rationally ignorant when confronted with choices among bundles of political goods which may include the choice among public officials. (Tullock, 1967; Downs, 1957) In addition, voters have fewer options among which to choose in public- as opposed to private-sector decisions, and dissonance management by coalitions builds upon these factors. For example, less than half of the American electorate can correctly identify their Congressman, much less know where he or she stands on various government-spending issues. Typically, the voter relies on information that is freely supplied by others (candidates, political parties, news media, friends, and interest groups). Information provided by candidates is designed to manage voter dissonance in the candidate’s favor. A political campaign is designed to quell dissonance among the candidates’ supporters and foment dissonance among the opposition. Political muckraking is nothing more than an attempt to provide information to voters which will discredit and reduce the attractiveness of political opponents. Discrediting an opponent can also be viewed as an attempt to expose information that would not have been searched for by potential supporters. Such involuntary information within a society may create dissonance. New involuntary information may be dissonant with an individual’s preconceived opinions. Festinger makes two points that are relevant to the involuntary information argument. If a person voicing disagreement is seen as expert or very knowledgeable on such matters, the dissonance between knowledge of his contrary opinion and one’s own opinion will be greater. Candidates who seek the endorsement of such authorities in a particular field are, in effect, attempting to quell dissonance among their own supporters and foment dissonance among their opposition on the issues which the endorser possesses expertise. Festinger’s contention that dissonance is directly related to the credibility of one’s opponent is also consistent with economists’ perception that votes and political power are not distributed symmetrically across the field of candidates and the voting public. Thus, it is not surprising to see anti-nuclear interests featuring media star and physicist Carl Sagan in congressional testimony against the Reagan administration’s star wars defense initiative. The second point that Festinger makes is that: Another variable which clearly will affect the importance of the cognitive elements, and hence the magnitude of the dissonance, is the attractiveness of the person voicing the disagreement or of the group within which it is voiced. It is plausible to assume that the dissonance between one’s own opinion and knowledge of a contrary opinion voiced by some other person is greater if the other person is . . . attractive. This is similar to Galbraith’s concept of conventional wisdom and may explain why movie and television personalities have become spokespersons for political candidates and causes. Examples include appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger in support of the Bush election campaign and actress Olivia Dukakis in support of the Michael Dukakis campaign. While they may have very little technical credibility in terms of knowledge or understanding of the issues, they are in some sense attractive to the voting public and can quell and foment dissonance. Collective decision-making involves creating simple majority consensus or, in effect, reducing disagreement. Festinger asserts that the magnitude of dissonance which results from disagreement is a function of, among other things, the number of agreeing and disagreeing individuals. One way to increase the number in agreement on a given issue is by logrolling. The you vote for my bill and I will vote for yours approach alters legislative conflict in favor of both bills and reduces the number of disagreeing parties. It also assures that those receiving benefits will not oppose others receiving benefits. (Will, 1982) Dissonance can also be reduced by increasing the reward or punishment employed to induce the behavior. As the gains from trade among agreeing and non-agreeing parties increase, dissonance will decrease. For example, a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget is politically unacceptable to legislators primarily because it would reduce the systems of political bribes the Congress, special interests, and bureaucrats may exchange to achieve their own agendas. If more dollars for defense required that fewer dollars be spent for social programs, the benefits of a coalition of legislators, bureaucrats, and special interests would be significantly reduced, and dissonance within the coalitions would increase. In brief, coalitions manage public- and private-sector dissonance to their advantage, and in doing so, minimize their own dissonance. Special Interest Groups: Special interests have the ability to foment dissonance for the cause and quell dissonance for a price, justifying their own existence and seeking rents in the process. A special interest group is composed of individuals who hold similar positions on a given issue. The group can identify an issue, and through its media and political resources, foment dissonance to make it a major public issue. The group can then represent itself as the solution to the problem and thereby provide a means of quelling the voter dissonance which it fomented in the first place. For example, a special interest group, such as the save-the-elephants movement, first popularizes the issue with vivid media images of the slaughter of elephants coupled with proclamations that their extinction is imminent. Then they promote themselves as the solution to the problem by fighting for the right laws, as defined by themselves, to preserve the elephant. In the process, the movement solicits public support and funds which may serve to quell a portion of the dissonance held by those who are concerned with the problem. (Brady, 1991) Supporters of special interest groups may also be trying to co-opt the sources of potential dissonance. For example, the Atlantic Richfield Foundation gives funds to the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, both of which lobby against oil exploration on federal lands. (Anderson, 1990) In addition, individuals may attempt to quell some of their personal dissonance by contributing to special interests. For example, some contributors to the American Lung Association are smokers. Their dissonance over the decision to smoke may, in part, be quelled by their contributions. The personal dissonance factor may well have been fomented by public information campaigns financed by the American Lung Association. As indicated in the now well-publicized report by James Bennett, only a small fraction of the American Lung Association’s budget is spent for research; the majority of it goes to media campaigns and political lobbying. Similar circumstances can be found with regard to the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Such evidence lends credence to the contention that the public sector is a marketplace where dissonance is exchanged like any other commodity. Bureaucrats: The third leg of the iron triangle actively manages dissonance in pursuit of self-interest. Bureaucrats can foment and quell dissonance to expand their own bureaus, or get rid of their opposition. When special interest groups and legislators focus public attention on an issue, there will invariably be a call for public-sector action of some type. Consequently, each new environmental issue that is identified and brought to public attention by a special interest group offers the potential for staff and budget expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency. For example, fears of a gradually warming planet have recently captured public attention and have become the subject of wolf-crying. A British documentary film, The Greenhouse Conspiracy, examined the four pillars that support global warming claims and suggested that such fears were unfounded. The film argued that the call for political action costing billions of dollars was a fraudulent case. However, the U.S. Public Broadcasting System (a government agency) refused to air the program despite the ease with which it aired After the Warming, a pseudo-documentary purporting to describe the world in 2050 after rising temperatures in oceans had resulted from global warming. Conclusion After individuals choose, their behavior is affected by the dissonance of their actions. This may cause them to alter future choices, reformulate their preferences and/or beliefs, or even call for public-sector actions. Dissonance can be managed by bureaucrats, legislators, and special interests to their own self-interest. Legislators can affect both elections and legislation by fomenting dissonance among supporters of their opponents and quelling dissonance among their own supporters. They do so by appeal to expertise, popular association, and exposure to involuntary information. Special interest groups can foment dissonance for the cause and quell dissonance for a price justifying their own existence and seeking rents in the process. They can popularize issues with their media resources and then promote themselves as the solution to the problem by fighting for the right laws, as they define them. Bureaucrats can manage dissonance to expand their bureaus and budgets, and overcome their opposition. All three entities of the public sector can coalesce to manage dissonance to their own self-interest. In effect, the public sector develops a market surrogate where dissonance is exchanged like any other commodity. [] References Akerlof, George and Dickens, William. The Economic Consequences of Cognitive Dissonance. The American Economic Review, 1983. Vol. 72. pp. 307-317. Most Popular Featured Course Learn about scarcity, prosperity, values, cooperation, character, markets, spontaneous order, and entrepreneurship. You'll see the profound effect of free markets on our standard of living across the globe and over hundreds of years.

