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I have been getting a lot of questions from friends and people on the Yahoo! groups about how I studied for the FSOT. Some people will tell you that you cannot study for the test because it is too broad, but I disagree. I scored a 188 on the multiple choice section and a 10 on the essay, but there is no way I would have done nearly as well if I had not studied. I believe people who do not improve their score are just studying the wrong material or focusing on the wrong aspects of the test. We can always improve ourselves, and your score on this test is a direct commentary on you as a person (just kidding, it's just a test, and the same person could fail one year but pass with a great score the next, then fail the year after). So here is my advice.
Step 1: Study the Test Itself
The most important aspect of studying is knowing how the test works. I give the same advice to my friends asking for advice on the bar exam. You need to understand how the test works. How many questions in each section? How many answers per question? How much time do you have for each section? How is it scored? What types of questions will be asked? Answers to all of these can be found on the Yahoo! FSWE group (it is called FSWE because that is what the FSOT used to be called) or on the State Department website. I'm not just providing you the answers because reading through the documents on each of those websites is very valuable, and it may lead to answers/questions that I had not thought of in advance for you. Read blogs (hey look at you, already started on that advice and I'm not even on step 2 yet), read stories on the Yahoo! group, and Google stuff. Really. That's my advice. Google stuff.
Step 2: Identify Your Weakness
People often make the mistake of studying what they already know because it feels good to get the practice questions right. I took the practice test in the official study guide and missed one English Expression question due to misreading the answers. So how much time did I spend studying the EE section? None! However, it was clear that I knew nothing about economics or management, so I focused on that. It was also clear that my understanding of history was nowhere near where I thought it was.
Step 3: Do a lot of Practice Questions
This is very very important. You get a feel for what is asked. You'll notice themes. There are a lot of questions on certain areas of geography, of certain people in history, of certain types of economic or management theories, etc.
Practice questions can be found on the State Department's app on iPhone and Android. These questions are very useful; however, they are also very very hard. Do not get down when you miss half of them. I know that I only got 1/3 of them right at first in some sections. The important thing is to be familiar with the keywords and phrases in the questions so you can recognize them later.
There are also websites with good practice questions. This one and this one were the most helpful. Just do as many questions as you can. It is all about familiarity. The Job Knowledge section seems so broad, but there are only so many monumental things they can expect you to know, so you can feel confident at least some will be covered in practice questions.
Step 4: Know Thyself (for the Bio section giveth and taketh like your high school sweetheart)
Know thyself is more than existential life advice. This is vital for your score on the FSOT. As you know after step 1, the test has three parts of multiple choice questions: job knowledge, Bio, and English Expression. Browsing through the Yahoo! group messages and looking at the Google spreadsheet of past results, you'll notice a lot of people did well on the JK section but bombed the Bio section. This is because they didn't know their own resume as well as they thought they did. If I could advise you to study for one single part of the test, this is it. The study guide has practice questions. Prepare 4-5 answers for each question. DO NOT be overly humble, but be honest at all times. Your goal should be to give as many answers to each question as possible.
For example, if it asks "how many meetings have you led that were attended by 5 or more people in the last year? 0, 1-2, 3-4, 5 or more" then you need to aim for 5 or more. You will at first think, geez, I don't even have meetings at work. I just dip the fries in the oil, take them out, salt them, and serve them (or in my case, I just do what the judge tells me to do when he tells me to do it). But you need to expand your understanding of the word "meeting." Do you give a lesson at church? That's a meeting! Did you gather your family to plan a vacation? Meeting! Did you place two pieces of beef on that sesame seed bun? That's a meating. Doesn't count for the question, but I'm sure it was delicious.
Another example. How many times have you held a supervisory position in the last 5 years? You may be at the bottom of the totem poll at work. But what about in school? Were you the president of a club or organization where you handed out responsibilities? Captain of a sports team? Internship? Group project? Think about every time you supervised something or somebody, not just for a career. But again, keep it honest. The questions are generally vague to allow you to use all of your experience, but you need to be able to easily defend the position as a legitimate supervisory one (I would count sports captain, but I wouldn't count leading a clash of clans group).
Another important point for this section is to read the directions. There will be a blank box where you have to (very quickly, time is short) type answers expounding on your experience. The study guide may say "how many friends live abroad? 0, 1-2, 3-4, 5+" then ask you to "list the friends." But the test may say "list the countries" instead of list the friends. PAY ATTENTION. Do not rush, but go quickly.
Step 5: Study What You Don't Know
Step 2 said to find out what you are weakest in. The practice questions will help you catch up on some topics. I put the Bio study before this because you can improve it easier. But this is also important.
Here is a list of resources I used. Some will be easier to study if you are in America. Some will be harder to get without an American library, if you were studying in Thailand, for example.
- ACT/AP study books. I checked these out from the library. I used History and Geography. They were great.
- The Presidents series by History Channel. These were AMAZING and fun because I like the History Channel. It was on YouTube at one point, but now you might have to look for it. I see it on the History Channel app sometimes with my cable login. It covers important events in American history and gives you a frame of reference for all presidential actions.
- Yahoo! FSWE group files. These are great. Go to the "files" section and just thumb through some of them on your smartphone or tablet while you are lying in bed. Don't have a smartphone or tablet? Well, print them on paper with a printer or whatever it is that people do these days to get words to not be on a screen.
- The Elements of Style. I didn't study for the English Expression section. If you need to, it may be hard to learn all you need re: grammar and writing from a book, but this is THE book you need if you are weak on the EE section. High grades for its points on grammar and writing, low grades for teaching you how to match your tie to your shirt.
- Cliffnotes. These were helpful for economics and management. I didn't have time to read all of the ACT books (only studied for two weeks before I took the FSOT), but I covered each Cliffnote and did well.
- Official "suggested reading" list. I didn't have a lot of time, but I read Rise to Globalism. I firmly believe it was instrumental in me passing the test, and it was more interesting than it looks.
- Geography Quiz apps on iPhone/Android. Same goes for presidents, capitals, flags, whatever will help you get familiar with the world. I didn't travel a lot internationally. If you have extensive experience abroad, you have a definite leg up on me.
- Landmark US cases. Oh the embarrassment when I didn't know what Plessy v. Ferguson was about just 2 short months after starting my career as a lawyer.
- Learn how to do multiplication on paper if you forgot. The math is easy, but you need to know how to do it. If you watch sports, you may do a lot of it in your head already. I'm always figuring free throw percentages, odds, etc. in my head when I'm watching sports. If you can plan a budget in your head, figure out how much to tip the waitress, or find the average weight of three people, you will do fine on the math.
It is also important to read a newspaper every day. I got a subscription to NY Times (the crosswords helped a lot too), and created an international news board on flipboard. I would flip through it on the couch, between meetings at work, and at church while my wife nudged me with her passive-aggressively pointy elbows.
Lastly, something that helped me was to look through various history timelines online and identify 10 important events in the last 1-4 years. I then read the wiki page on each of them. For those studying for October, I'd recommend the Arab Spring, Ukraine, Venezuela, and other similar events.
Step 6: The Essay
I put this here because it will be hard to quickly improve your grade on the essay. When I took the FSOT just 9 months ago, it was administered by ACT. This made the essay part easy because the ACT has extensive rubrics and advice on their high school essay. With Pearson Vue now running the test, I can't give a lot of good advice on it. The only study I did for the essay was to review the grading rubric from ACT.
Be mindful of the time. I type quickly (about 100-120 WPM, depending on temperature, humidity, air speed of the A/C unit, tensile strength of the keyboard springs, and how many Dr. Peppers I have downed that day), but I finished with only 2-3 minutes remaining. I felt chewed up about it, and honestly wondered if I did enough to pass (need a 6/12, graded 1-6 by two graders). I got a 10, which is fairly rare, and immediately felt insulted that I didn't get a 12, despite hoping for just a 7 or 8 moments before.
Remember KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. Go back to high school. Five paragraphs. Thesis, three bodies, conclusion. Each body paragraph has an intro, three supporting sentences using relevant facts and ideas, and a conclusion. The conclusion paragraph sums it all up. After you do that, go back and write a dissenting opinion in each body between your last supporting sentence and the conclusion. Explain why the dissenting opinion is wrong, but give merit to good arguments. Don't worry if you do not know a lot about the topic. You are graded on how well you organize and present your arguments, not how much you know about free speech, police brutality, what breed of dog is the best, or whatever else they may ask you to write about. Be concise, check your grammar, answer the question that is asked.
Finishing Up
Make sure you know where the test is, what time it is, etc. Go the day before to be familiar with your route. Get some sleep. Eat some breakfast. You might be nervous, and that is normal. Preparation always makes me feel better, and I felt prepared, though I had no idea how I would do since I had never taken the test before.
Remember to tailor this to your needs. Don't follow my path just because it worked for me. Study what you don't know, but don't worry about getting too deep in it. You don't need to know the intricacies of inflation of the Euro (I honestly don't know if that sentence even makes sense). You just need to know basic tenements of economics.
Lastly, if you miss a question, move on. Take it one question at a time, but be mindful of the timer on the screen. Answer every question. Don't get bogged down on one hard one. Good test takers can ignore missing 3 or 4 or 5 questions in a row and not let it affect the next 20 that you otherwise would have known had you not been shell-shocked from being asked to name the king of England in 1777 (George? CRAP, THERE ARE FOUR GEORGES ON HERE) or to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
I hope this helps you to pass the test. If you have more specific questions, feel free to comment or message me.


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Elijah Daniel Is Helping To Organise A Concert For The Flint Water Crisis
7 June 2018, 12:40
The YouTube star has put his clout to brilliant use
Elijah Daniel is throwing his clout behind the ongoing water crises in Flint, Michigan, by organising a benefit concert to raise money for those affected.
In late May, Elijah tweeted that Flint still doesn't have clean tap water, and praised Mari Copeny, a young activist fighting for clean water, for her work.
flint michigan STILL does not have clean water and this child is doing more about it than our fucking government. stop making lil tay more famous and focus on helping this girl get the resources she needs to help more people. https://t.co/vEDOrW0ECd— LIL PHAG (@elijahdaniel) May 29, 2018
In the days following, Elijah began helping to plan the Flint Summer Bash, a birthday concert for Mari Copeny aimed at raising funds for the water crisis. While the lineup is still under wraps, Elijah tweeted on May 31st that the lineup was "getting better than Coachella and EDC together."
The #FlintSummerBash lineup getting better than Coachella and EDC together— LIL PHAG (@elijahdaniel) May 31, 2018
Some of the artists who Elijah reached out to have already expressed their interest in performing at the concert on July 7th, including Bea Miller, who tweeted "yes where do I sign up" after being asked by Elijah.
yes where do i sign up https://t.co/hMwb1BtEMu— bea miller (@beamiller) May 31, 2018
What is the Flint water crisis?
In 2014, the source of drinking water for Flint residents was switched from Lake Huron and the Detroit River, to the Flint River. From as early as 2015, Flint residents began to report health issues caused by their new water supply, with locals providing bottles of discoloured tap water as evidence of the river's contamination. Shortly after, it was discovered that water from the Flint River contained a concentration of the poisonous metal lead that was seven times higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency's "acceptable limit." Ingesting lead can lead to all sorts of health problems, including abdominal pains and sickness, infertility, and even brain damage.
In 2016, Flint residents were advised against drinking tap water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and bathing, however damage had already been done: in 2015 it was estimated that the percentage of Flint children with elevated levels of lead in their blood had doubled from 2.5% to 5%, while an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease - a type of pneumonia - in 2014-15 was also attributed to the new water source.
Flint residents aren't expected to be able to drink tap water safely until at least 2020.

subset: commoncrawl


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For the past few days I have been wondering if I would ever be able to access this blog again! Wordpress is great but they seem to have very strange policy's when it comes to account access. Anyway, my friend Lizzy helped me out and, we're back! I found this recipe in 'Hobby Farmer' magazine which started showing up at my house for some reason. A well intentioned but forgotten Christmas gift perhaps?
A word about bacon, and meat in general: When I was 16 I stopped eating meat and was a vegetarian for 12 years. I was horrified by the animal cruelty I knew was going on behind the highly guarded doors of factory farms and slaughterhouses across our country. I knew the one thing I could do was to not participate in this disgusting, immoral, environmentally devastating and completely unhealthy system. Today I am lucky to live in what the New York Times calls the epicenter of the local food movement. I'm far from wealthy, in fact just two years ago I was relying on food stamps to buy my organic, local foods. Meat in the grocery store, really any animal product that is not from a sustainable, certified organic, free range, healthy farm, is, I guarantee you, from a sick and abused animal. It's full of antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides: chemicals that will only make you and our planet more and more unhealthy. If you have 10 bucks to buy meat, consider eating it only once or twice a week instead of buying the cheap stuff. There is nothing more costly than cheap food. And animal products from eggs to bacon to cheese from healthy, happy animals are really good for you and taste much better, you know, like actual food! So enjoy your bacon, knowing you are doing the right thing by supporting organic, ethical farmers and their healthy animals. Stop buying into the myth that cheaper is better and that the meat on sale is anything but poison for your body, mind, spirit and OUR environment.
1 pound fresh green beans
1 cup water
4-6 slices of thick cut bacon, diced – The Meat Market, Berkshire Organics, Holiday Farm are a few of many places in the Berkshires to get high quality, healthy animal foods.
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper and a dash of stevia or honey, to taste
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, cook the beans in water until they are tender. Drain the beans and reserve about 3/4 cup on the cooking liquid.
In a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat, saute bacon and onion until the onion is lightly browned. Add reserved bean liquid and cook until it has reduced to 1/4 cup. Add vinegar and sweetner and stir well to combine.
Add the cooked beans and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Original recipe from page 77 of the January/February issue of "Hobby Farmer"


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October 1, 2015—While the cultures may be vastly different, rural churches seemingly face similar challenges across international, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines.
So, what needs arise in rural communities the world over? Here are four emerging needs that such churches will do well to address:
How can your church speak to the important issue of sustainability in the 21st century? What would it look like for rural churches to foster a sense of sacred community
No matter the location, the four needs mentioned above play out in rural communities everywhere. I believe if people of faith think theologically about these needs, that beautifully creative ministry can emerge. Isn't that the point of incarnational living? How do the above needs impact your community? What needs would you add? I look forward to our conversation below!
Jonathan Davis pastors Urbanna Baptist Church, in Urbanna, Va. He is a doctor of ministry candidate at Logdson Seminary, where his research focuses on equipping small-town churches for 21st century ministry. He is the founder of the Small Town Churches Network (www.smalltownchurches.org), which is dedicated to sharing research, ideas and tools to help small-town churches. Follow him on Twitter @jonathandavis_.
The Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) at Columbia Theological Seminary offers many great courses for small churches. For more information about all of our events, click HERE.


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Comedy comes to Steam with West of Loathing
As gamers I think it can be said that we take our art rather seriously, maybe even sometimes a little more seriously than we should. This being said it's always nice when a game comes along to lighten things up a bit. This is exactly going to be the case with West of Loathing, set to be released on Steam in August.
Coming from the team that created The Kingdom of Loathing MMO, West of Loathing is a sprawling, wild-west themed single player RPG. Expect a massive open world adventure brimming with stories, saloons, side quests and shenanigans.
West of Loathing will see you take the role of one of three character classes. These range from the incredibly seriously named Cow Puncher, through the equally demure Beanslinger, to the downright austere Snake Oiler. See what I mean? Silly. This is all just so wonderfully daft that when you add a choice of no less than 50 hats and general stat boosting junk you're going to have one hell of a character on your hands. With said character you can go out and make friends(or frenemies) of travelers you meet on your way through the game. Whether you're shoveling cow dung, drinking whiskey or running from the law this is likely to be a thoroughly mirthsome ride.
If all of this is perking your attention and poking your funny bone you only need to wait till next month. Of course you'll also need PC, Linux or Mac and a copy of Steam but that's no big deal for the kicks right?
As a sneaky little side-note if you happen to be an iOS junky, (and there's nothing wrong with that,) you can expect to see this game appearing on your device at some later point in time. Definitely worth keeping your eyes peeled and your spurs handy for when it does.
This genuinely looks like something that those of us with a love of pure silliness could get to grips with. I think I'll be getting my giggle on with the rest of you and reporting back later, you know, once I've caught my breath and all that.


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Violence and aggression really unfold when talking about contact sports that are performed all world wide. The primary level of violence is brutal physique contact, which includes bodily practices common in certain sports like foot ball and soccer that's accepted by all athletes as a part of the sport they compete in. Examples could be like tackles in football and soccer, and physique checks in hockey. The workforce sports which I participated in as a kid really helped me once I bought older.
Having the ability to compete is the important thing to success in workforce sports and in life. This is certainly a severe condemnation of a sport by its personal ruling physique, and shows to what depths sportsmanship and ethics have sunk in this most commercialised of sports. This is applicable to all of us. All youngsters for example with delicate and fragile body frames needs to be encouraged, and if essential, even forced to play video games.
A – Attainable – This allows athletes to achieve their targets with out falling quick. A sports sport is a form of story. Most people participate in sport for the enjoyable and pleasure of the game. – Can help you gain sponsorship in your chosen sport, whichever it might be from golf, tennis, motor cross, boxing, to browsing, snow boarding, skiing, tri-athletics, observe and subject, baseball, basketball and others.
Simulation may additionally be in the form of simulating an atmosphere or environment, in best sports there will likely be a crowd of spectators watching the game, it will obviously depend on the sport and the extent it is performed at. It is speculated that some players are unable to replicate what they'll do on the coaching floor in match situations due to the stress positioned upon them by the gang, or their very presence being a distraction, in addiction to using a sports Psychologist to try to overcome it the coach may want to carry crowds to coaching classes in order that the individual can become accustomed to their presence.
Some people have advocated eliminating crew sports from the public colleges to economize for underfunded schools. D) It inculcates the significance of sports and outside activities on your child, whereas eliminating the extent of physical demand. An Ireland and Ulster rugby star has apologised unreservedly for sending a sexually explicit message to a teammate following an incident that will later see the fellow player charged with rape.


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Last year, BRAINCOMS was a success! We had a crowd of students interested in learning about Medicine and in creating new relationships with other people. The scientific activities – keynote lectures, poster and oral presentations, hands-on workshops – were filled with enthusiasm and the social ones were full of fun! Also, we had sensitization groups who reminded us about the importance of a humanized medical practice.
Take a look at what we had in 2017!
Are you going to miss it? Subscribe now!
We are waiting for you!


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No religion stable unless broad-based on philosophy.
We cannot do full justice in any review of it however full to that interesting and highly suggestive article which appeared from the pen of that talented Anglo-Indian statesman and Scholar who goes by the name of Vamadeo Shastri. It displays an amount of erudition and what is rare a deeper insight into the real feelings and thoughts of the people; and his observations are far truer than many we meet with in the writings of profound Oriental Scholars, and Indian Missionaries. The first observation which he makes is about the all-absorbing interest which is evinced by an Indian in regard to the consideration of religions and metaphysical problems, and he states his conclusions in these happy words, "I am sure that a religion without any philosophy at all is no more stable than a house built on the edge of a great Indian river, which cuts away its banks or changes its course periodically." And the common mistake which an ordinary foreigner commits is in supposing that no good can be found in the ordinary forms of religious beliefs prevailing in India except an endless series of superstitions rites and ceremonies, and when he has scoffed at these and answered to his own satisfaction what is supposed to be the philosophy of Hinduism, namely the Maya Theory of Sankara, he thinks he has under-mined Hinduism and he waits for the harvest, fondly hoping to see the old superstructure tumble and fall down into ruins. He is hardly aware that the two principal religions into which the whole Hindu population can be divided, Saivism and Vaishnavism, are each based on an old, very old philosophy, and variations in the forms of belief and rituals are not so real as the differences in the field of thought; and divisions and sub-divisions of these principal religions are also in the main due to ontological differences. The masses of the people have a religion which is all-sufficient unto them, which appeals to all their emotional, moral, and intellectual and historical susceptibilities and which as a learned theosophical lady observed combines both freedom of thought and rigidity of conduct. It must become more and more evident therefore as our learned 'Shastri' points out that if this ancient citadel of religion and philosophy should come to be shaken, should come to lost its all-absorbing hold on the Indian mind, the cause should be looked for not in any foreign religion or religions, not in any reforming faiths in India but is should surely be found in the materializing tendencies of western education and western forms of Government.
Indian Religion undermined by Western Education and Western Forms of Government.
The education imparted by Government is wholly secular and non-religious; the standard of living furnished by western sojourners in this land, who live almost in gilded palaces and flower-festooned villas is simply fascinating; the administrative machinery is becoming more and more costly; and the improved ideas of sanitation forces on the people new wants, which all tend to increase the cost of living. And the excesses and vices of the west in regard to drink and food &c., are also obtaining a firmer and firmer grip on the land. And reformers preach too that unless you have a high standard of living you cannot rise on the scale of civilization. All these influences induce a spirit of utter indifferentism to religious topics, a greater quest wealth and luxury, and the formation of a new school of political and social reformers. And it was only the other day one of our respected countryman pointed out the great necessity that existed for counteracting such materializing tendencies by the starting of great educational institutions such as the central Hindu College of Benares.
History, an old Almanac.
The writer next proceeds to show what various influences moral, physical and religious, are being brought to bear upon him and what his attitude generally is towards the Christian religion and after stating the old proverb that history is like an old almanac and the same events and modes of thought recur, though at different seasons and in a changed order, he proceeds to instance the case of the rise of Christianity itself on the Mediterranean coast and from thence to draw the parallels in the present case and the contrasts. He is good enough to point out that it was from Asia that Europe has drawn whatever was profound, philosophical and transcendental in the western creeds and that India was the fountain-head of all the higher and deeper religious ideas which had always flowed from the East to the West; and that the chief strength of Christianity consisted in its being a well-organized and perfected theological creed sanctioned and upheld by the union between church and state and enforcing its tenets and dogmas with both temporal and spiritual power; and he also points out elsewhere how this led to persecution, whereas in the case of the Hindu religion it was not possible.
Hinduism is Religion, Christianity a theology.
He also proves that Hinduism is a Religion and not a theology, and that we have cosmologies and theosophies but no dogmatic rulings upon such questions as are settled by the Christian creeds, the result of which is that whereas the Indian Religion and theosophy is elastic enough to change and adjust itself with the change of the advancing condition and stage of the individual, the Christian formulas and dogmas have become stereotyped and hardened, and the sacred history has become so immobile that nobody can lay his hand on it to explain it away as the Hindu does with his sacred History (Puranams) giving it a new allegorical meaning and significance to such facts; and in consequence, Christian theology is under the disadvantage of coming into open conflict and contradiction with Science and Rationalism. The vivifying principle of Christianity is the securing of moral good, by setting forth authoritatively some powerful motives for conduct; and on the mistaken impression, - the one of the very few mistakes we could discover in the whole article – that the Hindu system of Religious thought has its critical in transcendental idealism he says that the Hindu ethical sanctions are weak and ineffectual.
Hinduism not political.
Another more serious mistake which he makes is when he wishes to mark the sympathetic connection between increasing devotion to God Shiva, and open commemoration of the Mahratta chief Sivaji. A writer like Vamdeo Shastri should have known better of India, with its vast extent and geographical differences, and political variations in the past and before the British advent, when India was divided into so many hundreds of petty states and kingdoms at open war with each other. And we have the written opinion of a great Scholar in the western presidency that Saivism as understood in the South of India is utterly unknown in his presidency. And we may further bear testimony to the fact that the greatest preachers and writers we have today in the south would scorn to look upon questions of policy or Government with any concern, and they live the life of retired recluses than of public men. What obtains in one part of such a vast country and in one town, should not at all be applied or extended to any other place or town. By the way in in p 692 he is good enough to notice our magazine, and pay a fitting complement to our earned contributor Rev. Father G. Bartoli. And in the following passage, he nicely discriminates between the pursuit after higher and nobler spiritualism and yogic vision by the Hindu and the kind of spiritualism aimed at by his European brothers and sisters.
Hindu and European Yoga.
"Or, if the longing to see further through the outer husk of the phenomenal world overpowers and enthralls him, he may clarify the ordinary sense perceptions by ascetic exercises, which give the power of discerning subtle evolute of matter and spirit. I have heard that certain rudimentary indications of this latent faculty, which has course, been known to us for centuries, have latterly attracted notice in England, where some sort of group or sect of initiates has been formed for necromantic experiments. But it is said that, in accordance with the utilitarian complexion taken by all modern research, the chief object of this sect is to communicate with the ghosts of dead kinsfolk or national celebrities. In our country the cultivation of such abnormal faculties is the stock-in-trade of wizards and other wonder-workers, whom I by no means brand as impostors, though they take a very low degree in the occult science, and the true spiritualist rather disdains their acquaintance. It is at best a naturalistic art, directed towards the extension of our bodily faculties into a new region of experimental discovery; but we are no more disposed than are the Christian Churches to find any solace within the confines of sensational experience; for to accept such conclusions would be a confession of spiritual ignorance, the dishonoring servitude out of which we are perpetually striving to escape."


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Agile Anarchy - Cucumber Podcast
The wide adoption of agile has produced practices and tools that help teams communicate and deliver software effectively. But many activities we assume we must use don't add the value we hoped.
What happens when you throw out the rulebook and start at zero - will we see a marked improvement or just a Hobbesian mess?
We've invited Marcin Floryan and Seb Lambla on the pod to talk about their recent anarchic experiments at Spotify. What did they throw away and what did they keep. SPOILER - The planning meeting is first to go.
On the podcast:
Marcin Floryan
Seb Lambla
Matt Wynne
Steve Tooke
You can also listen and download the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.
Subscribe and share your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter


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Babes.com Discount
It's No Joke, This is the Best Babes.com Deal
Only $14.95
instead of $29.95 for 30 days
Even Better… $8.33/mo. for an entire year
Babes.com is the place to be for red-hot gals doing red hot stuff on a really red-hot site! That is what they promise when you check out the tour page.
They have teasers and previews of sex action in all its glorious forms. They have formats, updates, models, material and…wait, before we get ahead of ourselves due to excitement, let's take it slow and see what these guys have.
"Porn glamour vixens" are what these guys say they want to give all their members. When a good balance is struck between high gloss quality and user friendly features, it is going to be hit with internet users everywhere. This is what these guys have accomplished.
The drop-down tabs are magnificently crafted and strategically placed, making it easy to preview material. There is a favorite section where you can see models and movies you want. The niche tags are great for locating material.
You will be able to quickly locate all the updates. You even get to view your browsing history, which is unique because most porn sites don't have this. And since they chose the name "babes" to name their site, they know they have to live up to customers expectations. They do this by searching all over and finding "sexual goddesses" of the highest beauty caliber!
The Babes.com discount is out of this world and the model lineup inside is like nothing we have ever seen. Its deep, it's intriguing, it's erotic, its mind blowing! They currently have some 134+ models performing in some 587+ movies and 587+ images. Poke this site some more and what you receive is young talent from babes who are curving a name for themselves in the industry. The videos they perform can be watched online using the embedded player. There are various pixel resolutions that go all the way up to High Definition.
The production of the movies is as close to perfection as any producer will ever get! They are very well made, nice lighting, angles, and so on. All this time, they don't forget about giving you the material in class and style. The images might overwhelm your senses since they are big pixel, 1698pxl High Resolution stuff. There are various ways you can view these pictures including downloading them as you please.
They may not have thousands of models and material to offer you. They however have something that you need to take seriously, lots of babes! They also have succulent quality that is robust and dripping with raunchy porno. It is clear that with time, Babes.com is going to expand into a massive, artsy, babe-filled porn site. Joining them is a good way of spending your valuable time and money.


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I am a good mother. I know I am. I may not be perfect, but I am a lioness where my cubs are concerned.
I can control what food goes into my shopping cart and therefore, what food goes into my childs body.
I can decide to which friends house I allow them go for play-dates, thus controlling what they are exposed to.
I choose whether or not to wake them early on a Sunday morning for church, thus I control whether or not they are influenced for good or evil.
I can choose whether to turn on or off the tv, the Wii and the iPod: thereby I control what type of media influences they are bombarded with.
I can choose whether or not to spend money at the movie theatre, so I control what their minds are exposed to at any given age.
I can choose to allow them to sleep in or to wake them a few minutes earlier to give us time to open Gods word at breakfast and learn without hurry together.
I choose school options of public, private or homeschool, and I can control what kind of education my children are given.
What I can't control is their future.
As a parent of a child with disabilities… that can be a very frightening thought.
After all, I am his advocate, his lifeline, the one who "gets him" without him having to explain, the one who is often able to predict how he is going to act/behave in a situation.
Which only leads to another terrifying thought: What will happen to him if something happens to me?
Although I have walked in a relationship with Jesus Christ the past 30 years, my faith is tested in new ways each morning I awake to parent this amazing boy with needs so different that mine. And so it is there, in those quiet hours before dawn as I pour out my fears and read Psalm 139 that God speaks to me in a gentle whisper: "I created this baby boy. I took care of this precious little one in a womb where he was not wanted. I carried him safely from a sterile hospital to a cold, dark, dirty orphanage. I had my angels surrounding him for two years before I placed him in your care. Do not think for one moment that I will ever leave him. I will never forsake him. I will continue to provide for him whether or not you can."
And with those words so eloquently penned by the Psalmist, the fears that attempt to strangle me are pushed back into the dark caverns from which they came and I am able to face another day of raising this special child.
Psalm 139… Good News Translation (GNT)
You created every part of me;
you put me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because you are to be feared;
all you do is strange and wonderful.
I know it with all my heart.
When my bones were being formed,
carefully put together in my mother's womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
you knew that I was there—
you saw me before I was born.
The days allotted to me
had all been recorded in your book,
before any of them ever began.


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جسے جانتا تھا میں زندگی وہ تو میرا وہم و خیال تھا, a photo by Zeeshan Sattar on Flickr.
Whom I thought to be life was a doubt and nothing but a mere superstition
Whom I thought to be life was a doubt and nothing but a mere superstition
"Every object, every being, is a jar full of delight"
"Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent."
– Jalal ad-Din Rumi
"I learned that there were two ways I could live my life: following my dreams or doing something else. Dreams aren't a matter of chance, but a matter of choice. When I dream, I believe I am rehearsing my future."
–David Copperfield
Dreams are like the paints of a great artist. Your dreams are your paints, the world is your canvas. Believing, is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.


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A golf-loving, wounded Iraq veteran is able to get back onto the course this week, thanks to two State University of New York Polytechnic Institute students and their specially designed golf club.
U.S. Army Ret. Sgt. Rick Yarosh, 32, thought he would never be able to play a sport he loved, and was quite good at, after he was injured by an IED while serving in Iraq in 2006. He suffered burns over 60 percent of his body and has undergone more than 100 procedures and 50 surgeries. As a result, he lost his nose, ears, leg, pinkies and parts of other fingers.
In a story on Syracuse.com, Yarosh said that he "lost a piece of his life" when he was no longer able to wrestle, play football, or play golf.
But after almost a year of meeting with Yarosh and working on different designs for their revolutionary golf club, SUNY students Nicholas Arbour and Adam Peters finally found one that worked. They studied professional golf swings and made several prototypes with a 3D printer before they chose the winning design. The modified club is a wrist guard attached to the forearm; two pistons that attach to a pair of clamps, attached to the club; and a handle for swing control.
"I'm so happy," Yarosh told Syracuse.com. "I tried the club and I could hit the ball with quite a distance. Now I can go out with my friends again and play golf. It's an incredible feeling."
Arbour, a member of the Air Force ROTC at Syracuse University, and Peters presented the club to Yarosh in a ceremony at the Sitrin Medical Rehabilitation Center in New Hartford, N.Y., where Yarosh works with the military rehab program.
And in case you're wondering, the students got an A.
You can watch the video of Yarosh testing his club here.
This article was originally posted on Oct. 30, 2014.
For more news that golfers everywhere are talking about, follow @golf_com on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube video channel.


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Q9-series astromech droids were experimental astromech droids from Industrial Automaton. They were thinner than typical R-series droids.
The Q9 series was an experimental design loosely based on the R7-series chassis, and unlike most astromech droids, the Q9 was designed with a fairly complex personality matrix to allow for rapid learning. The Q9 droids were also intended to serve more functions than those of an astromech droid, and its skills at data access could be used by most diplomats and scholars.[1]
Industrial Automaton considered the Q9 series to be a total failure; the personality matrix programming was faulty in most production models, and only a few hundred were produced and sold.[1] Also based on the R2-series, the Q9s were launched without sufficient testing, according to the statements of critics. One of the most famous droids of the Q9-series was Q9-X2, who over-modified himself with an array of gadgets and gizmos. Kyp Durron also owned one, called Q9-01.
- Ambush at Corellia (First appearance)
- Assault at Selonia
- Showdown at Centerpoint
- The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
- The New Jedi Order: Dark Journey
- The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream
- Cracken's Threat Dossier
- The Essential Guide to Droids
- Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 119 (Q9X1-2, Q9-X2)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (As "Q9 unit")
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cracken's Threat Dossier, p. 113


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Hello Everyone,
After a 3 year absence from Second Life, p4ndor4 quintessa aka Pandypantaloonas, the creative mastermind is back and has already been hard at work creating quality mesh prefabs, landscaping products and all sorts of dark & sinister goodies. All their prefabs fits homestead or full regions, you can always see what you get before you buy, one click installation in less than 2 minutes, best quality prefab sims in Second Life and the RAW file & terrain textures are included.
Today I wanted to show you Temple of the Skull from Pandemonium! The build is 64 x 64 Footprint, to fit a parcel 4096, it is modify, copy, no transfer, has a walk-able mesh base, 100% original mesh, partial mesh & materials, custom non distributed low lag textures, sacrifice area, catacombs, Inca/Mayan style building and it is perfect for RP or just as a temple on your sim. There is also great attention to detail in the design!
You can stop by Pandemonium to check out Temple of the Skull and all the amazing creations they have.
Teleport to Pandemonium


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Becky Fogel is SciFri's production assistant. Before joining SciFri, she was a reporter for KWBU-FM in Waco, Texas where she deepened her lifelong love of BBQ. Follow her @beckyfogel
by Colin Ellard
An excerpt from Andrea Wulf's "The Invention of Nature."
The putrid odor of a large tropical plant has begun wafting through the Denver Botanic Gardens—and visitors are lining up to inh...
This picture, shot by a drone, reveals the verdant fingers of a blue-green algae bloom.
Biologists are using the medley of blues and browns in these wings to help them understand butterfly wing development.
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A fresh take on a family business
Friday, August 11, 2017/
Uncle's Smallgoods – Brendan D'Amelio and Bert Glinka, Dandenong
Any small business owner will tell you that you must earn your stripes to get started, but Brendan D'Amelio and Bert Glinka mean that literally.
Bert looks after the retail side of the business while Brendan manages production. Hailing from the corporate world, the brothers-in-laws' love of food led to them starting a small operation selling kranskies at markets and events, where they got a taste for the industry. The kranskies they were selling came from Uncle's Smallgoods, and when they learned Marian Poprawski was looking to retire, they seized the opportunity.
When the boys approached Marian and asked to buy his traditional Polish deli, he took some convincing.
"Marian didn't believe these two young blokes were willing to do the hard work to run the business properly, so he had us come in on a Sunday to chop an enormous pile of wood," says Brendan.
"We thought we'd knock it over in a couple of hours, but it was a very hot day and it got the better of us. Marian saw we had it in us to get our hands dirty so he knew then we were serious."
The boys would go on to buy the Dandenong deli, where they're putting that imposing woodpile to use. Uncle's Smallgoods specialises in traditional wood smoked and handcrafted smallgoods made in small batches on a weekly basis.
More than four years later, the business has grown without losing the traditional processes that make it special.
"Real food is good food. You can't beat doing it this way. It tastes better and it's better for you," says Brendan.
"We reckon when you buy food you should know what you're buying. If you pick up a packet of bacon at the supermarket, you see pork is only one of many ingredients. Our bacon is pork, brine and wood smoke. That's it."
While they were fortunate to inherit a loyal customer base with the deli, Brendan and Bert recognised they were an aging group and their biggest hurdle would be attracting a younger audience without scaring their current customers away.
That's why they opened Young Uncles, a cafe next door to the deli with an inner city feel tailored at a younger audience.
The menu features dishes showcasing the deli's produce. Diners can enjoy a ham and cheese baguette or a black brisket burger while sipping on specialty coffee and are then able to go next door to purchase smallgoods to take home.
The model's proven successful – they've recently added Sunny and Thor, a second cafe down the road. To get the expansion off the ground, Uncle's Smallgoods made use of a small business grant provided by Greater Dandenong City Council.
"We knew right away that if we wanted a successful cafe, we needed to produce a rock solid coffee, so we needed a good machine."
The grant got them the machine, fuelling an expansion that now sees them employing 20 staff. The business has recently purchased a factory to grow its wholesale business. The facility features a traditional wood fired smoke oven, ensuring the businesses core values and traditional processes remain as the business expands.
The core, according to Brendan, is innovation and flexibility.
For example, last Valentine's Day, Uncle's Smallgoods sold a 'sausage bouquet' as an alternative to roses. The publicity was a success, garnering mainstream media coverage that didn't break the bank, and the product is still being bought.
For others getting into the small business game, Brendan says it's important to go over the numbers.
"Set a budget and ensure it all adds up. Include overheads and staff. Pay yourself a wage from day one, because if you can't maintain it, you know you're on a slippery slope."
Revolutionising the healthcare sector
Friday, August 11, 2017/
Incarta IT – Marcus and Nicholas Young, Heathmont
Incarta IT is a technology business that does most of its work in the health sector. It manages infrastructure, design and supply devices and, increasingly, manages and analyses clinical data with a focus on intensive care units.
Marcus Young, who founded the business with his brother Nicholas in 1997, was motivated to start Incarta IT and "do some good in the world".
A formal clinical trial is underway of a new technology that is processing clinical data – primarily pathology data – in real-time to predict the likelihood of an adverse event such as a heart attack. While he stresses their system is embryonic, results to date suggest the system is working and that a high percentage of at-risk patients can be successfully identified 24 hours before such an incident.
"It's easy to overstate success at this point, but it is real and is incredibly exciting for the future of healthcare," says Marcus.
Such a system would provide an early warning system for doctors, allowing treatment to start early and could ultimately save lives.
Incarta is currently working to build the system into a cloud application to increase take up by more hospitals. It's no easy task. The system works by taking in and processing the millions of data points produced by hospitals. However, it's feasible because it's an automated process. While the data is complex, it's existing information that is already circulating through the hospital, such as blood test results.
Incarta's expertise in the health-data space has led to the development of ALARTA, a software program to manage Intensive Care Units (ICU).
"Intensive care is an incredibly complicated, data-rich environment and there are a number of big, multinational players in the space," Marcus says.
"It's not overstating to say that a piece of software to manage 20 ICU beds costs millions of dollars. We want to disrupt that paradigm."
ALARTA is an ICU record system built from the ground up and delivered via web browsers. Providing doctors with ready access to clinical notes, charts and data.
The system has been in use at Melbourne's Austin Hospital for two years, and Marcus says it costs a fraction of similar systems, despite a high level of sophistication.
Through use of artificial intelligence and chat functions, the plan is for ALARTA to evolve into a system where doctors can ask a bed for information about the patient sleeping in it and be provided with everything they need to know.
The main challenge facing Incarta is that, as a small innovator, it's perceived as a riskier bet than its multinational competitors. But Marcus disputes that big business always delivers better.
"Smaller innovators tend to be less encumbered, more agile and more responsive to their customers' needs; they can also deliver more effectively on their objectives from a time and cost perspective," Marcus says.
Marcus and Nicholas are passionate about research, development and technology and wanted to use their engineering acumen and creativity in a way that would do some good in the world.
Marcus admits he started out less focused on the business side of things and credits mentoring services provided by Small Business Victoria for giving him the perspective to step back and build his engineering into an enterprise.
"The support programs available through Small Business Victoria have provided invaluable assistance with structuring our business and enabling us to establish a stable commercial footing.
"The seminar programs helped us to identify the necessary steps to convert our research into innovative, commercially viable products. I wish I'd found them a few years earlier to be honest."
Adding a personal touch to the property market
Friday, August 11, 2017/
Your Sold Real Estate – Rachael and Rod Seach, Shepparton
When they moved to Shepparton and bought a house, Rachael and Rod Seach felt like they hadn't found the real estate agency they were looking for, one with a keen focus on customer service.
So they started it themselves.
The couple started from scratch back then in 2011, and have grown the business from having no listings to now boasting a conversion rate that places them above their competitors.
They're in a market with approximately 16 other agencies, where they're one of the few independent operators. They remain a family-owned operation and they're proud of it, having built out strong sales and property management arms focused predominately on the residential markets.
The commitment to customer service firmly remains at the centre of everything they do, and Rachael says it's a big reason for Your Sold's success.
"We have ongoing, sustaining and returning clients, and I believe it is down to our personalised service. No matter who comes through the door, whether they're a tenant, a landlord, a buyer or a seller, they're treated equally."
"It's a big focus of ours to proactively contact people and get back to them as soon as possible. A consistent theme in the feedback we've received is that people appreciate that about us," Rachael says.
Both Rod and Rachael bring unique and diverse experience to the real estate business. Rod had worked in real estate for 16 years across Victoria, in agencies of various shapes and sizes.
Rachael, meanwhile, is a practising clinical psychologist of 20 years. Understanding psychology and how people tick has served Rachael extremely well as the pair built the business over the years. Rachael still practises, splitting her time between the two businesses.
When they set up shop in Shepparton, they focused on getting their reputation out and establishing themselves within the community.
"In a community of this size, people want to know who you are and a lot about you before they'll give you their trust. You have to work really hard and market, market, market," says Rachael.
The effort paid off and Your Sold won the local Chamber of Commerce's Best New Business Award in 2012.
Over the years, Your Sold has accessed a range of services delivered by the Greater Shepparton Business Centre, including workshops on planning and marketing.
"They've been fantastic. We've been to many sessions on digital, social and mobile marketing, and I always ensure all out staff head along to networking nights.
"I think what has been most useful is the business planning workshops, particularly in the early days of establishing the business. By providing us with the template and the tools to put our business plan together, which we could take to the bank and get our business started."
According to Rachael, constantly forward planning is a big part of keeping a small business afloat in the long term.
"You need to be well organised and make sure that you always keep some energy in the tank," she says.
"You'll have a lot of that 'new business' energy in the first 12 months, but you need to keep yourself ahead of things and not get complacent. Network, get out there and surround yourself with enabling people so you can work on the business instead of just in it."
It's advice that Rachael and Rod take to heart. They're continuing to grow the rental arm of the business, and they're considering opening a second branch.
It's not a step they take lightly though, as they don't want to grow too big. The team prides itself as a small business and never wants to lose its passion for personalised service.
Crafting a new life in Australia
Friday, August 11, 2017/
Sisterworks – Luz Restrepo, Richmond
Starting a business is always a challenge, but it can seem next to impossible for those new to Australia; particularly for those who are still trying to find their footing.
Founder of Sisterworks, Luz Restrepo, understands this problem all too well. When she came to Australia seven years ago from Colombia, as a political asylum seeker, she had no friends here and spoke no English.
"As a political refugee, with my life in tatters, I felt like a nobody: frightened, isolated and disempowered. I soon discovered that I was not alone."
In 2011, along with a group of 25 women experiencing similar challenges, Luz began to make and sell crafts around Melbourne. The women in this circle understood that to support each other was also to strengthen each other.
"Our thinking was the same: Don't give us fish. Teach us how to fish and we will fish for our own food in Australia," says Luz.
In 2013, with the support from a committee of legal, fundraising and marketing volunteers, Luz formalised the business and Sisterworks was born.
Today, the not-for-profit social enterprise supports women with migrant, asylum seeker or refugee backgrounds to become financially independent, while also helping them to become happily settled in Australia.
"When you grow up in Australia, you know how Australia works, and you have friends and family that give you capacity," Luz says.
"For people who are new here, with few connections and no money, it's harder. We need business opportunities. If people give us those opportunities to work and build a business, we can learn how to support ourselves."
Sisterworks provides women with the tools and support they need to start their own micro-businesses, selling handcrafted goods they make themselves out of recycled and ethically produced materials. Goods including jewellery, toys, bowls, candles and cards, are sold at Sisterworks' Richmond store and online. The majority of profits (50-75 per cent) go to Sisterworks' 'entrepreneurs' with the rest reinvested back into the business.
Sisterworks is about to branch out into foods, adding conserves and pickles to the items being produced.
"Why craft and food? Because they are activities that connect us together with the mainstream community," says Luz.
"We want everyone to become entrepreneurs, but we also want them to engage and build their networks within the Australian community."
Sisterworks continues to grow with the assistance of government, trusts and donors, and strives towards sustainability every year.
"City of Yarra has been an amazing, ongoing supporter of ours, giving grants and providing marketing opportunities," says Luz.
In only four years of operation, more than 88 women have been involved in Sisterworks, the majority of whom had never worked before, and lacked knowledge about Australian business practices like tax. The enterprise has helped these women to reduce their dependence on welfare and become entrepreneurs in their own right.
Today, 37 women from all corners of the globe, from Congo to Syria, Tibet and Pakistan, are proudly creating and selling the products they love to make. They also help each other improve language skills – some even teaching each other how to drive.
It's evident that Sisterworks is more than just a business.
"We really are one big family, I feel very proud of the things we have achieved together, because it is the result of the work of all of us," says Luz.
"I love my work. It is my passion. If anything I am working too much."
Australia, Luz says, is a country of opportunity.
"If you work hard and communicate a good idea, people will support you. I give thanks to the people in this community," she says.
"You should never start a business just to employ yourself, or as a Plan B while looking for something else. At the same time a business will not always give you the money you expect. But if you're working on something you're passionate about with like-minded people, if you work with passion and purpose then you will succeed."


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We are a group of girls that have been together for about 15+ years! All the girls are exceptional stylists and are up on the latest trends! Our prices are very reasonable. The Salon is truly a fun place to come and visit!
Please take a look around our website and if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment just give us a call! 760-941-0330. The girls also have phone numbers listed to make your appointment here on the Stylist page or their email addresses if you have any questions!
We are also so excited now to be carrying Neuma Products as well as some Goldwell and Enjoy!
You can also check out our FaceBook page at Salon Chic*
Salon Chic
130 Eucalyptus Ave
Vista Ca 92084
Phone: 760-941-0330


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Let me be a jellyfish Brainless and glowing My beauty innate– Unquestionable, even, Since I've no amygdala for Shouting orders, no hippocampus Busily collecting Potential threats. Let me be a jellyfish, One of a tribe of Transluscent pancakes Mindlessly ganged around Jews cutting the Red Sea waves or Rubber-tubed tourists — Either way.
Category: Travel
10 Reasons to Travel Back in Time
This past weekend, I had the chance to return to a place I once considered home: Kansas City. By home, I mean it was the place where I became the person I am now. I lived in Kansas City from the ages of 24 to 34. For those 10 years, I was single, except 2…
Notes from Inside the Train
In Philadelphia, the quiet car fills up completely– so completely that I can't keep my screen hidden from my seat mate. I don't know him, but I know enough that he was kind. He gave up his window seat to a couple so that they could sit together. From WAS to PHI, the quiet car…
It's Just People, That's All – #reverb13 – Day 9
I admit that the idea of being "inspired" hits me in a sort of hokey way. I think it's because, in my line of work (i.e. being an artist), there is a false idea that the end product derives less from skill or fortitude, and more from some magical notion of "the muse." So if…
In My California Time
I heard: "Big Sur is calling to me" and here's what happened to me. I immediately felt the grey, El Nino winter that that I spent in California, in 1999. I was working in a restaurant in Kansas City at the time a place that was renovating. All the staff was given 6 weeks vacation,…
Vacationland: Switch off and Tune In
I need a vacation. Let's all insert here for a minute the list of blessings I have. Nice house Good family Everything I need and want (food, clothing, shelter) Friends Education Human Rights Time to meditate and do yoga Lots of good books, and a library card too. Many more OK, even in the face…
Passing Through
Glassy days– Across the fields Crows can't be bothered. Hot summer car rides Roads lounging into Forever. Windscreen winks at Passing clouds.
Back of My Hand
I-74Across the Mississippi–That Familiar vein throughMy life I Cross this morning east.Your still flatness hides Lonely strongCurrentsPulling me back. Day 9, A River of Stones
Riding Through Flyover
We are passing through some flyover states today… Glad that we are not flying over but taking that slower time to look at the scenery, at what the shape of other places looks like. We came around a bend near Lake Erie and all at once the land flattened out into farms… The horizon was…
Stress in the Rearview Mirror
This picture reminded me instantly of our summer vacation in Maine and of floating on my back, gazing at the blue sky and hearing only the sound of my own breath. But then, it also reminded me of this new feeling I own… a tight grip on my heart that comes from the constant stress…
Close Strangers: Face-to-Facebook
Writer Jill Murphy is crisscrossing the country to have coffee in person with all of her Facebook friends (there are 379). She interviews as research for a book she is working on a book about Facebook's impact on relationships. Here is Part One of My Interview with "My Close Strangers" writer Jill Murphy Me: What do…
I'm on the train on the way to meet two old friends in New York. A part of me is terrified to put my foot on the platform at Grand Central. I am a traveller. I don't stay put. I go places. Yet in the last 8 years I've mostly been with my travel companion,…
View from the Passenger Seat
Day 3, #Reverb10 Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (by Ali Edwards.) View from the Passenger Seat Once I sink against the leather– GPS Daniel having accepted Our destination– Once we have buckled With coffee stowed… I become…
Where Wisconsin Is…
…And Other Existential Observations on Home My colleague (we both teach at university) said, quite innocently: "I guess I don't think of Wisconsin as the Midwest." This while I was rapping a heavy mix of Madison virtues and Midwest easiness. "Oh," she said when I called up the map. "I guess I thought it was…
The Monochrome Summers
Shopping at Target for school supplies takes us into the arms of August, summer's last great hump. I smell the Ticonderoga pencil shavings already and summer's great keening begins. The season is nowhere over, yet it is aging. Surrounded by the lemon-yellow-forest-green-cornflower-burnt-sienna colors swirling around me in the all-new-all-same-mass Crayola aisle. Even as I buy…


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Class 4A, first round
Kickoff: Saturday, 1 p.m., District 20 Stadium (Liberty High School, Colorado Springs)
Quick hits: Saturday's playoff matchup down in the Springs represents another rematch of an earlier season game, with Monarch squeaking out a 14-7 win back on September 8 … That game was a defensive tussle with both teams finishing with less than 200 yards of offense … Rampart won the right to host by winning the Pikes Peak League at 5-0, and the Rams have outscored foes 325-140 overall … The ball touches a lot of hands at RHS, but Keion Cross, Jared Behm, Chris Yoo and Jackson Beale each have 400-plus yards and 23 combined TD's … An aggressive RHS defense has 27 team sacks … After one 100-plus yard rushing game through seven weeks, MoHi's Cole Polluconi has three straight 150-plus yard games including a season-most 224 on 37 carries last week against Greeley Central … Defensively, MHS has racked up 13 interceptions while Ben Cole and Trey Storm have wreaked havoc along the line with eight combined sacks and four fumble recoveries … Monarch's defense has allowed just 49 points the past three games.
Bottom line: Both teams will look back on the early game against each other and know they've grown since then, so more points could be expected this go-round. For Monarch, the playoff experience on the roster should come in handy.
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BoCoPreps


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Germany artist Case Maclaim recently made his way out to Florida where he painted a killer new piece for the Art (Re)Public Project. Painted on the streets of Jacksonville, with a handful of other artists, Maclaim painted a massive new piece which incorporated aspects from local businesses in the area.
Tag / Project
Energy of the City – Street Art Festival [Recap]
We're back with another recap of an incredible street art project out in Europe. This time around, we're posting about a new initiative entitled Energy of the City presented by Urban Forms which took place in Lodz, Poland.
The Festival "Energy of the City 2016" in Łódź, Poland, which has come to an end lately. The keynote for this year has been four urban cycles, namely building, destruction, demolition, and reconstruction. During the Festival our Foundation has been visited by many interesting artists, such as Gaia, Stormie Mills, Opiemme, Nitzan Mintz, Dede, Untay, Andrzej PoProstu, Sebastian Bożek.
You can read more about the project HERE and more images after the jump.
UPEA Street Art Festival 2016 [Recap]
The first annual UPEA Street Art Festival has been successfully completed. UPEA16 invited artists from all around the world to create nine large scale murals in seven different Finnish cities. Together the pieces form an imposing and versatile series of walls that includes the largest murals ever seen in Finland. More info and images after the jump!
Andrew Hem (photo: Alexander Horn)
Andrew Hem – New Mural in Huanggang, China
Multidisciplinary artist Andrew Hem recently made his way out to China where he painted a brilliant new mural. Invited by the Back to School project which is curated by Seth Globepainter, the American artist created a massive new piece featuring figures done in his signature style on the streets of Huanggang.
Nychos – New Mural in Linz, Austria
Graffiti artist Nychos recently crushed a new mural in the city of Linz for the Mural Harbor project. One of the largest walls to date, the Austrian painter went incredibly detailed on a snake with some extra signature characteristics.
Yok & Sheryo – Greetings From Coney Island
Street artist Yok & Sheryo recently crushed a new wall in New York City for the famous Coney Island Art Walls project. The duo worked away on a massive, illustrative style piece that features a bunch of funky characters in a colour palette remnant of old style carnivals. Peep the video and more images after the jump!
Bezt Etam – New Mural in Mannheim
Polish street artist Bezt of the Etam Cru recently made his way out to Germany for the Stadt.Wand.Kunst urban art project where he painted a new piece entitled "Europe". The large scale piece on the streets of Mannheim features somber and veiled women, which can be interpreted a number of ways.


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STANDISH, ME – Emmanuel College (6-9, 5-3 GNAC) bested Saint Joseph's (10-4, 6-2 GNAC), 69-67, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday night. Monks sophomore forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) scored a career-high 22 points off an 8-10 shooting effort in the loss.
Unfortunately, Jobin's point total – which was scored over 21 minutes coming off the bench – was for naught as the Monks were unable to outwork the Saints on the glass. Emmanuel out-rebounded St. Joe's by a 42-30 margin and scored a whopping 46 points in the paint, including 21 second-chance points, en route to the upset conference victory.
Saint Joseph's was ahead on the scoreboard for the vast majority of the first half and built a 22-13 advantage with an 8-0 run which was concluded with a Tom Ray '12 (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) jumper at the 8:50 mark of the opening frame.
An impressive dunk by Jobin on a fast break, in traffic, extended the SJC cushion to double digits for the first time as St. Joe's led 28-18 with 3:29 left in the first half. The Saints whittled away at their deficit over the subsequent two minutes and trailed by four, 30-26, when sophomore forward Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) made a pair of free throws at the 1:45 mark.
With 37 seconds remaining in the first half sophomore guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) pushed his team back up by 10 with a three-pointer and a Ray freebie made the score 37-26 with three seconds before the break. Emmanuel senior forward Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) drilled a three-pointer as time expired to cut the SJC lead down to 37-29 heading into intermission.
Emmanuel junior swingman Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) led all first-half scorers with 12 points while Jobin paced the hosts with 11 in the opening period. In the first half, St. Joe's shot 51.9% from the floor, 27.3% from downtown, and 60% from the free throw line while Emmanuel shot 42.9% overall, 14.3% from long distance, and 66.7% from the charity stripe.
Momentum swing in the Saints' favor early in the second stanza as the visitors started the latter half on a 12-3 run and held their first lead, 41-40, since the opening minutes of the contest when sophomore guard Brandon Jones (Windsor, Conn.) closed the surge with a layup with 15:10 remaining.
The lead changed hands several times over the following two minutes. Jobin converted a traditional three-point play at the 12:29 mark to lift his team to a 47-43 advantage and the Monks would hold marginal leads until the 4:49 mark when Mailhot scored a layup to put his squad up by two, 58-56.
Ray knotted the contest with a jump shot on the next SJC possession and the Monks mustered a pair of one-point leads in the closing minutes, including a 65-64 edge after Jobin made two free throws with 1:45 on the game clock. The slim lead was quickly negated however, as an Everson layup 26 seconds later put the Saints up to stay and a Mailhot three pointer less than a minute later all but cemented the visitors' victory.
For the Monks, Medeiros netted 14, Chris Petzy '12 (Kensington, N.H.) added 12 points, Zach O'Brien '12 (Schenectady, N.Y.) recorded six points, and Clark Noonan '14 (Bangor, Maine) notched four points and six rebounds. Ray chipped in with five points and three caroms in the losing effort, which snapped a four-game winning streak for the Royal Blue.
For the Saints, Duke posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Everson added 17 points, nine boards, four assists, three steals and a pair of blocks, and Mailhot netted 12 points. Robinson checked in with 11 points and four boards in the Emmanuel victory.
Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 44.4% (24-54) from the floor, 27.8% from three-point range, and 73.7% from the charity stripe while Emmanuel shot 45.2% (28-62) from the field, 22.2% (4-18) from long distance, and 64.3% (9-14) from the FT line on the night.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 9-2 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College. Prior to this evening, the Monks had defeated the Saints in nine consecutive meetings dating back to the 2007-08 campaign.
Both teams return to action on Saturday with contests versus conference opponents, as Saint Joseph's travels to Johnson & Wales and Emmanuel hosts cross-town rival Emerson College. Both games are slated to begin at 3:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.


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I have been biting my nails for some time now to share a bit of news with you… I was going to tell you a few weeks ago but I have been busy with one thing and another and I haven't managed to sit down and catch up with you. Bad I know, but I promise you it will never happen again. Today, I have switched off my phone, logged off facebook and coffee in hand determined to keep you up to day with all the gossip.
I am thrilled to announced that The Fabric Loft is no longer a "one-woman-band" but a team of two mad woman that love colour, design, fabrics, yarns, crafts, coffee and cakes. Nicola, a very good friend of mine, has joined me to run the shop together. Some of you might have already spoken or received emails from her, and for the ones of you that also knit and crochet, you might be familiar with her online shop Yarn Box… so yes, she is brave, or mad, or a bit of both, but one thing is for sure, she is committed to be part of the crafts movement and have some fun in they way.
You might think that this is not a big deal, many shops are run by more than one person, but let me tell you something, if I ever thought that owning a fabric shop was one of the best things that I have ever done in my life, running it with a friend is much better than that. As a child did you ever play with your friends or siblings that you had a shop and sold each other ribbons and dolls? Well, we are doing it for a living! How fun is that!
Lucky Nicola will keep all the fabrics, yeap she is doing the glamorous side of the business. As it is for me, I will be doing the social media side. So please join me to officially welcome Nicola to The Fabric Loft.
And to celebrate, Nicola has put together a bundle, and not only that but it is on a special offer until the end of the week. I bet you like her already!


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888 – Germania
On the same day they registered revenues for 2017, 888 indicated they were planning to withdraw from the German market. They may appeal against a German court order which ordered the cessation of his activity in Baden Württemberg
General situation
The situation, as it is, forbids online and terrestrial gambling operators to provide their services in many regions of Germany, such as Baden Württemberg, as decided by a German court. Everything has grown even more when several payment providers have decided to interrupt the deposits held for bookmakers doing business in Germany. In the light of all these developments, 888 is considering filing an appeal. The International Gambling Treaty in the country clarifies that online gambling is forbidden unless individual states enact laws to regulate them, but this is possible in contradiction with EU laws on the right to free trade across borders . Only a German state has legislated to authorize online games – Schleswig-Holstein in 2012 – but the law was abolished the following year. 888 said it included "general legal conclusions supporting the ban on online gambling offerings in Germany."
u may decide to leave the country completely if they do not have an alternative.
Officials' opinion
888 CEO Itai Frieberger said: "We did not make the decision to withdraw, and we owe ourselves and our shareholders to review and understand the situation before we can get a vision. We use a local counselor to help us we make a decision whether or not to challenge this decision. "
Brian Mattingley, 888 President, was more combative: "The company is very disappointed with this vast decision and, together with the group's lawyer, considers possible actions, which may include a petition to the German Federal Constitutional Court and assess the status and scale of its offerings in the German Market ".


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|PGB and Barb Goffman (Photo by Gloria Alden)
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Bouchercon 2015, Part One
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
City of Oaks
Fayetteville Street, a major thoroughfare in Raleigh, NC, connects the old State Capitol with the Convention Center. It is recognized as the city's ceremonial center, where parades and seasonal events occur. Oak trees line the street, shedding leaves on the plentiful benches, and reminding visitors that they are in the "City of Oaks." Columns adorned with silver oak motifs are lighted in the evening. Because it takes place in Raleigh, this year's Bouchercon has been designated as Murder Under the Oaks. Art Taylor's edited an anthology, with the same title, featuring stories by the conference's honored guests and selected contributors.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Sir Walter Raleigh
Raleigh, NC, the state capital and second largest city, and Raleigh County, WV, are named after Sir Walter Raleigh (1554–1618), an English gentleman, writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer. His mother was the niece of Elizabeth I's governess. Without the Queen's permission, he secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton, a lady-in-waiting, and both were imprisoned in the Tower of London for the offense. Raleigh searched for a golden city of El Dorado in South America and sent others to establish Roanoke, which became known as "the Lost Colony." While imprisoned for treason, he wrote a History of the World.
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Rogue's Monster Pull-Up Spheres are dynamic grip strength tools designed exclusively for use with our Monster Series Rigs and Racks. A new version of an accessory popularized by gymnasts, martial artists, and rock climbers for training and sustaining better hand strength, Monster Spheres are made from powder-coated 9-gauge steel and can be mounted to any 3" depth tube with 1" holes—specifically the XM-43 and XM-70 Monster crossmembers.
Monster Pull-Up Spheres are sold in sets of two, and are available in your choice of either a 3" / 5" diameter (beginners will want to start with the 3" option, as the 5" size poses a substantially greater challenge). Fully customizable, you can add just a single pair of Spheres to create a unique pull-up station or line-up a whole series to make your own obstacle course out of a Monster Rig.
Important: Monster Pull-Up Spheres are compatible ONLY with Rogue Monster Series Rigs and Racks. If you want to add Pull-Up Spheres to an Infinity or Monster Lite unit, see the options below.
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Anki is a free software program designed to help people remember what they have learned. It's a flashcard program, with support for a variety of media, including text, sound files, mathematical equations (using Latex) and even images. My use of it so far has been restricted to foreign language learning. Anki runs on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.
The value of spaced repetitions
Anki is a spaced repetition learning system. Unlike traditional flash card systems in which the user decided what to practice and when, spaced repetition systems schedule practice for you. The first time someone learns something, it will be forgotten quickly. The next time, it might stay for a day or two. The time after that, a learner can usually remember an item for over a week. The length of time increases exponentially. If an item is forgotten, though, much of the progress is lost. By scheduling review for each item right before the learner is expected to forget it, Anki makes it possible to learn material well enough to remember it for months or even years in just ten to twenty repetitions.
My own learning experiences have made me a big fan of spaced repetition review. I have been a reasonably hard-working student ever since my last stint in college, but a depressing amount of the work was wasted. I have entire notebooks full of things I've painstakingly learned, probably reviewed more often in the early stages and then forgotten because failed to go over them months later. As much as I like the idea of deciding when and what to review, following the algorithm is more effective.
Differences from Supermemo
As far as the algorithm is concerned, Anki is very similar to SM2. When answering correctly, you still get three options (easy, good and hard), but there is only one option for wrong answers. Anything you answer wrong is put back into the stack, to be reviewed after you finish your other cards for the day. One very good change is that wrong answers don't really affect the card's "difficulty rating" before you've really learned a card well, i.e. to the point at which you have about a month between intervals. In other words, you won't keep seeing a card too often a year from now just because you hadn't really learned it before putting it into your deck.
The biggest way Anki is different from Supermemo is the clean interface. It's a nice, simple program and it's a joy to use. You can also copy decks to the Anki site for free (up to 10MB), and sync decks after you finish with them so that you can review from other computers. This isn't a very important feature for me, but it would be if I had a decent cellphone.
Other features
Anki has some specific features for learners of Chinese and even more features for learners of Japanese. There are "deck models" for both languages. Each card has a field for the "question" (the word), the "answer" (the English translation) and a special third field for the reading. Upon entering a Chinese word, Anki fills in the pinyin for you! For example, if I enter the word 嫻靜, Anki fills in xián jìng for me. This is a great time saver. Unfortunately, it's still necessary to choose the right pronunciation in the case of 破音字. The recognition for Japanese characters is far better. Anki has automatically selected the correct hiragana for the vast majority of the Japanese words and phrases I've entered so far. It's a good thing, too. Otherwise, it would be necessary to choose from half a dozen readings on a regular basis. On other feature for Japanese study is that the program tracks how many of the Jouyou and Jinmeiyou Kanji have appeared in your deck so far. It also tells you what percentage of the kanji for each grade of elementary school you have learned.
Graphs and Statistics
Anki's charts and statistics are outstanding. You can see charts of when cards will be up for review, of how much time you've studied each day, of how hard your cards are for you, and all kinds of other things. Deck statistics are similarly impressive. Have you ever what percentage of the time you answer correctly on cards you've been studying for a long time? Or what percentage you get right in your first review session? Anki can tell you. In fact, the charts and statistics might be a little bit too good. I've found myself checking them more than I really want to.
Anki is free software. As a proud free culture supporting geek, this makes me very happy. On the practical side, it also leads to cross-platform support and it's easy to extend Anki. In fact, I've taken advantage of this by getting the Traditional Chinese localization of the program started. Damien, the original author and maintainer, was very helpful via email explaining to me how to edit the localization files. I'm sure others, with native Chinese skills, will build upon that work. If enough Chinese students get interested in Anki, I bet it will start keeping Hanzi statistics, too. By virtue of its license Anki is certain to keep improving for as long as it's popular.
Anki is great. I've been using it daily for most of this month and I've even put in some time localizing it so that I could give it to one of my students. He's been hard working, but continues to struggle to build his vocabulary. I've put all the vocabulary from my first semester CDs into Anki decks for him and have high hopes. I wouldn't be using it myself and I certainly wouldn't be recommending it to my students if I didn't think Anki was the best of its breed.
Rating: 4.5/5


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Made to Order Coastal Breeze Hand Knotted Rug
Select Size: 3' X 10'
Shipping Time: Made to Order (10-20 Weeks)
- Vendor Shipped
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn 5% Back in rewards4 plus free standard shipping3every day when you shop with your Williams Sonoma credit card at Williams Sonoma.Apply Now Learn More
- Summary
Ocean blues and warm grays lend a breezy update to our rug's ancient motifs of leaves, blossoms and scrolls. Artisans hand knot the design from yarn-dyed pure wool, softening its symmetry with striated colors that lend each rug unique shading. Like the vintage rugs that inspired it, the carpet is sheared to an even pile with a plush feel underfoot.
- Hand knotted from strands of yarn-dyed wool for enduring color, then sheared to a low plush pile.
- We recommend our Heavyweight Rug Pad with this style; our latex-backed pad (sold separately) can be trimmed to fit exact rug dimensions.
- Due to the handmade nature of our rugs, all sizes and colors may vary.
- Made in India.
- Dimensions & More Info
- Made in India.
- Use & Care
- Vacuum regularly to prevent dust and crumbs from settling into roots of the fibers.
- Avoid direct and continuous exposure to sunlight.
- Turn carpet occasionally to equalize wear.
- Remove spills immediately; if liquid, blot with clean, undyed cloth.
- For hard-to-remove stains, professional rug cleaning is recommended.
- Store your rug by rolling it front side out and wrapping in cloth for protection. Do not fold or put in an airtight plastic bag.
- Place in dry, well-ventilated area.
- Use of a rug pad is recommended.
- Shipping
Shipping Information
Made to Order: 10–30 Weeks
- Special-order rugs are made just for you, arriving at your door in 10–30 weeks. Approximate delivery times vary by rug size. Please note that special-order items cannot be returned.
For White Glove Delivery, items are brought into your home and placed in the room of your choice. Delivery is by appointment, Monday – Saturday; our delivery service will call to arrange a day. Available in the 48 contiguous states. Please call 888.922.4108 for additional assistance.
Shipping Rates
With Unlimited Flat Rate Furniture & Freight Delivery, an unlimited number of eligible furniture and select non-furniture items in your order can be delivered for a single flat rate. The exact shipping charges are based on your shipping location and will be applied during checkout.
All items not shipped via unlimited flat-rate delivery fee will incur a shipping surcharge, but no additional delivery fees. All items not flagged by a shipping surcharge, are charged via our standard ship table. View Shipping Options and Charges.
Return Policy
Our products are designed with your comfort and style in mind. Made to Order rugs are not returnable, but may be cancelled only within 24 hours of order placement. Should your item arrive damaged or with a defect, please contact us at 888.922.4108 within 7 days so that we may arrange for a replacement. Defects resulting from negligence, abuse or use in a commercial, hospitality or other non-residential setting are not covered. Final sale items ending in .97 or .99 cannot be returned. View Full Returns Policy.
- Special-order rugs are made just for you, arriving at your door in 10–30 weeks. Approximate delivery times vary by rug size. Please note that special-order items cannot be returned.


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BOOST® Kid Essentials™ Drink is a nutritionally complete drink for children ages 1-13. A delicious snack or with a meal, BOOST® Kid Essentials™ gives kids the nutrition they need to help them grow. Each serving contains at least 25 essential vitamins and minerals and 7 grams of protein, and a Kid-Approved Taste! Available as ready-to-drink, BOOST® Kid Essentials™ is a great way to supplement kids' diets with extra nutrition.
BOOST® Kid Essentials™ products have been redesigned with New and Improved ingredients.
For recommendations on transitioning to the New and Improved Boost Kid Essentials 1 cal/mL and the 1.5 cal/mL box versions click here for Transition Directions.pdf


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Over the last several days, a caravan of migrants has been making its way across Central America, determined to enter the United States. These migrants are fleeing their countries reportedly due to violence and corruption, which nobody doubts. The biggest issues with this caravan are the optics. Regardless of the situation of the migrants, it doesn't look good that 7,000+ people who are not citizens, residents, or documented refugees of the United States are barreling down on our board with one outspoken demand; let us in.
Polling across the spectrum of pollsters show that 75% (at the low end) and up to 95% (at the high end) of Americans agree on US border security. Regardless of partisan politics, America as a whole is generally on one side of this issue; The country needs to have strong borders and enforce immigration laws. Partisan party preference aside, the country essentially agrees. The question now is how does this Caravan and all its media attention play into the politics that each side is?
How this affects the midterms:
If recent history shows us anything, it's that the first midterm election of any president is usually bad for the controlling party. Modern midterms have shown that the president's party loses an average of 30 seats in the House and Senate. Bill Clinton lost big in his first midterm. Bush lost big in his second midterm. Obama got rocked in his first midterm.
Most outlets are predicting the status quo will remain unchanged and the Democrats will take the house and maybe even the Senate. However, the Caravan provides an interesting angle for the President and the Republicans.
On the political side, the choices do not look good for the Democrats. They have only two options: one, they advocate for the caravan and its ability to march right across Mexico and into the United States, or two, they do the unimaginable… Agree with Donald Trump. It's a sticky situation to be in when you're running on partisan issues just two weeks out from the President's first midterm election.
Given the political climate and what the polls show for support of open borders, this caravan is going to be a big test of the nations patience. If the migrants are able to illegally cross the border, lodge asylum claims, and are released into the United States pending adjudication, it's likely that many more South and Central Americans will attempt the same thing. The question then becomes, who is to blame? Do Democrats get the blame for not fighting for strong borders? Or does the President get blamed for letting it happen on his watch?
It remains to be seen as for whether or not this caravan is going to impact the polls. Given that the midterm elections tend to be based on different turnout models, will the Caravan help the Republican turn out? President Trump sure seems to think so. It's one of his key talking points during his most recent rallies across the country. But we'll all find out on November 6th.


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So due to this time of year and the fact I would be staying down for the night. I thought it would be ideal to combine a little run whilst being in London, plan was to run the finishing part of the marathon to see what the contrast would be like.
So during the works Christmas party I made sure not to go OTT and to get to bed early. This part of the plan worked and waking up at around 7am and getting ready also went well. What didn't go well was getting a little lost and in the process ending up running 10k, but hey all part of the fun.
As you can see I went a little lower than had planned but made it work back to the hotel and still got in the end part of the marathon which was the main goal, it was great to run in a different area and I also ran in my new Asics trainers which I will be using for the London Marathon aswell a win, win.


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Vodafone Offers PreRegisteration form for iPhone 3G in India
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I am Krishna Srinivasan working as Software Engineer in Bangalore,India.My interest is everything related to Java,Google and Opensource products. Apart from my tech work, I love listening music, watching movies and reading books.
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