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A GaN Solid State Amplifier Replacement for a 1kW Traveling Wave Tube
By: Frank Decker, Design Engineer, API Technologies
Advances in GaN transistor technology, including higher frequency, bandwidth and power, offer the opportunity to overcome TWT limitations with solid state power amplifiers (SSPA). These solid state designs overcome the inherent problems with electron tube TWTs of limited life and single point failure susceptibility while addressing the competing high performance airborne system requirements of kilowatt power levels and compact size.
Figure 1: GaN, QBS-609, 1KW Solid State Power Amplifier
Figure 1 is the API Technologies, QBS-609, 1kW GaN SSPA. The housing is 11.8"L X 6.1"W X 2.2"H, weighs 10.3 lb. and is a footprint replacement for a commercially available TWT amplifier. Designed for compact airborne systems, the QBS-609 operates from a +28VDC supply and is compliant to MIL-STD-704 and RTCA DO-160. With 0 dBm RF input power over the 9.2 to 9.75 GHz frequency band, the amplifier provides 1kW RF output power for up to 100usec pulse width and 10% duty cycle. Using parallel combined GaN power transistors in the final stage amplifier, the QBS-609 provides eleven health monitoring points where failure at any one or multiple points results in a soft fail condition. DC and RF connector interfaces to the amplifier include SMA RF input and TNC RF output connector, 15 pin d-sub power connector and 21 pin micro d-sub control connector. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the major subassemblies included in the GaN SSPA.
Figure 2: Block Diagram, QBS-609 GaN SSPA
The block diagram in Figure 2 shows major subassemblies in the QB-609 including power supply, charge storage board, controller, driver amplifier and main amplifier. The power supply is compliant to MIL-STD-704 and RTCA DO-160, operates from an isolated 28 VDC system supply and can be externally synchronized. With 800W maximum power capability, the QB-609 power supply provides the SSPA with +12 and +15VDC housekeeping voltages, +10 and +36VDC switched drain voltages and +10VDC continuous drain voltage. The system controller activates power supply drain voltages once the power supply stabilizes at turn-on; the controller also provides switching control to gate drain voltages during pulse RF ON/OFF periods and monitors power supply temperature and health. An opto-isolator is included in the power supply for remote ON/OFF control.
Drain voltage outputs from the power supply are applied to driver and main amplifier charge storage subassemblies (Figure 2). During RF pulse transmission, all peak current requirements are provided by the charge storage subassemblies since the power supply connection to the charge storage board is gated OFF. RF pulse amplitude and phase distortion are minimized by switching the power supply OFF during RF pulse transmission.
As shown in the Figure 2 block diagram, the RF section of the QBS-609 consists of driver amplifier AR1 and GaN 1kW output amplifier AR2. Driver AR1 has 3 gain stages AR1a, AR1b, AR1c driving a final output amplifier AR1d. AR1 is a compact design with overall dimensions 5.4"L X 1.9"W X 0.90"H.
Amplifiers AR1a through AR1c are designed using discrete surface mount components on a microstrip printed wiring board (PWB). An SP2T blanking switch is located before AR1a and a 20dB voltage variable attenuator (VVA) is located between stages AR1a and AR1b. The blanking switch is turned ON during RF pulse transmission and OFF when no RF is present. In concert with the blanking switch being in the OFF state, all QBS-609 transistors are pinched OFF when RF pulses are not present resulting in a minimum 80dB isolation between RF pulse ON and OFF periods. The VVA sets the QB-609 overall gain to 60dB so with 0 dBm RF input, RF output power is 1kW. In addition to setting overall amplifier gain, the VVA provides gain compensation over the -45°C to +85°C operating case temperature range. Driver amplifiers AR1a to AR1c provide +48 dBm of output power to final stage driver amplifier AR1d.
Figure 3: QB-1008, 350W MCM amplifier
Amplifier AR1d (API part number QB-1008) is a 350W multi-chip module (MCM). Figure 3 is a picture of the QB-1008; the package size shown is 1.4"L X 1.8"W X 0.3"H containing GaN transistors in a four 100W amplifier configuration. The QB-1008 is a hybrid amplifier useing a combination of microstrip, stripline and lumped constant circuits to perform impedance matching and RF splitting and combining functions. Gain stability, 2 nd harmonic filtering and bias distribution circuits are integrated into the impedance matching and combining circuits. The QB- 1008 generates 350W (minimum) peak RF output power across the 9.2 to 9.75 GHz frequency band.
Figure 4 is a plot of the QB-1008 saturated RF output power and efficiency vs. frequency. Minimum saturated output power is 55.5 dBm (355W) and minimum efficiency 34%. When integrated into the AR1 driver assembly, AR1 provides a minimum of 350W RF peak power with 65 dB gain. RF output from AR1 is applied to the RF input port of the QBS-609 final stage amplifier (AR2) shown in the Figure 2.
Figure 4: QB-1008 Saturated Power Output and Efficiency vs. Frequency
The QBS-609 final stage power amplifier (AR2) configuration is shown in the Figure 2. Components in AR2 include input distribution board, four QB-1008 modules and an output combiner. The input distribution board provides a 4-way RF power split to the 350W driver input signal. The four RF signals from the splitter drive the final stage QB-1008 amplifiers. In addition to an RF splitting function, the distribution board provides gate and drain voltage to the amplifiers and interconnect lines to various control and monitor components located on the output amplifier. Four QB-1008 amplifiers generate 1kW of combined peak output power in the final stage amplifier of the QBS-609. AR2's QB-1008 packages is identical to driver stage AR1d (Figure 3) except they have an integrated waveguide launch designed into the package. The waveguide launch allows the RF output to be directly coupled into a waveguide combiner. The four final stage amplifiers are mounted directly to the chassis to keep thermal resistance at a minimum.
Figure 5: QBS-609 Saturated Power Output and Efficiency vs. Frequency
Figure 5 is a plot of power output and efficiency for the integrated QBS-609 amplifier at 100 usec pulse width and 10% duty cycle. Input power is constant at 0dBm. As shown in Figure 5, average output power across the 9.20 to 9.75 GHz frequency band is 60.8 dBm (1202W). Average power added efficiency is 19% when operating from a +28VDC supply with average current of 22.5A. Pulse rise and fall times are less than 300 nsec. With a 100 usec pulse at 1kW output power, amplitude droop across the pulse is less than 1.0 dB. The RF pulse ON/OFF ratio is 80dB (min) at 1kW output power. Second harmonics are greater than 65 dBc relative to power at the fundamental frequency.
Performance of the QB-609 is controlled at the system level with commands sent to the QBS-609's embedded controller. Remote ON/OFF and Standby/Operate commands received by the QBS-609 ready the SSPA for transmission. To transmit, the QBS-609 receives a Gate Trigger command that turns all amplifier stages ON. A Pulse ON/OFF signal is received to turn the blanking switch ON and disconnect the power supply from the charge storage subassemblies. The RF pulse is applied to the SSPA during the period that the Pulse ON/OFF command is present. The QBS-609 can also receive a Battle Override command that disables any internal shutdown or control functions affecting operation during battle situations.
The QBS-609 provides the system with several monitor outputs. A case temperature reading is provided along with a high temperature warning and internal temperature monitoring that shuts the QBS-609 down when an over-temperature condition is reached. A device failure alarm informs the system that one or more devices have failed even though the failures may have minimum effect on power output.
This article demonstrates how advancements in GaN transistor technology provide the ability to replace limited life and single point failure, compact TWT amplifiers with GaN solid state amplifiers, A GaN 350W MCM (API part number QB-1008) is presented and forms the basis for the 1kW QBS-609 amplifier. A block diagram and circuit descriptions of compact subassemblies are provided for the API, QBS-609, 1kW SSPA. Measured performance of the QBS-609 is presented showing final unit performance.
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Stephan Schmidt
Stephan Schmidt's research interests concern land-use policy, patterns, and processes. His current projects include: a quantitative analysis of regional level polycentrism in Europe; an empirical estimation of metropolitan spatial structure in Germany; an analysis of the role of local neighborhood leadership in land tenure formalization in Moshi, Tanzania; and an analysis of the impact of Wildlife Management Areas and community-based natural resource management in Tanzania. In addition, he received funding from the Institute for African Development for a project to improve the capability of partner institutions in East Africa to gather data, conduct spatial analysis, monitor and evaluate programs and projects, and ultimately improve decision making. Please see the project page below. He received a Ph.D. in planning and policy development from Rutgers University.
Academic Research/Specialty Areas
- International studies in planning
- Land use/spatial planning
- Regional science
- Sustainability
- Urbanism
- Environmental policy and planning
- Open space and agricultural lands protection planning
- Spatial analytics
- Urban and regional governance
- Urban design
Related Pages
Related News
- Informed Decision-Making and Design: Big Data Applications from the Classroom to the Smart City
- Podcast Looks at Cities' Impact on Environmental Problems
- CRP Receives Engaged Cornell Advancement Grant
- Schmidt Organizes Data Collection Training Workshop in Tanzania
- Clarence S. Stein Institute Names Fellowship Recipients
Classes (Selected)
- CRP 4080/5080 Introduction to GIS for PlannersGeographic Information Systems (GIS) have revolutionized the way we manage, analyze, and present spatial information. This course focuses on GIS in the social sciences. Many of the exercises and examples are based on planning issues, but the concepts can be applied to many other disciplines such as government, economics, natural resources, and sociology. Some of the issues covered include fundamentals of spatial analysis; overview of GIS technology and applications; designing a GIS project; gathering and analyzing data; and creating thematic maps.
- CRP 8900 Planning Research Seminar Intended for doctoral candidates in city and regional planning; other students welcome. Presentation and discussion of current problem areas and research by advanced doctoral students, faculty members, and visitors.
- CRP 3540/5540 Introduction to Environmental Planning
- CRP 3840/5850 Green CitiesCities are centers of innovation, economic growth, social mobility, and they provide economies of scale in the provision of infrastructure and social services. However, cities are also sites of growing socio-economic inequalities and environmental problems. Do cities provide the opportunity to address environmental problems, or are they rather the source of pollution and environmental degradation? Are cities the appropriate scale at which to address environmental problems? Are these really urban issues or do cities just cluster resource use and problems so they are more visible? What role does the built or physical environment have in impacting our behavior and decision making? This course examines social, economic, cultural, political and environmental dimensions of sustainability and sustainable development in urban areas.
- CRP 6290 Advanced topics in GISThis course is designed to engage graduate level planning students in some more advanced topics using GIS methodology. Topics may vary from year to year, but in the past, the course has included an introduction to spatial statistics. Topics addressed include exploratory spatial data analysis, spatial autocorrelation, point pattern analysis, spatial interpolation techniques, spatial regression (including geographically weighted regression), and both spatial lag and spatial error models.
Awards, Grants, and Fellowships (Selected)
- Two-week spatial data gathering workshop in Moshi, Tanzania, with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College (2017)
- "The changing role of regional level planning in Germany," Cornell Institute for European Studies, Luigi Einaudi Chair Innovation Grant (2016)
- "Building Spatial Data Collection and Research Capacity for Sustainable Development," Cornell Institute for African Development, Einaudi Center for International Studies (2015)
Exhibitions and Presentations (Selected)
- "The monocentric model and urban spatial structure in Germany", ACSP Conference, Buffalo, New York (2018)
- Land formalization and local leadership in Moshi, Tanzania, ACSP Conference, Denver, Colorado (2017)
- "The effectiveness of regional planning: Evidence from Germany", ACSP Conference, Portland Oregon (2016)
Publications (Selected)
- Schmidt, Stephan, Stefan Fina, Stefan Siedentop, and Angelika Krehl. "Metropolitan Spatial Structure and the Monocentric Model in Germany." Urban Studies, currently under review for 2018.
- Schmidt, Stephan, and Edmund Zakayo. "Land Formalization and Local Leadership in Moshi, Tanzania." Habitat International, currently under review for 2018.
- Schmidt, Stephan, Stefan Siedentop, and Stefan Fina. "How Effective are Regions in Determining Urban Spatial Patterns? Evidence from Germany." Journal of Urban Affairs (2017), 1-18.
- Schmidt, Stephan, Wakuru Magigi, and Boniphace Godfrey. "The Organization of Urban Agriculture: Farmer Associations and Urbanization in Tanzania." Cities 42 (2015), 153-159.
- Schmidt, Stephan, Stefan Fina, and Stefan Siedentop. "Post-socialist Sprawl: A Cross-Country Comparison." European Planning Studies 23, no. 7 (2014), 1357-1380.