Title 30 TAC 116.150 - 175, March 21, 1999 Synopsis of specific rules from air permitting that were in effect on this date. Subchapter B New Source Review Permits NONATTAINMENT REVIEW § 116.150 New Major Source or Major Modification in Ozone Nonattainment Areas§ 116.151 New Major Source or Major Modification in Nonattainment Areas Other than Ozone PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION REVIEW§ 116.160 Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements§ 116.161 Source Located in an Attainment Area with a Greater than De Minimis Impact§ 116.162 Evaluation of Air Quality Impacts§ 116.163 Prevention of Significant Deterioration Permit Fees 116.150 New Major Source or Major Modification in Ozone Nonattainment Areas (a) This section applies to administratively complete applications submitted on or after November 15, 1992 for new construction or modification of facilities located in any area designated as nonattainment for ozone in accordance with the FCAA, .107. The owner or operator of a proposed new or modified facility which will be a new major stationary source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions or nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, or the owner or operator of an existing major stationary source of VOC or NOx emissions that will undergo a major modification with respect to VOC or Nox, shall meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) - (4) of this subsection, except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section. Table I of § 116.12 of this title (relating to Nonattainment Review Definitions) specifies the various classifications of nonattainment along with the associated emission levels which designate a major stationary source or major modification for those classifications. Except as noted in subsection (b) of this section regarding NOx , the de minimis threshold test (netting) shall be required for all modifications to existing major sources of VOC or NOx, unless at least one of the following conditions are met: the proposed emissions increases associated with a project, without regard to decreases, is less than five tons per year of the individual nonattainment pollutant or, the project emissions increases coupled with project actual emissions decreases for the same pollutant, summed as the project net, are less than or equal to zero tons per year. In applying the de minimis threshold test, if the net emissions increases, aggregated over the contemporaneous period, are greater than the major modification levels stated in Table I, then the following requirements apply. (1) The proposed facility shall comply with the lowest achievable emission rate (LAER) as defined in § 116.12 of this title for the nonattainment pollutants for which the facility is a new major source or major modification except as provided in paragraph (3)(B) of this subsection and except for existing major stationary sources that have a potential to emit (PTE) of less than 100 tons per year of the applicable nonattainment pollutant. For these sources, Best Available Control Technology (BACT) can be substituted for LAER. LAER shall otherwise be applied to each new emission unit and to each existing emission unit at which the net emissions increase will occur as a result of a physical change or change in method of operation of the unit. (2) All major stationary sources owned or operated by the applicant (or by any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the applicant) in the state shall be in compliance or on a schedule for compliance with all applicable state and federal emission limitations and standards. (3) At the time the new or modified facility or facilities commence operation, the emissions increases from the new or modified facility or facilities shall be offset. The proposed facility shall use the offset ratio for the appropriate nonattainment classification as defined in § 116.12 of this title and shown in Table I of § 116.12 of this title. Internal offsets which are generated at the source and which otherwise meet all creditability criteria can be applied as follows. (A) Major stationary sources with a PTE of less than 100 tons per year of an applicable nonattainment pollutant are not required to undergo Nonattainment New Source Review under this section, if the project increases are offset with internal offsets at a ratio of at least 1.3 to 1. (B) Major stationary sources with a PTE of greater than or equal to 100 tons per year of an applicable nonattainment pollutant can substitute BACT for LAER, if the project increases are offset with internal offsets at a ratio of at least 1.3 to 1. Internal offsets used in this manner can also be applied to satisfy the offset requirement. (4) In accordance with the FCAA, the permit application shall contain an analysis of alternative sites, sizes, production processes, and control techniques for the proposed source. The analysis shall demonstrate that the benefits of the proposed location and source configuration significantly outweigh the environmental and social costs of that location. (b) For sources located in the El Paso ozone nonattainment area (El Paso County), the requirements of this section do not apply to NOx emissions. (c) For sources located in the Houston/Galveston (HGA) ozone nonattainment area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties) or the Beaumont/Port Arthur (BPA) ozone nonattainment area (Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties), the following shall apply to NOx emissions. (1) For permit applications in review after April 12, 1995, and declared administratively complete on or before December 31, 1997: (A) Subsection (a)(1), (2), and (4) of this section do not apply. (B) The requirements of subsection (a)(3) of this section apply and shall be made a part of the source's permit. However, the requirements shall be held in abeyance for a period ending no sooner than January 1, 1998. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (commission) may, on or after January 1, 1998, and after making the determinations described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, require the source to implement the permit requirements imposed pursuant to the requirements of subsection (a)(3) of this section. If the commission requires implementation, the source shall obtain the NOx offsets as specified in subsection (a)(3) of this section no later than January 1, 2000. (C) Documentation of proposed increases of NOx equal to or greater than 40 tons per year, as well as documentation of netting calculations for these increases, shall be submitted. (D) A source otherwise subject to the requirements of subsection (a)(1)-(4) of this section may, at its option, comply with any of those requirements. (2) The commission has reviewed the results of the Urban Airshed Model for the HGA and BPA ozone nonattainment areas, using data from the Coastal Oxidant Assessment for Southeast Texas study, in accordance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency document "Guideline for Determining the Applicability of Nitrogen Oxides Requirements under Section 182(f)" (December 1993). The commission has determined that additional NOx reductions in the HGA and BPA nonattainment areas will contribute to attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. The commission will notify sources which have permit requirements in abeyance pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection, that the period of abeyance has ended. The source shall obtain the NOx offsets as specified in subsection (a)(3) of this section no later than January 1, 2000. 116.151 New Major Source or Major Modification in Nonattainment Area Other Than Ozone This section applies to administratively complete applications submitted on or after November 15, 1992, for new construction or modification of facilities located in a designated nonattainment area for an air contaminant other than ozone. The owner or operator of a proposed new or modified facility which will be a new major stationary source for that nonattainment air contaminant, or the owner or operator of an existing major stationary source that will undergo a major modification with respect to that nonattainment air contaminant, shall meet the additional requirements of paragraphs (1)-(4) of this section. Table I of § 116.12 of this title (relating to Nonattainment Review Definitions) specifies the various classifications of nonattainment along with the associated emission levels which designate a major stationary source or major modification for those classifications. (1) The proposed facility shall comply with the lowest achievable emission rate (LAER) as defined in § 116.12 of this title for the nonattainment pollutants for which the facility is a new major source or major modification. LAER shall be applied to each new emission unit and to each existing emission unit at which the net emissions increase will occur as a result of a physical change or change in method of operation of the unit. (2) All major stationary sources owned or operated by the applicant (or by any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the applicant) in the state shall be in compliance or on a schedule for compliance with all applicable state and federal emission limits and standards. (3) At the time the new or modified facility or facilities commence operation, the emission increases from the new or modified facility or facilities shall be offset. The proposed facility shall use the offset ratio for the appropriate nonattainment classification as defined in § 116.12 of this title and shown in Table I of § 116.12 of this title. (4) In accordance with the Federal Clean Air Act, the permit application shall contain an analysis of alternative sites, sizes, production processes, and control techniques for the proposed source. The analysis shall demonstrate that the benefits of the proposed location and source configuration significantly outweigh the environmental and social costs of that location. 