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Disneyland 2009 9-27-09
Disneyland was GREAT!!! I don't care what anyone says, I still think it is the most magical place on earth!
We went with some good friends and all of the kids did wonderful! We were able to ride ALL of the kids rides. Makenzie loves the stimulation! Her favorite ride was the Matterhorn! For those of you that have never been.... that is a ROLLER COASTER! She belly laughed the whole time!!! I was amazed!
We stopped for lunch and Makenzie ate too! That is the best feeling ever!
It is amazing also to see the changes in Makenzie since we went to Disney World with the whole family in July! Not only did she look at everything during a ride she followed specific things until they were out of site! AMAZING!!!
We left at about 5:30pm and headed back home. Julie and Joey stayed the night and we had a great time just chatting. Makenzie had her first sleep over!
This has been a great trip! We have done therapy but we have also had a GREAT time as well! We have been to the beach, the aquarium, I got to go to dinner alone with friends, and Disney Land! We have seen many friends and as our time her draws to an end I am starting to miss them already!
Please continue to pray for health and healing! Makenzie is doing great and I pray that this progress continues as we carry it over at home!
Day 11 9-28-09
Savannah is one of Makenzie's new friends!!!
Monday mornings! My poor girl just looks at me with the I can't believe we are here again look! well I have good news for you Princess Makenzie... this is the last Monday!!!
I know that Makenzie can not do Suit therapy every day for the rest of her life but I am so torn! The Napa Center is amazing. The people here new and old have been so great! Unlike all of my other trips, with the exception of part of our Florida trip, I am comfortable. The only thing that is missing is my boys and extended family.
I really do love all of you normal people (LOL Is normal even possible!?) but I have met some truly amazing people here in CA. People who get it. ALL of it! I have had so many conversations this week that have made so much since. The support has been amazing and fun! There are not too many people I know that understand the accommodations it takes to bring Makenzie to a place like Disneyland. Well, here I got to be part of understanding that for my friend while she understood for me. How many people find it fun to stay up eating pizza while enjoying a 2 way conversation about new seating systems, stem cells, and modified vans? I don't know many! In 4 days it will be gone. I will go back to being on the Internet and telephone. That part SUCKS!
I miss my kids, I miss my bed, I miss my life. I don't miss not having the connections I have found here. On top of the fact that I didn't get to see one of my best friend's who is only 6 hours away because she was really sick! This was our chance and it has now come and gone! CRAP!
As I said before, God has plans that for everything! None of this is just about Makenzie. I try to remind myself of that often. Yes, we came here for therapy but we are leaving with so much more.
Kenz is still eating really well and she did a great job standing as well!!! She is doing so well!!! The connections she has made with these new therapists in the last 2 weeks are also so amazing!
Please keep praying for health and healing! We are almost done! I had to wipe and suck Makenzie's nose tonight which has me worried! We are SOOOOO close! Please say an extra prayer that we can stay healthy!
Day 12 9-29-09
Well Makenzie has a cold! She has a very stuffy nose but she was soooo happy today! All smiles and tons of laughter. Yes, we still had some crying but over all so was in the best mood ever!!!!!
Makenzie is looking so good! She is doing great in all fours and her standing looks great! We are going to have graduation tomorrow because one of the therapists will not be there on Fri. I am so excited to hear what Makenzie's therapists have to say about her progress!
Even though Makenie is congested she did pretty good eating today. She wants salt! Cheetos are her favorite but she is also really liking avocado and cottage cheese with a bit of sea salt! The face she makes when I try to give her anything sweet is priceless! That is just not normal! (ladies that is for you and your long line of ______) (Sorry inside joke I couldn't help myself!)
I had some potentially really good new fall into my lap today about further treatment for Makenzie and it has me overwhelmed at the moment. I am not going to go into details as there is some footwork that needs to be done first but I am going to ask for prayers on making the right decision and listening to God when making this decision. If is is meant to be God will make it happen! If not that will be ok to... I guess.. JK. Just Pray!
Please also pray that Makenzie would get over this cold like NOW!!! Pray for continued health and healing! Pray for my boys back at home who are missing their mommy! Pray for safe travels home as our trip back is approaching very quickly!
I forgot my camera at NAPA today so I don't have pictures from this morning to share but I do have a treat that was e mailed to me today! The pictures in today's post were taken during the first week of therapy by the grandmother of one of Makenzie's new friends! Enjoy!!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Day 13 9-30-2009
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Day 13! WOW! I can't believe we are almost done! This has been beyond a wonderful experience! Makenzie has grown so much in the last 17 days! We have stayed so busy and I am starting to wear down! I can only imagine how Makenzie feels but I am sure it is about the same!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Today was another great day! Makenzie is doing so well! She started the day of with some decongestant and ended it with no congestion at all! Thank You so much for all of the prayers for health! We are truly feeling them tonight!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
As I watched Makenzie today I could see very clearly the areas in which she has improved! First was the strength in her shoulders and arms! In all fours she is taking weight through her arms, shoulders, and hands, without her shoulders giving out! WOW! She is not pushing all of the way up on her own yet but as she builds up those muscles she will! She stood in the spider cage today for the first time since about day 3 and she looked so much better! She took weight through both feet evenly with out pulling up her feet for much longer! Her head control is improved and her flexion has decreased a ton! These are all of the baby steps she needs to continue to move forward! I am so proud of my baby girl!!!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
2 days left! Pray they are good ones!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Day 14 10-1-2009
|Make a Smilebox slideshow
The NAPA Center is AMAZING!!! We only have one day left! I am tired! I feel like I am getting a cold and I miss my kids but I am so sad at the same time that it is time to go!!! I am having a really hard time putting my feelings into words right now and I don't think I am even going to try.
I have a lot to do tonight as Julie and Joey are going to come over after therapy and hang out one last time before we leave. This is the part of trips like this that stink. I wish I could have the best of both worlds! Too bad life doesn't work like that!
Thanks for all of the thoughts and prayers! Pray for a safe last day and trip home!!! Believe... Prayer works!!!!
Day 15 10-2-2009
I really hate goodbyes! It is so hard!
Today was our last day at the NAPA center! Makenzie had the best day yet and went out with a BANG! They worked her hard and then we had a bit of time to just play!!! She loved it!
She jumped in the spider cage with help! She started really high up without her feet on the ground and she thought that was so much fun! Makenzie LOVES movement!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Then we lowered the bungies so that she could touch the ground. She did much better then I thought she would! This kid ALWAYS amazeses me! She stood up SOOOO straight! At first she was way up on her toes but as she realized she was in control and it didn't hurt she came down onto her whole foot!!!! WOW!!! She also did a great job of lifting her WHOLE trunk up when she fell! AMAZING! She has gotten SOOOO strong! Then we asked her to jump. Guess what ?..... SHE DID!!!! Now she didn't really make it off the ground but you can see in the video that she is bending her legs and trying to lift her feet off the ground! I am just in awe at the healing that has happened in the last few months!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
She also got to fly again! She did a MUCH better job of getting her head up! So proud!!!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
After our goodbyes at the center Julie and Joey came down and we hung out! I did a bit of packing and then we took the kids to the beach!!! They BOTH loved it!!!!! It was so much fun to stand next to Julie on the beach. Another mother, another friend, on the beach, with our belly laughing kids! I am sure it was a site to see but I sooooo wish I could just make time stand still for a while!
After our adventure in the sand and surf Kelly and her son joined us for some more socializing. Then the goodbyes! TEARS!!! I am so happy tonight because I feel so blessed to have spent so much time with these wonderful women but I am sooooo sad that I will have to continue this friendship from hundreds of miles away!!!
We will be back. I know the goodbyes aren't forever but it still hurts on a very deep level! I think that I am denial that I am really leaving in the morning! I have the sweatshirts and long pants out ready for a change in climate, I can't wait to see my boys, but I am in denial that I will not get up in the morning to start my day with a cup of coffee at the center with Julie, Joey and the rest of the gang! Summer Camp is over! LOL!!!!
Pray for peace, safe travels, and as always continued healing!!!!
Home Sick Home 10-3-2009
We made it!
Our flight home went well. We were delayed about an hour and got home around 6pm. I was a long day but I think I can say with much certainty that we are professional travelers!
Makenzie was so happy to see her brothers and the first thing they had to say was how proud they were that she could eat Cheetos!!! Kids!
Makenzie did not stop laughing from the time we walked in the door until the time I layed her down in bed! She loves her brothers so much!!!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
However, most of us over here are now SICK!!! I have what feels like ahead cold. Makenzie has all but gotten over her cold, my oldest missed to days of school with a fever and exhaustion(had him cultured for flu with negative results), and now I have one with a fever and vomit! Back to reality!!! I guess I will be taking him in for a culture in the morning!!
Please, please, please pray for health! Makenzie worked so hard and really doesn't need to be sick right now!!! I am going to head to bed as I am exhausted but a HUGE thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!!!! They mean so much!!!!
Believe... Prayer Works!