subset: commoncrawl


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But any tale worth retelling is worth retelling twice
by Don Stradley
My fondest boxing memory involves an old issue of The Ring magazine that fell into my hands when I was a wee tyke. It was a special issue focusing on the heavyweight championship, and it's centerpiece was a lengthy story describing each time the title changed hands, in order, starting with James J. Corbett beating John L. Sullivan in 1892. The lineage fascinated me. Reading about it not only transported me to various locations, from Rushcutters Bay in Sydney, Australia, to Yankee Stadium in New York, but as each champion fell and a new one took his place, it felt like the vanquishing of kings. I liked the expression "title reign" because it gave the champions a sense of being regal. I was also intrigued by the cheerless expressions of men like Jim Braddock and Ezzard Charles and Floyd Patterson, haunted visages that didn't seem to exist in football or baseball. The players of team sports looked to me like army grunts, faceless pawns out to do a job. The heavyweight champion was different. As Paul Beston writes in The Boxing Kings: When American Heavyweights Ruled The Ring, "Some may not have deserved to be champion; others could not seem to fill the role once they stepped into it." Like a famous surname or sudden wealth, the title could be a burden.
Beston's book, which is a nice read even if we know these stories all too well, reminds us again that the heavyweight championship once meant so much more than it does now. Joe Louis could defend the title against a no-hoper and it would be front page news. The timely historical factors - a Hollywood scriptwriter couldn't come up with something as intense as Johnson-Jeffries in 1910, or Louis-Schmeling II, or the first Ali-Frazier bout - played a big part in the mythology of the title, as did the way certain fighters appeared born to represent their eras. Perhaps of more importance is the often forgotten fact that many boxing managers were also theatrical agents. From its earliest days, boxing was a wing of the entertainment business, and the heavyweight champ was something like a circus attraction, inflated, of course, with the notion of being the toughest guy in the world. This claim was bogus, to be sure - the champion was usually the guy with the best connections, and if by some chance he could actually fight, he'd hang on to the title for a few years.
Yet, the heavyweight championship became, in Beston's words, an "American franchise." When Dempsey lost the title to Gene Tunney in 1926, he said, "I lost to a good man, an American - a man who speaks the English language." Sullivan said more or less the same when he lost to Corbett. Gradually, though, the heavyweight champion became a lot less fascinating to the general public. Beston points to Ali as the tilting point, and he's probably right. "Before Ali," he writes, "the title had made modest men into bigger men. But after him the title seemed somehow smaller." Why Americans no longer dominate the heavyweight class is a question that can never be answered to my satisfaction - Beston offers the usual bromides about the swelling of the middle class, the popularity of other sports, etc. - but it's probably due to the fact that America doesn't really dominate anything anymore. Face it, by the time Bruce Seldon was wearing a title belt, we were screwed.
Beston provides nicely detailed portraits of the major champions, and elegant snapshots of those who were the less than legendary. He's especially handy with the quick one liner that puts a champion in perspective, such as when he calls Rocky Marciano, "an embodiment of American striving," or describes Larry Holmes as "boxing's version of a venture capitalist." Naturally, the largest sections of the story belong to Louis and Ali, but for my money the best part of any book such as this one is the period from Sullivan to Dempsey. To me, boxing history goes wonky when New York begins to monopolize the action. I prefer my title fights to take place in rugged, undeveloped territories, with Bat Masterson collecting weapons at ringside. But that's just me. The Boxing Kings is a fine book, partly because Beston portrays the fighters not as unblemished heroes, but as flawed, fallible men. It might've been nice if he'd found more humor in the stories, but he opted for a serious tone. His background includes the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor, and the American Conservative, so we can't expect him to be a bag full of laughs.