116.160 Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements (a) Each proposed new major source or major modification in an attainment or unclassifiable area shall comply with the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) of Air Quality regulations promulgated by the EPA in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 52.21 as amended June 3, 1993 (effective June 3, 1994) and the Definitions for Protection of Visibility promulgated at 40 CFR 51.301, hereby incorporated by reference. (b) The following paragraphs are excluded: (1) 40 CFR 52.21(j), concerning control technology review; (2) 40 CFR 52.21(l), concerning air quality models; (3) 40 CFR 52.21(q), concerning public notification (provided, however, that a determination to issue or not issue a permit shall be made within one year after receipt of a complete permit application so long as a contested case hearing has not been called on the application); (d) All estimates of ambient concentrations required under this subsection shall be based on the applicable air quality models and modeling procedures specified in the EPA Guideline on Air Quality Models, as amended, or models and modeling procedures currently approved by the EPA for use in the state program, and other specific provisions made in the PSD state implementation plan. If the air quality impact model approved by EPA or specified in the guideline is inappropriate, the model may be modified or another model substituted on a case-by-case basis, or a generic basis for the state program, where appropriate. Such a change shall be subject to notice and opportunity for public hearing and written approval of the administrator of the EPA. 116.161 Source Located in an Attainment Area with a Greater Than De Minimis Impact The commission may not issue a permit to any new major stationary source or major modification located in an area designated as attainment or unclassifiable, for any National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) under FCAA, § 107, if ambient air impacts from the proposed source would cause or contribute to a violation of any NAAQS. In order to obtain a permit, the source must reduce the impact of its emissions upon air quality by obtaining sufficient emission reductions to eliminate the predicted exceedances of the NAAQS. A major source or major modification will be considered to cause or contribute to a violation of a NAAQS when the emissions from such source or modification would, at a minimum, exceed the de minimis impact levels specified in § 101.1 of this title (relating to Definitions) at any locality that is designated as nonattainment or is predicted to be nonattainment for the applicable standard. 116.162 Evaluation of Air Quality Impacts In evaluating air quality impacts under § 116.160 of this title (relating to Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements) or § 116.161 of this title (relating to Sources Located in an Attainment Area with a Greater Than De Minimis Impact), the owner or operator of a proposed new facility or modification of an existing facility shall not take credit for reductions in impact due to dispersion techniques as defined in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The relevant federal regulations are incorporated herein by reference, as follows: (a) If the estimated capital cost of the project is less than $300,000 or if the project consists of new facilities controlled and operated directly by the federal government for which an application is submitted after January 1, 1987, and the federal regulations for Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) of Air Quality are applicable, the fee is $1,500. (b) If the estimated capital cost of the project is $300,000 or more and the PSD regulations are applicable, the fee is 0.5% of the estimated capital cost of the project. The maximum fee is $75,000. (c) Whenever a permit application is submitted under PSD requirements, there shall be no additional fee for the state new source review permit application. (d) Certification of the estimated capital cost of the project shall be provided in accordance with § 116.141(c) and (d) of this title (relating to Determination of Fees). (e) A fee of $75,000 shall be required if no estimate of capital project cost is included with a permit application. 116.170 Applicability for Reduction Credits At the time of application for a permit in accordance with this chapter, any applicant who has effected air contaminant emission reductions may also apply to the executive director to use such emission reductions to offset emissions expected from the facility for which the permit is sought, provided that the following conditions are met. (1) The emission reductions are not required by any provision of the Texas State Implementation Plan as promulgated by the EPA in 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 52, Subpart SS, nor by any other federal regulation under the FCAA, as amended, such as New Source Performance Standards. Minimum offset ratios as specified in Table I of § 116.12 of this title (relating to Nonattainment Review Definitions) shall be used in areas designated as nonattainment areas. (2) The applicant furnished documentation at the time of his permit application to substantiate his claim of emission reductions previously effected. The following information must be included in the documentation: (A) location and identity of the source(s) where emissions are reduced; (B) chemical composition of emissions reduced; (C) date(s) when emission reductions occurred; (D) amount of emission reductions expressed in rates of tons per year and in pounds per hour; (E) a complete description of the reduction method (i.e., source shut-down, process or operational change, type of control device, etc.); (F) a certification by the applicant that the emission reductions have in fact been achieved and that the same reductions have not been used previously and will not be used subsequently to offset another source; and (G) any other pertinent detailed descriptive information that may be requested by the executive director. (3) Emissions increases from rocket engine and motor firing, and cleaning related to such firing, at an existing or modified major source, shall be allowed to be offset by alternative or innovative means, provided the following conditions are met: (A) any modification proposed is solely for the purpose of expanding the testing of rocket engines or motors at an existing source permitted to test such engines as of November 15, 1990; (B) the source demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commission that it has used all reasonable means to obtain and utilize offsets, as determined on an annual basis, for the emissions increases beyond allowable levels, that all available offsets are being used, and that sufficient offsets are not available to the source; (C) the source has obtained a written finding from the Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or other appropriate federal agency, that the testing of rocket motors or engines at the facility is required for a program essential to the national security; and (D) the source will comply with an alternative measure, imposed by the commission, designed to offset any emission increases beyond permitted levels not directly offset by the source. In lieu of imposing any alternative offset measures, the commission may impose an emissions fee to be paid which shall be an amount no greater than 1.5 times the average cost of stationary source control measures adopted in that area during the previous three years. 116.174 Determination by Executive Director To Authorize Reduction The executive director may grant authority to a permit applicant to use prior emission reductions and emission reductions granted to the applicant by another entity (either public or private) in accordance with § 116.170 of this title (relating to Applicability for Reduction Credits) if the commission determines that the prior emission reductions have, in fact, occurred and, when considered with other emission reductions that may be required by the permit as well as contaminants that will be emitted by the new source, will result in compliance with § 116.150 of this title (relating to New Major Source or Major Modification in Ozone Nonattainment Areas), § 116.151 of this title (relating to New Major Source or Major Modification in Nonattainment Areas Other Than Ozone), § 116.160 of this title (relating to Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements), and § 116.162 of this title (relating to Evaluation of Air Quality Impacts), as applicable, in the area where the new source is to be located. Prior as well as future emission reductions to be used as an offset shall be made conditions for granting authority to construct the proposed new source and shall be enforced. 116.175 Recordkeeping The executive director will maintain no records of emission offset credits claimed by an applicant in accordance with § 116.170 of this title (relating to Applicability for Reduction Credits) other than those contained in permit application and permit files. The applicant shall maintain all records necessary to substantiate claims of emission reductions and shall make such records available for inspection upon request of the executive director.

This club looked so intriguing and I just have this love for L so I joined in 8D Just need to build up on the members. BUT HOLY CRAP I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THE MOVIE X( I'm a super huge Deathnote fanatic as well as a great admirer of Obata Takeshi's art. But anyway, I have a crappy peice of L fanart I'd like to share with you :D