text: The following reply was made to PR bin/36295; it has been noted by GNATS. From: Henry Bent <hbent%cs.oberlin.edu@localhost> To: <gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost> Cc: Subject: Re: bin/36295 Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 02:20:18 -0500 (EST) This has definitely been fixed in newer versions of -current and can be closed. Thanks! -- Henry Bent hbent%cs.oberlin.edu@localhost

subset: commoncrawl


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Are you trying to do activism within your university on staff sexual misconduct? Are you looking for ways to get involved in this work? We are running a networking and knowledge-sharing event for activists on staff sexual misconduct, 8th June, 1.30-5.30pm, central London.
For more information on activist networking event 8th June please see https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/activism-to-address-staff-sexual-misconduct-in-higher-education-tickets-45890774542 … Email firstname.lastname@example.com if you'd like to sign up and we'll share full venue details.
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Friday, February 18, 2011
Author Interview with Julie Cohen
Julie, can you tell me how you first got started?
I've always been a writer—I've been writing novels, plays, poems, comics and articles since I was a kid, and I was a peer writing tutor at university—but I didn't start writing romantic novels with the goal of publication until about 2000. I was teaching secondary school and hadn't written creatively for a few years while I concentrated on my career, but I had an old draft of a Mills & Boon novel that I picked up again, for fun, and then I decided to make my dream of being a novelist come true. I joined the RNA and some other writers' groups; it was a very steep learning curve, but I found so much support from other writers, which made it easier. I wrote four or five novels, all of them gathering rejections, but I was getting better with every one.
Everything sort of came together for me in 2004—I finalled in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart contest; I landed an agent (who I'd heard of via the RNA); and RNA chair Jenny Haddon took a risk on me and engaged me to be the first unpublished author to speak at the RNA conference—and the first to give a talk about writing sex. In July 2004 I got a call from Brenda Chin at Harlequin to say they'd like to buy my Golden Heart novel. Publication was delayed, but meanwhile, my agent was shopping my single title and I was writing like crazy...with the result that in 2006, I had five books out with two different publishers.
To plot or not to plot? How much of a planner are you?
I'm half and half. I usually come up with a premise for the book, and I spend some time developing the main characters and their arcs. So even though I have no clue what will actually happen after chapter three or so, I do know the emotional journey that my heroine will have to take. I usually write that down in one sentence, which sort of guides me throughout the entire novel. Then I write whatever comes to me. It's quite often very surprising.
About halfway through, I realise I need to start figuring out how I'm going to end this thing. That's when I get out the index cards and start plotting. I might or might not follow this.
After I've written my first draft, I go back and plan the novel retrospectively, which helps me with revising it into shape.
I've written about this process in detail on my blog, if you're interested:
What do you think an editor is looking for in a good novel?
You know, I always think I might know the answer to that question, right up until the time that an editor is considering one of my novels. Then I realise, to my horror, that I have no clue.
Where is your favourite place to work?
I used to like to take my laptop to various places and work, but bad posture and bad working habits have meant that for the past year or so, I've had trouble with my back, neck, arms and hands. So now I have to work at my own desk with my own special keyboard and timer that tells me to take a break and stretch every 20 minutes. For a change of pace, I like taking a notebook and pen to a local café and brainstorming ideas whilst drinking coffee.
Do you write every day? What is your work schedule?
I take Sundays off, and I take a month or two off between books to refill the well. If I don't, my marriage and my sanity would surely start to crumble. Otherwise, I write every day. My son goes to nursery at 8 am, so that's when I start. I'm not normally a morning person so this requires some force of will (and much tea). I write until he comes back, at about lunchtime. I aim to write an average of 1500 words a day, over six days; if I don't achieve my word count within the time that he's in nursery, I write in the evening after he's gone to bed. I try to keep my afternoons free to spend with my son. Of course, when I'm hitting the home stretch on a book—finishing it or doing the last bit of revisions—I forget all about schedule and work every possible waking hour.
Which authors have most influenced your work?
There are too many to count, but here are a few. Ursula LeGuin made me want to write fiction. Leslie Kelly made me want to write for Harlequin Mills & Boon. Marian Keyes made me want to write women's fiction. Kathy Love was my writing partner from age fifteen. Kate Walker was a kind mentor for me when I was starting out. Most of the published members of the RNA have helped me along in some way, at some time or other.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The beginning. For me, it's like going to a new city without a map, or being able to speak the language. I find it exciting, but terrifying, and I faff around for ages until I absolutely cannot put off starting the book any longer. Then I write about 20,000 words which are bad and which I have to immediately cut. After that, it gets easier.
How do you promote your books?
Blogging, tweeting, Facebook, an online newsletter, doing workshops and speaking engagements. I'm also a regular guest on BBC Radio Berkshire. The publisher and I send out lots of copies of my book for review. I enter contests, both in the UK and the USA. After Sue Moorcroft's excellent session at the last RNA conference, I've started writing short stories that my publisher can try to place, to coincide with the launch of a book. I have a constantly-updated website and I usually have postcards and business cards printed with my latest title, in case I meet anyone who's interested, randomly in a train or something. (Yup, I'm shameless.)
Do you have interests other than writing?
I quite like walking around at dusk and looking through people's windows before they draw the blinds.
What advice would you give a new writer?
You don't have to get it right the first time. The great thing about writing is that it can always be re-written—and no writing is ever wasted, because even if it's wrong, you'll learn something from having written it. Just write.
Tell us about your latest book, and how you got the idea for it.
GETTING AWAY WITH IT is my first women's fiction novel with Headline Review, and it's out in paperback in March. It's the story of Liza Haven, a rebellious stunt woman whose life goes terrifically wrong following an accident, and who goes back to the small village where she grew up, to see her perfect identical twin sister, Lee. But when she gets there, Lee has disappeared, and everyone in the village thinks that Liza is Lee.
I've always been fascinated with identical twins, and I was digging in my garden when I decided I wanted to write a novel where one twin takes over another's life. But I wanted it to have more of a twist than your usual life-swap novel, which is why Lee disappears and Liza takes over her life almost reluctantly, to see what it's like to be the twin that everyone likes for a change.
Finally Julie, can you tell us something of your work in progress?
My next novel for Headline Review is about a woman who takes a job as a historical interpreter in a stately home where they're recreating the summer of 1814, and finds herself drawn a bit too much into her historical role. It's got two strands to it—the present-day strand where her life is a bit of a mess, and the 1814 strand, which is more of a Regency romp. As I write, I'm waiting to hear what my editor thinks of it, and mostly chewing my fingernails (see answer to question number 3).
Thank you Julie, and I wish you every success with your latest novel.
If you want to know more about Julie and her writing, visit her website http://www.julie-cohen.com
To buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Away-Julie-Cohen/dp/0755350626/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1
10 comments:
- Sandra Mackness said...
Thanks, Kate and Julie for a most interesting interview. Loved the bit about looking into windows!
- February 18, 2011 at 1:46 PM
- Jean Fullerton-East End Girl & Author said...
Very nice interview, Julie. the bit about faffing about before starting a new book spoke to me.
- February 18, 2011 at 2:01 PM
- Nicolette said...
OMG, I peer into people's windows as I'm walking past too. I figure they don't mind, otherwise they'd have curtains! I like to see how they've decorated things, nothing pervy!
- February 18, 2011 at 2:34 PM
- Julie Cohen said...
Thank you Sandra! Admit it, you look into windows too, don't you? ;-)
Thank you, Kate and Freda, for having me on the blog.
- February 18, 2011 at 2:53 PM
- Julie Cohen said...
Jean, I don't believe it. You've never faffed a day in your life, you're too full of the joy of writing!
- February 18, 2011 at 2:53 PM
- Julie Cohen said...
Nicolette—that's it, precisely. If people didn't want me to look in, they'd have drawn the curtains. It's practically an open invitation to admire the decor!
- February 18, 2011 at 2:54 PM
- Victoria Connelly said...
I'm a fellow window peeper too - I think it's an occupational hazard!
Lovely interview, Julie. x
- February 18, 2011 at 3:40 PM
- Rosemary Gemmell said...
I really enjoyed your interview, Julie, and I love the way everything came together for you all in the same year!
- February 18, 2011 at 6:57 PM
- Julie Cohen said...
I think window peeping is unavoidable, Victoria. Just like eavesdropping in restaurants, or staring at people on the tube. Or reading the neighbours' mail.
Oh wait, I don't read the neighbours' mail. That's wrong.
- February 18, 2011 at 10:32 PM
- Julie Cohen said...
Thank you Rosemary! 2006 was an exhausting year, but I never expect to be that productive again! (Thank goodness.)
- February 18, 2011 at 10:33 PM


text:
Abba will be "reuniting" formally for first time since their split over 30 years ago to work on a project with music mogul Simon Fuller.
The popular quartet - Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad - parted ways in 1982 after a successful 10-year stint.
The group has announced they will work with Fuller, who rose to fame managing the Spice Girls, on what is being described as a "groundbreaking venture that will utilise the very latest in digital and virtual reality technology".
Lyngstad said fans around the world always ask about a reunion, and added: "So I hope this new Abba creation will excite them as much as it excites me".
Andersson added: "We're inspired by the limitless possibilities of what the future holds and are loving being a part of creating something new and dramatic here. A time machine that captures the essence of who we were. And are."
The full details of the new project have not been announced but an official release says the foursome will be involved in the creative process with a view to "maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the band's original vision".
The project says it will will aim to take the Abba experience to a new generation of fans and will enable them to see, hear and feel the band "in a way previously unimagined".
Fuller said: "The creativity and ideas flowing from the members of Abba over the past few months have filled me with great excitement.
"We are exploring a new technological world, with virtual reality and artificial intelligence at the forefront, that will allow us to create new forms of entertainment and content we couldn't have previously imagined."
In June this year the band performed together for the first time in 30 years to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, but did not perform to mark the occasion.
Their hits over the years include Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia and The Winner Takes It All.
Their music was adapted into the successful theatre show, Mamma Mia! which was also turned into a 2008 film featuring Meryl Streep, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Christine Baranski.
The full details of their new project will be announced in 2017.


text:
"How may I be of service(s), my friend?"
Case writing for capital campaigns: Making the donor the hero of the story
Recent clients: The Anchorage Museum, Bow Valley College, Brockton Hospital, The Gettysburg Foundation, the International Charter School, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
| "Tell me more about donor-centered cases for support, Tom. Can you show me what these things look like?"
Audits: Evaluating the state of your current supporter communications
Recent clients: Boston Animal Rescue League, Center for Constitutional Rights, Harlem RBI, USA for UNHCR
| "Tell me more about these audits, Tom. I understand they go deep and make lots of practical recommendations. Can you show me what's covered?"
Training your staff or constituents in donor-centric communications
Recent clients: Center for Constitutional Rights, Orbis International, Oxfam Australia, Save the Children, SOS Children's Villages, University of Chicago, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Montana Nonprofit Association
| "Tell me more about training our team to the highest standards, Tom. What's involved? Can we do it online or do you come here in person?"
Donor-loving direct mail appeals
Principal client: Sharp HealthCare (San Diego), since 2009.
"Tom Ahern … is one of the country's most sought-after creators of fund-raising messages. New York Times, Nov. 6, 2016 — To read the full article, click here.
| "Tell me more about these direct mail appeals of yours, Tom. What does "loverizing" direct mail look like?"