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Selling great products needs great product photos. There is no shortage of tutorials on the internet for product photography. Most fall into two extremes, expensive professional setups with flash umbrellas & special matterials for backdrops. The second extreme typically involves cutting holes into a cardboard box and going crazy with baking paper. Both techniques have their merrits and get the job done however we were looking for a solution the fits in the middle, something more complex than a carboard box and a desk lamp but significantly cheaper than a full studio set up.
With any kind of photography the most important element is light, it is the name after all. The more light you can place onto an object and in the right way the better your photographs will come out. Product photography requires nice even lighting, this means surrounding the image with a uniform colour temperature . The cheapest and brightest lights are typically hallogen floodlights unfortunatly the lights can look very yellow and the lamps get very hot making them a hazard to manipulate and diffuse. So instead we are using the brightest CFL lamps we could find at our local hardware store.
The second requirements is a way to direct the light, our CFLs are designed for lighting an entire room so they spill light in every direction which is very undersirable when you want it focused on an area less than 100 centimeters square. To achieve this, instead of spending $1000 on specialised lamps, rigs and soft boxes we spent $100 on plastic storage tubs, light sockets, power cords and the CFL lamps.
To ensure our new big white CFLs direct their light appropriatly so we lined a series of plastic storage tubs with reflective hydroponic insulation left by the previous owners of our house, not exactly sure what our previous home owners need with hydroponics equiment considering the garden is 400m^2 but this is getting a little off topic. Alternatly aluminium cooking foil and a spray adhesive would of had the same effect, it stops light leaking through the opaque sides of the tub.
This however raises a point of concern, the reflective matterial is conductive and the contacts recesed into the base of the lamp are exposed. It is very unlikely however possible that if a tub got damaged some of the reflective matterial could come in cotact with the live wire. So as an additional protective measure we applied silastic as an insulator over the sockets. Whilst we intend to only install one CFL per tub we have made provision for three should we ever need additional lighting in the future or if we wanted to load one side of a product with additional light for creating shadows.
The wood batting ensures the mouth of the tubs is alligned vertically (most tubs have a taper to allow internal stacking) as well as allowing them to be positioned together to form a light tunnel. The final step is some white cotton covers that help to diffuse the light. Melissa did a great job sewing this up with some elastic around the outside so they can be slipped on and off easily and even washed should they need to be. As always Moose was busy supervising.


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Bruschetta Turkey Burger Sliders are deliciously healthy ground turkey burgers topped with classic tomato bruschetta, mozzarella cheese, and balsamic mayonnaise.
Full of fresh flavors, Bruschetta Turkey Burger Sliders makes a weeknight meal in under 30 minutes that healthy as well.
For more scrumptious recipes, fun projects and exciting news, follow me around the web!
Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Bloglovin'
It's really not hard to make small changes in your diet and eat healthier. You can still get full and satisfied while eating more nutrient dense food.
You may also enjoy these burgers!
As a family, we're trying to eat more healthy food. My boys are in those teenage years where they're growing fast and using a lot of energy and I don't want them to get in the habit of eating high fat, fried, and junk foods. On the flip side my husband and I are getting older and our metabolism is slowing down. We need lower fat, lower carb foods that are nutrient dense.
How in world do you meet all these requirements and cook one meal?
Bruschetta Turkey Burger Sliders Tips
- First of all, you can use either ground beef or ground turkey to make these burgers.
- For the boys, I serve the burgers on regular or whole wheat hamburger or slider buns. For Big Daddy and myself, I serve them on gluten free buns or gluten free pita bread. You can also skip the bun altogether and serve the burgers with lettuce wraps or serve on a bed of Romaine lettuce.
- I prefer fresh basil for the bruschetta topping but dried basil is your substitute if you can't get fresh.
- You may want to use traditional mozzarella or dairy free mozzarella.
- Pile on a lot of lettuce for crunch, flavor, and fiber.
- For a sauce, you can either do a Balsamic Reduction or a Balsamic Mayo. Coincidently, I like both and usually put both on my burger!
- Finally, sides are very important when trying to eat healthier. I make the boys Parmesan Potatoes, but opt for either Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, Black Beans, or Roasted Vegetables for the adults.
Bruschetta Turkey Burger Sliders are ground turkey burgers are topped with the classic tomato bruschetta and mozzarella cheese and balsamic mayonnaise.
- 1 to 1.5- pound ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepperFor the Bruschetta
- 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oilFor the Toppings
- 4 to 6 slices mozzarella or 1/3 to 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 4 to 6 hamburger or slider buns see post for other recommendations
- Balsamic Reduction and/or Balsamic Mayonnaise
- For the Burger
- Season the meat with garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Shape into 4 - 6 patties to fit your buns.
- Place on 400-degree grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes on both sides. Cook through. Turn only once.
- OR, cook in a skillet on the stove top on medium-high 4 to 5 minutes per side. Cook through. Turn only once. Do not mash the meat. This will squeeze the juices and moisture out resulting in a dry burger.For the Bruschetta
- In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
- Stir. Side aside.Assemble the burgers
- Top each burger with cheese and allow to melt.
- Top cheese with Bruschetta mixture.
- Place burger and bruschetta on buns
- Top with Balsamic Reduction and/or Balsamic Mayo
- Enjoy.
Recipe from Paula @CallMePMc.com All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission that includes copying the ingredient list or entire recipe and posting in the comments on Pinterest for Facebook. If you want to share this recipe, please simply link back to this post for the recipe.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you).


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Camela: Thanks for guest blogging today, Lance! What was it about Shark Exorcist that made it so bad?
Lance: At the beginning of the movie, the acting was pretty terrible. This was followed up by the story itself having zero structure and random scenes that didn't really help or improve the theme.
To touch more on the acting, it was shocking how bad it was. Most of the shows we see were at least somewhat casted to find people who actually have some skill or promise in this area. In this case, it shows what would happen if you grabbed a bunch of people off the street or your friends and had them make a movie for fun. Also, it wasn't just one or two actor/actresses, it was all of them.
Lance: Towards the end of the movie, a new character is shown going to a park, and being followed by a random creepy dude. She strips to a bikini and starts tanning, and then falls asleep. (As a side note on the low budget theme of the movie, it was cloudy the day they shot. This cracked me up). Anyway, the creepy dude then takes her phone and takes several close up pictures of her while she is sleeping, then spends several more minutes still standing there looking at the pictures he took.
She wakes up only to be stabbed by someone else, and random creepy dude has no other part in the film.
Lance: They could have tried. I know it sounds mean, but they didn't do basic things they teach you if you're writing a paper in elementary school, or used basic common sense. What I mean by that is that they should have hired an editor to look through the story and notice scenes that didn't matter or were not needed. There is a reason that even the best authors have someone else look through their work.
Also, I mentioned the scene where they were someone was tanning when it wasn't sunny, but an even worse scene happened at the fair. They alternated back and forth between using shots they had filmed during the day and night, which made it very confusing to determine how much time had gone by. It was supposed to be just a few minutes, but if you went by how often they switched from day to night, it was several days.
Also, early in the movie, "Aly" was seriously injured from a bite with a shark. However, the special effects crew just threw a tiny amount of blood on her leg and called it good. It looked more like she had walked to close to a rose bush in shorts than was bitten by a shark.
How did you not give up? You consistently see things through that I just... At a certain point it seems like a waste of life. How do you do it?
Lance: Maybe that's why they kept throwing so many random scenes in, but I just wanted to see where the disaster was going to end up. Would they make a story that would go somewhere? It actually almost did. Would they find even more terrible actors? Would they bring back the actor of the guy who died back as someone else yet again? So many (well, three) questions were left unanswered!
Even after it ended, they had a scene that went way past the credits. I had to fast forward to see if they were going to throw in a twist. It should have been a twenty second scene, but it went for five to ten minutes. This part was so painful that it did require the fast forward feature to get through it.
Lance: The Man Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was excellent, and cracked me up the way it parodies the entire genre, but Tucker and Dale vs Evil ranks above that as my favorite. It's almost more of a comedy. While growing up, Nightmare on Elm Street was the best and scariest at the time.
I think my favorite movie to live tweet was Zombeavers. It was ridiculous, but fun.
Lance: I think that covers it. Thank you very much for having me as a guest on your excellent blog. :)
Camela: Aw. As my husband you kind of have to say that, but I'll take it!
Camela Thompson is a Seattle based author who loves coffee, monsters, and writing about vampires with bite. Check out her books in The Hunted series: All the Pretty Bones; Blood, Spirit & Bone; and Visions & Bones.
Lance Thompson shares a home with Camela and is very tolerant of her reclusive behavior. He even makes sure she eats when she's sucked into a plot line. Lance is an accomplished runner at several distances. His days are spent in the tech field as an analyst and Salesforce.com Administrator.