The Spectacle Blog Wendell Kim, who served as a third base coach for the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, died on Sunday of Alzheimer's. He was 64. Usually you don't notice third base coaches. But Kim was hard to miss. He was the first Korean to ever put on a big league uniform, usually the shortest guy on the field and the most demonstrative. Kim sent baserunners home with reckless abandon. It was not unusual for the runners he sent to get thrown out at home plate and I saw more than my share at Fenway Park the first year I began attending games in 2000. This earned him the simultaneously affectionate and derisive nickname "Wave 'Em Home Wendell". But Kim paid his dues. He spent nearly two decades in the Giants' minor league system as a player, coach and manager before getting the call in 1989. That year, the Giants would win the NL pennant. He would never get back to the Fall Classic, but he spent 15 seasons on big league fields. I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who would gladly trade places with him. Born Lesley Goldstein in Brooklyn, Gore would hit the top of the charts at the age of 16 with "It's My Party". Although she would never record another number one song, she did have a string of Top 20 hits during the 1960s including "Judy's Turn to Cry", "You Don't Own Me" and the Marvin Hamlisch penned "Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows". Gore also occasionally acted appearing in two episodes of Batman. In 1980, Gore and her younger brother Michael were nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the song "Out Here on My Own" for the film Fame. During the '80s and '90s, Gore was a fixture on the oldies circuit. In the last decade of her life, much of Gore's public activity revolved around LGBT issues after revealing she was a lesbian in 2005. In retaliation for the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians by ISIS in Libya, Egypt has launched airstrikes against ISIS targets in Libya. What I think is extraordinary about this retaliation is that Egypt is doing this on behalf of a religious minority that has not traditionally enjoyed much esteem in Egyptian society. I cannot imagine Hosni Mubarak being moved to this kind of action had he still be in power. But General Sisi has cultivated good relations with the Copts and now he is standing with them in their hour of need. While it's heartening to see both Jordan and Egypt standing firm, the United States needs to be all in and the Obama Administration's AUMF is barely going through the motions. When President Obama commented Friday on the Chapel Hill shootings in which three Muslims were murdered in cold blood he made a point of stating, "No one in the United States of America should be targeted because of who they are, what they look like or how they worship." If only the President could imagine the same level of passion when people are murdered because they are Jewish or Christian. As we are painfully aware, Obama could not bring himself to characterize the murder of four Jews who were murdered at the Hyper Cacher grocery store in Paris as anti-Semitic. Well, nor does it seem, is the Obama White House capable of acknowledging the beheading of Egyptian Christians in Libya. The Obama Administration only acknowledges them as "Egyptian citizens". At least, the White House didn't call the act random - yet. It’s rare that one has a chance to strike a blow for civilization while on a late afternoon exercise walk. But I have just enjoyed such an opportunity. At about minute 20 into my walk, and while I was listening to a book on CDs on my old Sony Walkman, a 40ish fellow wearing shorts, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap with the bill pointed backwards, carrying some circulars, said to me as I approached, “If you live around here I’d like to talk to you about being your city councilman.” I don’t know this guy from Adam’s housecat, and my area of South Tampa is represented by a popular Democrat who is going to win the council seat easily. So it really doesn’t matter who this solicitor is. But what a strange costume for a guy fishing for votes other than at a high school or at a shopping mall game room. So as I passed him I said, “Now’s not a good time, as you can see. But here’s some free political advice. There are mostly adults behind the doors you’re knocking on here, so turn your damn baseball cap around frontwards.” I'm about to embark on a West Coast jaunt, so naturally, Congress is about to make travel slightly more difficult and confusing by hanging the Department of Homeland Security's fate in the balance twoards the end of the month. Now, granted, the TSA will still get more than the required funding necessary to paw through my unmentionables in front of a handful of weary travelers at an ungodly morning hour, but I'm sure that, by the end of next week, literally everyone will be losing their respective minds over the prospect of DHS losting its funding, rendering the general public even less capable of handling basic instructions like put your shoes directly on the conveyor belt. Last night, Saturday Night Live celebrated 40 years on the air, presumably because, given the ten more years required to reach a real milestone, everyone's pickled livers would have given out, rendering the show forced to celebrate it's awkward 1980s downturn instead of it's 1970s heyday. In attendance were some of the show's brightest stars, celebrities who've made multiple hosting appearances, iconic musical acts and Sarah Palin. It's understandable, of course, that the show would welcome it's most famous target, especially since Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impression is almost inseperable from most people's idea of who Sarah Palin actually is. Sarah, for her part, wore her daughter's dress and poked fun at herself in a way very few politicians are able to do. But while her appearance generally suprised and delighted audiences, at least one sitting Congressional representative was incensed that she snagged an invite while his got lost in the mail. “Harry, I do not only marvel where thou spendest thy time, but also how thou art accompanied,” is how Falstaff braces Prince Hal in one of the amusing tavern scenes in Henry IV, Part I. If Falstaff had taken better care of himself, and were still around today, it would be on point to make the same observation of our current commander-in-chief. (Leave aside that Hal’s dodgiest company was Falstaff himself.) I learned this week that there is something called “BuzzFeed,” which apparently appeals to young males who wear their baseball caps backwards and have room temperature IQs. The tone is Three Stooges without the nuances. President Obama went on this sophomoric site, panning and mugging and leaving no doubt that a career in standup is out of the question after he leaves 1600. The justification for this brain-dead performance was Obama was trying to get young Americans to go along with the ObamaCare gag. Anyone dumb enough to tumble to this come-on would need to be watered twice a week. The American Spectator Foundation is the 501(c)(3) organization responsible for publishing The American Spectator magazine and training aspiring journalists who espouse traditional American values. Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Each donor receives a year-end summary of their giving for tax purposes.

This is the perfect time of year to catch up on the endless goodie sack of music coming down the pipe on a weekly basis (and please keep it coming). There's a handful of rock records worth checking out here, ranging from the summery jams of Castle to the steady, melodic grooves across Bob Kendall's new album. Newport-based quintet Castle (the Band) formed about two years ago, when the accordion and guitar duo of Bessie Bessin and Mike Cellemme hooked up with drummer Dave Passafiume and guitarist Noah Bickford. In late 2010 bassist Craig Cameron offered his services after seeing his second Castle show without their bass player. The band describes the sound on their self-titled debut album as "danceable indie-rock," and I'd say it's a pretty damn unique sound from one track to the next. Bessin steals the show from the start on the opener "It's Not Mine" and the breezy toe-tapper "Foggy Eyes." The album is a team effort, though, with Passafiume leading the charge on vocals and acoustic guitar on the galloping finale "Awesome Powerful Brain" (four of the five members each sing lead vox on a track). This is a fun summer listen (check out the lyrics on "Jamestown"), recorded with Scott Rancourt of Summing Point Studios and new label imprint Giant Robot Records. Castle will play two CD release shows next weekend. Cameron said the band will return to the studio and finish a full-length album due out early next year. Check castle-the-band.com for the new disc and updates. I checked in with Rancourt for his thoughts on the Castle debut. "They have five talented songwriters bringing individual influences to create beautiful vocal harmonies, solid rhythms, and strong hooks, with an attention to detail and a willingness to experiment in the studio," he said. "The sound has enough twists and turns to always keep you guessing."