text:
50x optical zoom plus 100x Clear Image Digital ZoomGet amazingly close with 50x optical zoom plus 100x Clear Image digital zoom. Most digital zooms use electronic cropping to get closer to the subject, resulting in unsharp images. With Clear Image Zoom the powerful processor compares patterns found in adjacent pixels and creates new pixels to match selected patterns, resulting in more realistic, higher-quality images. Clear Image Zoom doubles optical zoom for closer photos.
Optical SteadyShot image stabilizationOptical SteadyShot image stabilization reduces shake and blur by countering camera movements in both horizontal and vertical directions. Active 3-Way stabilization adds digital rolling control that counters clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation, resulting in more stable videos even at long focal lengths. The HX300 uses a second lens group shift which moves the lens group farther away from the sensor. This results in an expanded compensation area, allowing for easier framing.
20.4 Megapixel Back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS Image SensorThis camera features a 20.4 megapixel Exmor R CMOS image sensor that brings out the full resolving power of the camera's Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens to deliver extremely fast speed, high resolution, and stunning low-light sensitivity with improved image clarity and drastically reduced grain. In addition, the combined Exmor R CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processor delivers extremely fast up to 10fps, Anti Motion Blur, Hand-held Twilight and 1080p movie modes.
Full HD 1080/60pRecord crystal clear movies at the highest resolution available with capabilities for 60p in 1080 AVCHD video. This provides stunning, fast motion video with less distortion for playback on your HD TV. With dual record of stills and movies, you can shoot both at the same time.
3.0" tiltable LCD (921K dots) with high resolution viewingThe 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD LCD has 921K dots for superb resolution. The LCD is tiltable making it easy to frame shots above a crowd, or even down low to the ground.
Capture the decisive moment with up to 10fpsCapture full 20.4 megapixel resolution images at up to 10 frames per second, helping to ensure that the decisive moment is captured such as the soccer ball flying into the goal. In addition, a mechanical shutter helps reduce distortion when continuously shooting moving subjects.
Picture EffectsPicture Effect adds a new level of expression to photos, making ordinary landscapes and portraits come to life by heightening mood and emphasizing certain attributes. There are nine different effects such as partial color to make your focal point stand out, or watercolor which looks like a painting.
Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode-up to 360?Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode takes our Sweep Panorama function to the next level with the addition of motion compensation. Even when subjects are moving in the foreground of your landscape, these cameras can detect faces and moving subjects, intelligently stitching different widths together to minimize distortion. Simply press the shutter button and sweep the camera in the desired direction and the camera continuously shoots at a high speed, then seamlessly stitches the images together with automatic position adjustment to create one stunning panoramic image. Available in wide and up to 360? full circle, the camera can take a variety of panoramic shots.
Enhanced Superior AutoEnhanced Superior Auto supports scenes with dynamic motion to provide beautiful results even in dark situations. The result is clearer images with less blur.
Advanced Flash illuminates distant subjects for beautifully lit photosAdvanced Flash allows you to shoot bright, beautifully lit photos even when zooming. The built in flash reaches farther resulting in brighter subjects in dimly lit rooms or outdoors in the evening.
Camera- Camera Type: High zoom
Imaging Sensor- Imaging Sensor: 1/2.3" Exmor R CMOS sensor- Pixel Gross: 21.1 MP- Effective Picture Resolution: 20.4 MP- Color Filter System: RGB primary color filters
Recording- Media Type: optional "Memory Stick Duo" (No movie recording), optional "Memory Stick PRO Duo" (Mark 2 only for movie recording), optional "Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo", optional SD Memory Card (Class 4 or higher), optional SDHC Memory Card (Class 4 or higher)- Still Image Max Effective Resolution: Approx. 20.4 Megapixels- Still Image Size 16:9: 16:9 mode: 15M (5,184 x 2,920) / 2M (1,920 x 1,080)- Still Image Size 4:3: 4:3 mode: 20M (5,184 x 3,888) / 10M (3,648 x 2,736) / 5M (2,592 x 1,944) / VGA- Panorama Still Image Size: Sweep Panorama: 360(11,520 x 1,080) / HR (10,480 x 4,096) / Wide (7,152 x 1,080/4,912 x 1,920) / Standard (4,912 x 1,080/3,424 x 1,920)- Video Format: AVCHD Ver2.0/MP4- Video Mode: AVCHD 60i/60p: 28M PS (1,920x1,080/60p) / 24M FX / 17M FH (1,920x1,080/60i) / 9M HQ (1,440x1,080/60i), MP4: 12M (1,440x1,080/30fps) / 6M (1,280x720/30fps) / 3M VGA (640x480/30fps)- Dual Record: Yes-Audio Format: AC3(Stereo)- Microphone/Speaker: Stereo/mono- Wind Noise Reduction: Off / On
Optics/Lens- Lens Type: Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T- Optical Zoom: 50x- Focal Length (35mm equivalent): Still 4:3: 24-1200mm /Movie 4:3: 32.5-1625mm(SteadyShot Standard) 34.5-2300(SteadyShot Active) / Still 16:9: 26-1300mm / Movie 16:9: 26.5-1325mm(SteadyShot Standard) 28-1850mm(SteadyShot Active)- Lens Construction: 15 elements in 10 groups(including 1 superED glass element, 2 ED glass elements, and 3 aspheric elements)- Minimum Focus Distance: iAuto: AF (W: Approx. 1cm (0.03 ft.) to Infinity, T: Approx. 240cm (7.87 ft.) to Infinity) / Program Auto: AF (W: Approx. 1cm (0.03 ft.) to Infinity, T: Approx.240cm (7.87 ft.) to Infinity)- Steady Shot Mode:Active: Yes
LCD Display- LCD Type: 3.0" Xtra Fine LCD (921K dots) - tiltable- Brightness Control: 5(Bright) / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1(Dark)- Histogram: Yes(On/Off)- Grid Display: Yes
Focus Control- AF Modes: Multi Point AF/Center Weighted AF/SpotAF/Flexible Spot AF/Manual/Face Tracking Focus- AF Illuminator: Auto / Off
Exposure System- Metering Modes: Multi Pattern / Center Weighted / Spot- Exposure Compensation: Plus / Minus 2.0EV, 1 / 3EV step- Scene Mode(s): High Sensitivity / Soft snap / Soft Skin / Landscape / Night Portrait / Night Scene / Handheld Twilight / Gourmet / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Pet mode /Anti-motion blur/Backlight Correction HDR / Advanced Sports Shooting- ISO: Auto / 80 / 100 / 125 / 160 / 200 / 250 / 320 / 400 / 500 / 640 / 800 / 1000 / 1250 / 1600 / 2000 / 2500 / 3200 / 4000*4 / 5000*4 / 6400*4 / 8000*4 / 10000*4 / 12800*4- White Balance Mode: Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Fluorescent 1 (White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 2 (Natural White Fluorescent Lighting) / Fluorescent 3 (Day White Fluorescent Lighting) / Incandescent / Flash / One Push, One Push Set / White Balance Shift
Drive System- Self-timer: Off / 10sec. / 2sec. / portrait1 / portrait2- Shutter Speeds: iAuto (4 - 1/4000) / Program Auto (1 - 1/4000) / Aperture Priority (8 - 1/2000) / Shutter Priority (30 - 1/4000) / Manual (30 - 1/4000)- Burst Mode: Approx 10 fps at 20.4MP (Maximum 10 shots)
Flash- Flash Modes: Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Rear Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash- Flash Coverage: ISO Auto: Approx. 0.5m to 8.5m (1.64 ft. to 27.89 ft.) (W) / Approx. 2.4m to 3.5m (7.87 ft. to 11.48 ft.) (T), ISO3200: up to Approx. 12.0m (39.37 ft.) (W) / Approx. 5.1m (16.73 ft.) (T)
Convenience Features- Red-Eye Reduction: Auto / On / Off- Erase/Protect: Erase: Single / Select / Date / Folder / AVCHD Protect: Single / Select / Date / Folder / AVCHD- Power Save Mode: Standard / Max / Off
Advanced Features- Anti Motion Blur: Yes- Sweep Panorama: Intelligent Sweep Panorama (360)- Face Detection: 8 faces- Smile Shutter technology: Yes- Image Stabilization: Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 3-way Active mode- In-Camera Editing: Retouch / Trimming / Red Eye Correction / Unsharp Masking / Date View- Intelligent Auto: Yes- Background Defocus: Yes- Superior Auto: Yes- Tracking Focus: Off / Auto- Blink Detection: Yes- Picture Effects: HDR Painting / Richtone Monochrome / Miniature / Toy camera / Pop Color / Partial color / Soft High-key / Watercolor / Illustration
Interface- Memory Card Slot: MS Duo and SD/SDHC compatible- HD Output: Micro HDMI- USB Port(s): Multi (AV/USB), Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0)
Weights and Measurements- Dimensions (Approx.): W x H x D:5 1/8" x 3 3/4" x 4 1/8" (129.6 x 93.2 x 103.2mm)- Weight (Approx.): 1lb 6.9oz (650g)- Weight(Approx) (Main unit only): 1lb 6.0oz (623g)
Power- Battery Type: LITHIUM ION NP-BX1 3.6V- Battery Capacity: 4.5Wh (1240mAh)- Power Consumption (in Operation): Approx. 1.3W (EVF:Approx. 1.1W)- Power Requirements: AC 100V to 240V, 50/60 Hz, 70mA
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High Quality Royalty Free icons for Windows, Mac and Linux, Offers Ico,Gif,Bmp,Png various icons format.
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- A free vector icon set - part 3
A free vector icon set - part 3
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This icon set of Milky is designed in EPS 8 vector format, including 48x48 and 64x64 PNG image and SVG files. Download address: http://min.frexy.com/article/milky_a_free_vector_icon_set_part_2/
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Apple ready to fight encrypted iPhone court order in shootings inquiry
Apple chief executive Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate's order to hack its users in connection with the investigation of the San Bernardino shootings.
Mr Cook asserted such a move would undermine encryption by creating a backdoor that could potentially be used on other future devices.
His response, posted on the company's website, came after an order from US Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym that Apple help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the December attack.
The first-of-its-kind ruling was a significant victory for the Justice Department in a technology policy debate that pits digital privacy against national security interests.
Noting the order on Tuesday from federal Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym in California, Mr Cook said "this moment calls for public discussion and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake".
Mr Cook argued the order "has implications far beyond the legal case at hand".
Judge Pym ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, setting the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley over the ruling.
Mr Cook said the US government order would undermine encryption by using specialised software to create an essential backdoor that he compared to a "master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks".
"In the wrong hands, this software - which does not exist today - would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," Mr Cook wrote.
"The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor.
"While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control."
FBI director James Comey told members of Congress last week that encryption is a major problem for law enforcement who "find a device that can't be opened even when a judge says there's probable cause to open it".
The ruling tied the problem to the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in a December 2 shooting at a holiday luncheon for Farook's co-workers. The couple later died in a gun battle with police.
Federal prosecutors told the judge in Tuesday's court proceeding - that was conducted without Apple being allowed to participate - that investigators cannot access a work phone used by Farook because they do not know his passcode and Apple has not co-operated.
The ruling requires Apple to supply highly-specialised software the FBI can load onto the county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature, which erases the phone's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it.
The FBI wants to be able to try different combinations in rapid sequence until it finds the right one.