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If you attended our recent webinar "Harnessing the Power of mHealth for New, Better Data and Improved Patient Engagement" you had the opportunity to submit a question to BBK President Matt Kibby or Roche Operational Intelligence Leader, Lewis Millen, during the webinar's Q&A portion. We received so many great and thoughtful questions from our attendees, that we were, unfortunately, unable to address all of them. Today, we are happy to share Matt's responses to many of those questions here, and we hope you find his answers useful.
Topics: Patient Engagement, Webinars, mHealth, Apps


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Running Fred is a 3D endless runner across the traces of Temple Run. You play Fred, a terrified personality who's working for his life by the Grim Reaper. The problem? He must run together passages full of dangerous traps that may actually directly lead to his death.
The controls in Running Fred are typical to the genre: you restrain Fred's movements using the camera, and leap by tapping on the screen once, or twice for a double hop. You could also buy additional skills together with the cash that you earn as you play.
The amounts in Running Fred are fraught with danger, and that's what makes them so much pleasure.
About Running Fred Game
It's loosely based on the game Temple Run, save for the simple fact that the majority of elements of success in the sport is bought at the shop, such as the inexpensive-cost 'Double Jump' movement, which gives him a additional leap. He's afflicted by a severe panic disorder, also could be observed from his facial features in the injury display. We don't know how Fred managed to reach at the Grimmy's manor, and also to get the entry for his escape. Additionally, he has the potency to accumulate 'Skullies', the currency used in the store, or special coins to buy special items, such as the 'Iron Man' avatar.
Running Fred Gameplay
In Running Fred, you command him to turn left and right by tilting your screen if you are playing with it on a telephone. If you want to jump, you can press on the screen once with a finger. If you purchased the double jump skill, you are able to press yet another time at the air if you jump, thus activating the skill. As for the chicken flap skill, press always when you are jumping in midair. In terms of wall grip and wall rebound, it is possible to do so by leaping on the walls and run continuously, or press jump to start yourself at the atmosphere. This can be useful, when there are many deadly barriers on the floor. Sometimes, when you do a wall bounce, you might propel and start yourself to the other side of this wall, and may replicate the procedure frequently, thus letting you jump a large portion of the amount from the air.
If you bought some one-time usage upgrades, you can trigger it by yourself, or a few will automatically trigger it for you. For instance, if you go off against a blade, the shield can block the blade and save your life, and also you don't have to press a button so as to activate it, though you might be knocked down for a minute, and also Grimmy will get nearer, but surely it is much, much more preferable compared to the usual departure. Others like afterburner and revival are also automatically initiated, also.
There are also various costumes for Fred too, and a few of them has particular uses, such as the Iron Man suit.


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Ingredient DetailsView All Ingredients
Low hazard for health. Plant-based and biodegradable.
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate is a multi-purpose, clear, liquid chelating agent and preservative booster.
|INCI Name
|Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
|Biodegradable chelating agent
|EWG Rating
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Surface Art from Australia is about bold and beautiful prints in a range of products and fabric types.
Moyra Jones is the creative talent behind Surface Art. She takes inspiration from nature and the objects around her and the artistic movements that have blossomed throughout the decades: William Morris, Orientalism, mid-Century abstraction, bold 1970s design. Moyra's designs and products all bear her individual style and clever use of colour.
Moyra works with a trusted crew of printers, makers and couriers. She always aims to employ local talent and to offer Australian-made products. In the interest of the environment, fabrics are printed with water-based inks. Choose from a selection of canvas, drill, hemp, linen or lightweight cotton.


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Tutorial: Super Cape!
posted by Kate on 3/25/2007 | Link To This Post | 8 comments
A friend of mine has started a costume collection for her children comprised almost entirely from thrift store finds. I thought this was a fabulous idea, but haven't found any costumes at my local thrift store yet. So, in the meantime, I thought I'd start Simon's collection by making him his own little cape to put in his Easter basket. I made sure to make it very big so he'll be able to use it for a long time.
If you would like to make a cape of your own, follow these easy directions:
1. Measure the person the cape is for. From the shoulders to the floor will be the length and the width will be the measurement from shoulder to shoulder times 1.5. For example, if you measure 12" as the length from shoulder to shoulder, then the width of your cape will be 12" x 1.5 = 18". (Note: I made my width even larger since I wanted to be sure that there was room to grow)
2. Cut out a rectangle of fabric using your measurements. Add two inches to the width for hemming and one inch to the length. Make the hem on the length larger depending on whether or not you want to be able to take it out so the cape can "grow" with its owner. I used an old sheet to make my cape.
So, if in step #1 you had measured your length to be 24" and your width to be 18" then you should cut out a rectangle 25" x 20".
3. For each side hem, fold over 1/2 inch and press. Then, fold over another 1/2 inch and sew close to the folded edge.
4. Do the same for the bottom hem. There will be no top hem.
5. Find a font and size letter you like and trace it onto some double sided fusible interfacing (I used Wonder Under). Make sure you trace the letter as a mirror image:
6. Iron the interfacing onto the fabric you choose for your letter.
7. Remove the paper from the interfacing and iron it onto you rectangle/cape.
8. You can leave it as is, but I prefer to add a little security by sewing a nice blanket stitch all around the letter.
9. Iron and pin some pleats at the top of the cape. You can add as many or as few as you like, but the final width should be that initial shoulder to shoulder measurement you made (12" in my example). Once you pinned the pleats, baste them in place.
10. Pin some double fold bias tape over the pleats, leaving extra on each side for tying. Sew the edges of the tape together so that the unfinished edge of the cape is covered.
I am super excited about this month's whiplash challenge and for purely selfish reasons. I love good tutorials and I can't wait to see what goodies I will be able to make using all of the great tutorials that are sure to pop up.
I hope that this little cape will help some people make some nice gifts for some little people. And maybe some big people too!
8 Comments:
- said...
That is SUPER awesome!
- Shelly said...
I have been wanting to make a cape and was excited to see this pop up.
Have you thought of using Velcro on the collar vs. ties? It might be easier for Simon to get on.
- June said...
Thank you so much for the tutorial on the cape making endeavor. I am now envisioning a cape for adults as we certainly have to be super women to do all the things we do. What fun!
- Peg said...
Kate this is a great tutorial -- plus it will also work very well for princess-obsessed little girls such as my niece (sigh).
- Linda said...
These might be fun christmas gifts! Thanks for the tutorial!
- said...
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I made this cape for a swap this week. I used panne velvet. It was awesome! I hope you don't mind that I have linked to your post to show where I got the cape idea. My cape picture is at: http://womposs.livejournal.com/11691.html
- said...
Thank you for this tutorial. It was just what I needed to understand how to make a cape for a Prince Charming who will be appearing at my granddaughter's birthday. I don't sew but I completely understand what to do because of your detail and photos.
- Joy said...
I'm a homeschooling mom and I wanted to introduce my kindergardener to sewing. I happened upon this cape and we used your tutorial to make a cape for her little brother. It is adorable! It turned out so well and was so easy that we are going to make one for her and each of their friends for presents! I am a blogger too and I'm going to keep checking this one for great ideas - thanks for sharing!


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Last week as we began to look at the book of Ephesians we tackled a theological issue of debate. This isn't my preferred way to start out a book of the Bible and it certainly wasn't Paul's intention in writing to start out with deep theology. Instead, it was simply some of the words that Paul used in writing to the Ephesians that has caused a lot of confusion and debate.
What I tried to emphasize last week is that regardless of the theological debate, the most important issue is that we are all in Christ. As we continue on in the book of Ephesians we'll see the words "in Christ" repeated several more times. The phrase is so important in this book that I was tempted to title all of my sermons with "in Christ" as part of the title but it took too much forcing to make them all work perfectly.
This morning we'll see that we have been made alive in Christ and are one in Christ. To start though we were first dead.
Ephesians 2:1-3
2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Paul's message to the Ephesians isn't entirely new. Paul wrote to the Romans a few years before Ephesians that the wages of sin is death. So it is not news that those who walk in sin are dead in their sins.
It is interesting that Paul says transgressions and sins here. For the most part we use the words interchangeably and are correct in doing so. The truth is that the two words are different. They are like those word puzzles that you might have done in high school. If zips are zorks and zorks are zerries, are all zips zerries? And some of you probably followed that and some of you hate those types of questions.
My point though is that transgressions are sins; they are a type of sin. The reverse is not true though. Not all sins are transgressions. A transgression is a sin that we commit and we know better than to do it. We something that we've been taught not to do but we do it anyway.
There are other sins however. There are sins that we commit and we don't even realize that we are committing them because we are ignorant of the rules. Now, you might think that this is completely unfair to be guilty of sins that you don't even know about. That's our normal human response. Let me help to shed some light on this however.
In my years of driving I have been caught speeding only once. And this one time was quite infuriating. I was driving in a location that I had never driven before, I never saw any sign to indicate that the speed had dropped, and I was just keeping up with traffic. And to make matters about a hundred times worse, the only reason I was even on this road was because I had just blown a tire on the highway and couldn't safely drive highway speeds with my spare tire. If there was ever a time to be let off with just a warning, this was it. No such luck. I was out $80 plus the whole needing to replace a tire issue.
Why is any of this fair? In short, even though I acted in ignorance I could have been endangering myself and others by exceeding the rate of speed that someone had determined was safe for that area. There could have been many children in the area. There might have been an intersection hidden by a hill.
Of course my example doesn't correspond perfectly with God's laws but the idea is similar. God's rules are meant for our safety and even our happiness. When we break them, even by ignorance, we endanger ourselves or others. We risk sacrificing the best that God has for us for something not as good. By being ignorant of the rules we have an excuse for breaking them but it doesn't lessen the impact of the problem. A car accident that occurs because a person didn't know they were exceeding the speed limit is no better than one by someone who was willfully speeding.
That was a bit of a tangent from the point that I was originally going to make about these verses but it just kind of jumped out at me. The main point here is that sin is bad because it keeps us from reaching the potential that God has for us. Dead people don't have much potential in them. Fortunately there is a solution.
Vs 4-10
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Verse 4 starts off with the word but. Any time you have a connecting word like but, and, therefore, etc. you should pay close attention to what proceeded it. Paul says that we were dead in our sins BUT God has made us alive.
But, (there's that word again) these verses are full of connecting words. We are made alive in Christ AND we are awaiting incomparable riches because God raised us up with Christ. The passage doesn't end there however. It continues on with some of the most important words of the Bible.
FOR it is by grace you have been saved. Sometimes we have a problem in Christianity that we forget our salvation. I don't mean that we forget that we have been saved although certainly some Christians act like they aren't Christians. I mean that we forget what it took for us to be saved.
A lot of church going folks have been saved for so long that they don't really remember any other life. When I going through my ordination exam, the question they grilled me the hardest about was my salvation. It wasn't that they questioned if I was saved, just that I never had a "conversion experience" as we like to call them. To the best of my ability to determine, I have been saved since the age of 5. There was no dramatic transformation from my life of sin as a 5 year old into a newly converted Christian. I can't talk about my horrible past and how it was only by the grace of God that I was saved from it because I didn't have that past.
And that's my point. Some people have dramatic conversion experiences and praise God for every one of them. But many more people just gradually became a Christian. They didn't come forward at an altar one evening. They don't remember the date that they were saved. At some point that just started to consider themselves a Christian when before they didn't.
If you didn't have a dramatic conversion experience, it's a lot harder to remember that you have been saved by grace. If you came from a life of drugs and alcohol and gave that up the moment that you were saved it is easy to remember what you were like and the difference that Christ made in your life.
Jesus told a parable of a prodigal son. It's too long to read it here but the short synopsis is that a man has two sons. One son decides that he wants his inheritance immediately and the father sadly agrees to give to him. That son goes and blows his fortune living the high life. When all of his money is gone he returns to his father to offer himself as a servant because his father's servants had things better than he did on his own. Instead of accepting him as a servant, the father welcomes him back with open arms as a son even though he wasted his money and treated his father poorly in leaving the way he did.
That son is the one who will never forget how his father loved him even when he wasn't worthy of love. That son is like the Christian who will never forget that he has been saved by grace. But there is a second son in the story. Unfortunately I, and probably many of you, relate better to the second son.
The second son dutifully remained home the entire time. He didn't waste his father's money. And when his brother returns he's a bit upset because all of the attention is paid to him. We're often like the second son because we forget that we are saved by grace. Sure, we know it theologically. But we still think things like "I've been coming to church for 30 years and nobody does anything like that for me." We'll give $500 to help someone off the street who says they need money to pay their rent and the person who has dutifully gone to church for years and has made sacrifices to make sure the rent is always paid can't help but feel slighted. But it's because we still have a works mindset even if we believe we've been saved by grace.
No matter how much we believe that our salvation is by grace, we can't help but sometimes think that we have earned something or that we deserve something because of our faithfulness. I grew up with someone in my home church whose a year older than I am. He has faithfully gone to the church as long as he's been alive. Out of our entire generation of youth that went to that church throughout the past 30 years – dozens of kids that I encountered in youth group at one time or another – I believe that I can say that he and I are the only ones who never stopped coming to church at some time at least.
He's now acting as a lay minister of my home church and did a lot of preaching when the last pastor left. He isn't paid like I am. He does this on top of his job as a farmer. And despite all of this, all of the evidence that he should deserve whatever he wants, he and his wife don't have any children. And I know that they have discussed having kids for years.
And this happens while simultaneously there are 14 year old girls having children who don't want them and who won't take care of them. It feels like if there was any fairness in the world, 14 year olds who don't want kids should be the ones who can't have kids. And married couples who went about things the right way and who want kids should be able to have them. And please don't take this to be me voicing my personal frustrations here. I can't say that these thoughts haven't crossed my mind but I'm speaking for the way that we are Christians think in general.
But all of this comes back to the idea of being saved by grace. There is nothing to earn with God. We don't earn our salvation but we also don't earn prize tickets from God for our good deeds. We don't get to walk up to the prize counter of heaven and say "here's the tickets I've earned for my good deeds, I'd like to exchange them for this reward." But this is the way that we think. We think that we deserve more from God because we have done good deeds and the shlub who wastes their money on alcohol and cigarettes doesn't deserve squat.
And that's where the phrase saved by grace should smack you in the forehead. God says that everybody is on the same level because it's all about His grace. It's not about what we have done or haven't done. The man who hung on the cross next to Jesus asked for forgiveness and Jesus granted it. He had no good deeds, not a single one. And he is every bit as saved as the heroes of our faith who gave their lives and sacrificed everything they had for the sake of Jesus.
Paul does have something to say about works however. They are not worthless even though we earn favor with God through them. Instead, they are the responsibility of every Christian. Now, a lot of people look at this as, ok, you're a Christian now, you better get to work. It's your job as a Christian to do good deeds. And of course people are left wondering why they would want to be a Christian if it means more work. And others question the value of work at all if it has nothing to do with our salvation.
But Paul answers that question. We are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Most people read that as we are created to be servants. But that's not the case at all. Paul has just given us the meaning of life. He has given us the secret of happiness. We are only going to be fulfilled in life when what we do has purpose. If everything you do in life is pointless, you're not going to be very happy.
Two guys have the same menial job. One guy despises every minute that he's there because it is beneath him. The other guy comes with the attitude that this is what he must do to support his family and he's lucky to have the ability to do so. Who is going to be happier with their job?
We're created to do good works. It's not a job that we are forced to do because we're Christians. It is our meaning of life. We are going to be the most happy and the most fulfilled in life when we are doing the good works that God has prepared us to do.
We started today by seeing how we were dead in our sins and transgressions. We are brought to life by the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can say that is what it means to be alive in Christ, to no longer be dead. But Paul makes a greater distinction here between being alive and ALIVE. If you want to be ALIVE in Christ you need to do good works. It has nothing to do with your salvation and you don't earn favors from God because of it. Instead, work is its own reward because we will find happiness our fulfilling our purpose in life.


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NYC Popup Storefront
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One pop-up we've produced and held at our space ourselves is Park Here, a pop-up indoor park in January of 2012 and 2013? For a few weeks we transformed the 201 Mulberry space into a park for the public, giving New Yorkers a place to escape the chilly weather.
Over here at Openhouse we've been planning, hosting and booking popup store events for eight years, so come to us with any popup ideas you have and we'll hook you up with a pop up storefront in NYC.


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Sangre De Cristo Ranches
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text: I'm going to do 'The Social Network Two: The Electric Boogaloo.' And I have a part in 'Beige Swan.' I'm going to be the lead, but I don't dance. I just do a lot of sitting down. It's too tiring to get up and dance around. That should be coming out in 20-never.


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See markets, villages, temples, palaces, ceremonies, a cooking demonstration in a local home and more. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included all days except the last. The price is from $18,495 a person twin share.
Phone 1300 196 420.
When two people book a stateroom on select Royal Caribbean cruises departing in the first quarter of 2017, one of the fares is half price. This deal also includes a free upgrade to a balcony stateroom.
Fares start from $1349 a person twin share for a Balcony stateroom for Voyager of the Seas' 10-night South Pacific sailing departing March 5. It calls at Noumea, Mystery Island, Mare and Vila.
Phone 1800 754 500.
Renaissance Tours has a no single supplement offer going, plus a free cabin upgrade offer for couples travelling on its Mediterranean Opera and Music cruise aboard the classic rigged ship, the Sea Cloud II.
It's hosted by ABC Classic FM's Christopher Lawrence and includes four on-board opera and music recitals, plus a flamenco performance in Mallorca, concerts by Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra and the Valencia Symphony Orchestra and more. The fare includes all onboard meals with wine, gratuities and sightseeing.
It departs Lisbon on April 23 and concludes in Nice. The price is from $9950 a person. Offer available for first 20 bookings.
Phone 1300 727 095.
On this 17-day Caribbean and Deep South USA land and sea package you cruise for seven nights on MSC Divina visiting the Bahamas, St Maarten and Puerto Rico. Back on land, explore Southern cities on sightseeing tours of Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami. With return flights, 27 meals including daily breakfast, all transfers and professional guides, the price is from $3999 a person twin share, a saving of 40 per cent. Departures are on May 20 and June 3.
Azamara Club Cruises is offering Club Verandah staterooms for the price of Club Interior on 2017 Europe sailings if you book before November 30.
Fares start at $2999 a person twin share for a Club Verandah stateroom aboard Azamara Journey's seven-night Tapas and Wine voyage, departing Barcelona on June 7. You drop into beautiful ports in Spain, Gibraltar and Portugal, visiting ancient villages, old town markets and beaches along the way.
Phone 1800 754 500.
Viking is offering a $1000 on-board credit per stateroom for bookings made before January 17. One of the most important weeks on the Spanish calendar is Semana Santa, meaning Holy Week or Easter. A 2017 departure of Viking's Passage through Western Europe coincides with it.
This 15-day trip aboard Viking Sea starts in Barcelona, followed by stops in Granada, Seville, Lisbon, Leixoes, Corunna, Cherbourg, Paris, London, Haugesund and Bergen.
It is priced from $9249 a person for the April 16 Easter departure. Add a two-night Madrid pre-extension including top hotel accommodation, all breakfasts, and train transportation from Madrid to Barcelona from $949 a person.
Cunard's trio of Queens will all visit Australia during their 2017 world cruises. Part of Queen Victoria's global circumnavigation sees her sail on a 25-night voyage across the Pacific from Sydney to San Francisco departing March 11. Ports of call include Auckland, the Bay of Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Honolulu and Lahaina, with plenty of time at sea to enjoy the beautiful ship.
Under this offer, fares are from $6799 a cabin, meaning the second guest travels free. This deal is valid for booking until November 30.
P&O Cruises has a dedicated Dark Mofo cruise in 2017. The six-night cruise on Pacific Jewel will spend three days in Hobart, allowing guests to enjoy Tasmania's annual celebration of the dark.
The cruise includes entry to Tasmania's iconic Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) as well as the return ferry trip and a priority pass to the event's City of Hobart Dark Mofo Winter Feast.
Pacific Jewel's six-night round trip from Sydney departs June 13, 2017, with fares from $549 quad share, including $150 onboard credit per stateroom.
Save $US10,000 on World Expeditions' Ross Sea Explorer voyage to Antarctica.
The 32-day Ross Sea Explorer voyage follows the paths of the early explorers, offering insight into the history of Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott expeditions as well as abundant wildlife encounters including king penguin colonies.
The deal applies to two departures: January 13, with prices for a quadruple porthole cabin starting from $US19,950 a person, and February 15, with prices for a quadruple porthole cabin starting from $US17,450 a person.
Phone 1300 720 000.
This 14-night European river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam comes with free international flights for two.
Cruise onboard Travelmarvel's Diamond, with 41 meals, beer and local wine with lunch and dinner and transfers. Stops and sights include Vienna and its Naschmarkt, Miltenberg, World Heritage-listed Augustusburg Castle and the Falkenlust hunting lodge in Bruhl.
The price is $5495 a person twin share for the October 16, 2017 departure, including flights. Offer valid for sale till November 18.
Phone 1300 939 414.
Under the Peninsula New York's Camp Peninsula package, book a one-bedroom suite and an adjoining room and get 50 per cent off the regular rate of the room.
This family package also includes things for the children such as a personalised welcome card, a Camp Peninsula Tent pitched inside the suite, a picnic lunch at the glass-enclosed swimming pool, a treat each evening, a scavenger hunt, unlimited movies, 4pm checkout and complimentary dining for children under 10.
The price is from $1768 a night.
Mercure Canberra has partnered with the National Gallery of Australia to offer a Mercure Canberra Versailles: Treasures from the Palace deal, available for travel from December 9 to April 17.
Located in historic Ainslie, the recently renovated Mercure Canberra dates back to 1927, and features lovely gardens, two dining options and complimentary car parking.
The package includes overnight accommodation for two people at the Mercure Canberra with full buffet breakfast served in the Courtyard Restaurant, two tickets to the "Versailles: Treasures from the Palace" exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, one voucher for 10 per cent off in the National Gallery of Australia Gift Shop, and in addition, Accor Plus members receive 10 per cent off the package price. From $167 a couple. Phone (02) 6243 0000.
Celebrate the Chinese lunar New Year in style at the Primus Hotel Sydney with its CNY Suite Life package.
The package includes a stay in the hotel's Deluxe Suite with complimentary breakfast for two at The Wilmot and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot on arrival. You also get a private two-hour styling session at Westfield, Sydney.
The package is valid for sale until January 9 and for stays January 26 – February 2. It costs $1499 a night. Bookings are prepaid and non-refundable.
African specialist 318Africa has a deal going on stays at the boutique hotel The Peech in the Melrose Arch area of Johannesburg, a good place for safari trip stops pre- and post-flights. It offers a modern restaurant serving seasonal local cuisine and an extensive wine list, a library, common lounge area with fireplace and garden areas with a pool.
A two-night stay at The Peech with daily breakfast is priced from $530 a couple. Book before December 31 and receive complimentary airport transfers and a bottle of local sparkling wine as well a free upgrade if there is space available. The offer is valid for travel before March 31, 2017 with some blackout dates applicable.
Phone 1300 318 318.
Stay seven nights at Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa in an Island Cottage with this package that also includes return economy airfares with Cathay Pacific, speedboat transfers and bonuses.
These include a meal plan upgrade valued at over $1000 a person, seven breakfasts for two, six dinner at FEAST and one private three-course dinner at Sand Coast Restaurant.
The package costs $2990 a person (for up to $7990 a person value). Valid valid for travel February 13 – March 21, April 21 – June 25 and July 14 – September 17.
More hot deals for the Maldives
With just 21 suites perfectly positioned on limestone cliffs to take advantage of wild Southern Ocean views, award-winning Southern Ocean Lodge is a must-do for many.
The Remarkable Retreat deal gives four nights for the price of three and in addition to Southern Ocean Lodge's all-inclusive gourmet offering, comes with a selection of treats and spa and adventure credits.
The price is from $3600 a person twin share, a saving of up to $4600 a couple. A twin-share only solo special is also available. The offer is valid for stays May 1 – September 30.
The four-star at Novotel Vines Resort is in Perth's Swan Valley wine district and is set in bushland 35 minutes' drive from the centre of Perth. It's set on a golf course and has a pool.
Stay two nights and receive breakfast for two each morning, free movies on demand and free Wi-Fi throughout your stay – from $199 per night. Or bring the family and stay in a two- or three-bedroom apartment from $420 a night.
Book before December 1 and receive a free Summer Passport which includes a variety of food and dining vouchers valued at $249. Phone (08) 9297 3000. Valid for stays December 1 – February 28.
Escape Travel is offering a great-value accommodation package for a short stay in the Malaysian capital. It's for four nights at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur in a Deluxe Room and it includes buffet breakfast daily. This five-star hotel is in the city centre and close to monorail and LRT lines. Reviews on TripAdvisor are generally good. The price is $289 a person twin share for the four nights. The offer is valid for sale until December 31 and available for travel selected dates until March 31. Phone 1300 799 783 and quote deal code 4360755.
Luxico is a collective of luxury private homes for holiday stays in Sydney, Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Palm Beach, with Queensland and Byron Bay joining in early 2017.
Book a seven-night stay by November 30 for travel by February 28 at participating properties and receive a complimentary in-home dinner for up to four people prepared by a private chef during your stay.
You select a preferred chef and choose from up to nine multi-course menus. Even the washing up is taken care of. Participating chefs include Robbie Bell from Rockpool and sustainable seafood legend Peter Hilke.
Home prices start from $310 a night and include "hotel-style 24/7 concierge support."
The offer is subject to availability and to the value of $500.
Boali Lodge at Thredbo has a special rate going of $360 a night for a family of four in family loft rooms. The package includes all meals – hot breakfast, buffet or packed lunch and three-course dinner. This rate represents a 50 per cent saving for each child. The 14-room Boali Lodge features mountain views, an in-house chef, car parking at the door and a children's games room. It's in the heart of Thredbo village, close to shops, facilities and the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift. It has lock-up storage facilities for bikes. Valid for stays till May 31 subject to availability.
Cathay Pacific's Asia On Sale offers special fares in economy and premium economy to 58 destinations across Hong Kong, China and Asia and special fares in business class to 24 destinations in China. Economy fares to Beijing start from $591 return and business from $3397 return. Other prices include flights to Hong Kong from $681 return and Tokyo and Seoul from $818.
Cathay Pacific's Asia On Sale fares are for new bookings made before November 11, for travel between February 6 and August 31 (with some availability in 2016 also).
Save up to $400 on new bookings on Celebrity Cruises. For instance, book the Celebrity Solstice nine-night South Pacific voyage departing March 25. Fares start from $1499 a person twin share for an Oceanview or $1799 a person twin share for a Balcony. You can also choose from four bonus onboard extras: either a free beverage package, complimentary gratuities, US$150 a person onboard credit or complimentary unlimited internet. The cruise calls at Isle of Pines, Mystery Island, Lifou and Noumea.
The offer is valid for sale till November 30. Phone 1800 654 500.
More hot deals for New Caledonia
Take 20 per cent off Eurail, German Rail and Britrail passes with this International Rail sale. The Eurail Global pass is on sale until February 24, and must be used within 11 months of purchase. It's usable in 28 countries. There is also a 20 per cent discount on Select Passes and One Country Passes.
Britrail and Britrail England Passes are discounted if purchased before December 29. And the seven-day German Rail Pass is also 20 per cent off if purchased by December 8 with validity for travel until January 31.
Phone 1300 387 245.
Take the family for seven nights at Fiji Hideaway Resort & Spa and kids stay, play and eat for free. This package includes seven nights in a Frangipani Bure, return economy airfares to Nadi for two including 20 kilos of checked luggage each and transfers. My Fiji's $1500 of bonuses includes a FJ$500 Wine, Dine & Spa Credit per bure, meals, a scuba lesson in the resort pool, Wi-Fi for one device per bure and more.
It costs from $1790 a person with prices depending on Australian city of departure. Available for travel select dates January 28 – May 31, and with a surcharge during other select periods.
Save up to 30 per cent on a luxury family stay in Bangkok. Anantara Siam's Family Connecting Room of two adjoining Deluxe Rooms. Or take a Family Connecting Suite, which comprises a Deluxe View Room with a tropical garden or golf course vista, joining a One Bedroom Suite overlooking the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. Stays of three nights or more in either of these options come with the 30 per cent discount, daily breakfast for four, airport transfers by luxury van for up to five, and one 60-minute Traditional Thai Massage for two adults a stay. From $708 a night for a Family Connecting Room and $1146 a night for a Family Connecting Suite.
An eight-day Wild Family Adventure in North Sumatra is 10 per cent off. Kids get to bathe and care for elephants, trek through the beautiful forests of the World Heritage Gunung Leseur National Park in search of wild orangutans, explore villages, go tubing down the Buluh River visiting waterfalls, hot springs and beaches for swimming or to go picnicking, play soccer with locals and enjoy other connections. You get an experienced local guide and can organise your own departure time any time in 2017. The discount price is just $4050 for a family of four (two children under 16) when booking by November 30.
Hike with donkeys around the tallest mountain in the European Alps on UTracks' most popular family walking trip, the seven-day Mont Blanc Family Adventure.
Walk along the famous Tour du Mont Blanc route with the family experiencing the spectacular trails and wonderful spirit of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps at a more relaxed pace. Each day the children can take turns leading their favourite donkey while everyone gets to enjoy the famous alpine views.
Book before November 30 to save 10 per cent on the adult price and pay $1071 a person. Children (aged seven to 14) travel for $910 a person. This includes all meals, dorm accommodation in mountain huts, luggage transfers and a mountain guide. Valid for 2017 dates. Call 1300 303 368.
Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach on Bangtao Bay is offering an early bird special for bookings made before November 11, 2016 for stays before November 10, 2017.
Save 25 per cent off the best available rate inclusive of breakfast and also receive a food and beverage credit to the value of 10 per cent of your accommodation. The deal applies to all accommodation categories for up to two adults and two children sharing a room.
A seven-night family deal staying in a Deluxe Lagoon View room starts from THB29,372.
(promo code: EARLYBIRD).
Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, a vast Big 5 wilderness area on the Eastern Cape that is home to a wide diversity of animals, is offering two special offers for 2017. Stay a minimum of four nights at any lodge and receive 15 per cent off your accommodation or one night free for those staying six nights.
Both offers are valid for stays April 1 – September 30.
With the discount, a four-night safari for a family of four at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve staying in one of Ecca Lodge's new family suites (opening January) including full board, a private safari vehicle, guide and tracker and safari activities, costs $AU8265.
This five-night package holiday includes a stay at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa in a Waikiki City View Room, return economy airfares to Honolulu with 20 kilos of checked luggage, transfers, plus kids 18 and under stay for free and those under 12 also have lunch and dinner for free.
It also comes with MyHawaii's exclusive package savings including resort fees, an Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor & Historic Downtown Tour, Waikele Premium Outlets Trolley Tour, unlimited Waikiki Pink Line Trolley Pass and lots of vouchers.
Valued at $2690 a person, the price is from $2090 a person. Travel January 20 – March 31 and April 17 – June 30.
See more great holiday deals in Traveller.com.au's Hot Deals page, powered by MyHolidayCentre.com.au
The story The 50 hottest holiday deals for 2017 first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.


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I am trying to create a debugging mode in one of my plugins so users can easily enable WP_DEBUG on their own, and hopefully report back to us with helpful error messages. Right now we ask them to modify their wp-config.php, but that's beyond some users' capabilities. I was hoping to just add
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );in our plugin if the user has checked that option, but it appears you can only enable WP_DEBUG from the wp-config.php file.
Does anyone know of any way to enable WP_DEBUG from anywhere else but wp-config? Or is there another useful WP function that I could be using instead?
Thanks, Dalton


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How Do Strokes Affect Women?Although men have more risk factors for strokes, they are particularly deadly for women and pose a greater threat to women's health than breast cancer.
Stroke statistics for women are surprising and distressing. Though you may think of stroke as a man's disease, women are at a greater risk of suffering a major disability from stroke and, worse, are more likely to die from a stroke than men. The death rate for women from stroke is twice that of breast cancer. And for African-American women, the numbers are even more devastating — half will die of stroke or heart disease, says the National Stroke Association.
Stroke: A Look at Women's Risks
With the number of women suffering strokes now surpassing the number of men for the first time, women need to be concerned about minimizing stroke risk and optimizing overall health. In addition to stroke risk factors that men and women share, women also have the following risks:
- Hormones. These include oral contraceptives ( birth control pills) and hormone replacement therapy during menopause.
- Extra weight. The "spare tire" of extra belly fat can increase a woman's risk of stroke up to five times when combined with high levels of triglycerides, which are fats found in the blood.
- Migraines. Women are already more likely to suffer migraines than men, and those who do are three to six times more likely to suffer a stroke than women who don't have migraines.
- Being pregnant. Pregnancy can tax the heart and boost blood pressure, both of which may lead to an increased risk of stroke.
Stroke and Aging: What's the Connection?
"Right now, more women in the U.S. have strokes than men. More women die of strokes each year, and one of the biggest differences is age," says Ralph L. Sacco, MD, neurologist-in-chief at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., and spokesperson for the American Stroke Association. "Women tend to live longer, and age is such an important factor in increasing the risk of stroke. There are more elderly women out there, so there are going to be more stroke patients in women than men," says Dr. Sacco. "In the oldest age group, the actual risk of stroke seems to be a little greater in women than in men in their 70s and 80s."
The reasons are still not clear. "For a long time there was the [idea] that estrogens protected women in their younger years, and when they became post-menopausal that protection was lost and an increased risk of stroke could occur," says Sacco. A number of large studies have now "found that the risk of stroke is greater because of treatment with post-menopausal estrogen. We don't actually know why," notes Sacco.
Stroke: Symptoms in Women
Complicating the situation is that women's stroke symptoms are often quite different than the typical symptoms that men experience.
"Sometimes women with stroke can present with more atypical symptoms — that's been found for heart disease as well as stroke. Studies have shown that, for example, certain pain syndromes and change of consciousness, which we don't always think about as typical stroke symptoms, may be seen more frequently in women than men," says Sacco. In addition to pain, women may also experience nausea, chest pain, heart palpitations, or difficulty catching their breath.
According to Sacco, medical professionals are now aware of the differences in stroke symptoms between the sexes. "By and large, healthcare professionals now know how to recognize symptoms of stroke. It's more the patient not recognizing what the signs and symptoms of stroke are and not getting medical attention quick enough," Sacco notes.
It's important for women to understand their risk of stroke and be aware that they might have a different set of warning signs than men. Above all, don't brush off stroke symptoms because you think it's a disease that strikes men — it can sneak up on women who aren't aware that they are every bit at risk.


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Marry in a beautiful FREE venue with prices starting from the cost of getting married at the Brisbane Registry Office AND choose the venue and location of your choice!!
Costs include the following:
- Lodging of the Notice of Intention of Marriage Form
- Performing your Wedding Ceremony.
- Registration of Marriage with Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
To arrange booking and payment please go to –
to secure your date and location or
Contact Christine Amor for more information.
Phone: 07 5594 1798
Mobile: 0410957281
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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- Urban Furniture
- Mobility
While electric cars are not accessible to everyone and with expectations such as the sale of 76.9 million vehicles in 2017¹, there is an urgency to think of more sustainable adaptations for the vehicles we use. Moreover, due to the competition in this sector, presenting a differential is indispensable.
Thinking about it, all Fiat Chrysler Automobiles teams are looking for innovation, but one in particular is dedicated to that goal. It is the department of Future Insights, created in 2014, next to the factory of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Future Insights initiatives include studies on urban mobility – Future of Cities, which mobilizes companies, specialists and civil society and third sector entities to study cities. The Girassol Project, in partnership with CSEM Brazil and Sunew, for example, develops research for the use of a photovoltaic system, that is, solar-powered, for the generation of electric energy. This energy feeds the battery and exhaust system of cars, being a solution less polluting and contributes to fuel economy.


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Latson describes a boy she calls Eli who has been diagnosed with Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that involves physical, cognitive and emotional variations. Latson focuses on the unguarded friendliness that characterizes the disorder, the webpage of the Williams Syndrome Association makes clear that there are many features that goes with it. The Boy Who Loved Too Much: A True Story of Pathological Friendliness follows Eli from the age of 12 until he was 15. He was enormously and indiscriminately friendly, always seeking hugs. As he got older, this behavior became increasingly inappropriate. His mother Gail works on helping him learn to moderate his interaction with others, especially because his sexual interest in women was undisguised as he moved into adolescence, but he had few social skills. Gail wants Eli to be integrated into the community as much as possible, and this kind of behavior could lead to him being excluded. Latson follows Gail's efforts to support her son and enable him to flourish, and so she covers his life at home, school, and in summer camps. Eli may be able to get some sort of work but he has very little persistence and is very distractible, so he is unlikely to ever be able to live independently or form a long term romantic relationship. On the other hand, Gail does not want to limit his options, and he may be capable of more than people think. After all, it used to be thought not long ago that Down syndrome robbed people of any humanity, and now we understand that with the right support, people with Down's can have rich lives.
Latson is a journalist and her book provides a good mix of science, history, sociology, policy, and story. Her approach to telling the story of Eli and Gail takes a good deal of artistic license, describing details that she could not possibly know but which make those sections more like a novel. At first this is a little off-putting but it is easy to adjust to it, and it does not distort any important facts. Her approach is engaging and informative, in the tradition of many memoirs of distinct disorders. She makes clear what a challenge life is for Gail but she also is optimistic that Eli can live a happy life. She also points out that many with Williams are especially musical, and have some skills or dispositions that serve them well. The book is an informative and helpful portrayal of the syndrome and the community of people with Williams syndrome.
© 2017 Christian Perring
Christian Perring teaches in NYC.
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I love collecting brushes for Photoshop. I use them to create artistic effects with my photography.
Watch the video tutorial to learn how to use brushes to create your own, customized clipping masks in Photoshop/PSE collections. Using these clipping masks, you can produce images with varying shapes, outlines, and photo densities – the perfect way for scrapbookers and photographers to create borders and frames for their images. In addition, I will show you how to create artistic effects.
Use masks to transform the image above into this:
The key principles in the lessons in this video are:
1) When creating a mask, create the mask as a separate layer from your background and your target photograph.
2) To create a clipping mask, place the mask layer under your photograph, depress the ALT key on a PC (or option key on a Mac) and keep it depressed, and then click on the line separating the photograph and the mask.
3) Make sure your mask encompasses all of your important photographic elements that you want to emphasize. Want to see more of your photograph?, Add to the mask.
4) Use the opacity slider on layers to vary your photographic effects and color bleed through.
5) The sky is the limit! Using your own brushes, the combinations that are possible are endless.
Have fun putting your Photoshop brushes to some new uses!!
Heather VR, the guest blogger for this article, is a photographer with Little Black Dog Studio.


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Which Gundam Series are included in the newest SD Gundam Game?
The newest SD Gundam game is coming out in English on November 16th, while the Japanese version is coming out on the 22nd of the same month. These games are the quite different than the hack and slash games that have recently come out. Those games being Gundam Breaker 3 and Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS Force. While Gundam Breaker 3 did have SD Gundam's, they were really only used as support characters in matches.
The SD Gundam G Generation Series is a strategy RPG, where the series consists of two types of games—the "Relive the Original Works" types (SD Gundam G Generation, G Generation-F, G Generation Spirits G-Spirits) and the "Break" types which feature cross-overs between the successive generations (SD Gundam G Generation Wars, SD Gundam G Generation World, SD Gundam Generation Overworld).
Here is the current list of the Gundam series that will be in the game!
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Gravity Front
- Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny
- Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Zeonic Front
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Space, To the End of A Flash
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Lost War Chronicles
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Battlefield Record U.C. 0081
- Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079
- Harmony of Gundam
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren's Greed
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Phantom Bullet
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation
- Gundam Neo Experience 0087: Green Divers
- Advance of Zeta: The Flag of Titans
- Gundam Sentinel
- Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
- Mobile Suit Gundam UC
- SD Gundam World Gachapon Senshi Scramble Wars
- SD Gundam GX
- G Generation Series
You can also check out the trailer below!!
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N19dPk0oFcA[/embedyt]
Preorder this amazing game here!!
What do you guys think of trailer? Are you going to preorder the game?