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Wednesday, December 21 Day 9 of the 13 Days of Christmas Horror. Dr. Gangrene takes a look at the 1984 film GREMLINS, directed by Joe Dante. Now available on DVD at Amazon (affiliate): http://amzn.to/2hjTnXI http://drgangrene.com https://www.facebook.com/DrGangrene/ https://twitter.com/drgangrene/ Deck the Halls B Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Monday, December 19 Day 5 of the 13 Days of Christmas Horror Countdown. Dr. Gangrene takes a look at Black Santa's Revenge. A down on his luck mall Santa has to retrieve the stolen toys from the community center and save Christmas for the kids. Saturday, December 17 Day 5 of the 13 Days of Christmas Horror Countdown. Dr. Gangrene takes a look at TALES OF THE 3RD DIMENSION, an anthology featuring a story called VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS about 2 kids whose visit to Granny's house turns out to be a holiday of horror! Now available on Bluray/Dvd at Amazon (affiliate): http://amzn.to/2hgKE8v Thursday, December 15 Day 3 of the 13 Days of Christmas horror. Dr. Gangrene looks at the 1984 British horror film, DON'T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS. It's Christmas time and someone is murdering anyone dressed as Santa Claus. It's up to Scotland yard to find the killer and put a stop to the slaughter. Wednesday, December 7 Tune in to Dr. Gangrene's Youtube channel starting Tuesday, December 13th for the 13 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS HORROR countdown, spotlighting a different horror movie with a Christmas tie-in each night through Christmas. Videos will go live at 9pm each evening. I'll also post them here as well. Then tune in on Dec. 26th as I pick a winner for the December giveaway live. again, on the YouTube Channel at: Thursday, November 24 Here's one from the vaults - a Thanksgiving episode of Chiller Cinema from 2000. Doc Gangrene and Nurse Deadbody invite two special guests - a zombie pilgrim and a zombie Indian - into the lab for a Thanksgiving feast.My dog Buster makes an appearance in this one too, when he was just a pup (he's 16 now). I've gotten a lot of requests for these older episodes over the years, and will break more out if you guys want, just let me know. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Monday, November 21 Dr. Gangrene serves up the perfect Thanksgiving treat to enjoy for the holiday - Blood Freak, 1972, a turkey so inept it must be seen to be believed. A man becomes mutated into a half-man/half-turkey blood thirsty killer! Thursday, November 17 I had the pleasure of making another guest appearance on Monster Kid radio recently with my good friend Derek Koch to discuss the 1977 anthology film, THE UNCANNY.CLICK HERE TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE. This is a pretty fun film featuring three short stories and a wrap-around segment all centered around the theme of cats. Not the best anthology of all-time, but not the worst either. It's definitely one of the more interesting though, in that all of the stories are wrapped around that one theme - cats. It stars Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasance, and Ray Milland - which is a pretty stellar cast, when you think of it. Made in 1977 - which means Cushing would have appeared in both this and STAR WARS the same year. It was directed by Dennis Heroux. This film feels like an Amicus anthology film like DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS, THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, etc. but it in fact is not an Amicus film. It was in fact produced by Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky for Montreal’s ASTRAL FILMS and distributed by THE RANK ORGANIZATION (who also did VAMPIRE CIRCUS 1972, COUNTESS DRACULA 1971, and TWINS OF EVIL 1971), making it a British/Canadian co-production. We go in-depth discussing the film and the individual segments, and the episode turned out great. I mention an issue of WEIRD TALES Magazine in this episode, as it had a cat story that featured a very similar (exact) punch line as one of the segments of this movie. The story was by Robert bloch, and called CATNIP. That issue of Weird Tales is available for download on Archive.org and features stories from some AMAZING writers such as Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Manley Wade Wellman, Algernon Blackwood, Theodore Sturgeon, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, and Edmund Hamilton - all in one issue!! YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT HERE - WEIRD TALES MARCH 1948. The movie is available on Region 2 DVD through Amazon, and really needs a proper US release. Wednesday, November 16 I just posted a new video this weekend collecting all of my reviews of Vincent Price's films of the 1950s. This was a fun decade for his films, as he appeared in some TERRIFIC movies, such as HOUSE OF WAX, THE FLY, and the William Castle films. Films covered are: The Baron of Arizona Champagne for Caesar Curtain Call at Cactus Creek Adventures of Captain Fabian His Kind of Woman The Las Vegas Story House of Wax Dangerous Mission Casanova's Big Night The Mad Magician Son of Sinbad Serenade While the City Sleeps The Ten Commandments The Story of Mankind The Fly House on Haunted Hill The Big Circus Return of the Fly The Tingler The Bat Last night I got together with Cameron McCasland and Chuck Angell and filmed a cameo for the upcoming short film Retrieval Service, directed by Cameron and based on my own short story of the same name. In this scene I will be paying homage to Nashville's best known TV horror host, Sir Cecil Creape, (Russ McCown). Chuck did a spot-on job replicating Sir Cecil's makeup, and I had a blast playing my own idol and inspiration, if even for such a brief appearance. fun stuff, I thought I'd share it with you folks here - look for the film to start making the rounds sometime in the next few months, and be collected into an anthology hosted by Dr. Gangrene in 2017. Tuesday, November 15 The long-standing Nashville bookstore BOOKMAN/BOOKWOMAN is closing at the end of the year. I HATE to see another Nashville landmark fade away. I'm still reeling from the loss of the downtown GREAT ESCAPE, my favorite hangout growing up. Now Bookman, which has been in business for 20 years in its Hillsboro Village location, is closing. I stopped by there yesterday and picked up a stack of used books - all at 50% off. I spoke with owner Larry Woods, who told me that the property owners are raising his rent 400%. FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT! You know what that means? It means they want to force him out, which is exactly what has happened. Larry said they considered moving into one half of the store, which currently occupies two buildings, but they ran the numbers and it just doesn't work. No kidding. BUT, on the flip side of this story, in an article that ran in the TENNESEAN Newspaper yesterday, the owners of the building, Davis Cutlery, claim they did NOT raise the rent, and offered to let them stay there at the current rent. So who is telling the truth here? Something is not being reported in this story, it seems. I do know one thing for sure though. The face of Nashville is changing rapidly, and I don't like it one bit. Everywhere you look there are shops closing, buildings being torn down, and apartments going up at an alarming rate. People are flooding into Nashville as it has become an "it" city, and the flavor that made it so great is rapidly evaporating. As a lifelong Nashvillian, born and raised here, I hate to see where it's headed. Monday, November 14 I picked up a pair of paperback books recently that I wanted to share with you ghouls, as I knew you folks would appreciate them. They are two anthologies published in 1960 that were edited by none other than Zacherley himself! The first of the pair was ZACHERLEY'S MIDNIGHT SNACKS. My copy of this one is in pretty bad condition. The pages are brittle and the entire thing is crumbling around the edges. But it is intact, and I'm glad to finally own it. The stories in the book feature brief introductions by Zacherley, and include some familiar and impressive names: Zacherley's Vulture Stew was the second volume of these books, and my copy of this one is in near mint condition! I bought these online, and they came from two different dealers, neither of which listed the condition. But I took a chance and it paid off for this book. Once again there are brief introductions to each story by Zacherley, and the list of authors is once again equally impressive: This one all has a brief introduction to who Zacherley is, which is aimed at folks unfamiliar with the Cool Ghoul: ZACHERLEY Unlike most ghouls, ghosts and monsters, Zacherley is a self-made tradition. He is alleged to have been conceived in the mountains of Transylvania, reared with werewolves and schooled at the Transylvanian Technical College of Poltergeistery. A creative figure of the world of shrieks and shrouds, he talks on equal terms with the known hoots and haunts of antiquity. But his urbane laughter and dexterous daring-do, whether in the haunted vaults or vaunted halls of legend, always put him a step ahead of routine monsters. To grasp fully the ephemeral mystery of Zacherley, study this book and then watch his ghost-to-ghost tv program in New York on WOR TV, and in Los Angeles on KHJ TV (both channel 9). For those who know, Zacherley represents the triumph of artful laughter and keen satire over ancient films peopled with the cinema's most contrived spooks and nightmares. Whether it is Dracula, Frankenstein or the Hound of the Baskervilles, Zacherley's celluloid magic always triumphs. What a cool intro. I wonder who actually wrote that? To be fair, I believe Zacherley's involvement with this project was probably limited to the brief intros before each story. The curating and collection of said stories, as well as the above introduction, were no doubt done by someone with a publishing background. But I'm glad that this was done, as these are fun collections full of equally fun stories. The stories were all previously published in a variety of pulp magazines including UNKNOWN WORLDS, THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, STIRRING SCIENCE STORIES, THRILLING WONDER STORIES, BEYOND, FANTASTIC UNIVERSE, THRILLING WONDER, and AVON SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY READER. The artwork on both books is by long time fantasy and science fiction artist Richard M. Powers. I love the fun and whimsical flair to this art. You can see a complete listing of his work, with examples of each, here. According to Wikipedia, during the 1950s and 1960s, he served as an unofficial art director for Ballantine Books, which meant he would have been art director for these two books, too. he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008. Published by Ballantine books with an original cover price of 35 cents, these books are a lot of fun, and still available online (with just a little searching) and well worth the effort. I was going through an old VHS tape this weekend and stumbled across this vintage Vincent Price ad from the 1980s for Nikon camera. It is a wonderfully creepy ad featuring a crawling hand in a haunted mansion, with voiceover from Vincent pitching the Nikon one-touch camera. Good ole Vincent was the pitch man for everything from cameras to cottage cheese and much more. His face was everywhere in the '80s, and it is always a treat when something new pops up like this - now I'm going to have to go through more of my old VHS tapes, who knows what gems are lurking there waiting to be rediscovered? “I tell ya,” said Igor, raising his glass of blood and tonic, “the worst part of it is the total lack of respect.” “No kidding,” said Egor, slapping the table for effect. “You’d think they might show a little appreciation from time to time, but no. It’s always, ‘Egor, get this. Egor, fetch that. Egor, you idiot!’ I tell ya, it’s enough to give a guy a complex.” A third man limped over from the bar carrying fresh drinks. “You think you have it bad, my master won’t even let me play my flute anymore.” Ygor rubbed his twisted neck as he spoke.“It’s the one thing I truly enjoy in life, besides torturing villagers and playing with fire, that is, and he won’t even let me have that simple pleasure.” Igor adjusted his hood and nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I almost couldn’t get off work to make it here this year. I ask for one week a year, just one week. And that’s the week she has to try and take over the world. Sheesh. Fortunately the atomic reactor won’t ship till next week, otherwise I’d still be slaving away underground building another doomsday device.” Egor shot a quick glance to either side to see if anyone was listening. The far end of the lounge featured a bar with an array of misshapen and grotesque figures seated on stools in front of it. A four-armed bartender served them drinks. Above the bar hung a banner that read, “143rd Annual Henchmen Convention.” He lowered his voice to a near-whisper. “Say, let me ask you guys something. Just between us lackeys. You ever screw up on purpose?” Ygor looked shocked. “What? Why, that would be against union code, you know that. I could lose my privileges for something like that.” He winked at the dwarf as he popped a handful of grub worms into his mouth. Igor scratched his hump as he spoke. “I’m not ashamed to admit it. I screw up all the time. Maybe it isn’t technically on purpose, but let’s just say I could probably be a bit more careful. But come on, a guy’s gotta pass the time somehow, right? The Transylvanian nights are cold and lonely in those drafty dungeons.” He noticed a blonde in a lab coat a few tables over. She looked up and their eyes locked. He raised an eyebrow and flashed a toothless grin. She quickly looked away, annoyed. “I do it on purpose, I admit it,” said Egor. The candle in the center of their table flickered, dripping scarlet wax onto the skull beneath it. “But my master deserves it. He’s a slave driver. And the worst part of it? He never takes my suggestions. I’m no greenhorn; I’ve been doing this for almost a century.” He thumped his chest for emphasis. “I’m a pro, and he should respect that. There are plenty of other mad scientists out there that would appreciate my talents. I’ve had interest from headhunters.” Ygor nodded in agreement. “I know what you mean. Just last week, a witch doctor in Borneo inquired about my services.” Igor looked at the other two men, and shook his head. “You know, I think we’re all forgetting why we became henchmen in the first place. Yeah, maybe it’s a tough job, but at least we’re a part of something special, making a difference. We have steady jobs, with decent pay and benefits. And most importantly we’re carrying on the time-honored tradition passed down by our ancestors.” He looked up and gestured toward the corner of the room. “Besides, no matter how bad our bosses may be, no matter how wicked, cruel, heartless, or despicable the treatment, it could always be worse.” The other henchmen turned to see what he was looking at. Mounted on the wall was a television. Onscreen, a man in a crisply pressed suit waved to an enthusiastic crowd, a leering smile plastered on his face. Words scrolled across the bottom of the screen announcing the latest election results. “Even I can’t work for an overlord that evil,” Igor said with a shudder. Monday, November 7 In this AIP Poe picture, Price plays Julian Markham, a rich nobleman who keeps his insane, disfigured brother Edward (Alister Williamson) locked in a room in his attic. His brother fakes his death and escapes, then goes on a murderous rampage. Also features Christopher Lee as Dr. Neuhartt, who purchases bodies from body snatchers for medical experiments. Directed by Gordon Hessler. This was the first film to feature Price and Christopher Lee together. About this series: Dr. Gangrene, Physician of Fright and Award-winning Nashville-based TV Horror Host (aka writer/film historian Larry Underwood) explores the films of the merchant of menace, Vincent Price, in chronological order from first to last, approaching them from a scholarly perspective, offering commentary, review and criticism. I had such great response to the October giveaway that I thought I'd do another for November, giving away a fright rags T-shirt and box set of b-movies - every Thanksgiving needs some good turkey, right? This set has 12 of them! Good luck!! Friday, November 4 My buddies Stephen and Cam from the 4 Letter Nerd podcast asked me if I would participate in an unboxing of the October Loot Crate and Loot Crate DX. I was happy to do so, especially as Stephen and I are not only good friends but also next door neighbors! The 4LN guys came by my place on a Saturday afternoon, and we had a blast shooting this and drinking pumpkin ale. Tuesday, November 1 It was the end of an era - and the beginning of a new one. With this issue publisher Dennis Druktennis ended his tenure as publisher of the magazine. it was a bittersweet event, as all his hard work and sacrifice over the years finally paid off and he reached the magic 100 number, which was his personal goal from day one. he handed the reins of the magazine over to current publishers Don and Vicki Smeraldi, who have continued to keep this well oiled machine chugging right along and even breathed some fresh energy into it. For issue #100 I reached out to some of my horror host brethren and got a quote from them to congratulate Dennis on reaching this milestone. Among those I talked to was Zacherley - I called him up at his apartment on a Saturday afternoon. he was relaxing and watching a Yankees baseball game. That was the last time I spoke to Zach, who passed away last week. I'm really glad I was able to include him in this column. He was a true one of a kind. As is Scary monsters Magazine, and here's hoping the next 100 issues are just as monsterific! Friday, October 28 Legends. Icons. People throw around words like those far too often nowadays. It is rare that a person rises to the very top of their chosen profession and becomes the undisputed best at what they do. But John Zacherle, aka Zacherley, aka Roland (emphasis on the RO), was just that. He was the very epitome of a TV horror host, the definition of the word. The gold standard all other hosts aimed for. Zacherley pioneered techniques that are used to this very day by horror hosts everywhere, including the “cut-in”, where he would insert himself into the movie as if he were part of the action. This back in the 1950s, mind you, decades before green screen technology. His madcap experiments and zany skits were the stuff of legend, and imitated by hosts to this very day. He had a long career that touched many areas, including hosting American Bandstand and Zacherley’s Disco Teen, being a radio deejay, recording a number of monster novelty records with songs that cracked the top 10 on the Billboard charts, appeared on the cover of Famous Monsters Magazine, edited two paperback anthologies of horror stories, hosted the Horrible Horrors VHS compilation, was a regular staple of the Chiller Theater Expo conventions and so much more. Check out his website to learn more at http://zacherley.com But above and beyond all of that he was a great guy. I got the chance to meet Zach at the Wonderfest convention in Louisville, KY in 2007. I will always be indebted to Dave Conover and the WF convention for that opportunity. That weekend I was part of a panel on horror hosting alongside Zacherley, and a photo of the two of us taken there by Eileen Colton even appeared in USA Today. I later did a painting of Zacherley that I ended up mailing to him. I never said anything about it publically, as I just wanted this to be a gift for him. He loved it, and I later spotted it in another horror host’s (Karlos Borloff) video that was shot in John’s home. That’s my painting hanging right beside him in this shot. It is a pic of him doing his famous amoeba experiment – and I ironically didn’t even take a picture or scan it before mailing it. This frame grab is all I have of it, although you can see it in Borloff’s video quite clearly. John was always kind and supportive and a true professional. He will be missed, but definitely not forgotten. Here’s to you, Zacherley, thank you for the inspiration and for being such a class act. May your Jacob’s ladder always burn bright. Thursday, October 27 It was my pleasure to get together with my old friend Rod Barnett recently and make a guest appearance on his podcast to discuss the 1976 Blaxploitation horror film, DR. BLACK/MR. HYDE. Rod has been diligently plugging away at both his podcast (The Bloody Pit) and his blog (Bloody Pit of Rod) for years. This was my first appearance on his show, and we had a blast catching up over beers and talking about this film, which we both really dug. It's a pretty solid little film, much maligned and underrated. Stars Bernie Casey and Rosalind Cash. You can check out the episode HERE, via direct listen there or there are links to download it directly or through itunes there too. Give it a listen, and then you can watch the entire movie below, via