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October 28: Human Trafficking Speaker Series- Supporting Human Trafficking Survivors in the Philippines
Where? Room 117
When? Monday, October 28, 12:30-1:20
Lunch will be served.
Speakers include:
Mr. Benjamin Aritao Jr., Barer Fellow; LL.M. Candidate in Sustainable International Development, UW Law; Founder of The Paper Project, Inc.
Mary Tal, iLeap Fellow; Founder and Project Director of Whole World Women Association
Hosted by the Barer Institute for Law and Global Human Services, the International Law Society, and the Graduate Program in Sustainable International Development
October 29: Social Justice Tuesday- Addressing Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System
Where? Room 133
When? Tuesday, October 29, 12:30-1:20pm.
Join Lisa Daugaard, Policy Director at The Defender Association, and UW alum Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney for a discussion of Racial Disparities in the Criminal System and local collaborative efforts to address the problem.
If you would like lunch please RSVP via Symplicity or email@example.com. Please RSVP by 12:00 pm Monday, October 28, 2013.
October 30: Diversity in the Judiciary- Panel Discussion with Washington Supreme Court Justices & the Washington Leadership Institute
Where? Room 133
When? Wednesday, October 30, room 133
The UW Law School Chapter of the American Constitution Society is hosting an informal panel discussion about the importance of diversity in the judiciary. The panel will include Justice Steve Gonzales as well as members of the Washington Leadership Institute who will discuss their own experiences as well as the broader importance of diversity in the judiciary.
October 30: Externship Information Session
Where? Room 133
When? Wednesday, October 30, 3:30-4:30pm
What is an externship? How do I apply for one? How do I register and earn credit?
In this session, we will answer your questions and many more as we explain the nuts and bolts of externships. We will also provide an overview of the objectives and requirements of our Externship Program, and outline the responsibilities of student, field supervisor and faculty supervisor.
RSVP via Symplicity or email@example.com
October 31: Litigation and Political Movements: Challenging Prolonged Solitary Confinement in American Prisons
Where? Allen Auditorium, Allen Library, room 181L, UW Campus
When? Thursday October 31, 3:30-5:00pm
Professor Jules Lobel is the Bessie McKee Wathour Endowed Chair at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Lobel is the co-author with David Cole of Less Safe, Less Free: Why America is Losing the War on Terror (2007), which won the first Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize for exemplary scholar-ship exploring the tension between civil liberties and national security. He is also the author of Success without Victory: Lost Legal Battles and the Long Road to Justice in America (2003), and editor of several books on civil rights litigation as well as the U.S. Constitution. Lobel is president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a national human and constitutional rights organization headquartered in New York City. He has litigated numerous cases involving constitutional and human rights issues in the United States courts, including several cases challenging presidential assertions of executive power to unilaterally initiate warfare and cases challenging US policy toward suspected terrorists. Professor Lobel involved his students in all these cases, giving them first hand exposure to the constitutional litigation of important and complex issues.
Sponsored by the Center for Human Rights; the Hilen Endowment for American Literature and Culture; the Law, Societies & Justice Program; the Program on Values in Society; the UW School of Law; and the Simpson Center for the Humanities.
November 1: Attention Seattle Area Attorneys! Don't Miss this Fantastic Opportunity to Mentor Students & Assist Immigrant Survivors of Violence
Where? Davis Wright Tremaine, 1201 Third Ave., Suite 2200, Seattle
When? Friday, Nov. 1, 10am-4:30pm.
The Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP) seeks volunteer attorneys to take on U-Visa cases and supervise student teams in 2013-2014. IFAP, a project of the University of Washington School of Law and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, pairs pro bono attorneys with law student teams to help secure U-Visas for immigrant survivors of qualifying crimes. The majority of clients are women who have suffered physical and emotional intimate partner violence. Attorneys do not need any experience in immigration law. IFAP provides the necessary training.
Pro Bono attorneys who are new to IFAP must attend our annual CLE. This year's CLE is hosted by Davis Wright Tremaine, 1201 Third Ave., Suite 2200, Seattle, on Friday, Nov. 1st from 10am-4:30pm. Registered attendees get 4.25 CLE credits, including 0.75 ethics credits. The cost is $35 for those who volunteer to supervise a student team and take on a U-Visa case, and $150 for attendees who do not volunteer.
Dont' delay! Registration ends October 30. To register please click here.
Attorneys who have previously attended the CLE needn't attend this year in order to volunteer. To RSVP as a repeat volunteer, e-mail Shira Zucker.


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We have been making flower-essence remedies and selling them for many years.
Our Rapid Response remedy has been formulated using 6 organic Bach Flower essences, which are a safe and natural method of healing (as discovered by Dr. Bach in the 1920-30's.) They gently restore the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions, which interfere with the equilibrium of the being as a whole. This remedy will allow peace and happiness to return to the sufferer so that the body is free to heal itself. It is made from wild flowers and is safe for the whole family including pets.
The six flower essences in this remedy and their properties are as follows:-
- Impatiens – for the states of impatience, irritation, nervy, frustration, fidgety, accident-prone, hastiness.
- Cherry Plum – to combat the fear of mind being over-strained, of reason giving away
- Rock Rose – to combat the feeling of terror, or after a nightmare. The feeling that you cannot react or move.
- Star of Bethlehem – to combat the feeling of trauma, after effect of shock, post traumatic stress
- Clematis – to combat daydreaming, dreaminess, withdrawing, lack of concentration, bad memory, accident prone, fantasy world
- In addition, we add Walnut, which re-inforces the benefits of the 5 other essences to give constancy and protection from outside influences.


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Here is a "hot" secret: "Core Intel vPro processors contain a 'secret' 3G chip that allows remote disabling and backdoor to any computer even when it is turned off".
Translated, this says that this Intel processor can knock-out any computer even when turned off.
This makes this processor a friend of NSA! Bill Gates, you are such as sweet guy!
Is there an equivalent processor made by Apple? If not, would it be worthwhile to junk a the pc and IBM close pc computers now and start all over again?
Find out by reading this very interesting piece by Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars.com.
Intel Core vPro processors contain a "secret" 3G chip that allows remote disabling and backdoor access to any computer even when it is turned off.
Although the technology has actually been around for a while, the attendant privacy concerns are only just being aired. The "secret" 3G chip that Intel added to its processors in 2011 caused little consternation until the NSA spying issue exploded earlier this year as a result of Edward Snowden's revelations.
In a promotional video for the technology, Intel brags that the chips actually offer enhanced security because they don't require computers to be "powered on" and allow problems to be fixed remotely. The promo also highlights the ability for an administrator to shut down PCs remotely "even if the PC is not connected to the network," as well as the ability to bypass hard drive encryption.
"Intel actually embedded the 3G radio chip in order to enable its Anti Theft 3.0 technology. And since that technology is found on every Core i3/i5/i7 CPU after Sandy Bridge, that means a lot of CPUs, not just new vPro, might have a secret 3G connection nobody knew about until now,"reports Softpedia.
Jeff Marek, director of business client engineering for Intel, acknowledged that the company's Sandy Bridge" microprocessor, which was released in 2011, had "the ability to remotely kill and restore a lost or stolen PC via 3G."
"Core vPro processors contain a second physical processor embedded within the main processor which has it's own operating system embedded on the chip itself," writes Jim Stone. "As long as the power supply is available and and in working condition, it can be woken up by the Core vPro processor, which runs on the system's phantom power and is able to quietly turn individual hardware components on and access anything on them."
Although the technology is being promoted as a convenient way for IT experts to troubleshoot PC issues remotely, it also allows hackers or NSA snoops to view the entire contents of somebody's hard drive, even when the power is off and the computer is not connected to a wi-fi network.
It also allows third parties to remotely disable any computer via the "secret" 3G chip that is built into Intel's Sandy Bridge processors. Webcams could also be remotely accessed.
"This combination of hardware from Intel enables vPro access ports which operate independently of normal user operations," reports TG Daily. "These include out-of-band communications (communications that exist outside of the scope of anything the machine might be doing through an OS or hypervisor), monitoring and altering of incoming and outgoing network traffic. In short, it operates covertly and snoops and potentially manipulates data."
Not only does this represent a privacy nightmare, it also dramatically increases the risk of industrial espionage.
The ability for third parties to have remote 3G access to PCs would also allow unwanted content to be placed on somebody's hard drive, making it easier for intelligence agencies and corrupt law enforcement bodies to frame people.
"The bottom line? The Core vPro processor is the end of any pretend privacy," writes Stone. "If you think encryption, Norton, or anything else is going to ensure your privacy, including never hooking up to the web at all, think again. There is now more than just a ghost in the machine."
Paul Joseph Watson
Download this report by first moving your mouse over this link. Then depress the button on the mouse briefly to start the transfer.
More Vital News
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Reid Clamors For Debt Increase in 2013, Railed Against It In 2006 New!
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Teens Promised Illuminati Membership In Return for Sex New!
Airsoft Gun Panic: Boy Faces Criminal Charges, School Locked Down Over Toy Weapon New!
Friend of Chechen Man Executed by FBI, Arrested and Interrogated for Hours
TSA To Roll Out "Covert Surveillance" Vans
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Peter Schiff Was Right Part Deux: The "Taper" Edition
$5.25 Million For Senate Hair Care And 21 Other Ways Politicians Are Living The High Life At Your Expense
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YouTube Blocks Video Linking Obama's Ties to Kenyan Massacre
Russia Says Sarin Gas in Aug. 21 Syria Attack Was 'Homemade'
Breaking: Whistleblower Reveals U.S. State Dept. Ships Arms Directly to al-Qaeda


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A recent edition of Illinois Farmer Today features dairy operations who've left the daily grind of milking cows to implementing robotic systems. Gene Johnston writes about about the Lawfer family who has Lely robots. An excerpt is below or read the entire article here.
Milking robots perfected over the last few years are making their way onto mid-sized and larger dairy farms across the Midwest.
In Illinois, the Lawfer family has also developed a fondness for their robot milkers. It's not about paring payroll.
Rather, the robots have simply made Willow Valley Dairy Farm in Kent a more enjoyable place to work.
Ron Lawfer and his family milk 150 cows, a mixture of Holsteins, Jerseys, Ayrshires and Brown Swiss.
"We're building numbers towards 240 cows," he says. "We have two robot milkers now, and when we get to full capacity we'll put in two more."
They installed the air-powered Astronaut robot milkers from Lely and started using them in December 2014.
"It's still amazing to me that they come in completely on their own to get milked," says Lawfer. "Some of them come to be milked two times, some of them come as many as six times. On average, it's about three times a day.
"It has let us go to three-time-a-day milking without adding the extra labor we would need in a manual system."
There are three partners on this farm: Ron, his wife Julie, and their son John. The milkers give them more time.
"You're not in that milk pit six or eight hours a day like we used to be," Lawfer says.
Each robot unit can handle about 55 to 60 cows. The Lawfers' two units are occupied about 85 percent of the time over the course of a day, and each cow is in the robot milker an average of seven minutes per milking.
Failures do happen with the robots. Usually, it's something simple, like a guide cable on a teat cup gets caught. Lawfer says such things happen once every week or two.
Read the entire article here.


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Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'july 2018'.
Found 1 result
"V/A - Retrodelic Vibes 6 Vintage Memories
Trance2MoveU posted a topic in 2018Artist: Various Title: Retrodelic Vibes 6 - Vintage Memories Label: Avatar Records Date: July, 2018 1. Chromium Dioxide - Three State Logic 2. Venus Zen - Encens 3. Vermillion - BIC 4. Alfalfa - Amanite FX 5. Chinese Whispers - Synchro 6. Rakshas - Asia 2001 7. Moonstone - Spectral 8. Spellbound - Cwithe 9. S.E.T.I. - Psychaos 10. Animal People - Cydonia 11. Tribal Tool - Shakti Twins 12. The Beauty and the Beast (Total Eclipse Remix) - Sven Vath 13 Superluminal - Nucleus 14. Domino Effect - ManMadeMan & Domino As a collector of many things goa I was happy that there was another volume of the RV series and yet equally disappointed that it was only a digital version. Oh well no big deal...I think I can keep my OCD in check. For a little while. Anyway like all the previous entries in this series you have a few well known bangers, some not so well known and apparently some that weren't even released. The album itself is decent even without any stellar tracks because let's be honest...we have mined those hills for a long time and there just might not be any absolute stormers left uncovered. And therein lies the rub. If you're reading this then most likely you have most of these tracks. So as much as I appreciate the effort, this compilation really isn't that necessary. Still...any chance I get to rock out to Animal People I'm gonna do it. Psyshop


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Hindi films about Indians traveling abroad have captured the imagination of the audience – if the successes of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Queen are any indication. These films are targeted at metropolitan/ multiplex audiences, those likely to be more aligned with the global world than with rural India which is only a few hundred kilometers away. These films appear to celebrate the newly found boldness of the global Indian, his/her willingness to take chances and seek out risky occupations/ ways of life. Until a little more than half a century ago crossing the seas was almost taboo for Indians, but this has apparently changed forever. Traveling abroad is now presented as emblematic of acquiring boldness and becoming independent- an implication found in all the three films cited above. Still, a closer examination of the new films has us wondering about the extent of the acquired boldness.
In Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, for instance, the male protagonist Bunny – who is fiercely protective of his independence – is a globetrotting photojournalist and one would expect a person of his ilk to be where the action is – in Sudan, Syria or Ukraine. What Bunny does instead is to hang out in Paris where the tourists gather and take pictures of skateboarding youth on the city's pavements. But the acts by which global Indians from cinema show genuine audacity is in spending money and the example of icons like Lakshmi Mittal may have helped inspire them. Cost is never a consideration although most travelers know that London and Paris – where the global Indian mainly registers his/her presence – are among the most exorbitant of cities.
Queen is structured like a road movie and road movies are about travels on which people change and/or grow up in some sense… The problem is that Rani behaves less as a traveler than a tourist, and tourism does not spell 'independence'.
In Queen traveling abroad becomes the central metaphor for a young woman dumped by her fiancé on the eve of her wedding to demonstrate her independence. Rani and Vijay had been planning to go on their honeymoon to Paris and Rani decides to go alone – despite the comforting presence of a husband not being available. The film begins with preparations being made for the wedding – Rani (Kangana Ranaut) being suitably attired and prepared for the gala event, but it still makes certain that there are few surprises. Vijay is made an unprepossessing young man, as if to prepare us for the break-up. Having an attractive groom might have romantically inclined audiences pairing the two off in their minds and then feeling let down, and this is being prevented. Rani is from a reasonably well-off business family and Vijay's parents are known to her father but no convincing reason is provided either for why/how the rat-faced Vijay should/could dump someone as gorgeous as she is or for why Rani should be so smitten by the prospect of marrying him. She may be from a conservative family but she studies in a Delhi college and she must surely have received male attention.
Queen is structured like a road movie and road movies are about travels on which people change and/or grow up in some sense. But the problem with it is its 'grammar' – its adopting the passive voice as it were. Rani wanting to travel on her own to Europe means that she is a strong-willed person who is intent on discovering herself because it is her dependence on other people for her happiness which has brought her grief. Anyone traveling on his/her own to a strange country – especially one not used to traveling internationally – would try to find out about the city she is traveling to, how one gets around in it and what things cost. If one is traveling to assert one's independence, what better way than to explore? Rani would need to consult maps and guidebooks and if Vikas Bahl had paid attention to the actual conditions of travel he would not have simply deposited her at her final destination – which is her hotel. Although an actual traveler with money might choose to get around by taxi, a filmmaker showing an inexperienced person arriving in a strange city would also do well to include a metro ride from the airport on which the protagonist would see unexpected things.
The problem is that Rani behaves less as a traveler than a tourist, and tourism does not spell 'independence'. Indians don't usually make inquisitive travelers and I was once a judge in a travel writing competition in which a short-listed contestant was so besotted with his own grandchild in the back seat of his car that he neglected to look out of his window, and therefore saw little worth describing. Rani is much like that and, predictably enough, the film provides her with the comforting presence of a part-Indian woman named Vijayalakshmi. Perhaps sensing that this reassurance would not be enough for the audience, the film adds a loud musical soundtrack – full of the canine howling that passes for singing in Hindi cinema today, and the sounds and noises that one might find captivating in a new city are shut ruthlessly out. Rani stays for an indefinite period in Paris but all she sees are the sights that any tourist brochure offers – the Seine, Montmartre, The Eifel Tower, the Champs-Élysées along with a few parties attended with Vijayalakshmi during which she meets no person of any interest but dances with abandon.
From Paris, Rani travels by train to Amsterdam – that other comforting European city for Indian tourists. Rani has handed her a gift to be passed on to a woman friend – a cheerful prostitute who speaks a little Hindi. Rani also makes three male friends in a hostel – Olik who is Ukranian, an African and a Japanese survivor of the tsunami named Taka, who form a chaste community around her. Mildly amusing is a visit to a sex shop in which Rani demonstrates her naiveté. The highpoint of this section of the film is her dealing with an Italian cook/waiter whom she kisses; still, a kiss from a seedy Italian waiter in Rome is routinely included as a 'special' by tour operators. Considering the amount of time Rani spends in Europe, it is significant that there is not one story that she gets from people which might have shed light on other parts of the globe. Much more attention is given to her memories of India, Vijay, her family, her grossly overweight kid brother and interminable Skype interludes.
It is as though the three men with her were not sexual beings at all and only an Indian man – even one who has brutally hurt her – could be imagined as a sexual partner at all. Vikas Bahl has made Vijay thoroughly dislikable and there is no way that we in the audience can see him as a suitable match for someone played by Kangana Ranaut.
After all the rhetoric around freedom and the good things of the world duly tasted by Rani, it is strange that she should hesitate so much when Rat-Face catches up with her in Amsterdam. It is as though the three men with her were not sexual beings at all and only an Indian man – even one who has brutally hurt her – could be imagined as a sexual partner at all. Vikas Bahl has made Vijay thoroughly dislikable and there is no way that we in the audience can see him as a suitable match for someone played by Kangana Ranaut. Still, Rani hesitates much more than someone wronged by him should and listens to his hypocritical pleas of true love even as we sit in the dark grinding our teeth. I suspect that this conclusion owes to the director not being sure of his audience. There might be people sitting in a khap panchayat somewhere who would still want Rani to marry Vijay, and they need convincing. It is perhaps this factor which eventually makes Queena very conservative film. Despite its siding with feminine independence, it submits to the khap mentality. Given this scenario, one wonders if elements of such a mentality are not deeply embedded in the global Indian and if it is not these elements which make him/her acutely uncomfortable outside home. Shopping and spending are perhaps essentially nervous safeguards against the cold loneliness of a strange new world – in which ready communities are not found as easily as Queen would have us believe.


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Jiang Yukun
|Jiang Yukun
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
|1981 (aged 67–68)
|Yang-style taijiquan,
Wudang Sword
Jiang Yukun (Chinese: 蒋玉堃; pinyin: Jiǎng Yùkūn; 1913–1981) was a t'ai chi ch'uan master. He was a student of grandmaster Yang Chengfu (who is the grandson of creator of Yang-syle t'ai chi ch'uan, Yang Luchan). Although he studied different t'ai chi ch'uan styles like Chen, Wu, Sun and Li, his specialism was Yang-syle.
Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Jiang Yukun began martial arts training at the age of 7 with his uncle.[1] Then his t'ai chi ch'uan training began with Han Ch'ing-t'ang. In Zhejiang provincial Wushu Academy he became the student of Yang Chengfu at his age of 30's. After passing the entrance exam of Nanjing China Central Wushu Institute, he studied Xingyiquan, Pa Kua, Chin Na and Sanshou, Wudang Sword respectively with masters Chiang Jung-Ch'iao, Huang Pai-nien, Wu Chun-shan, Liu Pai-ch'uan and Huang Yuan-hsiu.
In 1930 he became the champion in Zhejiang, in 1933 he scored the highest point in graduate exam of Nanjing China Central Wushu Institute, in 1948 he became the national champion of wrestling, in 1956 he got 2 titles in national Wushu Championship, in 1975 he was invited to be the national Wushu trainer.
Jiang Yukun studied Da Jia (the original Big Frame) in Yang-style t'ai chi system from a martial arts approach. He learned and Xiao Jia (the Small Frame) Small Frame Yang Style from Gong Rongtian, who was a disciple of Yang Ban-Shou (the 2nd generation successor of the Yang Family). Jiang also learned Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan from Master Chen Ziming, the 17th generation successor of the Chen Family.
One of the heritages of Yang Chengfu, the traditional 43 form Yang style, could come to the present day via master Jiang Yukun. This rarely practised form was passed on to his students. Yang style 43 form has high and low stands, beautiful circular moves and powerful yet relaxed actions with much details. 43 form has been created by Yang Chengfu just a few years before his death and undergone small edit by Master Jiang Yukun.


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The air-conditioned building consists of 322 lodgings including studios, standard rooms, apartments and villas. The hotel provides the best service for its guests and features a 24-hour reception with a safe, a currency exchange, as well as a small supermarket, a hairdresser, a bookshop, a jewellers, a number of restaurants, bars, a coffee shop and a nightclub. Western Union money transfer service and DHL postal service are also provided as well as room and laundry services and parking facilities with a valet service. There is a kids' club for younger guests.
## Location
This beach hotel is situated in the heart of the famous Naama Bay, 500 m to the centre and 600 m to the sea. The hotel is set in extensive landscaped grounds overlooking the panoramic view of Naama Bay and the Sinai Desert and mountains. Sharm El Sheikh International Airport is approximately 14 km away.
## Rooms
The accommodation is designed in a combination of oriental and classical styles. The rooms are equipped with everything a guest would need, including an en suite bathroom, air conditioning, small fridge, safe, sat-TV, direct dial telephone and a hairdryer. The rooms additionally feature either a balcony or a terrace.
## Sport
The hotel features four unique swimming pools (some of which are heated) and a beautiful private beach in Naama Bay offering guests refreshing relaxation with sun loungers and parasols as well as a poolside snack bar. It also has many entertainment facilities such as Emperor diving centre with a swimming pool especially for divers, a separate children's pool and nursery services as well as water sports. Further sports options include tennis, table tennis, squash, basketball, handball, volleyball and billiards.
## Meals
Dining and drinking options are offered in the El Rasheed main restaurant, the Mamma Mia Italian restaurant, the Shunghai Chinese restaurant, the Farah Boat fish restaurant, the Entree lobby bar, the El Dawar oriental restaurant, the Pico pool bar, Black House nightclub and the Rendezvous coffee shop.
## Payment
MasterCard and Visa cards are accepted at the hotel.
## Notes
No room service available at the hotel, and pets are not allowed.


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In which the author cries about well-made magazines.
Month: June 2016
Wearing Colour (an autobiography)
In which the author is melodramatic about wearing pink.
What I Wore: First Day on the Job
On the first day of my internship, I was faced with a dilemma. I needed to look professional, in a I get my work done well and efficiently way, but I also needed to look cool, in a I get invited to a lot of parties kinda way. I have no idea how successful […]
Move On Up
Moving sucks, but moving to a big city with big opportunities sucks less.


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We've combined two of our favourite (and super healthy) ingredients for a light and refreshing summer salad. This salad is so easy and so tasty, you'll think you're eating out at a restaurant. As a bonus, left overs will keep for up to 2 days without going soggy and gross so it's perfect to make ahead for lunch.
- 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 1 bunch of Kale
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp of seedy mustard (our favourite is Kozliks Triple Crunch)
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- pinch of salt
- good quality parmesan cheese
- Cook quinoa according to package directions, set aside and cool
- Wash & dry kale, remove stems and chop into bite sized pieces
- Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey and salt together
- In a large salad bowl, toss kale, quinoa and dressing together
- Serve and top with freshly grated parmesean


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Sooji And Veggie Squares – Suji ka Nashta – Indian Snack Recipe – Breakfast Recipes
Hi this is Rekha Kakkar from mytastycurry. Welcome to my channel We all love crispy snacks but unfortunately most of these crispy snacks are either deep-fried or cooked in some un-healthy way In today's recipe video I am going to share with you a delicious and tasty, crispy recipe of snack which is full of veggies some creaminess with some cheese, if you want to use that and that is not deep-fried. In today's episode I am going to make these Semolina Veggie Squares You can serve […]More info


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My race-prepped 2008 Can-Am DS 450
In Part I of our Project Can-Am DS 450 we told you about many of the must-have parts you need for your Can-Am DS 450 ATV to put it on a motocross-style race track.
In Part II we talk about many of the tricks and DETAILS to be truly competitive in the A class and above, and make sure you FINISH the races. Many of these issues and items will only be of concern to the A level rider and above, but other DS 450 owners may want to pay attention just for longevity of their machine.
I have spent a full year now riding and racing the DS 450 and have accumulated these tips both from personal experiences and what we have learned from the factory teams and their experiences.
In some weather and track conditions, the DS 450 has had cooling issues. We have experienced this problem on our DS 450 in certain situations. Here are some of the solutions and fixes.
First get down to the dealer and have them re-program your computer. The stock computer has a very low temperature setting that will make your DS 450 go into what they call "Limp" mode as soon as it shows a reading above this temperature. Can-Am released a new version in mid-2008 to their dealers that raises the temperature at which the DS 450 will go into limp mode. Ask your dealer to re-program your computer with this new version.
|Look closely:
1) Holes around gas tank under front fender. 2) Holes above tank under handle bars. 3) Holes in front of seat below gas filler.
Next make swiss cheese out of your plastic. The heat gets trapped in and around the top of the engine and radiator. You need to take a 1" hole saw and vent the plastic so that cool air will flow in and the hot air will flow out. See the image below. You will cut around 23 holes in your plastic. Get out your hole saw and go to work.
Don't put a big number plate in front of your radiator. This will block the air flow and cause overheating problems even with a short 10 minute moto or less. You want a low profile bumper and small number plate mounted low so as to not block air flow to the radiator.
Don't buy a heavy-duty aftermarket radiator. This does NOT seem to help. I am not sure why not but we have talked to many users who have tried this without any improvement in the cooling. Some teams have tried putting a radiator cap on the stock tanks. We don't believe there is a big benefit to this either. You are less likely to get air in the system but you have less fluid flowing and testing has been non-conclusive.
Do buy a couple Pro Design super coolers and install them in-line. These are relatively in-expensive and seem to give you a few degrees cooling improvement. You can install one both going in and out. You can get them here.
Use good radiator fluid like the Spectro coolant or Engine Ice. These will help cool the engine and don't expand like some radiator fluids. This should give you a few degrees improvement over stock fluids.
|Pro Design Super cooler installed in-line in our CV4 hoses.
|We have found that the Spectro coolant works exceptionally well.
Install some CV4 radiator hoses. These are a little more expensive and I am not sure if these really help the flow, but they do get rid of those plastic T's and junctions, and are a much nicer system than stock. We have had one of those plastic T's crack and start leaking. Spend a couple hundred and make sure you don't experience that problem during a race.
While you are changing the hoses, we recomend also changing as many of the hose clamps as possible. The OEM clamps don't seem to work very well, and replacing them with some from any auto parts store will help reduce oil and coolant leaks on the quad.
|Notice how the bumper AND number plate are both below the radiator and factory fins. The factory fins are vertical rather than horizontal like the stock OEM ones.
Install or build some factory style fins. We have only seen these made available to the factory teams and don't know of an aftermarket option. We have used these fins on our bike and this is what we have found.
We are not sure they really give better cooling but what they do seem to do very well is keep the crud out of the radiator much better than the stock radiator fins and guard.
The vertical fins seem to block mud and roost much better than stock fins. As soon as you get a bunch of crud in your radiator you are doomed.
Install a small pusher fan on the front of the radiator for EXTREME conditions. The factory teams have tried lots of different things and this option seems to work the best for extreme conditions. With a small pusher fan on the front of the radiator you can basically tape up the front of the machine to keep all the mud out and still keep it running cool. Wire it in so that it runs all the time. This is the key for long muddy races.
See PAGE 2 for tech tips on Clutch, Ignition, Fuel temperature, swingarm arm carrier and brakes
The clutch on the DS 450 is a problem area for most of the pro riders. There are a couple things you need to do.
Order some heavy duty clutch springs. This will help your clutch last longer although may make the pull slightly heavier.
Install a billet clutch basket. The stock baskets are prone to failure. The baskets themselves are not real expensive to replace but sometimes they will basically self destruct and that can send small aluminum pieces everywhere necessitating a full engine tear down. You have three options that we know of. One is to get hold of one of the billet baskets available from Can-Am for the factory teams. Two is to get a Hinson clutch basket. These are not readily available because they require Hinson to remove the gear off your stock basket and rivet it on the new basket. You can get these from HotSeat Powersports for around $239 with your core. Option 3 is a complete clutch from Motoworks. This is a billet basket, inner hub, and pressure plate and will set you back $650. Motoworks had these made specifically for their race team and are not sold through their dealers but ARE available if you call them direct.
|Hinson billet clutch basket for the Can-Am DS 450 ATV
We have used both the Hinson basket and the Can-Am billet basket. Both work but the Hinson basket is a much nicer unit. We have not tried the Motoworks setup.
|NGK High Performance wires installed on the Can-Am DS 450
Some owners and racers have experienced miss-fires. These have been tracked back to the wires and caps on the stock DS 450. While we don't know of anyone that has experienced a DNF because of this problem, it will cause a performance issue. There is an easy fix
Replace both wires with a high performance replacement made by NGK. You can get these from HotSeat Powersports as a kit with both wires that you need.
Fuel Boiling
|CV4 thermal film applied to the Can-Am DS 450 gas tank.
Some users and racers have experienced fuel boiling. Again, we don't believe this is a common occurrence but we do know it is happening in some conditions. We also know that cool fuel means better performance. We expect the cheese project mentioned earlier helps your fuel temps also but to further protect yourself -
Order some CV4 Gold thermal film. One kit will more than do you tank and will set you back about 50 bucks Wrap the under side and sides where the most heat can be reflected away from your fuel tank. We know many factory Motocross and ATV teams use this trick, not just on Can-Am DS 450's.
TIP - if you decide to install a Precision Racing Products steering
stabilizer - which we recomend very much - you can use the left-over termal film
to cover the mounting bracket of your stabilizer. This will decrease the chance
of it fading during a moto.
Swingarm Carrier
The stock DS 450 carrier in the 2008 model does not hold up well to 50" axles. We experienced more than one failure in our test unit. We only know of one fix for that.
Order a replacement carrier from RPM. This carrier uses tapered bearings and they seem to hold up well. They are available from HotSeat Powersports, among other RPM dealers. It is much easier to replace a good carrier than one that is destroyed. Trust us. :-)
The other issue with the carrier / axle is that you need to pay attention to the location of your axle in the carrier. The DS 450swingarm design allows the carrier to turn 360 degrees. This can mean a difference in wheel base of over an (1") inch and also a difference in ride height. For a motocross setup you want your axle towards the rear and towards the bottom. Pay attention to this when changing chains and sprockets.
Make it easier
A couple things to make maintenance easier.
Cut the plastic battery box so the electronics under battery can easily be removed, for full rear plastic removal without disconnecting the wires and threading them through the plastic. Another is to cut your rear plastic around your rear shock bolt. This will allow rear shock removal much easer without unbolting the rear plastic.
|Cut a piece out of the battery box to make easier to remove and install the rear plastic.
|Notch your plastic to allow easy access to rear shock bolt.
Want a better feel and slightly improved front braking? We learned this one from the factory teams.
Many are using a Honda master cylinder and prefer the feel to the stock DS 450 master cylinder. That said, I do personally prefer the feel of the stock lever. If you are going to change the master cylinder, you will also have to change the front brake lines as this master cylinder uses a straight banjo connection rather than the 90 degree one on OEM unit. You can get a Streamline kit with this configuration.
On the rear side. Keep an eye on your pads. The OEM pads work well but don't last very long. DP makes some pads that will last much longer than the OEM ones.
After a year with our long term Can-Am DS 450, it has been a constant learning process with the new machine and its first-model-year quirks. We have experienced and seen that the machine can be competitive at the Pro level - just check out the results that Team Epic's Jeremy Lawson and Motoworks' Josh Frederick have had during the 2008 race season.
We hope that you can use some or all of these tips to put your Can-Am DS 450 on the podium.


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- Top 10 Best Nonstick Cookware Sets
- 1. T-fal® Ultimate Hard Anodized Scratch Resistant Titanium Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator, 12-piece Set
- 2. Rachael Ray™ Cucina Hard Porcelain Enamel Nonstick Cookware, 12-Piece Set
- 3. Bialetti® Granito X-tra Cookware Set, 10-Piece Set
- 4. Circulon® Symmetry Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware, 11-Piece Set
- 5. Cuisinart® Chef's Classic™ Nonstick Hard Anodized Cookware, 17-Piece Set
- 6. Simply Calphalon® Nonstick Cookware, 10-Piece Set
- 7. Anolon® Advanced Bronze Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware, 11-Piece Set
- 8. KitchenAid® Aluminum Nonstick Cookware, 8-Piece Set
- 9. Paula Deen® Signature Collection Porcelain Nonstick Cookware, 15-Piece Set
- 10. Gotham™ Steel Kitchen Nonstick Frying Pan and Cookware, 10-Piece Set
- Tips for Nonstick Cookware
Nonstick Cookware Overview
The best nonstick cookware is easy to use, easy to clean, and the smooth slick coating prevents food from sticking to it. People are more health conscious today. They like using less oil, prefer olive oil, and porcelain nonstick cookware allows you to do this.
Teflon® cookware is not used so much now in favor of porcelain or ceramic. Porcelain and ceramic cookware have no PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) used in Teflon® made by DuPont™. We are much more concerned with PFOA (perfluorooctanoate). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has requested major chemical manufacturers to phase out this chemical a year ago in 2015. Nonstick cookware has no PFOA today. Perfluorooctanesulfoic acid (PFOS) is not used today either.
When you let your nonstick pans get extremely hot, they can release other toxic chemicals—and the fumes kill birds. You never want these pots, pans, or skillets to heat up on the stove empty. They must always have a coating of oil or butter when frying anything. They must be used at medium or low heat and never at a high temperature. You cannot use metal utensils, but rather, wood, rubber, silicone, or nylon. These pans do not give you a brown crusty coating, nor do they sear as well as other products.
They are typically made of aluminum for the base covered with ceramic or porcelain. This is less costly than copper or stainless steel. This cookware is ideal for frying breaded foods and will not break apart. Those less experienced cooks find these easier and quicker to cook a meal.
One of the downsides is that some cannot be washed in the dishwasher. Some cannot go in the oven.
Summary of 10 Nonstick Cookware Reviews
|Product Image
|Product Name
|Quantity of Set
|Editor's Rating
|T-fal® Ultimate Hard Anodized Scratch Resistant Titanium Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator
|Read Review
|Rachael Ray™ Cucina Hard Porcelain Enamel Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|Bialetti® Granito X-tra Cookware Set
|Read Review
|Circulon® Symmetry Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|Cuisinart® Chef's Classic™ Nonstick Hard Anodized Cookware
|Read Review
|Simply Calphalon® Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|Anolon® Advanced Bronze Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|KitchenAid® Aluminum Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|Paula Deen® Signature Collection Porcelain Nonstick Cookware
|Read Review
|Gotham™ Steel Kitchen Nonstick Frying Pan and Cookware
|Read Review
Top 10 Best Nonstick Cookware Sets
1. T-fal® Ultimate Hard Anodized Scratch Resistant Titanium Nonstick Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator, 12-piece Set
T-fal® has been making celebrated cookware since 1954. The orange Thermo-Spot® technology lets you know when to start cooking. The model E765SC will not warp with its TechnoResist base, is dishwasher safe, PFOA-free and is available in gray. The hard anodized aluminum base is extremely durable. The inside is a hard titanium nonstick surface for performance. The handles are made of silicone and remain cool attached with rivets for your comfort and safety. The set is safe to use in the oven to 400-degrees F. The set is lightweight and can be used on all stove tops except induction. The glass lids are vented with easy-to-grasp and hold handles.
Your 12-piece set includes an 8- and 10.25-inch frypan, a 5.6-quart covered Dutch oven, a 1.1-quart, 2.3-quart, and 3.2-quart covered sauce and sauté pans. For the correct utensils to use, you will also receive a nylon slotted spatula and solid spoon for serving and preparing your food. This product is not PTOF-free. The set weighs 20 pounds.
Gift-wrapping is available for a friend or loved one. You will receive a User's Manual and a Lifetime Limited Warranty. The set is made in China.
2. Rachael Ray™ Cucina Hard Porcelain Enamel Nonstick Cookware, 12-Piece Set
The Rachael Ray™ hard porcelain enamel cookware set is a lovely warm agave blue and also available in cranberry red, lavender, mushroom brown, and pumpkin orange. Any of these colors will coordinate with your kitchen décor.
The set is nonstick, PFOA-free, and is black on the interior. The base construction is made of sturdy aluminum for fast even heat. The set is safe to use in the oven up to 400-degrees F. They are easy to hand wash and cannot be put in the dishwasher. Food gently slides off effortlessly with only a tad of butter or olive oil for cooking. The handles are rubberized with 2 rivets holding each one on with shatter-proof glass tempered lids for sealing in moisture. You can use them on glass, ceramic, gas, and electric stoves, but not induction.
The set consists of a 1-quart covered saucepan, a 3-quart covered saucepan, 6-quart covered stockpot, 3-quart covered sauté pan, 8.5-inch open skillet, 10-inch open skillet, and a convenient proper nylon slotted spoon and spatula. The set weighs 17.5 pounds.
Gift-wrapping is available for a friend or loved one. You will receive a User's Manual and Lifetime Limited Warranty. The set is made in Thailand.
3. Bialetti® Granito X-tra Cookware Set, 10-Piece Set
The Italian company, Bialetti®, who says Italy is the heart of the home, created the Granito (granite) durable and easy to clean granite nonstick interior cookware for health and use of less oil or butter. It is PFOA-free made of ceramic enamel with the base of heavy-duty aluminum. The set is thick for uniform heating and cooking.
It is recommended that the set be hand washed and not put in the dishwasher. The handles and lid grips are rubberized with a hole for hanging the pots. You can use metal utensils, the lids are tempered glass and the set includes an 8-inch fry pan, a 10.25-inch fry pan, an 11-inch covered deep sauté pan, a 2-quart covered sauce pan, a 2.5-quart covered saucepan, and a 5-quart Dutch oven. The set weighs 19 pounds.
You will receive a User's Manual and Lifetime Limited Warranty. The set is made in China.
4. Circulon® Symmetry Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware, 11-Piece Set
The Circulon® Symmetry cookware will not stick, and comes in black, red, and brown. The tulip shape rounded shape adds classiness to your kitchen. The anodized aluminum base is 2 times as hard as stainless steel. The set uses the TOTAL® Food Release System from Circulon® is PFOA-free and you can use metal utensils. The 3-layer nonstick interior with raised circles reduce surface abrasion. No oils or butter are needed, the set will not chip or scratch, and you can mash foods right in the saucepans! They can be safely used in the oven to 400-degrees F.
The stainless steel bottoms can be used on all stoves including induction. The handles are comfortable made of cast stainless steel with a silicone coating for comfort and coolness. The tempered glass lids let you see what's cooking without any loss of moisture or heat. They do not have vent holes and are trimmed in stainless steel. These pots and pans are dishwasher safe.
The set includes a 1-quart pouring saucepan, 2- and 3-quart covered saucepans, an 8-quart covered stockpot, with 8.5- and 10-inch skillets, with a 3-quart covered sauté pan. The set weighs 28 pounds.
Gift wrapping is available for those you care about. The set comes with a User's Manual and a Circulon® hassle-free Lifetime Guarantee. They are made in Asia and distributed by Meyer Commercialware, Inc.
5. Cuisinart® Chef's Classic™ Nonstick Hard Anodized Cookware, 17-Piece Set
The Cuisinart® model number 66-17 is stylish and functional for great cooking encouraged by French chefs. Cuisinart® has been making the best kitchenware for over 30 years. The nonstick hard anodized aluminum core will give you unsurpassed cooking for special occasions and everyday meals.
The hard exterior is much harder than stainless steel, is dense, nonporous, and durable for home use or professional chefs.
The high quality Quantanium® nonstick interior with titanium strengthened surface provides you with health conscious cooking that are easy to clean and will use metal utensils safely. You will love the cast stainless steel Cool Grip™ stick handles that stay cool on the stove when cooking and provide you with a safe hold. The handles are riveted for stability. The rims of the cookware are tapered for easy pouring without a mess dripping down the sides. The stainless steel lids fit tightly. You can put these in the oven to 500-degrees F, on the stovetop, under the broiler, and safely freeze. These cannot be used on induction stoves or in the dishwasher.
You will receive a 1.5-quart saucepan with cover, 2-quart saucepan with cover, 3-quart saucepan with cover, 4-quart sauté pan with helper handle on the front and cover, 9-quart stockpot with cover, 8-inch open skillet, 10-inch open skillet, 12-inch skillet with cover, a 7.87-inch multi-steamer insert with cover, and a 9.44-inch pasta insert. The set weighs 38 pounds.
You will receive a User's Manual and a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The set is made in China.
6. Simply Calphalon® Nonstick Cookware, 10-Piece Set
The Simply Calphalon® set has an interior coating nonstick surface that is double coated, tempered glass lids with silicone handles, and the construction is hard anodized aluminum to give you even heat conduction. They are safe to use in a 400-degree F. oven; however, they are not dishwasher safe.
You can only use nylon, plastic, or wood cooking utensils. This set is compatible for gas, electric, electric rings, halogen, and glass top stoves, but not safe on induction units. Make your favorite caramel and other sticky recipes without a gumming problem with the beautiful black Calphalon® cookware.
Your set will have an 8- and 10-inch omelet pan, 1.5-quart saucepan with cover, 2.5-quart saucepan with cover, a 3-quart sauté pan with cover and a 6-quart stockpot with cover. The set weighs 20 pounds.
Gift-wrapping is available for friends and family. You will receive a User's Manual and a full 10-year Warranty. The set is made in China.
7. Anolon® Advanced Bronze Hard Anodized Nonstick Cookware, 11-Piece Set
The Anolon® Advanced Bronze Collection is created with the finest thick heavy-gauge anodized aluminum. This provides you with even heat for the best results. The SureGrip handles are made of stainless steel with silicone coverings securely riveted for a safe soft grasp. The set is safe to use in your oven to 400-degrees F. You will have nutritious and health conscious cooking with the PFOA-free DuPont® Teflon® interior Autograph™ 2 nonstick cookware. These have been tested in professional kitchens by reputable chefs. There are no hot spots eliminating scorching and food burning. The set is a tulip shape meaning they are rounded at the bottom.
The lids are dome shaped and are made of tempered glass with stainless steel support rings around the edge for safe sitting on the cookware rims. The bronze color will harmonize with any kitchen décor and are beautiful. The box states you can use metal utensils, but if you don't want scratches use wood, nylon, plastic, or silicone.
The set contains a 1.5- and 3-quart covered saucepan, 8-quart covered stockpot, 8- and 10-inch French skillet, 12-inch shallow grill pan, and a 3-quart covered sauté pan. You will receive free bonus items of a 9.5-inch open skillet and a 3-quart covered sauté pan to use with a swing lid. A griddle is an open stock item on Amazon.com®. The set can be used on ceramic, gas, electric, and glass stove tops but not induction stoves. You must hand wash the set; they are not dishwasher safe. The set weighs 24 pounds.
You will receive a User's Manual and a Lifetime Warranty. The set is made in Thailand by Meyer Commercialware, Inc.
8. KitchenAid® Aluminum Nonstick Cookware, 8-Piece Set
The KitchenAid® cookware model number KCAS08ER is constructed with anodized aluminum. (The model KCSS08ER has a stainless steel base.) Don't want you to be confused—the aluminum product is discussed here. The available colors are Empire Red shown here, Polished Stainless Steel—KCSS08LS, and Onyx Black—KCSS08OB.
The set is dishwasher safe and the outside is made of a nonstick colorfast finish. The nonstick interior surface is made of 3 layers. The bottoms of the set are made of stainless steel. You can use this set on all stove top surfaces including induction. The riveted handles are made of stainless steel and are cool to touch. The lids are tempered glass in a dome shape with handles for lifting off. The set is oven safe to 375-degrees F.
The aluminum set includes a 1.5-quart saucepan, 8- and 10-inch skillets, 3-quart saucepan with lid, and an 8-quart stockpot with lid. The set weighs 10 pounds.
Gift-wrap is available. You will receive a User's Manual and a Lifetime Limited Warranty. The set is made in Thailand by Meyer Commercialware, Inc.
9. Paula Deen® Signature Collection Porcelain Nonstick Cookware, 15-Piece Set
The Paula Deen® nonstick porcelain set is exciting to look at with its speckles on the outside porcelain. Available colors are aqua speckle, blueberry, butter, coral, honey, lavender, oatmeal, pear, and red—all with speckles. The 15 pieces include each 5 measuring spoon size as a "piece". Hmmm. Only use wood, plastic, silicone, or rubber as utensils. Metal will scratch the surface inside.
The color resists stains and maintains it color. The heavy-gauge base has no hot spots that can burn and scorch foods. The nonstick interior is made of black DuPont® Teflon®. The lids are tempered glass with cool handles. The handles are riveted twice and are soft when handling them. The handles have copper-plated O-rings for hanging. They are safe in the oven to 350-degrees F. The instructions tell you not to put them in the dishwasher. They can be used on gas, electric, glass, but not induction stoves.
Included in the 17-pound set is a 1-and 2-quart covered saucepan, 6-quart covered stockpot, 2.75-quart covered sauté pan, 8- and 10-inch skillets and a free 5-piece rooster measuring spoon set.
Gift-wrapping is available for your friends. You will receive a User's Manual and a Limited Lifetime Warranty. The set is made in China.
10. Gotham™ Steel Kitchen Nonstick Frying Pan and Cookware, 10-Piece Set
The Gotham™ Steel set is made of high-grade titanium and ceramic as the interior surface. Everything slides off and you only need a tad of butter or olive oil. The pots and pans are lightweight, PFOA, PTFE, and PFOS-free for your healthy life. This set can be used on most stove tops—gas, electric, glass, except induction. It will sear and brown, and burned chocolate or cheese will slide right off. The coating inside will not peel or flake off. Acidic foods are not a problem and the set can be used in the oven. The set is dishwasher safe.
You can use an electric mixer and the interior will not scratch. That must mean you can use metal utensils, but read your instruction book. The pans can go into the oven up to 500-degrees F. Be sure to use a pot holder on the handles because they are metal. Do not put the lids in the oven; they have a plastic ring around the handle knob and will melt.
The set includes an 8.5- and 10.25-inch frying pan with 10.25-inch frying pan lid, 1.5-quart pot with lid, 2.5-quart pot with lid, and a 5-quart aluminum steamer insert and lid. The set weighs 12 pounds.
Gift wrapping is available. You will receive a User's Manual and a 90-day Money Back Guarantee, less postage and handling charges. The set is made in China.
Tips for Nonstick Cookware
- Nonstick cookware is easy to cook in and slides right out of the pan without sticking.
- Nonstick cookware uses less fat than other cookware, such as stainless steel and cast iron.
- Warm water with a mild dish detergent is best for cleaning nonstick cookware.
- Manufacturers recommend not putting in the dishwasher because the extremely hot water and caustic detergents will ruin them; they are a breeze to clean by hand.
- For foods that have stuck on food, soak in dish detergent in warm water for an hour then rub off gently with a cloth or sponge.
- When foods are extra difficult to remove, never use scouring pads or harsh cleansers, brushes, or steel wool pads with soap because the finish will be ruined and corroded forever.
- When using each time, add a pad of butter, a little olive oil, or coconut oil to the pans. Never heat the pan before added the oils.
- Cooking sprays will make the nonstick cookware gummy and hard to get off.
- Usually made of aluminum, nonstick cookware heats faster than the thicker metals do, such as stainless steel, or cast iron.
- It's best to use heating temperatures of low to medium. Never heat above medium due to toxin release and deterioration of the surface coating.
- Do not use metal devices in nonstick cookware; it will scratch then the surface will be marred and pull away from the base. You will also have it in your food.
- Never use sharp knives, mashers, whisks, or rotary beaters that will nick and scratch the interior coating.
- Always read the User's Manual to see what the manufacturer says about putting the nonstick cookware into the oven. Some are safe in the oven and some are not.
Final Thoughts
We hope you have an idea of what brand of nonstick cookware is best for you and your family and that the information given is useful and helpful. Always check for a Warranty of at least a year where the manufacturer offers excellent customer support. Happy shopping!