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Only a week has passed since the release of the post-apocalyptic MMO Crossout in open access, and the developers have already cared about the beauty of weapons and the appearance of cars. As site http://puppo.com.ua/ informs, All designers will receive containers with paint and will be engaged in creativity.
As part of the update 0.60 Crossout received several important innovations, one of them - the opportunity to put in the cab of a specialist driver. All the drivers in the game belong to certain factions, and if you gain some influence in the faction, you will have access to the driver. All the "drivers" have different skills, gain experience in combat and discover new perks that seriously affect the gameplay.
All lovers of unusual forms have an excellent opportunity to make their transport unlike their opponents. The decoration system allows not only to repaint some parts of the car, but also to create (in the future) unusual design elements installed on the car bodies. All players will have access to the machine tool of the Mechanics faction, where they can forge containers with cosmetics. Decorated weapons can not be resold, but you can repaint an infinite number of times.


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Connecting and Giving Back: Celebrating, supporting, and encouraging UQ's 'Future Alumni'
Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc. helps shape the future—as outlined below in our vision, mission, and strategic plan. Alumni Friends members share in the belief that successful, stable and diverse communities need world-class tertiary education, where world-class universities depend on the support, encouragement and engagement of alumni and the wider community.
Our vision: An equitable, stable, diverse and educated Australia, benefiting from world-class tertiary education.
Our mission: To connect engaged alumni and friends to support the endeavours of the 'future alumni,' educators and researchers of The University of Queensland (UQ).
Core values: integrity and wisdom; being ethical, diligent and accountable; being supportive and philanthropic; encouraging respect and diversity. Alumni Friends members are often described as honest, dedicated volunteers who are social, charitable, fun, ethical, cost-effective, precise, consistent, disciplined, responsible, focused, tenacious and determined.
- Connecting: Creating routes for alumni and friends to engage with UQ—through regular contact (including social events, newsletters, and website), life-long learning activities (for example, through Three Score and Friends of Antiquity lectures), and sharing memories (with a special project —50 Stories–in 2017-18).
- Recognising and Celebrating UQ's students, researchers and educators: Maintaining and developing a suite of prizes, scholarships and bursaries for UQ students, staff, and alumni.
- Investing and Giving Back: Donating time and money to support the endeavours and explorations of UQ's students, educators, and researchers.
- Supporting: Focused on ensuring that world-class tertiary education is inclusive—supporting the best students in their aspiration to study at UQ.
- Advocacy: Promoting the benefits of world-class education and the value of supporting and enriching the cultural and social resources of UQ—demonstrating the benefits of a world-class education through philanthropy (donating time, money, and/or making gifts) and connection with fellow UQ alumni, students, researchers and educators.
Goals: 2016-2019
- To achieve a positive improvement in profile and in membership: To achieve a >1% net increase in membership numbers from 2016 onwards, with a focus on retaining existing members, and on attracting new members who share Alumni Friends' vision (in particular, attracting people who are willing and able to volunteer time and expertise to the Association). During 2016-18, we specifically aim to: a) Maintain our annual program of activities (including Three Score talks, FOA talks, Annual History Day, and NOVA publication); b) Celebrate Alumni Friends' first fifty years with a program of events and fundraising; c) Improve two-way communication with members, alumni, UQ, and the wider community (including the launch of new websites); and d) Focus on our special interest groups.
- To continue to act with integrity and transparency: To publish a detailed summary of donations—including the purchase of key assets—made to UQ since 1967. By end 2018, to provide members with detailed outlines of each of the major bequests and budgets managed by Alumni Friends, and publish plans for disbursements.
- To improve on our philanthropic record: By end 2018, to identify routes to improve on the annual fundraising activities of Alumni Friends, with a rolling plan of implementation which builds on the 50th anniversary celebrations (including fundraising for fifty $1,000 student bursaries in 2017/18).
- To plan for the next 50 years: By end 2018, to ensure that Alumni Friends 'knows what it knows'—that is, documents key activity to support the recruitment of future leaders of the organisation, and to support an effective transition and hand-over to those future leaders when required.
- To be an exponent of, and learn from, best practice: Within 12 months of the approval of this plan, each member of the Executive Committee to present their personal views (combined with the opinions of the groups they represent) as to best practice in alumni/volunteer/ philanthropic/social organisations. This information to be used to identify best practices to be incorporated into the daily activity of the association, and into future plans.
- To be recognised as an important member of the UQ Team/the Queensland community: Utilising the anniversary opportunity, to establish a process for applying for recognition for Alumni Friends' key volunteers from 2016 onwards. In addition, working with the PVC(A) to identify how to improve the MOU and achieve a closer association with UQ.

subset: commoncrawl


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"There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light." – John 1:6-7
On the night of May 8, Pastor John Ost left his wife and children, who surrounded his bed, holding his hands and singing "When He Calls Me, I Will Answer", and went to be with the Savior who he had served so faithfully for so many years. Read the rest of this entry »


text: Peter Singer, arguably one of the most prominent living moral philosophers, has discussed moral status of animals in his seminal work 'Animal Liberation'. In that book, he shed light on the various types of abuses human-animals carrying out on non-human animals. He innovatively coined the term 'speciesism' to point out the same fallacious reasoning humans use to abuses of non-human animals. He expressed that speciesism - belief in the superiority of one species over others - follows the same unsound rationale that 'sexism' and 'racism' did.


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It was last week. I doubt these guys were there.
There is another close to there this weekend. Can't make that one either. I used to go decades ago. Hey, you have to learn how to flatfoot from someone right? I want to see if they still do the greased pig contest. I doubt it.
There used to be a nightclub in Galax that ended the night with all the lights going on and they played this:
Its long gone. I miss that.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
I Missed the Fiddler's Convention
Posted by Keads at 4:36 PM
7 comments:
My wife's friend won the old time fiddle category. Did you ever hear of the Crooked Road Tour? This fellow was one of the artists on it.ReplyDelete
His name is Eddie Bond.
Yep, they're a pickin and a grinnin... :-)ReplyDelete
Used to love the Charlotte Folk Music Festival back in the late 1980's at Latta Plantation Park.ReplyDelete
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April 22, 2007
Eliminating limbo
It's taken only 16 centuries, but:
After several years of study, the Vatican's International Theological Commission said there are good reasons to hope that babies who die without being baptized go to heaven.
In a document published April 20, the commission said the traditional concept of limbo — as a place where unbaptized infants spend eternity but without com-
munion with God — seemed to reflect an "unduly restrictive view of salvation."
The church continues to teach that, because of original sin, baptism is the ordinary way of salvation for all people and urges parents to baptize infants, the document said.
But there is greater theological awareness today that God is merciful and "wants all human beings to be saved," it said. Grace has priority over sin, and the exclusion of innocent babies from heaven does not seem to reflect Christ's special love for "the little ones," it said.
"Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered ... give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision," the document said.
"We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge," it added.
You mean… all this could be BS? That's a little discouraging.
The 41-page document, titled "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized," was published in Origins, the documentary service of Catholic News Service. Pope Benedict XVI authorized its publication earlier this year.
The 30-member International Theological Commission acts as an advisory panel to the Vatican, in particular to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Its documents are not considered expressions of authoritative church teaching, but they sometimes set the stage for official Vatican pronouncements.
The commission's document said salvation for unbaptized babies who die was becoming an urgent pastoral question, in part because their number is greatly increasing. Many infants today are born to parents who are not practicing Catholics, and many others are the unborn victims of abortion, it said.
Catholic News goes on to note that limbo "has never been defined as church dogma and is not mentioned in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states simply that unbaptized infants are entrusted to God's mercy." Which of course is total BS: limbo has been a clear part of Church doctrine since the Council of Carthage in 417 AD. As even Catholic News concedes, "in the fifth century, St. Augustine concluded that infants who die without baptism were consigned to hell." But what's equally clear is that in recent years—i.e., the past few centuries—the Church has grown increasingly uncomfortable with such delusionally barbaric thinking… even if its theologians seem unable to express that in logical, fully formed sentences:
A key question taken up by the document was the church's teaching that baptism is necessary for salvation. That teaching needs interpretation, in view of the fact that "infants ... do not place any personal obstacle in the way of redemptive grace," it said.
In this and other situations, the need for the sacrament of baptism is not absolute and is secondary to God's desire for the salvation of every person, it said.
"God can therefore give the grace of baptism without the sacrament being conferred, and this fact should particularly be recalled when the conferring of baptism would be impossible," it said.
… The document said the standard teaching that there is "no salvation outside the church" calls for similar interpretation.
The church's magisterium has moved toward a more "nuanced understanding" of how a saving relationship with the church can be realized, it said. This does not mean that someone who has not received the sacrament of baptism cannot be saved, it said.
… The document said the church clearly teaches that people are born into a state of sinfulness — original sin — which requires an act of redemptive grace to be washed away.
But Scripture also proclaims the "superabundance" of grace over sin, it said. That seems to be missing in the idea of limbo, which identifies more with Adam's sinfulness than with Christ's redemption, it said.
"Christ's solidarity with all of humanity must have priority over the solidarity of human beings with Adam," it said.
I'm glad that's been cleared up.
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Tally Raks is back!
Yes…that's right, the third annual Tally Raks hafla will be back in Tallahassee October 17, 2009! In addition to a show, we will have an American Tribal Style workshop in the morning. We'll post more info as we confirm the venue (we are between two right now)…stay tuned!


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Oyster Omelette
Oyster omelette is a type of Chinese dish made out of eggs and oysters but unlike other omelettes this one has bits of crunchy texture due to the diluted starch added to its ingredients. It very popular in hawker stalls in South East Asian countries like Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. I haven't had this for a while and I guess the last time was when I was in Malaysia so we are making one today, freshly shucked and picked by your very own.
The oysters you see on the picture are harvested at Clark's beach in New Zealand when we passed by the place before going home after a day outing. When we went to the place we were planning to get some scallops as it's the only place in New Zealand to get one without diving, as we went there we were quite lucky as the tides were really low and the exposed shoreline was like 500 metres but no one with me knows how to harvest them so we did not get some. There were lots of scallops shells scattered and we saw other people harvesting them but we aint got anything. To our dismay we walked back and as we walked along the long shoreline we accidentally saw some oysters on one of the exposed rocks, a friend of mine tried to open one and ate it fresh, he gave a two thumbs so we started to get some.
I guess I had at least 20 oysters harvested, I was happy and forgot all about that scallops. We went home it was quite late so I kept them in the fridge covered with damp cloth to keep them alive so the next morning I can cook them fresh. Next day and I opened one and it's still moving so it's a good sign, I then prepped my ingredients quickly made our breakfast.
- 10 - 15 fresh shucked oysters
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- ground white pepper
- chopped cilantro, to garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- oil
- In a bowl mix well together cornstarch, rice flour and water.
- Prepare a non-stick wok then add some oil, heat until its nearly smoking.
- Pour the thin batter and cook quickly until its thick but not set then add the eggs. Cook until eggs are almost set.
- Push eggs to the side and add some oil then sauté the garlic.
- Add the oysters and cook it for 15 seconds, combine everything with the egg then season with soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine and ground white pepper.
- Turn heat off then serve garnished with chopped cilantro.


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I hid my face securely between the soothing palms of Mother Earth,
And passed by, the world without caring, taunting and laughing,
Some do stop just to ask, "Hi joker, feeling pity for your maker?",
But I stay as dead as a stone, crying in muteness alone.
My friends are my Golden fish and a family of white mice,
The stars that shine, the wind that blows and the darkness.
I fear the sun and the daylight so busy to the living souls,
I am cursed, I am hurt and cornered to be alone.
Sometimes in the past I lived among this mass running with a smile for miles and miles,
Galloping like a stallion with pride and honor, living as a brave young lion,
I kissed the first rain and hugged the friendly tree, dancing in every beat and smelt so free,
I loved laying on the tender grasses tingling all over and loved to sit and enjoy the beautiful rainbow cover.
I cried only when storms blew, as it pained when the pirate winds hurled the branches through,
My dad used to console with the same words every time, "The winds are not pirates.
Nature gave them the job to replace, those that are dead and those that are weak."
But I never understood then what he actually meant, that was an advice to be followed and not words to console.
And today when the storm blew down the lane of life to choose the best and discard the weak,
I fell the victim with hands soaked red, face bluish and shadows blurred around with there Halloween dance breaking my beak,
Twitching and cracking sounds rang in my ear, but people acted so dumb that none could turn to hear,
I lay for days with bitter thoughts and bitter mind just to close my eyes, while moving to a new world after death truly clean and nice.
Grand poems on Cruel Gentle thoughts about Pain Short Weak Poems
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Mahayana Buddhism holds that the world is an illusion. It is also true that our conscious experience of the world is limited to our dozen or so senses. Our views of the world, our ideals, our value systems and our judgement are all contingent on what we have sensed or not sensed since birth. The way we perceive things, or rather more accurately, the way things are presented and interpreted, shapes our view on them, and thereby, influences our behavior. This is the primary basis for marketing, for propaganda, for the images we portray and the stories we tell each other. These combined stories of our perception, or narrative, is what colors, what we call, the human condition.
The private narratives of seven billion people are constantly being imposed on the public sphere. In fact, the public sphere is nothing but an accumulation of private narratives that has its own momentum, with the dominant narrative being run by the dominant group – news agencies, people in positions of power, your elders in your collectivist society, and of course, the various government of the world. Sometimes, the momentum of a certain narrative is so strong, it is almost immune to slowing down. The dissenting voices against a dominant image or a narrative becomes a narrative strong enough to be heard usually decades after the event: the popularity of Nikola Tesla, the fall of Stalin's popularity, and in the future, Justin Bieber. Religions, of course, are the strongest narratives humans have created.
Saintly Reflections
Saint Teresa
People beholden the public image, and the public narratives of some people are incredibly obstinate . Let's take the recently canonized Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu a.k.a. Saint/Mother Teresa as an example. She is the symbol of benevolence and charity, a popular role model right there with Florence Nightingale and Henry Durant. What people don't know is 'Mother' Teresa's campaign against birth control and family planning in Bengal and Calcutta, which, considering their population and poverty, was the last thing they needed. They forget her attitude, or rather obsession, towards the suffering of the poor, or her charity's stealthy baptisms of dying Hindu and Muslim patients. They forget her involvement with Haiti's Duvalier family – one of the country's most repressive regimes in that century, or the fact that her 'Missionaries of Charity' was the only charity organization in India at the time to not disclose their public accounts. But most of us brush off hard facts and critical thought when someone is a Nobel Peace prize winner touring the world meeting popes, presidents, princesses and prime ministers on a benevolent ride of compassion.
Mahatma Gandhi
Perhaps no better example of misplaced good narrative exists than that of Mohandas 'Mahatma' Gandhi. I will assume no introduction is needed; his narrative is still popular enough to be included as mandatory in school books. But underneath the veneer of Gandhi's divinity lie many earthly flaws. Obviously, that does not take away the tremendous work he helped achieve and the importance he held at that time. But from his racist remarks towards South African and African-Americans, to his attempts at controlling his sexual energy by sleeping naked with young girls including his own young niece, Gandhi is more than just the khaki spinning national figure he is heroically portrayed as. While he did bring non-violence at the forefront, his own personal variety is simply twisted masochism. Whereas violence upon others is looked down on by almost everyone, self-violence is venerated, even worshiped. Gandhi's non-violence is only the negation of outward violence. He had simply turned the same violent tendencies inwards. His technique of fasting unto death, a practice that was not unheard of in Indian history, was seen by the public as a sign of fierce commitment to his ideas and ideals of freedom. By being violent to his own body, he successfully generated the reactions he wanted. In a more reasonable world, Gandhi wouldn't – or rather needn't or couldn't – have resorted to such tactics.
The British at the time obviously didn't know how to square the circle of Gandhi. It's really 'un-Britishlike' to harm a man who is already harming himself. If they did, Gandhi would be proven right and would gain more momentum to both his narrative. It is only fitting that he used the charkha or spinning wheel. So what can a man do in the face of Gandhi's incredible resoluteness? Quite simple, actually. You beat him at his own game. The only way to out-maneuver a man like Gandhi is to out-fast him. Let it be a grotesque competition of self-harming, a psychological warfare. Considering the waistlines of some British and Asian politicians then, that was simply unlikely to happen anytime soon.
This type of masochism works, and it works wonderfully, especially in a place where people are protesting nationwide against dictatorial injustice and the dominant narrative is pro-sentimental and emotion-driven. If it sounds like modern-day USA, it is. That means it will work in '17 in the United States of America as well as it worked in '47 in India. But again, I doubt a country whose obesity rates rise like their blood pressure and insulin levels, anyone would fast. Note to wannabe fastists around the world: it doesn't work in dictatorships like DPRK or with despots like the Duvaliers and Stalins of the world for the obvious reason that everyone would be hungry in the first place among others.
Now, fasting is just one way of imposing your private narrative on the public image. Fasting is just the follicle of this ingrown hair of this cultural masochism. Self-immolation goes one step further. It is, in fact, thought to be the ultimate sacrifice for one's beliefs, the ultimate rebellion where even death is preferred to the current narrative and it is an incredibly powerful form of message. The self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức is perhaps what comes to mind for many people when they broach the subject. This method has two flaws though. First, it takes devotion on an ethereal level to commit to the most painful way of dying known to man. It will be another ice age before latte-drinking 30-something second-generation American millennials like myself will set ourselves aflame for anything that we can't satisfy ourselves with by tweeting from the comfort of our iPhones, luxuriously despairing at problems in the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
Second, it doesn't work in a place where media access is restricted – like China or DPRK. While Đức's picture earned the photographer a Pulitzer Prize, ousted the then-America backed dictatorial regime and was hailed by President JFK as the most emotion-generating picture of all time, the deaths of more than 150 Tibetan monks by self-immolation since 2009 has done absolutely nothing for progressing the cause of a Free (or at least freer and harmonious) Tibet in China. Interestingly, the same communist China distributed photos of Đức's immolation throughout Asia in the 60s as a sign of 'US imperialism' and they completed the annexation of Tibet at around the same time. Ha!
Expensive Mistakes
The second flaw mentioned above regarding media access is the main condition for a successful corporation's narrative, especially when it concerns corporate social responsibility. Corporations, by their nature, aren't in the humbleness business. They don't do anything if it doesn't make noise – noise that will make profit later. The public narrative about the corporation is the most important thing to them. Furthermore, a good corporation seems to have a knack for knowing exactly what is currently ticking their customers, knowing what the current narrative is. It used to be sex, and don't get me wrong, it will always be sex in the long term, but right now it is activism – widespread, liberal, progressive activism.
Ever since Trump elected himself to be The Antagonizer for the next four years, corporations have now steadily increased the share of their marketing budget towards whichever direction the dominant culture's moral compass is pointing. After all, nothing unites people like a common enemy. A good narrative will easily wipe away ethical lapses, rinse off moral hypocrisy and any possible ill-repute is swept under floods of hashtags and shares towards whatever issue people are interested in. But don't get this wrong. They don't do it out of any inherent 'evil'. They aren't run by green monsters or lizards (although they can look like monsters when going after the green). As it is with countries and its citizens, corporation too want fairer relations between their employees and customers. They too want a progressive world, but only if it serves their interests first and not at the expense of it. Narrative, like relationships, combine, rejoinder, fall out and eventually disappear – always bittersweet. There is, like in relationships, always one party taking another party for granted.
Take for example the case of Cristal champagne which was perennially featured in hip hop and rap songs since the 90s. From the Notorious B.I.G. to The Game, Cristal champagne was used to signify a deeper, more refined richness. Buying a $200 bottle of the champagne was a 'I made it' moment for young rappers who could now feel they were living the life that rappers who made it live, or at least sing about it. Cristal was enjoying a fine sense of respect in the hip hop culture and community until the managing director of the company that produces the champagne made a dismissive remark about the entire hip hop clientele that offended Jay-Z. Consequently, he called a boycott on the champagne and all Cristal bottles were removed from his clubs. Now, hardly anybody ever mentions the bottle in rap songs anymore. Just watch him reject Cristal for his own brand of champagne 'Ace of Spades' from 'Show Me What You Got' in the video. As Jay-Z later said to Time magazine, 'We gave those brands a narrative, which is one of the reasons anyone buys anything: not just to own a product, but to become part of a story.'
Public and the Private
Modern Day Treason
And what people love more than anything is feeling that they are part of a story, a part of something bigger, that they are a (hopefully important) wave in the ocean of destiny crashing against the rocks of angst. In their deepest hopes is seated a desire for more than just a performative expression of solipsism. It is the crux of social identity – the source of in-group and out-group (we vs them), false choice and false consensus. It is also the story weaved into myths and legends we tell ourselves, after all, storytelling and group identity has been crucial towards our survival since our hunter-gatherer days. It is therefore anything but surprising that 'treason' (betrayal of group identity) has been in all times and places throughout history, one of the most severely punishable offences. Today, a slightly diluted attitude towards treason apply in its subtler modern form of 'political dissent'.
Take the case of Amos Yee, then a 16 year old Singaporean teenager, who criticized the Singaporean government and its founder Lee Kwan Yew. Although the Singaporean constitution, like my very own, guarantees freedom speech without condition, Amos was charged and arrested for 50 days for speaking his mind. There were comments on social media calling for him to be caned among other punishments. Singapore, after all, has a zero tolerance policy for insults to race and religion, and most people who speak against the dominant narrative of the government are ripped to pieces online. Amos chose to go against the narrative he felt was wrong even though he was raised inside it and most of his peers were to timid to do anything about it. He went through the monomyth -the hero's journey. Governments know that this is a huge problem, i.e when dissidence against their narrative completes the conditions of widespread awareness and achievability, either the dissidents must be assimilated back to society or else the government's core value systems will have to be altered. Revolutions occur only when dissidence becomes the dominant narrative in the public space, and succeed when dissidents cannot be assimilated back and when core value systems are replaced or altered.
What makes Amos a hero is his unapologetic attitude and lack of remorse – reposting all of his offensive material and criticizing some more as soon as he got bail. He stayed true to his private narrative in the face of overwhelming opposing public narrative. As his mother described him, he truly is 'a child born in the wrong place.' Amusingly, he is currently seeking asylum in a country whose main narrative is being overrun by its own leader, who, as it so happens, is making it harder for refugees like him to enter in the first place. This same unapologetic insouciance is also what makes Trump a flawed but a very interesting character and it is also why, despite the barrage of attempts, the media can't answer his ascendancy to power. They are, along with the rest of the world, still reeling in from the daily bewildering racist and xenophobic undertones to take much notice. I get the feeling that these past years and the years to come will be reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's 1971 hit Inner City Blues. The song is truly prophetic for our times, at least here in the USA. It truly makes you want to holler and throw up both your hands.
"Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading"
And there is no doubt that the American media – regardless of where and how much they lean – are not going to pass up on one of the most effective narratives in the history of humanity – the 'good' masses against the evil dictator. Especially so, when Trump has basically outdone himself to give it to them on a silver plate with immigration bans and a bordered America. On a lighter note, amidst all the uncertainties of the upcoming years, one thing is fairly certain – the White House Correspondent's dinner is going to be something to look forward to each year, for more than just the present situation.


text:
Originally published in 1991.
I read the 1992 Vintage Books paperback edition.
Dated but still has teeth.
P.J. O'Rourke goes after the ridiculousness that is the federal government with his trademark irreverent style in this 1991 book. Some of the commentary is dated (lots of talk about the forgettable 1988 presidential election with Republican George H.W. Bush going against Democrat Michael Dukakis. Also, the first one I voted in) but some of it is incredibly relevant. For example, the story of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) looking into the mystery of suddenly accelerating Audis 1n 1986 was reminiscent of the same problem with Toyotas that filled the news channels in 2009 and 2010.
Perhaps O'Rourke's most famous line comes from this book: "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." (pg. xvii in the preface) This sentiment is pretty typical of the book as a whole and one that I generally agree with. O'Rourke talks with former advisors to presidents, shadows a congressman, talks with lobbyists, bureaucrats, policeman, people who live in atrocious government "projects" built for the poor to live in, and more.
|P.J. O'Rourke
There are times when he fails to make his case. For me, the chapter on agriculture ("Agricultural Policy: How to Tell Your Ass From This Particular Hole in the Ground") was a nice lesson on overlapping government programs that seem absurd. For example, he bemoans the fact that there are so many government interventions that the marketplace is not really a factor in agricultural policy. That is true enough, but he negates his own argument on page 148 when he notes that "Cheap plentiful food is the precondition for human advancement. When there isn't enough food, everybody has to spend all of his time getting fed and nobody has a minute to invent law, architecture or big clubs to hit cave bears on the head with...we wouldn't grow food, we'd be food." O'Rourke seems to miss (or ignore) that the convoluted system of price supports, payments to keep fields idle and grants have the practical result of keeping plenty of extra food being produced and more than enough producers on hand. That way, if there is a massive drought (like the drought of 2012) there is plenty of food to make up for it. Because it is deals with food, the system is rigged to encourage over-production. Could it be more efficient? Sure. Could it be done smarter? Sure. But, O'Rourke fails to make his case that it should not be done at all.
O'Rourke's look into anti-poverty programs demonstrate that they were not working and that poverty is not easily solved and "You can't get rid of poverty by giving people money." (pg. 128, emphasis his) If nothing else, this chapters reveals that O'Rourke is not simply a know-it-all. He knows that he does not know how to "fix" poverty and that government is certainly no doing a good job of it, either.
This is an entertaining read, even if you don't agree with all of his conclusions. I started this book one day when I misplaced the book I had been reading. In just a couple of pages I knew had to finish this one first. Entertaining, often profane, never boring.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government.
Reviewed on February 22, 2013.


text:
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Primary Flavors: Banana, Strawberry


text:
October Newsletter 2017
October 2017
How to Brush Your Teeth While Wearing Braces
If you or someone else is your family has braces, you're looking forward to see that new, beautiful smile. The thing is, if you want impressive results, you need to take care of your teeth and braces. This means brushing appropriately and following the advice of your Phoenix Orthodontist who knows how to help you achieve a healthy, brilliant smile. If you don't practice proper brushing, you risk developing cavities, infected and swollen gums, discolored teeth and worse. We know nobody wants this.
Am I Too Old for Braces?
Welcome to another addition of Friday Focus. This is Dr. "O" from E&S Orthodontics, your Phoenix Orthodontist. Today I want to clarify that despite many peoples perceptions, orthodontic treatment is not just for children.
The answer to the question "Am I too Old for Braces" is this – If you don't like you smile, regardless of your age, you should consider orthodontic treatment.
staff spotlight
Of The Month
What Is Your Name? Monica
What Do You Do At E&S Orthodontics? Clinical Assistant
What Is Your Favorite Song? That Summer by Garth Brooks
What Is Your Favorite Movie? Twilight
How Long Have You Worked at E&S Orthodontics? A little over a year & a half


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Vacations are wonderful, but not exactly available every day of the week—until now. Enjoy our top-of-the-line amenity center that offers two 18-foot dual waterslides, Jr. Olympic Leisure and lap pool, patios, kids play zone, outdoor lounge areas and the Lookout Deck, The Great Lawn, and pocket parks. Here, there are endless opportunities to have fun along the way (Ranch Code #11) and get to know your neighbors (Ranch Code #3)!
175 Elizabeth Park Blvd. Liberty Hill, TX 78642
Mon – Sat 10am – 6pm | Sun 12pm – 6pm
Dine al fresco amid lights, laughter and the boundless natural beauty of the Hill Country on our Stargazer Patio. Designed to bring together neighbors and families, it's one of the finest locales on the Ranch to entertain or simply watch the sun go down.
This amenity center connects neighbors with culture, amenities and each other — with plenty of fun along the way.
Ready to claim your lane? Santa Rita Ranch brings residents the next wave in water features with three top-of-the-line pools to enjoy all summer long. A true Hill Country oasis, and it's right in your backyard.
A thoughtfully planned amenity center that was designed to focus on an interactive experience and welcome new residents to the Hill Country Area.
Make a splash! Our amenities are endless fun!
Kick up your feet and relax! Resort-style living is right outside your front door.
With sweeping, uninterrupted Hill Country views, there's no end to relaxation on our spacious Lookout Sun Deck.
Kid-approved, outdoor fun! From slides and jungle gyms to swings and a climbing wall—our parks offer fun for our youngest residents.
Walk over to the Great Lawn to enjoy a movie, live music, lawn games and even Yoga classes. It all takes place in the crisp, clean air of the Texas Hill Country.
Here at Santa Rita Ranch, it's easy to make the most of life when there's no end to what you can enjoy. The camaraderie of good neighbors is a beautiful thing, and the social events, pool parties and sport games make it easy to know those closest to you.


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Varanasi or Banaras is the home of beautiful silk handloom sarees. Sarees are popularly known to flatter and embellish a woman with its ethnic beauty and simplicity. It is one of the most popular choices of outfits worn by women in India and even abroad. There are different types of sarees worn by women in different parts of India. The type of materials and style of draping the sarees vary according to the region and culture of the state.
Among the different varieties, the Indian Banaras sarees are considered to be the most popular varieties of sarees available today. The Banarasi sarees are exquisite and delicate which makes it one of the most ideal choices for weddings and festivals.
Important Features
The Banarasi sarees are available in different colors, designs and styles. The designers of these sarees took inspiration from various flowers, emeralds and other simple motifs in the earlier days.
The Indian Banarasi sarees are typically made from the holy city of the Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. It is ranked as the finest traditional sarees of India. Though these sarees are quite expensive, it is well worth the price for its exquisite motifs and rich embroideries.
Most of these sarees are heavily laden with zardosi work, buttas, heavy sequins and beads to add a touch of elegance and exquisiteness. Today it is easy to find designer Banarasi sarees from online stores at affordable price rates. These elegant and exquisite sarees are available in four varieties which include organza or Kora, pure silk or Katan, Shatir and georgette sarees.
In the ancient days, the Banarasi silk sarees had embellished borders made of pure gold and silk threads and it was worn only by the members of the royal family. Today these sarees are made of gold and silver colored threads.
Made with some of the most unique and contemporary designs, these sarees are exported all over the world. The production of a single Banarasi silk saree may take six months to complete depending on its intricate work and patterns.
The unmatchable Banarasi silk sarees are exported to more than 200 countries all over the world. These sarees are considered to be the glory and pride of Indian culture.


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where great stories are told and made
Creative storytelling inspires "the why" and "the how" of everything we do at Cannonball.
Whether it's written, designed, illustrated, filmed or animated, we believe all the creative work [link to work page] we produce ladders up to a bigger brand story that we get to tell.
To do justice to that story requires both high-level thinking and roll-up-the-sleeves doing – two things we look for in every creative team member Cannonball hires.
cannonball creative services
Integrated Campaign Development, Copywriting, Art Direction
Creative Execution:
- Branding (logo, packaging, tag line development)
- Radio
- Video
- Outdoor
- Digital
- Social
- Trade Show
- Interior Space Design
the creative bullpen
Our creative team structure ensures each client gets fresh thinking from creatives with diverse levels of experience.
While most agencies still subscribe to assigned writer + designer creative teams for every client, Cannonball assigns one or two mainstay creative leads to each brand. When projects are assigned, those Creative Directors turn to our "creative bullpen" – a stable of Copywriters and Art Directors with a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. Depending on the project, the Creative Directors can pick the best creatives for the job, bringing the right mix of creative styles and strengths together. This guarantees that our clients aren't getting the same old ideas over and over again – and that our creatives stay fresh and engaged.


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The judges of K pop star 3, indeed who are they?
When watching K pop star 3, man sometimes
wonder the background and career of the judges.
In Korea, they already conquered the music market, and everybody knows them,
but for overseas foreign viewers it might be necessary to introduce them.
1. Yang, Hyun-Suk, the head of YG Entertainment
He debuted with a 3 membered dance team, "Seo Taiji and Boys", in 1992.
Seo, Tai-Ji, is a vocalist of the rock group Bassist, and Yang, Hyun-Suk
for rap and Lee, Ju-No for dance.
"Seo Taiji and Boys" had been boomed fandom
phenomenon and social phenomenon for the first time in Korea.
Their songs had been swept all of the charts, and now also in 2014 the Korean
pop music might be evaluated as generic version of
"Seo Taiji and Boys", so called the modified ones of "Seo Taiji and Boys".
In 1996, "Seo Taiji and Boys" retired suddenly. Their retirement was gossiped
for several months and because of their retirement suicide disturbances
were occurred.
After retirement, Seo, Tai-Ji continued rok music, while Yang, Hyun-Suk
established YG Entertainment and became a singer & record producer in earnest.
At the moment, YG Entertainment is one of the most powerful record agency
in Korea. The company is also ranked to the 1st or 2nd in stocks.
The parts of it are the world famous Psy with Gangnam Style, Big Bang known as
GD of G-Dragon and 2NE1 comprised of 4 membered female dance team, etc.
2. Park, Jin-Young, the head of JYP Entertainment
The company name of JYP, is the initials of his name, Park, Jin-Young.
He debuted as a solo singer in 1994. His debuted song was also the music and words
of his written, and had been swept Korea record chart. He still is a singer
with dance.
While, he is a record producer and also a songwriter.
His earning last year through his composition (royalty) was the 1st rank
in Korea and he has a lot of his written songs.
The parts of JYP are 'Wonder Girls' comprised of 5 membered female group,
who made performances with Jonas Brothers, 'GOD' comprised of 5 membered male group, who once called as a 2nd "Seo Taiji and Boys", 'Rain',
who is the leading actor of Hollywood cinema 'Ninja Assassin' and
a singer and 2PM comprised of 5 membered male group,
who now just shocking Asia, etc.
3. You, Hee-Yeol, the head of Antenna Music
YG, JYP operate agency centrad dance music,
while You, Hee-Yeol concentrates in piano music and ballad music.
He debuted in 1994 with a ballad group 'Toy'. He doesn't sing directly,
but scouts a vocalist. Every music is produced by himself and recorded.
Since 2009 he proceeds "A sketchbook of You, Hee-Yeol",
the music talk show after his name.
"A sketchbook of You, Hee-Yeol" is a rare authentic music program,
because it aims all live instead of dance music,
so Mariah Carey also had been staged.
Korean pop music cannot be discussed without these 3 persons,
and their created history of Korean music will not be forgotten.


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Toyota's Roadside app bug that delayed my tow, or was it a feature?
The running joke between QA professionals and Developers is to sometimes call a bug a feature. The premise behind it
The running joke between QA professionals and Developers is to sometimes call a bug a feature. The premise behind it
For those of you who don't know ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. In simple terms, an internet service providerRead more
The "Heartbleed bug" surfaced publicly in 2014. However, it debuted in software long before that in 2011. If you areRead more
For those of you who may not know what SSL is, it is the acronym for Secure Sockets Layer. InRead more
Look at you, wondering how Arianna Huffington is my BFF. It's quite simple, I emailed her and she emailed meRead more
DECIDING WHO YOU WANT TO BE IN BUSINESS After I tell you the story you might think the title ofRead more
I'm coming off a few weeks, that I wish would have been better. I had to take a step backRead more
During National Small Business Week, I joined "The U.S. Economic Outlook and its Impact on Small Businesses" webinar. I learnedRead more
I recently walked into a small business, made a buy and then asked about the company website. My purpose forRead more
We've all been fooled by the question, "What was your previous salary", on job applications. Which has led us toRead more


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The Great Divide with Joseph Stiglitz and Robert Reich
Date: 5/25/2015; 57 minutes
Economist Joseph Stiglitz and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich reminisce about opposing "corporate welfare" during their days in the Clinton Administration and talk here about problematic trade deals, income inequality and Stiglitz's new book, "The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them." Reich and Stiglitz are presented by the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Recorded on 04/29/2015. (#29524)
|add a comment
related programs
Economy/Labor Issues
Nobel Laureates
facebook comments


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Aarkstore Market Research Report – Frontier Pharma: Prostate Cancer – Identifying and Commercializing First-in-Class Innovation
SummaryExceptionally Large and Innovative Pipeline
The prostate cancer pipeline is among the largest in the pharmaceutical industry with 484 products in active development across all stages. The range of mechanisms of action employed by these compounds is also highly diverse, especially in comparison to the existing market landscape. More pertinently, the degree and proportion of breakthrough innovations in this pipeline is exceptional; GBI Research analysis identified 174 first-in-class programs in the prostate cancer pipeline, acting on 122 first-in-class molecular targets. This accounts for some 36% of all products with a disclosed molecular target and is reflective of the high degree of innovation in this indication. This has far-reaching strategic implications for all market participants, as, despite the high attrition rate in prostate cancer, it is highly likely many of the first-in-class technologies will reach the market over the coming decade and may transform the clinical and commercial landscape.
Alignment of First-in-Class Molecular Target with Disease Causation
One of the key trends in oncology and in prostate cancer in particular over the last decade is the clinical and commercial impact of targeted therapies designed to target proteins in signaling pathways that are strongly associated with disease progression. By aligning the molecular targets for therapeutic intervention with disease causation and/or propagation, these therapies limit the systemic cytotoxic effects whilst inhibiting tumor-promoting signaling pathways. Such strategies thereby typically achieve superior efficacy and safety profiles.
Our proprietary analyses demonstrate…
Aarkstore Market Research Report – Frontier Pharma: Prostate Cancer – Identifying and Commercializing First-in-Class Innovation


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Biffa Waste Services
After delivery of the Stress Management Training for Managers Course
"The course, which has been rolled out to all our Managers, has been extremely well received and has provided practical and helpful advice in tackling, managing and reducing stress in the workplace. Dot Gourlay's presentation and interactive style supported by excellent documentation has made the course even more enjoyable."
Hints & Tips
We have a wide range of handy hints and tips for managing stress, developing resilience.
Resources for Managers
A selection of resources designed with the role of the manager in mind.
Customer Comments
See our customers' comments after attending our training courses.


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The US-Italy Global Affairs Forum
Discussing Ideas from a Transatlantic Perspective
NEWS US-Switzerland
About US-Switzerland
US- Switzerland Culture
"A Farewell to Arms"
Remembering U.S.-Italian Cooperation in World War I
Support the Exhibition
Donors List
The Project
"A Farewell to Arms": Remembering U.S.-Italian Cooperation in World War I
directly connects to the spirit of the 'Great War Remembrance'. It aims to develop research on U.S.-Italian cooperation; to promote cultural, history-based exchanges; and to foster young generations' awareness of important historic events that shaped our common history and future leaders such as Fiorello LaGuardia and Ernest Hemingway, despite being known only by contemporary witnesses and WWI historians. The Project will be built upon archival research and will result in a photo exhibition with captions and selected portions of original documents.
This project has involved high school students (from the Istituto Nautico Venier of Venice and the Aviano High School, DoDEA) who have researched and focused on three major fields: (1) the Navy; (2) the Air Forces; and (3) U.S. humanitarian interventions on Italian battlefields.
For the Centennial commemoration of WWI (1914-1918), many remembrance projects are being undertaken by various institutions, organizations, and individuals. However, we believe the research method of our Project will constitute a novelty in itself: the research has been carried out by high-school students and will be used for two major exhibits in Washington D.C. and in Vittorio Veneto. The Museo della Battaglia of Vittorio Veneto and the municipality of Vittorio Veneto will be our major partner for the Washington D.C.'s exhibit providing original objects, pictures, uniforms and flags that will visually support the research of the American contribution in Italy in 1917-1918. Historian Franco Giuseppe Gobbato from the Museo della Battaglia is supervising both exhibits and searching for new material and partners like the Museo Hemingway of Bassano del Grappa who have recently joined the project.
American and Italian communities, institutions, and individuals will benefit from the transatlantic perspective of this exhibit. This Project will investigate the widely unknown chapters of shared history between the U.S. and Italy and highlight how common history and shared values have consolidated into an enduring friendship between the people of Italy and the people of the United States.
The US-Italy Global Affairs Forum invites contributors, researchers and students to join the project by contacting: firstname.lastname@example.com
In partnership with:
Museo della Battaglia di Vittorio Veneto
Piazza Giovanni Paolo I, 85, 31029 Vittorio Veneto TV, Italy
Museo Hemingway e della Grande Guerra
Via Cà Erizzo, 19, 36061 Bassano del Grappa VI, Italy
Press releases:
Comune di Vittorio Veneto,
Il Museo della Battaglia vola a Washington
, 10/29/2016
La Tribuna di Treviso,
Il Museo della Battaglia sbarca a Washington
, 10/31/2016
Oggi Treviso,
I cannoni vittoriesi negli USA
, 10/31/2016
Il Gazzettino,
Il Museo della Battaglia negli Usa
, 10/30/2016
Agenzia Internazionale Stampa Estero,
Vittorio Veneto: il Museo della Battaglia vola a Washington
Mostra sulla Guerra a Washington, Vittorio negli States
, 11/06/2016
Il Museo della Battaglia di Vittorio Veneto vola a Washington
, 11/10/2016
Project Team
Donald Jensen
, Curator
Franco Giuseppe Gobbato
, Researcher
Daniele Moro
, Executive Director of US-Italy Global Affairs Forum
Chiara Gastaldi
, Co-curator
Susan High
, Treasury&Secretary
Pierardo Davini,
Editor TG3 - Correspondent
Alessandra Pozzi,
Communications and Press Office
Antonella Uliana
, Assessore Cultura di Vittorio veneto
Maria Cristina Scalet ,
Director Museo della Battaglia di Vittorio Veneto
Luigi Marson,
Honorary Director Museo della Battaglia di Vittorio Veneto
Giorgio Marinello
Alberto Luca,
A.D. Fondazione Luca Museo Hemingway Bassano
Giandomenico Cortese,
Curator Museo Hemingway Bassano
Meet Our Researchers
Meet Our Project Team
US-Italy Global Affairs Forum Director
Donald Jensen
is a fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations. From 2002-2008 he was Director of Research and Analysis at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where he oversaw that international news organization's analytical publications, including the daily RFE/RL Newsline. He also managed the organization's extensive program of conferences and briefings. Dr. Jensen writes extensively on Russian domestic politics, foreign policy, security and energy issues, especially the politics of Russian business. Dr. Jensen received his B.A. from Columbia University and Master's and Ph.D. in government from Harvard.
US-Italy Global Affairs Forum Correspondent
Susanna Bonini
is a journalist and TV producer with over 20 years of professional experience in Italy and abroad. After graduating at the Institut for Political Sciences "Cesare Alferi", Florence and carrying out research on the comparison of political systems at the Institut d'Etude Politiques de Paris, she obtained a post-graduate degree in Communications, Media and Multimedia at the Institut Francais de Presse.
News, workshop & events
Museo della Battaglia, Vittorio Veneto - American soldiers' relics have been sent to Washington DC
The agreement between Museo della Battaglia, Vittorio Veneto and Us-Italy Forum has been finalized.
Several pictures, devices, uniforms and mementos from the World War First have been shipped to Washington DC in occasion of the Exhibit happening in November 2017 at the Reagan Building.
Hundres of artifacts will be showcased for one week at the Exhibit "A Farewell to Arms" dedicated to Hemingway and the Italian front located along the Piave river between 1917 and 1918.
Temporary Exhibition at Museo Hemingway, Bassano del Grappa
XXI edition, Historia Course in Geopolitics: three meetings at Museo della Battaglia
Historia Group, Historical and Social studie
s and
Limes Club Pordenone-Udine-Venice
have launched for the second year the XXI edition of the Historia Course in Geopolitics. Meetings will be held in Pordenone (February 10-24 and March 10) and in Vittorio Veneto Museo della Battaglia (February 17, March 3-17).
Learn more about the initiative on:
The Memorial of the Knights of Vittorio Veneto
Our exhibit collaborators in Vittorio Veneto are going to launch an engaging initiative to commemorate the Centenary of the World War I: the Memorial of the Knights of Vittorio Veneto.
This Memorial is located in the church of St. Paoletto annexed to the Museum of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto and it will be inaugurated on January 21st 2017.
It contains ten books which include a list of more than 112,000 names of the knights of Vittorio Veneto who were living among 13 provinces and 1,132 municipalities in Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige regions.
The project was launched one year and a half ago by the author, historical researcher and book curator Franco Giuseppe Gobbato who was immediately supported by the Cultural Council member of Vittorio Veneto Prof. Antonella Uliana and Honorary Director of the Museum of the Battle Ing. Luigi Marson.
The initiative is unique of its kind in Italy.
Read more about this project:
The Memorial of the Knights of Vittorio Veneto, church of Saint Paoletto


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:: February 2015 Letter ::
Teal Group's aircraft reports cover about 135 planes. Having written or edited these reports for 25 years as of January, I've come to know these planes like friends. But I never wrote a report on the iconic A-10 because it ended production about seven years before I started my job. As a relatively simple plane, there were few upgrade opportunities. There was no reason for us to cover what we expected to be a slow but steady cruise to retirement.
The A-10 has been in the news lately because the Air Force has proposed retiring the fleet. They say they can't afford to operate single-mission aircraft, and that the cash would be better spent on multi-role fast jets (F-35A, and F-15/F-16 sustainment). Congressional opponents of this move say the Air Force neglects the vital mission of supporting ground troops. Since I can't offer anyone a Teal A-10 report, I'm going to give the A-10 it's very own Teal Monthly Aircraft letter, to provide some context for the debate.
A bit of history may be useful. A year after I started at Teal, the A-10 got an unexpected big break. In Operation Desert Storm, A-10s helped strafe and destroy a long column of retreating Iraqi tanks. This was a bizarre combination of circumstances that were perfect for the A-10: the enemy had thousands of tanks, but absolutely no air force, no integrated air defense system, and only a few surviving surface-to-air weapons. The A-10, along with its pal the Army's AH-64, became TV stars, loitering like those Skynet robots from The Terminator over tons of dead metal. But, I wondered, could this combination of circumstances happen again in the A-10 fleet's remaining decade or two of life? Thinking about that, I figured there'd be no point in writing a Teal report.
Sure enough, the A-10 had little relevance in the '90s, with little or no presence in the Somalia and Serbia conflicts. Even in the Second Iraq War and the Afghanistan war, it has played a relatively small role. A lot of the fighting has been done by the Marines, who have their own organic Close Air Support (CAS) capabilities, but absolutely no interest in the A-10 or an A-10-like plane.
After the invasion became the counterinsurgency, the A-10 flew 19% of all Air Force CAS sorties between early 2006 and October 2013, compared with 33% for the F-16. But these figures exclude Marine and USN sorties, and of course they exclude attack helicopter sorties. They also exclude UAV Hellfire strikes. And even this limited A-10 role was only made possible by having an enemy with no air assets and very limited anti-air capabilities.
A-10 supporters believe that it's the best plane for CAS. It's very good at CAS (particularly against tanks), but the advent of precision munitions, coupled with better ISR and targeting, has made fast jets just as relevant and far more survivable. Attack helicopters have gotten better too. The real reason the A-10 is loved by ground troops and their political supporters is because it guarantees an Air Force commitment to CAS, even on Day One of a war. After all, an F-16 could be tasked with many days of air-to-air missions before the air war had been won. Only after that, the Army believed, would F-16s be tasked with air-to-ground missions.
An A-10, by contrast, is good for exactly one thing: CAS. This fact also means that it is utterly defenseless against enemy fighters, and not particularly survivable against decent anti-air weaponry either.
So…why was this vulnerable plane built in the first place? Consider its Cold War origins. Better still, consider Steve, a friend and Dungeons And Dragons comrade from my home town who joined the Army after college and flew an AH-1 Cobra in central West Germany. After grad school in the mid '80s, I got a Eurail pass and paid him a visit. He had a great life in a delightful Bavarian town, with a lovely German wife and plenty of opportunities for day trips and fun hobbies. He took me up in a glider and we spent a terrific day looking at storybook castles. For him, it was just another weekend away from the base.
There was just one hitch. If the day came and thousands of Warsaw Pact T-72s started pouring through the Fulda Gap, his life expectancy would be measured in minutes. NATO forces were expected to take horrible casualties, just as long as the kill ratios were sufficient to erode the enemy before they reached the English Channel. The A-10 was slow, low-flying, and again, defenseless against other aircraft. Despite all that blather about a titanium bathtub cockpit, it wasn't expected to last much longer than Steve's Cobra, or any other weapon that made contact with a giant wave of steel. As long as each Cobra or A-10 killed six or a dozen T-72s before it was shot out of the sky, well, they did their job. And until that day, pilots' lives in Germany were idyllic.
Our notion of war was different back then. The line between War and Peace was thick. Today, it's almost non-existent. Since 2001 the US has been continually strafing or bombing someone or another, and the opposition never seems to have much by way of an air force or air defense capabilities. The ISIS campaign means another few years of this, at least.
In short, when we discuss the A-10, there's a much broader political debate here, one that's way beyond a mere aircraft. On one side of this debate are people who think the US military should primarily be reserved for fighting existential threats to the US and its allies, like the one my friend Steve prepared to face on the Fulda Gap, or against an increasingly aggressive China. On the other side are people who think our military should focus on brushfire wars, counterinsurgencies, and Black Hawk Down-like interventions.
In the first scenario, the A-10 no longer has any relevance. The Asia Pivot, for example, involves no possible role at all for the A-10. When A-10 supporters propose sending the plane to Eastern Europe as a bulwark against Russian expansion, they presumably hope that the Russian Air Force sportingly recuses itself from the conflict. Otherwise, most of the A-10s die in the first minutes of a war. But in the second scenario, as long as the bad guys have no air force, or just a few AK-47s for air defense, the A-10 still has tactical relevance.
These are two very different views of the US's strategic direction. I'm starting to regret not doing that A-10 report 25 years ago. There's much to discuss.
But, back to what we do cover, this month's updated Teal reports include the F-16, A350XWB, B-1, B777, B787, Bombardier's Challenger 300/600/Global Series, and the Special Mission Aircraft overview. Have a great month.
Yours, 'Til I Get A Titanium Clawfoot Bathtub,
Richard Aboulafia
© Richard Aboulafia 1997-2006, All rights reserved.


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Amal Shehu
At the time of the last Lintian run, the following possible problems were found in packages maintained by Amal Shehu <firstname.lastname@example.com>, listed by source package. See also the full report, including info, experimental and overridden tags. Also see their QA overview.
node-json-schema-traverse (0.3.1-1) [Uploader] §
Info Package Tracker Bugs Source Full report (outdated, last processed by Lintian/2.25.0)
W ancient-standards-version
- 4.0.0 (released 2017-05-28) (current is 4.4.1)
W vcs-obsolete-in-debian-infrastructure
- vcs-git https://anonscm.debian.org/git/pkg-javascript/node-json-schema-traverse.git
W nodejs-module-installed-in-usr-lib
- usr/lib/nodejs/json-schema-traverse/index.js
- usr/lib/nodejs/json-schema-traverse/package.json


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I could have made something for the kids.... but honestly their wardrobes are pretty full.
So I took the challenge to make an everyday wear item for me! I dress like a grown up on a regular basis. I mean I love colour, but style wise I don't really go over the top. So I knew I'd have to pick a simple design shirt and go subtly for the geek.
I am a big Nintendo fan. I love the Mario's, Zelda's, Donkey Kongs, etc. Just don't try and make me play a sports game!!! yuck and boooooorrrrriiiiinnnnnnggggggg! When I saw Mario as an option for CRAFTICON I figured I'd go for that one. I used some great heat transfer vinyl from Expressions Vinyl (and I'll talk more about that a different day)
It really was so simple to just do a few characters, princess peach, toadstool, luigi and mario running around my shirt! I love that this is a shirt I can wear everyday too and not feel out of place taking the kids somewhere or going shopping in.
For the shirt I used the Seafarer pattern by Sew Much Ado, a nice easy dolman style sew!
For pocket placement I'm going to show you my little tip to make it EASY:
Yep, I cut the pocket nearly out and then I can line it up and pic right to the fabric!
and here you can see the nicely placed Mario characters, not too obvious but clearly a bit of fun.


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As IoT continues to intersect with the Smart Buildings Controls Industry, more and more new players are showing up in our space with proven solutions that will work well in our applications. Ken and I had the chance to connect with just such a company, Optigo Networks. We had the privilege of speaking with their CEO Pook-Ping Yao. We were very impressed with Ping and his product solutions. Check out the video below to see the elegance and efficiency of the of the Optigo Connect network solution.
Optigo Connect – Optigo Networks from Optigo Networks on Vimeo.
Another product that made an impression on us, was their Visual BACnet product. We see that this will become a stable in the BAS controls engineers troubleshooting tools kit.
The following is from Daniel Ronald, VP Product Management, Optigo Networks
You already know the power of smart buildings. You're well versed in BACnet protocols and networking solutions. But what happens when something goes wrong? [Read more…]


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tezzasligo wrote:nice car could dat ecu work on a beams engine?
and if so would u sell it?
twiglett-RS200 wrote:any updates on this?
donut46 wrote:Cage is a serious piece of kit!! Tilton pedal box looks like a tasty piece of it too, great build
Return to "Member's Cars / Projects"
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Cooling lubricants and cooling lubrication engineering for metalworking
OPORTET® has concerned itself since it was founded in 1906 with developing cooling lubrication goods and services to solve the main problems of reducing friction and dissipating heat involved in metalworking.
The OPORTET® cooling lubricant concentrates and OPORTET® minimum quantity lubricants meet state-of-the-art tribology standards. They are efficient in consumption and ensure outstanding surfacing, clean products, long tool service life and minimal reject rates when sawing, turning, milling, grinding, punching and drawing metal as well as improving workplace safety.
We supply products for all manufacturing stages to meet virtually all needs in working steel, iron, alloys, non-ferrous metal, plastic, glass and precious stones that meet virtually all specifications.


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AMPLEFORTH, North Riding
Footbridge SE 598 789
In 1854, a Royal Proclamation was issued forbidding the wearing of Catholic vestments and ornaments in public. A footbridge was therefore built to link Ampleforth Abbey with the cemetery at Ampleforth Bank. A single arch spans the road and an arch is built into the bank but the arch leading to the abbey precinct has been demolished.
Date taken: 2013
Date taken: 2013


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Is Enjoy the future of ecommerce? Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson is trying to take some of the initiatives he developed at Apple Store and quickly had to abort at JCPenney with his new startup; essentially an online 'genius bar'.
What Enjoy does is provide end to end service – from purchase to installation – and manage the entire process in one seamless process. This is not entirely new – department stores have for decades done this very thing offline – but perhaps this is the first truly online end to end retail experience.
As with all retail operations, the bottom line will determine whether or not this is a success. Hiring and managing service people is expensive and the consumer electronics category is notoriously competitive. Aside from a handful of brands like Apple, the margins in such products are minimal at best and often negative.
One to watch.


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Executive summary: The urgency of the climate crisis necessitates swift action on the part of EU governments to reduce emissions. Climate scientists warn that, in order to avoid the worst effects of rising global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2015 and fall dramatically thereafter. The electricity sector in the EU accounts for 39% of total EU CO2 emissions, three quarters of which comes from coal. The sector will need to be significantly decarbonised in order to meet the 30% emission reduction goal by 2020. This means Europe has to stop building new coal-fired power plants. Greenpeace is calling on all European governments and utilities, including E.ON, to get serious about climate change and redirect their investments into sources of clean, renewable energy.
Num. pages: 2


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FUNPLUS and XII BRAVES PTE LTD are proud to present the Valiant Force Hero Design Contest 2016. We are calling on all artistic minds around the world to submit original work which would be a great fit for the world of Valiant Force, scheduled for launch in Q3 2016.
Use your creativity and ability to produce work staying true to the style of the Valiant Force universe. Design and illustrate a new hero which you imagine could be fighting alongside the heroes of Valiant Force, cladding them in magnificent armor, wielding legendary weapons, and facing off against formidable enemies!
Share your artwork with the world using hashtag #PlayValiantForce. Reach out through social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Don't forget to check out what fellow artists have created!
Everyone whose artwork is qualified for the Valiant Force Hero Design Contest will receive exclusive in-app items. Exact items and method of delivery will be determined at a later stage.
A new and exciting turn-based tactics RPG for Android and iOS; recruit from over 200 unique characters to fight for your cause and forge the greatest assembly of heroes that has ever existed.
Customize and pick your heroes from a wide selection ranging from classes such as the resilient Guardian, the elusive Shadow and the powerful Mystics. Seek out legendary weapons and armor, and master powerful spells and abilities.
Plunge into a visually stunning fantasy world of magic and epic battles. Explore the haunted depths of forgotten ruins and dungeons, or scale the breathtaking dragons' peaks. Defeat challenging enemies to discover immensely powerful artifacts, uniting the ultimate Force throughout the ages.


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Frequently asked – Always answered!
Question: How long is the flight?
Answer: Our flights are anywhere from one hour to one hour and thirty minutes.
Question: What is the in-flight temperature?
Answer: Due to the burners, the temperature in the balloon is a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air, despite the increased altitude.
Question: How much do balloon rides cost?
Answer: In the United States, you can expect to pay somewhere between $225 and $365.00 per person for a balloon flight shared with other passengers. Prices vary depending on the location, seasonal discounts, particular discount(s) related to a promotion, or gift certificate. Our Florida location offers balloon rides as low as $200.00 per passenger at certain times of the year. You can even win a FREE balloon ride by playing our Hot Air Balloon Flight Simulator. Win a Free Flight."
Question: How can I get a ride in a balloon?
Answer: There are professional balloon ride companies all over the world to choose from. The important reason to choose Guru Balloon is because we have set the highest level of professional standards; as a Full-time, Fully Insured, Hot Air Balloon Ride Operator with the very best, FAA Certified Commercial Pilots and Flight Instructors. Chief Pilot Adam Carusone is a Balloon Federation of America Member and a Competition Pilot, Member of the Hot Air Balloon Competition Division. To speak directly with a pilot please Call 407.758.7007 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. To see more web videos, photos, social media connections and to learn more, Start Here.
Question: How do you enter the basket?
Answer: It is important for safety reasons; that you wait for the individual instruction provided by the Pilot in Command of your balloon. To board the balloon,you simply climb over the side of the basket to get in. While there is no graceful way to do it, our baskets do have a foot hole in the sides and a cross bar atop the vertical uprights to pull yourself up, legs over, lowing yourself carefully until your feet are securely placed on the floor of the basket. Assistance is provided as needed for the less nimble or scantily clad.
Question: What time do we go on balloon rides?
Answer: A hot air balloon ride takes place one hour before Sunrise or just two hours before Sunset. The total adventure is about 3.5 hours. The total in-flight time is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. We fly as long as possible wind and weather permitting, Safety first.
Question: Where do we meet before the flight?
Answer: We meet at Country Inn and Suites, one hour before Sunrise and 3 hours before Sunset. That address is; 1130 Route 9 Queensbury, NY 12804


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Literal is a better way to read PDF documents directly in Chrome. This extension provides the Literal Reader as the default PDF viewer in Chrome. PDF files you open online and from your computer will display in Literal.
▬ 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 ▬
Literal will automatically archive and organize the PDF documents you open, making sure that you will never lose track of a document's location again. You can quickly find a document you read months ago and share it. Your entire document library is backed up and accessible from anywhere from your Dashboard. By default, all of your documents are private and can only be accessed by yourself, but can optionally be shared with others.
▬ 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 ▬
Highlights are a great way to interact with what you're reading: highlight text that is meaningful or important to remember. Create highlights within Literal by selecting text within a document and clicking the highlighter button that appears at the right edge of the page. Your highlights will appear on your dashboard and link to the highlighted text in the original document. You can share your highlights.
▬ 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 ▬
Literal is a PDF reader built for the Web, and contains many cloud-based features not offered by other readers. Integrations with Google Drive and Dropbox enable you to directly save and open documents from cloud storage providers and easily centralize your library of documents on Literal. Your entire library is backed up to the cloud and completely available anywhere you log in. Literal employs machine learning backed features to further enhance your documents, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automatically add a searchable and selectable text layer to scanned documents.
▬ 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 ▬
Literal's reader is designed to improve your reading experience, and its functionally minimal interface enables you to focus on the document that you're reading instead of the reader that you're using. Reader controls (search, zoom, pagination, file management) are located within a sleek control bar that hides itself when you're not using it, leaving you with a clean and uninterrupted reading experience.
▬ 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 ▬
Literal and its basic features are completely free to use, but also offers a paid subscription plan for users who desire an enhanced premium feature set, including lifetime library history and Optical Character Recognition. When you install and sign up for Literal, you will be enrolled in a 14 day free trial of Literal Plus. If you decide not to subscribe after the trial expires, you will be able to continue using Literal at no cost. Visit https://literal.io/pricing for more information.
To try Literal out without installing it, visit https://literal.io.
For more information about Literal and why you would want to use it, visit our FAQ at https://literal.io/faq.
Have some feedback, feature requests, or just want to reach out? Send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Follow us on twitter at @literal_reader to receive the latest updates on development, as well as thoughts and news we think you'll enjoy from the team.
Literal is a work in progress. Please report any bugs or issues you encounter by email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Features we are planning to add:
– Ability to add notes and annotations to PDFs
– Ability to create, curate, and share your reading profile to display your favorite and completed documents
– Have an idea for the feature we should add next? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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It has been a strange week for me. I KNOW that my hormones are still wacky. I have been trying to prepare for camping and to evacuate for termite fumigation. I dont know how to do either.
I have been camping once before in my life and my husband isnt going on this trip. I have been trying to figure out how warm to dress to sleep outside and what I will need for a two year old and newborn camping....
The fumigation company says that we dont need to wipe anything down or take anything out (except baby matresses) don't need to wash dishes or anything else....we just cant buy that line. We wnat matresses out, food gone, anything baby related somewhere else, toys out....But where do we draw the line. We dont know because we really dont know what we are dealing with. They say we can come right back in. We want to clean first and air the house out for atleast a day...Are we going overboard? Should we just listen to the professionals? We dont want any regrets.
My head had really been spinning.
Im not a very organized person. Things work out and I adjust. Im not too keen on rules and not too cooperative with them either. As a driver, I respect the driving laws and see the need for them. As a parent, I see the need for and the use of rules and schedules. As a homemaker, I value lists....
Thinking through my fumigation and camping trips have made me more grateful for Chirst showing us himself and his standards through Scripture. My head doesnt need to normally spin-He has shown us what is important. Our emotions dont need to dictate right and wrong we dont need to change our standards and boundaries at whim. some things are black and white--They are in there :)
Thursday, October 9, 2008
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DIY: Striped Wax Candles
Design editor Lauren Petroff transforms basic white candles into a playful decorating element using wax dye.
No matter what time of year it is, I always like to have candles on hand for dining and entertaining. Candlelight adds instant atmosphere, and these striped candles look just as nice when they're not lit. I added personality to plain, off-white candles with dye in colors that feel playful and work with my artwork and decor.
Decorative candles, like most smaller accessories, look best in groupings. I chose to use handsome tarnished-brass candleholders with some patina to contrast my muted color scheme.
You'll need candles, paraffin wax, liquid candle dye, eyedroppers, painter's tape, steel bowl, disposable baking tray, and pliers.
Wrap painter's tape in stripes around white, straight-edged candles. Cover both ends to seal them off and leave some excess tape to hold onto when dyeing.
Melt 4 blocks of paraffin wax in a small stainless steel bowl. To prevent wax from burning, create a double boiler on the stove (i.e. set the steel bowl over a pot of boiling water) and set temperature to medium-low. Stir occasionally until melted.
Add liquid candle dye to melted paraffin wax using eyedropper to control the depth of color, and stir well to mix. I used about 3⁄4 of a 15 mL bottle to get the desired vibrancy. (It worked out to about 3 1⁄2 mL per block of wax.) Carefully pour wax into disposable baking tray. Prop tray up on one side to create a trough on one side with enough depth to dip candle.
Hold excess tape at both ends of candle with pliers (to avoid dyeing your fingers). Gently submerge candle horizontally into melted wax. Lift out and tap off any excess wax dripping from candle, while still holding candle horizontally. Wait approximately 10 seconds and repeat for a second coat of wax.
Prop dipped candle in a spare candleholder and wait about 1-2 minutes for wax to dry fully. Continue dipping more candles (you can dip 3 to 4 candles while waiting). If you wish to do more or if wax starts getting too thick, return wax to double boiler to remelt.
Carefully remove tape and, if desired, set a hairdryer to high and hold about 6″ from candle to smooth out any edges.


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Designers got a bit creative this season with giving us plenty of styles for swimwear fashion! The new swimming year starts right now and we should be ready for it. For example, one of the prettiest trends to try on vacay is the underwire swimwear. I have checked the lists with the swimwears designers made for Summer 2018 and I'm ready to show you all the silhouettes, colors, and prints to invest in. My shopping list from Zaful e-shop is published below...
Do you remember this super girly bow in the middle of the bra? This season this bow goes sexy... This super detail draws attention to the decollete area and looks extremely feminine.
Super funky print that's made your swimwear way sporty! This kind of bra could be easily worn as a top during your vacay period, paired with high waisted denim shorts.
Straight out of the Instagram posts this bra are coming this summer to impress! You can find a dozen of crossbody sexy bikini 2018 styles at the Zaful.com.
High waisted bikini bottoms are a perfect style for hot mamas! Personally, adore it from the moment I visited a swimming pool with my daughter for the first time. Comfortable bottoms give you an additional feeling of comfort, especially when you are running to catch your you babby. We've got so many more colorways & prints to choose from.
A bandeau swim top is closer to real-life fashion! Whether lace, ruffled or minimal this off-the-shoulder up gets really popular. It definitely helps to tan in a perfect way.
Photo sources: zaful.com, pinterest.com


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The flexibility of DataView360® offers solutions throughout the credit lifecycle, including Collections and Recovery. Analytical Strategies are implemented in the Decision Engine and these strategies, complemented by our Data Engine integrated touchpoints, elevate the collection process to increase customer retention and maximize collections.
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From Our Blog
Container Gardening: How to Get Started
If you're eager to start growing your own veg but have a small garden or live somewhere with a limited growing space, container gardening is the one for you.All you need is a sma...Read More
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Add a little kick to your dishes from growing your own chillies. Home grown chilli peppers have radiant colours, amazing textures and lots of flavour! Yo...Read More


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ST. LOUIS – You insure your house. You insure your car. So what about your family pet?
Nestle Purina PetCare Co. said Tuesday that it will begin offering PurinaCare, the first pet health insurance under pet food maker Purina's name. The company said two plans will be available for dogs and cats, at a time when veterinary care can include costly CAT scans, MRIs or chemotherapy.
The insurance will be offered through PurinaCare Insurance Services Inc., a San Antonio-based subsidiary of Nestle Purina PetCare, which has its North American headquarters in St. Louis.
"We truly believe we can make pet insurance mainstream," said David Goodnight, president and chief operating officer of PurinaCare Insurance Services.
Americans spend about $9.8 billion a year on veterinary services and billions more on health supplies and over-the-counter drugs for pets, Nestle Purina said, citing outside research. The company sees the potential for growth in pet insurance, saying only about 1 percent of pets in the U.S. are currently insured.
Veterinary Pet Insurance, the country's largest pet insurer based in Brea, says it has about 465,000 pets enrolled. Oakville, Ontario-based Pethealth Inc. is second largest, with about 175,000 pet policies issued in the U.S. and Canada under names like PetCare and ShelterCare insurance.
Pethealth spokesman Glen Tennison said he believed the addition of Purina's new pet insurance will help to raise awareness of the industry as a whole.
PurinaCare will offer two types of plans with four annual deductible levels, ranging from $100 to $1,000. Both plans cover medical costs related to illness, injuries, accidents, surgery and prescription medication. There is a 20 percent copay once the deductible has been met.
One of the plans focuses on preventive care by also covering costs like annual physicals and routine lab tests and preventive flea and heartworm medications.
Goodnight said the costs of a plan varies by age of the cat or dog, the region of the country, the breed of the pet and the deductible level a pet owner chooses.
As an example, he said the owner of a Labrador retriever under age 5 in St. Louis would pay $46.88 a month for the preventive plan with a $250 deductible, or $31.43 a month without the preventive coverage. A cat owner in the city who opted for a $1,000 deductible might pay as little as $4.17 a month, Goodnight said.
Tobie Stanger, a senior editor of Yonkers, N.Y.-based Consumer Reports magazine, hasn't researched the new Purina offering but has examined pet insurance policies previously and said, for the most part, the magazine has not recommended them.
Instead, it suggests that people set aside funds, perhaps the $50 a month they might spend on pet insurance, toward medical care. "Pet care should be part of your budget," she said.
Stanger acknowledged in some cases the pet insurance might help provide peace of mind, but she said if people started saving for possible pet costs when the animals are young, they could have several thousand dollars set aside if a pet should later need surgery or other costly care.
Bill Broun, director of business development for Nestle Purina PetCare, pointed to three trends that made the company think it was the right time to offer pet insurance: the increased "humanization" of pets, where people consider a pet as a best friend; an increased interest in wellness; and advances in veterinary medicine, where more specialized treatments are available for care.
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Bourbon, Buffalo Trace, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Experimental Bourbon, Experimental Collection, Harlen Wheatley
An Expansion of the Aging Experiment on Three Different Warehouse Floors
Using 12-Year-Old Wheated Bourbon
FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Dec. 9, 2014) Earlier this year, Buffalo Trace Distillery released an experiment consisting of barrels aged for the same length of time on different floors in the same warehouse. The experiment was met with great interest, as many bourbon connoisseurs are thirsty for knowledge about how atmosphere affects the taste of their favorite spirit.
Buffalo Trace continues that experiment, this time using wheated bourbon instead of the rye bourbon mash bill used in the previous experiment.
The Warehouse Floors Experiment was started in 2001, when Buffalo Trace filled 15 barrels with their Wheat Bourbon Mash Bill and placed five barrels on floors one, five, and nine of Warehouse K. This brick warehouse has nine wooden floors in total and was chosen for this experiment due to the variety of tastes it provides during the aging process. Here's how the experiment panned out:
The barrels aged on the first floor of Warehouse K resulted in a bourbon with a mild nose and hints of vanilla. The flavor is described as sweet with slight caramel and butterscotch notes. The body is said to be mild with an easy and approachable palate.
Barrels aged on the fifth floor of Warehouse K yielded a bourbon with an aroma full of herbal notes and a mouth full of savory flavors and cooked cinnamon and clove balanced with caramel and butterscotch. The finish is smooth and balanced.
The ninth floor of Warehouse K resulted in a bourbon with a rich and delightful aroma of charred oak. The initial flavor fills the mouth with toasted almonds and walnuts. The mouth feel is medium bodied with a dry finish.
"This experiment was an interesting comparison to our rye bourbon warehouse floors experiment, especially since both were aged in the same warehouse and on the same floors, said Harlen Wheatley, master distiller. "As with the rye bourbon experiment, the higher floors yielded a different taste profile than the lower floors, giving us a richer and full bodied taste. Also, we noticed a higher evaporation rate on the wheat recipe experiment vs the rye bourbon recipe experiment. The wheat evaporated between 42-51% over the twelve years, depending on what floor the barrel was aged. The rye experiment evaporated between 25-49% over the twelve years, with significantly less on the lower floors. This higher evaporation rate is expected in wheated recipes, but it's interesting to see it up close with the rye experiment."
These barrels are part of the more than 2,000 experimental barrels of whiskey aging in the warehouses of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each of them has unique characteristics that differentiate them from all others. Some examples of experiments include unique mash bills, type of wood, and barrel toasts. In order to further increase the scope, flexibility and range of the experimental program, an entire micro distillery, named The Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. "OFC" Micro Distillery, complete with cookers, fermenting tanks, and a state-of-the-art micro still has been constructed within Buffalo Trace Distillery. Buffalo Trace has increased its commitment to experimentation with the recent addition of its Warehouse X. Although small in size, Warehouse X is designed to explore the limits of environmental influences on the quality of whiskey.
The Experimental Collection is packaged in 375ml bottles and packed 12 to a case, with three bottles from each warehouse floor in a case. Each label includes all the pertinent information unique to that barrel of whiskey. These whiskeys retail for approximately $46.35 each. These particular rare experimental bottles will be available in December. For more information on the Experimental Collection or the other products of Buffalo Trace Distillery, please contact Elizabeth Hurst at firstname.lastname@example.com.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery's rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named "Brand Innovator of the Year" by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015. Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com. To download images from Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracemediakit.com


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Kim Kardashian is "Totes" rocking her current style obsession the "All black" look along with her leather OBSSESS !!! ( although my love for Black outfits... knows no bound).
Her only accessory in this outfit above is the Lavin crystal Ribbon necklace which cost roughly around $ 4,000 .... not bad eyyy ? (....sarcasm !!),anyways the necklace makes enough of a statement so im loving the way "Kimmie" Rocks this outfit by not adding any additional jewelry.
Don't you agree ?


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After Ang Lee's majestic Life Of Pi, Andy and Lana Wachowski (creators of The Matrix trilogy), sharing directing duties with Tom Tykwer, continue the current trend of filming "unfilmable" books with their latest groundbreaking labyrinth of a film, Cloud Atlas. Bringing such a complex source material to the screen is a daunting task, and I have nothing but respect for those who made it happen.
Intertwining six separate yet seemingly connected stories from past, present and future, Cloud Atlas is an exhibition in magical, loopy and ambitious storytelling. A multitude of powerful and insightful ideas are presented through each story, all of which culminate to one central idea: that our lives are not our own. It explores the possibility that our actions affect events in the future and that our souls are dictated by our actions from the past. It questions morality and the possibility of life after death, implies that we are all distantly connected through the ages and reborn, not just on our own planet, but in galaxies foreign to us. It questions faith and argues the very existence of life. In other words, it leaves you with plenty to think about.
Whether it's being shouted or just hinted at, it's quite tough to fully wrap your head around all of these ideas and it will probably require at least two viewings to fully comprehend. But therein lies a problem. The film runs at nearly three hours, which is understandable given how many different plots it has to cram in, and while admittedly it never drags, it does need some kind of larger payoff for the time you have to invest in it. There is a certain amount of 'wrapping up' that goes on towards the end, but there wasn't enough spectacle. It constantly threatens to award us with some big emotional payoff, but it just never quite comes, and that I found to be the most disappointing thing.
On a more positive note, one of the best things about the film is the that it treats the audience as if they have half a brain and never slows down to compensate for the complexities of the plot(s). It's frustrating when the filmmakers (or studio heads behind them) feel the need to 'dumb down' ideas to make them more understandable to the masses, because that negates the very reason for having these kind of ideas in the first place. When a director presents me with something like this, I want to be allowed to decipher it for myself and sometimes draw my own conclusions, and that's exactly what the Wachowski's and Tykwer allow us to do here.
One of many, many Hanks characters
The enormous ensemble cast, including the talents of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Ben Wishaw, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess and Susan Sarandon, are all just excellent, despite being stuck with the difficult task of playing multiple roles in extremely varying circumstances. Each of them has essentially had to prepare for several movies in the time space of one, which is a lot easier said than done. Tom Hanks is a particular standout, which isn't surprising, because it's Tom Hanks.
Some stories work better than others. The 70s San Francisco plot, for example, which focuses on Halle Berry's Luisa Rey, feels less important than Doona Bae and Jim Strugress' 22nd century Seoul, which is actually one of the driving forces of the entire film. Even though both stories are given roughly the same amount of screen time, only the latter is given an equal amount of attention. It sounds unfair to say that since the San Francisco section does serve a purpose – of course it does – but it just feels a bit less important than some of the others. Just a little more balance would have served it well.
The script, penned by the three directors, is a thing of beauty. It's delicate, intricate, controlled, and everything a script needs to be. Adapting such a complex and contorted story into a coherent screen narrative is a task feared by even the best writers, but that's what has been achieved here. And you'd be wrong if you thought adapting a book was easy because the story is already there; if anything, it's even harder because you're tethered to someone else's ideas. You can't take the characters wherever you want them to go.
Yet that script, as beautifully and skillfully written as it is, lacks emotional power. As hard as it tries, it just fails to invest us enough in the any of the worlds, building and building and building towards something spectacular that it never quite delivers, and in the end there just isn't enough there to make you want to come back. There are nuggets of gold if you know where to look, but they're scattered, and if you can't find any them it's a rather hollow way to spend three hours.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