YouTube. Wednesday, October 26 I had several people on facebook message me about my post on THE WALKING DEAD earlier this week. Most were in agreement with me that it was a terrific episode, full of tension and drama and heartbreak. A few sided with the show's detractors that it went too far, that there was no reason to show that level of gratuitous violence. I had time to reflect on it a bit more over the past couple of days, and have come to the conclusion that this is really much ado about nothing, or at least nothing new. You see, the Walking Dead has been doing this for years, the public had just conveniently forgotten it. Remember Noah, the character who had his face literally ripped apart by a hoard of zombies while Glenn watched on a mere inches away behind a pane of glass? How about in Season 5 when the bad guys had our heroes lined up, once again on their knees, hands bound and mouths gagged, bent over a trough so they could BASH THEIR HEADS WITH A BASEBALL BAT, slit their throat and drain their blood to use their meat for a community of cannibals? Or the violent deaths of any of a number of characters over the years, not to mention the many, many disgusting things done to walkers over the years. No love for them? So why not the outcry over any of these things? Why the current batch of complaining like the violence in this year's opener is something new? If the very same things that Negan did in the most recent episode were done to a walker, or a less prominent character, you wouldn't hear this outcry. It is because it was a main character, a beloved character, and that really is a testament to the writers of the show, that they can make people care that much about the characters. The premiere drew 17 MILLION viewers, which tells me the WD cast and crew is doing something right, so don't expect it to change anytime soon. And it shouldn't. It's a HORROR show, directed (at least that episode was) by makeup special effects genius Greg Nicotero. Of COURSE it's going to be special effects laden! And dark - I would expect no less. This is a horror program kiddos, not THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Tune in to the CW if you want lighter fare, but don't be surprised or feign shock at what should be pretty damn apparent. This ain't gonna be pretty. It hasn't been for some time now. So stop with the false outrage already, the complaints and whining. If you don't like it, stop watching. The ratings will just continue right along swimmingly, and your fair sensibilities won't be upset. But I bet you still tune in, despite your weak protests to the contrary. Because, as I mentioned before, the writers have presented characters you care about, and the majority of you will be tuned right back in Sunday night to see how far it goes this time. Tuesday, October 25 The 12 Hours of Terror marathon at the Belcourt theater was this past Saturday night (October 22nd, 2016) and was a frightful good time for all in attendance! The lineup this year was a fun and eclectic mix of films, and there were plenty of shenanigans from the Belcourt staff to keep the mood lightened and crowd entertained, too. The festivities kicked off with a short set from THE BOO DUDES, a horror rock band made up of a Vampire guitarist, mummy bassist, headless horseman drummer, vampire keyboard player and alien guitarist. They were great and entertaining and had the crowd chanting "Booooo" lovingly between songs to cheer them along. The first film of the night was the Joe Dante classic, THE HOWLING. I'd never seen this one on the big screen, and the print was a blood-red tinged 35 mm print. Great start to the evening. Next up the Boo Dudes played a super short set, followed by the second film of the night, the insane MYSTICS OF BALI. During the movie, in the section where the woman's possessed head and organs separate from her body and fly in search of victims (yes you have to see it to believe it if you've never experienced Mystics in Bali) the Belcourt staff ran up and down the aisles dangling a head and organ prop over the crowd to their delight! William Castle would have been proud. The next film was the 1980s film SOLE SURVIVOR. I'd never seen this one before, and it was probably my favorite film of the night. Final destination definitely lifted a thing or two from this one. HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER was next, in a beautiful 4k transfer. I had the honor of introducing this one, and brought up three contestants from the crowd to do a quick sketch portrait of Henry before the movie, with prizes to the winner. The Belcourt staff had once again transformed the lobby into a haunted house during the movie, and did a great job! The next film was a first for the 12 Hour marathons - a 3D movie! THE 1960s film THE MASK was next, and the print was gorgeous! I handed out a stack of paperback books to the audience before this one, a tradition started by the late Jim Ridley, and one I very much intend to keep alive. THE PIT was next up, another film I'd not seen before. This 80s gem is really fun! The evening was rounded out with FROM BEYOND, the splatertastic Lovecraftian Stuart Gordon classic. As we all emerged into the daylight at 10 the following morning the survivors gathered for a group photo. The 12 Hours of Terror has become a Nashville tradition, and one that is not to be missed by horror movie aficionados. I want to thank everyone who came out to the event - the show was sold out - and I'd also like to thank The Belcourt for inviting me to participate as well. I'm already looking forward to next year's show! It's just a shame we have to wait 365 days for it to get here!! BTW, I swiped these pics everywhere I could, so thank you to all who shot these photos. If you wish to be credited please let me know, and again, thank you for coming out to the event! Monday, October 24 Last night THE WALKING DEAD season 7 premiered to what will surely be record viewing numbers. Season 6 left us with a cliff-hanger that promised the brutal death of a Walking Dead cast member - an event that was taken straight from the pages of the comic it is based on. This death came at the hands of the show's latest villain, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a character that is once again taken from the comic). Many Walking Dead fans complained about the season 6 finale, and the fact they had to wait the entire summer to find out who gets killed. Many even boasted that they would never watch another episode (although I bet almost every one of them was glued to their sets when it aired at 8pm central last night). This season's episode picked up right where last year's left off and although the event deviated somewhat from the comic (I won't go into details here because this blog, and my own personal philosophy, is 100% spoiler-free) it still delivered and was a fantastic piece of TV drama. I have to admit I have not read the comic, and actually think that probably works in my favor as I approach each episode fresh, able to enjoy it without comparing and contrasting it to the source material. Once again, however, the complainers have come out of the woodwork, and I have to say this has gotten completely out of hand. Social media was immediately inundated with people spouting off about how upset they were at the episode, how they would never watch another episode, how the show was ruined, etc., etc. Enough already. Even my own home town of Nashville's beloved alt-newspaper THE NASHVILLE SCENE joined in, as they unveiled a fluff piece online this afternoon by a writer named Amanda Haggard entitled "Dear THE WALKING DEAD, I'm Over You." In this article she gripes about how much she disliked the premiere and ends with the line: "TWD, I’m over you." WHO CARES? It's complaining, and nothing more. The opinion of one person who, by her own admission, the show probably isn't for. No kidding! So stop watching already, end of story. I have to ask, why in the hell did The Scene bother to run this piece? Seriously, not a good look, Scene. The truth of the matter is that last night's episode was full of drama, tension, fantastic special effects and delivered an event that will have repercussions for the characters the remainder of the show's run. But then, that's just my opinion. Was it for everyone? Of course not. Nothing is. There are plenty of shows that I don't bother to watch because I know they aren't the sort of show I like. But then, I don't waste my time complaining about them, either. Unlike some members of the press, I have better things to write about. Thursday, October 20 Back in March I put together this video counting down the top 10 films of sci-fi action hero John Agar. I thought Halloween would be a good time to revisit that list, as there are some fun films on here, and who doesn't love John Agar? The band THE DEAD ELVI are certainly big fans of John Agar. I put together a music video for their song JOHN AGAR RULES. The Dead Elvi are headed by my buddy kevin Clement and the house band for the awesome Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey. For years Zacherley would appear at the show and it was always a tradition to have him come on stage and sing with the band. Now that is awesome! And last but not least, here is one of my RECOMMENDED MOVIE OF THE WEEK episodes where I recommend a John Agar movie, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS. B-movie schlocky fun here, folks! So until next time, this is Dr. Gangrene saying stay mad, and remember, John Agar Rules! Wednesday, October 19 This Saturday October 22, 2016, at the historic (and newly renovated) Belcourt theater in Nashville, TN, the 6th annual Halloween event continues with another 12 hour marathon. The website describes it as a marathon of monsters, murderers, mad scientists, myths, mayhem, masked unknowns and mysteries that span the decades and most known exhibition formats. The fun starts at 10pm - get there early to catch a performance by Nashville spooky rockers The Boo Dudes. This is a must-see event for horror fans in the Middle TN area. The Belcourt staff always does an amazing job, and I will be introducing one of the movies myself during the night, HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Seasonal Scene faves Boo Dudes will rise from the grave to play a set, and there will be a special guest appearance from local legend Dr. Gangrene. There's more — costume contest, giveaways, gimmicks — but by this point, I'm thinking you're already sold. Admission is $20, and $15 for Belcourt members. Get your hands on tickets at The Belcourt's site. AGAIN, this is one you don't want to miss. Sat, Oct 22nd 10pm! See you there! Monday, October 17 I was truly saddened to learn today that director Ted V. Mikels passed away. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ted in 2003 when he was in production for his film MARK OF THE ASTRO ZOMBIES, a follow up to his classic THE ASTRO ZOMBIES in 1968. He was so giving of his time and mailed me photos and memorabilia to use for the article. He later sent me a trailer reel that he cut together himself for me to use on my TV show, Chiller Cinema, and we stayed in touch over the years. A class act, all the way. I was really glad that he was able to keep working late in his career. Ted was a true maverick who made movies and lived his life his own way, outside the system. Here's to you, Ted. I will be firing up my CORPSE GRINDER tonight in your honor. Friday, October 14 I was recently invited by my buddy Rod Barnett to appear as a guest on his podcast THE BLOODY PIT. He didn’t have any specific topic in mind, and asked me if I had any particular film that I was interested in discussing. Last summer I was a guest at the LONE WOLF FULL MOON TATTOO SHOW, and while there I ran across a tattoo vendor selling VHS tapes. I immediately scooped up a handful of them, and among the ones I grabbed was a big box clamshell of DR. BLACK/MR. HYDE. I had never seen this one before, so my son Luke and I watched it a couple of days later and loved it! I suggested this movie to Rod, who had never seen it before either, and he enthusiastically agreed. Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde is a 1976 blaxploitation horror film loosely inspired by the novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is directed by William Crain, the man who also directed perhaps the best known blacksploitation movie of all time, BLACULA. It stars Bernie Casey as Dr. Henry Pride, a man who, along with his research partner Dr. Worth (Rosalind Cash) is working on a cure for cirrhosis of the liver. Impatient to test on human subjects, Pride injects himself with the serum. However, it turns out his formula has certain side effects, as one can guess from the title of the movie. In this case it turns Pride into an angry white-skinned monster that sets out on a killing rampage, leaving a trail of dead pimps and hookers in the community. It’s easy to dismiss a film like Dr. Black/Mr. Hyde as cheap exploitation trash, but this movie actually has a lot going for it. There are some serious themes woven throughout the ridiculous sci-fi plot, in particular addressing issues of race and class struggles, as well as medical ethicalities. It is a fun movie, and one I recommend. Watch for the podcast coming soon (I'll provide links here) where Rod and I delve deep into this film and uncover a lot of details about this movie and interesting tie-ins to other Hollywood films and actors. In the meantime, here’s the trailer for Dr. Black/Mr. Hyde, one of the greatest trailers ever! Wednesday, October 5 I picked up the new Rue Morgue Magazine last night, the Halloween issue, and they have a great plug for my YouTube Channel in there, specifically mentioning my ongoing Vincent Price series! Thanks Rue Morgue, you rock! related posts "Reads like a literary Tales from the Crypt" - RUE Morgue Magazine NOW AVAILABLE - Dr. Gangrene's Tales from Parts Unknown, a short story collection featuring 14 stories introduced by the feindish Dr. Gangrene, and all written by his alter-ego Larry Underwood. Get yours now through Amazon.com, available in both print and ebook format

New Chrome Logo? A number of news sites are reporting a change to Googles Chromium source code that contains a new logomark. Although not confirmed this is certainly an improvement and moves it away from the bright shiny robotic Manga ball and towards a more restrained geometric, abstract disk. The blues are just for Chromium (the open source part of Chrome) and are likely to be replaced by the standard Google colours (See below for a mock up). The contrast is a bit too subtle especially on the shadows so the mark suffers from a lack of depth and this blue version has an almost early Mac feel. This isn’t going to be an instant classic but it does give Chrome a more considered and modern aesthetic. Founder & Editor Richard Baird Richard is a British freelance designer and writer who specialises in brand identities and packaging. He's written for Brand New, Design Week and The Dieline, featured in Computer Arts magazine and also runs the resource Design Survival.

Crazy corkscrew for the rich wine drinker I’m not rich and I don’t have the kind of money it takes to start to consider versions of trivial things in life that are massively more expensive that what you can buy things for down at Walmart. For instance, you could walk into Wally World and walk out with a new corkscrew if you are a wine drinker for a few bucks. It will get the bottle of $5 port you picked up at the local liquor store open with minimal bits of cork in the drink. It won’t open your wine with much style or say, “I’m rich” like this fancy corkscrew from Core-38. This would be the perfect wine opening implement to sit on your fancy bar beside that fancy Personal Brewery I talked about last week that makes your own beer. That beer-making device was very expensive at over $4,000 and this corkscrew from Code-38 is much cheaper at only $210 – $440 depending on what version you pick. This Code-38 offering will also pop the top off a wine cooler for your less genteel pals. The Code-38 offering is said to be stylish, very well made, and have a solid heft. I think you could buy a life’s worth of cheap corkscrews for the same price. The cheapest $220 version is made from stainless steel and has a strong cork pulling part that is apparently called the worm. The high-end $410 version is the Pro Stealth and it has “a complete blend of blasted textures and vaporized titanium-based finishes.” At that price is should come with a beautiful serving girl each time you use it.

Tag Archives: film Hello, my name is Tanya Yule and I am one of the five, in the first cohort of the AAPB Public Broadcast Preservation Fellows. Later this month I will be receiving my Masters in Library and Information Science, and an … Continue reading →

National Cancer Institute chief to serve as acting FDA head (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has tapped National Cancer Institute Director Norman Sharpless to serve as acting commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, following the resignation of Scott Gottlieb earlier this month. Sharpless, who has led the National Institutes of Health’s cancer unit since 2017, will take over following Gottlieb’s exit in April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland November 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo Cancer experts and advocates praised the appointment of Sharpless as acting FDA chief after Gottlieb’s abrupt resignation earlier this month. “We have no doubt that Dr. Sharpless will continue to navigate and direct the FDA in a manner that best benefits patients, and we look forward to executing critical work with him in his new role,” Ellen Sigal, founder and chair of Friends of Cancer Research, said in a statement. The search for a permanent FDA chief is still under way. As director of the National Cancer Institute, Sharpless directed the largest division within the National Institutes of Health. He previously served as director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he was a practicing oncologist specializing in leukemia. Dr. Shelley Earp, UNC Lineberger’s current director and a long-time colleague, said he was not surprised by Sharpless’ appointment. “He’s one of the most talented people I have ever known. He has the gift of being able to speak to people from all walks of life, including Congress, and explain complicated things pretty easily.” “Part of me is a little sad he’s leaving NCI because he was doing a spectacular job there,” Earp said. “His talent is such that I guess he was needed in other areas.” Dr. Doug Lowy, the deputy director at NCI, will take over as acting director. Gottlieb said on Twitter that he was “delighted” with the selection of Sharpless as acting FDA commissioner, adding that FDA will “benefit greatly from his leadership.” Gottlieb’s departure has raised questions about how the agency would regulate e-cigarettes and tackle drug competition following his tenure, which was generally lauded by public health advocates as well as both Republicans and Democrats. Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said it will be “vital” that Sharpless continue to advance policies backed by Gottlieb aimed at cutting the soaring rates of youth tobacco use, especially e-cigarettes. Anti-regulation groups and some industry groups, however, raised objections to his efforts, which ran counter to the administration’s goal of easing government regulations. Shares of Altria Group Inc and British American Tobacco Plc both edged lower amid a jump in trading volume on news of the Sharpless appointment. Altria, which makes Marlboro cigarettes and recently acquired a stake in e-cigarette startup Juul, fell 1 percent, while British American’s American depositary receipts were down by 0.25 percent. Both had climbed ahead of the announcement. Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Tim Ahmann in Washington and Dan Burns in New York; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker