text:
What is an IP Address?
An IP address is a modern technology computing term that designates number to a computer or other digital device and allows it to communicate with another computer or device across the Internet. IP addresses create the ability to locate and connect billions of digital devices and differentiated from other devices. A computer needs an IP address to connect and communicate to remote devices like a person needs a mailing address to receive mail.
What does IP stand for?
The term "IP" stands for Internet Protocol, making the "IP address" short for "Internet Protocol address." The Internet Protocol is a set of rules that dictate activity, to complete tasks and perform actions across the web. Two-way communication is made possible by the Internet Protocol address because the IP address's ability to connect digital devices across the vast interconnected grid of the Internet.
An IP address consists of four sets of numbers, separated with a single dot. Each set of the numbers can range from 0 to 255, for example an IP address may look like: 184.108.40.206. This set of numbers is very important because it is what allows information and data to be sent and received across the Internet, ensuring Facebook status updates, messages or images arrive to their correct destination. Without the power of the IP address, sending or receiving anything across the web would not be possible.
An IP address is either static or dynamic. A static IP address never changes and serves as a permanent Internet address so remote computers and other digital devices can contact that IP address. A static IP address reveals information about the physical location of the computer such as the continent, country, city and city. The IP address of the computer being used to view this article is posted at the top of the page.
A dynamic IP address is temporary and is assigned at the time a computer or digital device connects to the Internet. Essentially a dynamic IP address is borrowed from a pool of IP addressed shared among different devices. Only a limited number of static IP addresses so most Internet service providers reserve assigned IP addresses to share among multiple subscribers as a dynamic IP address. This makes for lower cost and the availability to serve more subscribers.Static IP addresses are typically preferred for voice over the Internet protocol (VOIP), this is when the IP address over the Internet is used to transmit phone calls instead of traditional circuit transmissions, typically to save money on long-distance charges. Static IP addresses are also preferred for data intense applications such as online gaming. This is because it makes it easy to locate and connect to computers with a stable, static IP address. Dynamic DNS service makes it easy to connect to dynamic IP addresses since it enables other devices to locate the device using the dynamic IP address.Since static IP addresses are easier to track for data mining purposes they are considered somewhat less secure than dynamic IP addresses. However, practicing safe Internet use can reduce this security issue and keep a computer secure irregardless of what type of IP address is being used.


text:
Flesh Raiders were a species of mutated soldiers who originally served the Infinite Empire. Originally lower-caste members of the Rakata species, they were mutated and bred by the Infinite Empire by the thousands as soldiers. By the time of the Cold War, some Flesh Raiders survived on the planet Tython.
Biology and appearanceEdit
Originally mutated lower-caste members of the Rakata species, the Flesh Raiders were extremely primitive and violent. Bulky bipedal humanoids, Flesh Raiders had razor-sharp teeth, which they used to strip the bones of both sentient and non-sentient prey. Eight small olfactory slits lined their upper lip and two stumpy eye stalks protruded from the sides of their box-shaped heads.[1]
The origin of the Flesh Raiders is lost to history and they did not appear to keep records. From what little study of the creatures the Jedi Order was able to perform, the Flesh Raiders appeared to have evolved from a more civilized society that devolved into their primitive and cannibalistic forms after the other colonists of Tython disappeared. Another theory is that the aforementioned society was attacked by the Sith and subjected to bizarre experiments which reduced them to maddened hostiles. It was also of some note that a few members of the Raiders were observed as possessing force sensitivity, a feat bereft of their ancestors, the Rakata.[1]
Society and cultureEdit
- "Flesh Raiders are a species of hostile natives. They're smart enough to use tools and violent beyond reason."
- ―Derrin Weller
Having no established cities or formal government, the Flesh Raiders were tribal and erected temporary shelters on the Tythos Ridge. Flesh Raiders practiced a form of spiritual worship, as shamans were seen inside their small settlements. Preferring naked earth, the Flesh Raiders would scour the land they chose to occupy, burning away grass and trees and littering the earth with the bones of their prey. The raiders used signal fires to communicate over great distances and, while few in number, posed a recognized threat to the Jedi Order.[1]
- Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Force War
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Strongholds (Picture only)
- "Class Wars!"—Star Wars Insider 114
- The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic
- The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Explorer's Guide
- Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
- Nexus of Power

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Susan May Warren Author Profile
Website http://www.susanmaywarren.com
Genre Historical Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
I can't help be amazed at the gifts God has delighted me with - a wonderful husband, four amazing children, and the opportunity to write for Him.
I've been writing as long as I can remember - I won my first book writing contest in first grade! Over the years, writing has become, for me, a way to praise God and see Him at work in my life.
Although I have a degree in Mass Communications from the University of MN, my real writing experience started when I penned the The Warren Report - a bi-monthly newsletter that detailed our ministry highlights.
Living in Russia meant I never lacked for great material - and those experiences naturally spilled out first into devotionals and magazine articles and finally into my first published story, "Measure of a Man," in the Tyndale/HeartQuest, Chance Encounters of the Heart anthology.
Susan and husbandI grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, and became an avid camper from an early age. My favorite fir-lined spot is the north shore of Minnesota - it's where I met my husband, honeymooned and dreamed of living. The north woods easily became the foundation for my first series, The Deep Haven series.based on a little tourist town along the shores of Lake Superior. I have to admit - I'm terribly jealous of Mona, the heroine of my first full-length book, Happily Ever After, a Christy Award Finalist published in 2004 with Tyndale/Heartquest.
Our family moved home from the mission field in June 2004 -- and now we live in the beautiful town I'd always dreamed of! God has amazed me anew with His provision, and blessings -- and allowed me a season when I can write full time for Him.
I 'm delighted you've stopped in to visit. My hope is that you'll be blessed and encouraged by soul-stirring stories of regular people interacting with a God who loves them.
I'd love to hear from you! I love getting mail, especially from readers and I welcome your questions and comments. Write to me at firstname.lastname@example.com. And, if you're interested, sign up for my newsletter, a quarterly sneak peek into upcoming releases and projects. Thank you for your interest and support.
God Bless and Happy Reading!
In His Grip,
Susan May Warren
Book One
in the Daughters of Fortune series
The beautiful heiress daughters of newspaper magnate August Price have been given everything their hearts desire. But what if they want only to be loved--without an enormous price tag attached? When one daughter pursues a desirable marriage, she secures for herself a comfortable and glamorous life. But among the duties of privilege, will she also find the happily-ever-after she seeks? Her sister rejects the trappings of wealth, choosing instead to build a new life on the still-untamed frontier. Will she find happiness in independence or discover that she's left her heart behind in New York's glittering society? Set in the opulent world of the Gilded Age, each woman discovers that being an heiress just might cost her everything--including the chance for true love.
Paperback, 368 pages
Published August 1st 2011 by Summerside Press (first published July 1st 2011)
series Daughters of Fortune #1
Heiress Chapter 1
New York City
Esme might be playing a game, but she'd do it by her own rules.
She was like Nellie Bly, undercover journalist.
She stood at the edge of the ballroom, filing away every detail. For tonight's article, she'd start with overstuffed and snobby Mrs. Astor greeting her four hundred ball guests, affecting the air of a royal in her black velvet dress with lace appliqués and tulle, bedazzled in a diamond tiara and an armada of diamonds. Then she'd catalog the ostentatious bevy of flowers and decorations, from the holly and ivy dripping from the standing chandeliers, the snowballs of white carnations eclipsing the candelabras, to the thirty-six red satin stockings stretched across the white marble fireplace, filled with toys and bonbons. A giant bough of mistletoe centered on the balcony, tempting would-be dancers while the orchestra warmed up for the after-dinner cotillion.Esme wouldn't soon forget the buffet dinner, either, the way her stomach now gurgled. She tasted the sweetbread climbing back up her throat, although it might not have made it all the way down to begin with, what with the competition with the consommé, the pâté de foie gras, and the bonbons. She pressed her hand against her stomach, although it would hardly move, given the way Bette had strapped her into her corset.
She had even managed a glimpse of the fellow dancers, from J. J. Astor Jr., to Mr. and Mrs. F.W. Vanderbilt, to Mr. and Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, names among names in society.
She'd catch it all, just like Nellie Bly, in a tell-all article, betraying the dalliances and follies of society.
She hoped Oliver caught their pictures. She spied him, assisting Joseph Byron and his son, Percy, as they posed society's finest, capturing their images for Town Topics and their own prideful posterity. Oliver had taken her picture at her debut ball, and perhaps the truth had hit her at that moment, when she'd seen herself reflected upside down.
She didn't fit in this world.
But she wasn't sure, exactly, where else she might belong, who indeed she was supposed to be.
She heard Jinx's voice, an echo chasing her to the party. Behave in a manner befitting the heiress of the Price family. What, exactly, might that be? She certainly didn't feel like an heiress.
And, if Mrs. Astor's high society knew who penned the articles featured on her father's Page Six, highlighting their escapades, they wouldn't treat her like one either. They would feel betrayed, and stamp her an interloper.
"There you are, Esme. Were you hiding from me?" Her mother appeared, her skin flushed, the sour hint of wine upon her breath.
"Of course not, Mother. I'm simply blistering. And tired. And, like I said, I believe I am allergic to tulle. Please, must we remain?" After all, she'd already seen enough to detail this night in her anonymous submission to her father's paper.
"Bite your tongue. We are staying until Caroline Astor turns out breakfast." Phoebe lowered herself to the settee beside her, her gown less cumbersome than Esme's, a simple yellow satin edged in French lace with diamonds stitched into the bodice.
Across the two-story ballroom, in an alcove opening off the second story, the musicians in the gallery began to play an opening number. They played under the view of the gods and goddesses sculpted into the coved ceiling. Guests from all corners of the house returned to the dance floor.
"Truly, I feel unwell. My stomach is churning. Every time I dance, it threatens to betray me. I must escape this corset." She wasn't exactly lying. And the longer they stayed, the more her mother's words about the night burned into her thoughts. I believe it may be a special one, for many reasons.
She needed to leave before her parents decided that tonight would be the night to sell her into marriage. She'd been playing the debutante's game in order to secret herself into this world, uncover the excesses, the scandals. She wanted to reveal to the starving world stories about Christmas cards encrusted with diamonds, dogs eating from silver bowls, and the millions of diamonds on Mrs. Astor's tiara, all while her servants netted less than five hundred dollars a year.
Someday, she might reveal her name. And then she'd be among the ranks of Jacob Riis, chronicler of the slums and tenements, and Nellie Bly, crusader for women. She'd be her father's star reporter. Be commended by the President of the United States, have supper at the White House. Prove to the world that, although she'd been born into wealth, she hadn't been born without a soul.
"Your upset stomach is simply nerves. I noticed you were inviting with your fan the attention of a suitor. To whom were you directing your invitation?" Her mother smiled, anticipation in her eyes.
"I was using the fan to cool myself, Mother, nothing more."
Phoebe's countenance fell. "That is not its purpose—you should know better." She rearranged the smile on her face. "Did you see Harry Lehr dance with Elizabeth Drexel Dahlgren? She seems quite smitten with him."
"He only wants her money."
"Esme! Sometimes your tongue!"
"She's a widow with a fortune. And he's a flirt."
"He's the best social coordinator in the city. He plans all Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt's parties. Please, stop talking."
Laughter trickled in from doors open to the grand entrance off the ballroom, and with it the crisp allure of fresh air. Esme leaned into it, closed her eyes. With over four hundred dancers packed into Mrs. Astor's ballroom, the place swam with the odors and humidity of exertion. That and…oh, never again, sweetbreads.
"Let me see your dance card."
Esme handed it to her and Phoebe perused it. "Yes, good. I am glad to see Foster Worth's name for the waltz, and the lancer. Very good. But no one for the Mazurka?"
"The speed upsets my stomach. Why must they schedule that dance first?"
"You mean to tell me that you turned down a partner's request?"
"I will sit it out. It will not be a snub."
"Esme, the sooner you are married and your rebellious ways corralled, the better."
No, the sooner she figured out how to turn her anonymous articles unwittingly published by her father into a full-time job, just like Nellie Bly, the better.
Her father had no idea that by publishing her anonymous social commentary, he had begun to set her free. Yes, she still had to rely on Oliver to submit her opinions of society high life along with his photographs of their soirées. Sometimes, he'd also described for her the photographs he captured as he patrolled the streets looking for crime. His heartbreaking shots of orphans sleeping under doorsteps or the illegal five-cent beds in the tenement house or the pictorials of the misery of life in Hell's Kitchen moved her so that she'd taken his impressions, put words and opinions to them, then he'd submitted those pieces with his photographs.
They'd even made money. Stringers, he called the two of them.
The paper had published those shots, those opinions, and named her byline simply… Anonymous Witness.
Indeed, she might never get married. Simply travel the world, writing stories about foreign places. Europe. China. The American West.
And, someday soon, no longer anonymous.
Once her father discovered her pen, the articles she'd published, he would welcome her into his world with her own editor's desk. She would wrest herself out of her corset stays and into a life with her own byline. Maybe someday she might even run the paper.
"At least you will dance two with Foster," her mother was saying, still perusing Esme's dance card.
"Only because he is an old friend of the family, Mother. I have no interest in him."
"He is the son of Frederic Worth, and he's just returned from Europe. Of all the bachelors in this season, Foster is the most eligible. He would be a suitable match and you would be fortunate to receive a proposal from him."
"I am not going to accept a proposal from anyone, Mother, especially not Foster. Yes, he's handsome, in a way that good breeding begets, with his dark hair slicked back, his broad shoulders. But he has clammy hands, and there is something rather…unsettling about the way he looks at me, as if I might be something edible. And, worse, he has cold eyes. I mentioned to him once the plight of the newsies—the orphans sleeping below the steps of Father's paper, pandering the daily for a nickel, and he actually said, 'Where do you expect them to live?' Like that kind of life might be acceptable."
"For their class of people, it is to be expected."
Esme's mouth opened. Closed. "Have you not read Jacob Riis's book? The plight of the poor? He asks, 'How shall the love of God be understood by those who have been nurtured in sight only of the greed of man?' We need to take care of the poor—"
"Henry Riis is not appropriate reading for someone of your stature."
"Mother, it is our Christian duty to care for the underprivileged—it's not just the noblesse oblige, Jesus commands it. Did you hear nothing of D.L. Moody's speech last year?"
"I did. He said to obey your parents. Which is to be married. Have a family."
"I love children, but mother, I have other plans. I want a career, something besides hosting parties and raising children and running my husband's household. That's Jinx's ambition, not mine."
Phoebe stared at her, a spark of warning in her eyes that should have silenced Esme. A year ago, before she had heard Mr. Moody speak, before she'd heard him say, "We can stand affliction better than we can prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God," it would have.
She had forgotten God, until that night when she'd stared at her upside-down figure reflected in Oliver's lens. Had forgotten that she had a duty to love justice and be merciful. That day of her debutante ball, a light turned on in her head as bright as Oliver's flash, and she realized that she could use her debutante season to be like Nellie, go undercover, tell the truth.
Perhaps shame would wake up high society.
"A career? You will stop that thinking immediately. I don't know where you get it from."
"I get it from Father."
"Hardly. You get it from those books you bring home."
"Father respects my ideas."
"Your father laughs at your ideas." Her mother turned to her, her dark eyes sharp. "He puts up with your whimsy because you have always been his favorite. But mind my words, Esme, he wants you matched well. It wouldn't hurt your father's resources to have you married to a shipping magnate, one who owns department stores around the world. Imagine the advertising they would buy. Foster Worth has shown an interest in you, and you will reciprocate."
"He could have anyone, Mother. Didn't you hear the other buds in the dressing room tonight? His name was on everyone's lips, including Carrie Astor's. He doesn't want the girl who beat him in tennis when she was twelve."
"I daresay he let you win." Her mother reached out, took Esme's hand. "The Worth boys have always had a special eye out for my daughters. I'm just thankful that one of them turned out with marriageable qualities. With all Bennett's womanizing in Europe, Mamie needs her eldest to restore the family name, pick up the reins during her husband's decline. Yes, you will be kind to Foster Worth. It's time to let him win." She squeezed her hand. "There's your father."
Esme glanced at her, but Phoebe had already risen, taken August Price's hand. In public, they appeared the adoring couple.
He placed a kiss on her mother's cheek. What it cost him, he didn't betray. He nodded to Phoebe, and then Phoebe glanced at Esme, a smile tugging at her mouth.
August pressed his wife's hand to his arm as the music began for the Mazurka. Debutantes took the floor on the arm of their partners, began the triple-meter polka dance to a Chopin piece.
Heat rose to Esme's neck. Especially when her mother caught her eye from the dance floor, her words raking up to fill her mind. I believe it may be a special one, for many reasons.
Oh, Mother, you didn't… Her stomach roiled, now coating her throat.
She pressed herself to her feet, wove through the crowd, and exited the ballroom. Already the air seemed lighter, and she crossed the corridor toward the front doors.
No, she shouldn't be unchaperoned, but perhaps a few moments of brisk air would settle her stomach, keep her from pitching to the parquet floor during the waltz.
She could simply refuse the marriage request, right? She didn't have to marry…
She wasn't really a debutante. No.
The footman at the door must have read her mind, for he opened the massive gilded bronze-and-glass doors. "Miss, may I get your cloak?"
She shook her head, not slowing her pace until she reached the front step.
The brisk January air swept her breath from her lungs, prickled her bare arms, shoulders. But she closed her eyes, losing herself to the cool lick of fresh air. Along Fifth Avenue, the chateaus lit up the street, turning the soft-falling snow ablaze, puddling light into snowdrifts along the cobbled, almost magical street. Landaus and motorcars lined up to retrieve the guests at their leisure, yet across the street, a man bundled in rags chipped ice from the sidewalk with a spade. She wrapped her hands around her upper arms as a chill stole through her.
"Esme?" Her name emerged on whispered sibilants and she glanced up.
Oliver. He must have seen her exit the house. He stood away from her, tall, broad-shouldered in the glow of the house lights, the snow like diamonds on his coal black hair, catching in his long, almost mesmerizing eyelashes. His shaven whiskers had begun to scuff his chin. He shucked off his tailcoat. "What are you doing out here?"
She glanced at the footmen nearby, some of them smoking, others stamping their feet to keep warm. Others had sought refuge inside the carriage room, to the back, where most of the livery waited. Still, no one should see her talking so freely to her former footman, the butler's son.
Even if they had grown up together.
Even if he now worked for Joseph Byron, society photographer.
Even if her father had arranged for his job.
Especially because Oliver was her partner in crime.
"I don't feel well. My head hurts, and my stomach is woozy."
"Let me take you home." He draped his jacket around her shoulders. His smell—husky, yet bearing an exotic sweetness, probably from the chemicals he used for his plate development—lifted, and she pulled the warmth around her.
"I—I can't. Mother would be furious."
He tightened his mouth, as if biting back something more.
"Actually, I—I think my mother is trying to betroth me to someone."
Oliver stared at her, his face stony. For some reason she searched his eyes, not sure what she might be hoping. He looked away, blew out a long breath. "I see."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I should have expected that. Congratulations."
"You know that turning him down would mean scandal for my family."
"When has scandal stopped you?"
Her mouth opened.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But…" He stared at her, hard. "Do you love him?"
"I don't even know him, really. We were childhood acquaintances."
"We were childhood acquaintances, and you're not marrying me."
She sucked in a breath. "That's different."
"Is it, Esme?"
He looked away, and she knew him well enough to see hurt on his face. Why… "What are you getting at, Oliver?"
A muscle tensed in his jaw. "You can't have both worlds, Esme. Choose one."
She flinched. "Maybe the air out here isn't as fresh as I thought."
"You stay, I'll go."
"No." But she winced at the need in her tone as she said it. "I—I don't want to stand alone."
He considered her a moment. "I'm sorry, Esme. But I never thought this was a game to you. Perhaps that was my mistake."
She looked down, at the snow soft upon her gown. "Do you ever dream of leaving New York? Of going out west or traveling the world?"
He let her words dissolve in the frosty air before he answered. "I used to. I wondered what it might be like to travel back to Ireland, the home of my mother. And yes, I read the dime novels you smuggled me. I would like to see Oklahoma, become a cowboy, maybe."
She pulled his jacket around her tighter. "I want to go to Montana."
"You would make a fabulous Annie Oakley."
She glanced at him, trying to hide her smile. "Did you deliver this week's article?"
He didn't look at her, matched her lowered volume. "Yes. Yesterday, to the op-ed desk when I turned in my photos."
"Maybe it'll go into tomorrow's paper."
He sighed. "Have you considered what might happen if you get caught?" He hazarded her a look, and the concern in it tugged at her.
"Maybe—maybe I should tell him. Maybe he should know that his daughter is—"
"Anonymous Witness."
"Just like him. A journalist."
"Indeed." His eyes twinkled, and for the first time this night she saw his dimple emerge. She loved that little indentation that so matched the sparkle, the way he looked at her.
A ripple of heat went through her.
"Miss Price, what are you doing out here in the cold?"
She stiffened, and she watched as Oliver turned away, becoming invisible as Foster Worth stepped out onto the stoop. Too many years as the Price's footman, perhaps.
Foster peered down at her, void a smile, seemingly irritated. "I was looking for you for our waltz, but you had disappeared."
"Did it begin?"
"I'm afraid it is over." Foster reached out, slid Oliver's coat from her shoulders. Without looking at him, Foster handed the coat back to Oliver. Like he might be a coat rack.
He slipped off his own jacket, draped it upon her. Into her settled the odor of his many dances, the cigar smoke from the after-dinner gathering with the men in the library. And a line of sweat from his collar.
"I'm sorry," she managed without shivering, "I needed some fresh air."
He stuck out his elbow, and she took it, glancing at Oliver. He didn't meet her eyes.
Foster escorted her inside, the humidity of the hallway dense against her skin. "I need to talk to you."
From the ballroom, the lively romp of Tchaikovsky suggested she'd also missed her polka with Colin Rutherford.
Oh, mother would be incensed. Perhaps Jinx had been correct—she should have been born first. Then Mother would have her debutante, her escort into high society. Jinx could speak French with a Belgian count, dance the quadrille or the Muzant with a German duke, and counsel an English butler on correct table-setting placement. She could probably even make Foster Worth crack a smile with her witty banter.
And Esme? She'd be free to write for her father. He'd always said that he expected great things from her.
Any forthcoming engagement was all her mother's doing, Esme knew it in her bones. She'd simply explain—
"Let's go in the drawing room." Foster had her by the elbow, directing her toward Mrs. Astor's white-paneled salon, with the gilded boiseries and mirrored doors. As they entered, she stifled the urge to hide amidst the clutter of bowers of roses and towering apple blossoms in gold-etched pots, the Victorian staging of busts of Shakespeare and Wagner, stuffed birds in glass domes, Louis XIV-style gilded divans and chairs. But how could she escape the eyes of the immense portrait of Mrs. Astor, the mistress of the manor, peering down on her?
Suddenly, she felt it, everything Jinx had been trying to tell her. The dictum of society and its import to their future. From the next room, the music ended, and a lancer began. Everyone turning in step, schooled for their role in society.
Foster escorted her to an ottoman. She sat, her heart lodged in her throat.
Oh. Wait…
He took her hand as her brain scurried to keep up.
He lowered himself onto one knee. She stared at her curved hand in his, unable to meet his eyes, tasting her heartbeat.
"Esme, your parents have agreed to allow me to ask for your hand in marriage. I believe we would make a winning match. I know we haven't yet had the opportunity to deepen our friendship since our youth, but I am confident that in time we will come to care deeply for each other."
She glanced up at him, caught his eye. He gave her a quick smile. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Perhaps he could be labeled handsome. Brown, wavy hair, a stern brow, deep gray eyes, a confidence about him that said he would work hard, provide. Perhaps even remain faithful.
She hadn't expected the rush of emotions, the heat in her chest, her eyes. Hadn't expected the unfamiliar thrill that cascaded through her. Wife.
Someone's wife.
She looked up at him, words netted in her chest.
She saw herself in a moment, hearing Foster's proposal then turning him down to the din of Chopin.
Or not. What if she said yes? What if she became Mrs. Foster Worth, the world at her fingertips?
Couldn't she change it that way also?
Over Foster's shoulder, she spied Oliver, entering the room to gather his equipment. Invisible. Anonymous.
Oliver looked up, then, and for a blinding moment, met her eyes. You would make a fabulous Annie Oakley.
"Esme?" Foster said.
She drew a breath. No. She could say it. No. Simply explain to him that she wasn't ready, that she wanted more out of life, that she wanted a man who loved her, who believed in—
She looked over at the voice. Her father stepped into the room, regal in his coattails, cigarette smoke curling over his head, a smile on his face as if he'd just scooped Pulitzer. He settled his hand on her bare, cold shoulder, hot, heavy. "Of course, her answer is yes."
Foster slipped a ring on her numb, gloved finger as Oliver shouldered his tripod and walked from the room.
My Thoughts
This book was a personal choice for me. It has secrets, intrigue and romance. God seemed to have his hands full with this family. It was kind of an extreme version of Pride and Prejudice. I wanted to scream at the characters and tell them what was really going on and that they needed to listen to God.
Sorry but my review is short and sweet.
I highly recommend this book.
I rated this book 5 out of 5.
I just finished reading book 2 the Baroness for Litfuse Publicity Tour.


text:
Displacement Sensors
Positek is a leading displacement transducer manufacturer and world-wide supplier of linear, rotary, tilt and intrinsically safe position sensors; the non-contact alternative to potentiometers.
All of Positek's position sensors are manufactured to the highest quality and use our very own patented non-contact technology. This helps to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and reliability, even in the harshest of environments.
From applications in aerospace and motorsports to the medical sector, our position sensors are at the forefront of many positioning systems worldwide, where potentiometers cannot offer acceptable reliability, or where the potentiometer manufacturer cannot offer suitable customisation/delivery times. Every position sensor that we manufacture uses our inductive sensor technology to ensure high-precision results, and is fully customisable to meet the unique requirements of your business. With over 25 years' experience as a sensor manufacturer and using our onsite production facility, Positek has the flexibility to manufacture and customise any industrial position sensor, including tilt sensors and inclinometers, to any size or specification. Whether you're in need of an off-the-shelf position sensor or custom position sensing solution, our reduced lead times of as little as 1-2 working days are what set us apart from many lvdt manufacturers.


text:
When it comes to security for employees, 88 percent lack the skills to prevent an incident, a new study found.
That means only 12 percent were able to identify and dispose of information safely, recognize malware and phishing attacks and keep info safe when working remotely, according to a study conducted by MediaPro.
Potential of Proactive Cybersecurity: Report
Flaw in Common Computer Chip
Endpoint Security Lacking: Study
RIG Attacks on Rise
The MediaPro 2016 State of Privacy and Security Awareness Report ended up compiled from interviews with over 1,000 U.S. employees.
Of that 88 percent of unaware workers, 72 percent ended up labeled "novice" while 16 percent had the kind of behaviors that could put their organization at serious risk of a major privacy or security incident.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents claimed to discard password hints insecurely, for example in a bin; 25 percent failed to recognize a phishing email with a suspicious looking attachment and questionable "from address," and 26 percent said they thought it was fine to use a personal USB to transfer work documents outside of the office.
Added on top of that, 30 percent said they thought it was fine to post on behalf of their company to a personal social media account.
"This survey clearly shows the human threat vector is still largely unsecured, and most organizations don't really know whether their employees have the necessary level of data protection awareness to avoid preventable incidents," said MediaPro founder Steve Conrad.
Incidents involving data being sent by email to an incorrect recipient increased by 60 percent between the first and second quarters of 2016, while the number of incidents involving failure to redact data jumped by 64 percent from Q1 to Q2.


text:
Since Google Friend Connect (GFC) is ending soon and because I know some of you would really like to "Stop Following" me, I have enabled the GFC followers (above) for this post so you can discontinue following if you wish.
Please see the sidebar for the ways to keep following so we don't lose touch in July when all these changes are made.
If you keep following . . .THANKS!
If you want to leave. . . we are sorry to see you go, but we totally understand. Thanks for stopping by.


text:
The tone of The Usual Rules can be pretty somber at times because Wendy is going through a particularly difficult time—after all, she's dealing with a national and personal tragedy. Throughout the book, Wendy tries to cope with her mother's death and her own feelings of guilt over having been a "bad daughter," and this colors the whole story. In fact, Wendy even says at one point that color no longer exists in her world:
All this time, Wendy still hadn't cried. She thought it might be a relief, but she couldn't do it. The dull Novocain sensation that had begun taking hold that Tuesday had overtaken her now. The whole world, everything around her, had turned flat and colorless. (3.225)
This same colorless despair comes across in the tone of the book. There's a neutrality to the tone, a sort of depressed and flat feeling that comes up time and again. Check this passage out for another example:
Even Amelia, as talkative a person as she was, must have known there was nothing to say. The two of them lay on the floor, holding each other, until very gradually the crying slowed to where it was only long, sad sighs. Then, finally, quiet. Even after that, they just lay there awhile.
Maybe we should have some Haagen-Dazs, Amelia suggested. It seemed as good an idea as anything else. (3.230-231)
There's nothing melodramatic about this scene. It doesn't play up Wendy's pain—it's big enough on its own. And then when Amelia suggests ice cream, the response is pretty neutral: "It seemed as good an idea as anything else" puts pretty much everything in the world on the same level. Nothing is wonderful, nothing is terrible; everything simply is. This mirrors the flatness of depression really well, infusing the book with the dominant emotion Wendy feels.
Although The Usual Rules is a story about a great tragedy, it's also a coming of age tale because the main character is a teenage girl who does quite a bit of growing up throughout the story. Wendy is already in a period of transition when the book begins—with the usual teenage angst and heightened interest in romance—but the death of her mother really forces her to grow up. And when she moves all the way to California to live with her biological father, Wendy learns a lot about herself, as well as how to be self-sufficient and tough through truly hard times.
If this sounds like something young adult readers might be able to relate to, you're totally right. While September 11 was a truly exceptional event, much of what Wendy thinks about and navigates is classic growing up stuff. We're talking kissing, boys, parental disappointments, and all that jazz. Combine this with the book's lack of five-dollar words and easy to follow plot, and we're definitely in YA lit territory.
While The Usual Rules is about what happens after 9/11, it's also about the family dynamics in Wendy's life. For this reason, this book also falls into the family drama genre.
Before 9/11, she lives with her mother, stepfather, and half-brother—and can't imagine her life being any different. But when Wendy's mother dies in the World Trade Center, they all come to realize that she was the center of their little clan, and they struggle to redefine their family life without her. On top of that, Wendy's biological father Garrett wants her to come live with him in California. And so Wendy flies across the country and moves into an unfamiliar house in order to try and build a relationship with her father… even though he's been largely absent from her life.
The title of The Usual Rules refers to the fact that Wendy's life has been turned utterly upside down due to the events of 9/11—and the usual rules that she's come to rely on no longer apply.
Nothing about Wendy's life is normal or the same after her mother dies in the attacks on the World Trade Center, and she can't just go on like she always has. Her family changes, her perspective on the world changes, and even her home changes when she moves all the way to California to live with her biological father. For better or worse, the usual rules really don't apply anymore, and navigating this is the main struggle Wendy has to wade through.
At the end of the book, Wendy goes back to New York City to be with Josh and Louie. As she picks Louie up from school, she reflects on how they'll have to have a memorial service for her mother soon and how sad that will be:
They would be very sad that day, and for many days after. In certain ways always. They would also never be the same as how they used to be. But they would also be happy. (34.120)
Wendy recognizes that in saying goodbye to Janet—and accepting that she is not coming back again—they can move on as a family. They'll have the freedom to be happy again, and that's the optimistic note the story ends on. Even in the face of such tragedy, there is light and joy at the end. We have a hunch Janet would approve.
The book opens up in Wendy's hometown of New York, New York—which is the kind of place singers sing about and directors film movies about. It's full of bustling people, cultural events, and busy subways. Wendy is used to this New York and comfortable here… but then 9/11 happens and the whole landscape changes. Suddenly, people are running around frantically and the subways are shut down. And worst of all, the New York skyline doesn't look the same anymore—the building where Wendy's mother worked is completely gone:
Wendy walked another block. From somewhere in a high-up window she could hear the same Madonna song that had been playing everywhere. From someplace else, the national anthem. A siren wailed. She turned another corner.
At first she couldn't understand what the shape was, spiking up into the night sky against the blue glare of the searchlights […] The giant finger was the base of her mother's building. Not the whole of it, but parts of a steel arch, twisted and broken off. Two stories high, maybe more. The only part left you could recognize. Only where the plaza used to be, where just last week Louie had practiced his skipping, there was nothing but a mountain of metal and dust. (3.278-280)
In the space of one morning, the New York Wendy knows and calls home is completely changed—and so is her life. The rubble in the place where the World Trade Center used to be is like the place in Wendy's family that her mother used to occupy: barren and destroyed.
When Wendy's thought about Garrett living in California in the past, she's always thought of him living somewhere woodsy and quaint—a place completely different from her home in New York City. Maybe that's why she wants to visit him so much: She thinks she will feel like she's in a completely foreign land. But the reality doesn't live up to her expectations when she comes to the little town of Davis, where Garrett lives:
When she pictured him in California, she'd imagined a little cabin off in the middle of a field, facing out at the ocean, with a sleeping loft and plants in macrame holders and crystals hanging in the window—like a picture she'd seen of a place where her parents had lived in upstate New York one summer when she was a baby. She imagined artworks all around, and the smell of incense and baking bread. But he lived in a regular house, with neighbors on both sides, and a couple of shrubs in front and a cement walkway leading up to the door. (13.2)
In fact, Davis seems perfectly mundane and suburban. But even so, the change in scenery lets Wendy live out her life without having to explain what happened to her mother all the time. Even though Davis looks like many other places Wendy has been to, it's different because none of the people here know her, so they won't feel sorry for her or talk about how tragic she is behind her back. In the end, it's not what the place looks like that matters; it's how Wendy feels there. And she feels like a whole new person while she's living with Garrett.
It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.
- Anne Frank, in her diary, July 15, 1944
When the World Trade Center is attacked on September 11, Wendy's class is in the middle of reading Anne Frank's diary.
This is fitting because The Usual Rules is all about surviving—and building a life—in the midst of great horror and tragedy. The epigraph states that though it's difficult to be optimistic in these times, "[…] when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more." This is exactly the kind of outlook Wendy has after her world comes crumbling down around her.
Even through the most trying times and most terrible grief, Wendy has hope that the world will get better. She soldiers on against the odds and somehow manages to build up a life and form new relationships even with all that's happened. Her spirit, like Anne Frank's, is resilient.
Although the language in The Usual Rules is pretty straightforward and simple, the writing style takes a little getting used to. Spoiler alert: There aren't any quotation marks in this sucker. And yeah, it's a little difficult to follow dialogue when there isn't any punctuation to set it apart from the rest of the story.
Adding to the toughness of this book is its subject matter, namely the tragedy and destruction of 9/11 and the emotional aftermath of having a parent killed in a terrorist attack. On top of that, the main character, Wendy, is going through adolescence, which means the book offers up a fair amount of musing about sex. Ooh la la.
The writing style of The Usual Rules is simple and never flowery—the narrator describes the things Wendy goes through as they happen, and shows her feelings (whether ugly or pretty) in a stark, truthful way. The writing style is so simple, in fact, that it eschews quotation marks for the dialogue, making the book read almost like one long stream of consciousness (except it isn't in the first person):
Sissy, he said. Is it true God sees everything.
I don't know, Louie. What do you think?
Then he'd be watching even when I poop.
He probably has more important things to do, Louie. There's a lot of people to keep track of. (16.9-12)
By getting rid of quotation marks and using the most unadorned language, the book allows the reader to take in the story in its most simple form—which is good, because the themes of the book are quite complex.
When Wendy moves to California, she soon meets Garrett's girlfriend Carolyn, who lives on a cactus farm. Carolyn immediately tells Wendy that she reminds her of a cactus—and that's why Carolyn likes her so much:
The thing about cacti, Carolyn had told her. They're tough little devils. They live on dirt mostly. It's harder than hell to kill a cactus. But just because they've got all these spines and they aren't likely to keel over and die doesn't mean they don't appreciate a little babying and know-how. They're tough, but they've got needs, just like every other living thing. You have to pay attention. (20.117)
Wendy is like a cactus herself because she's tough despite all the horrible things she's been through—she's survived her mother's death and the trauma of moving across the country and starting her life anew—but that doesn't mean that she's impervious to hurt. It might take a lot to knock her down, but she still needs a bit of gentleness and TLC.
Carolyn and Garrett both know Wendy is resilient and tough, but they also know she needs them to be waiting in the wings, ready to catch her if she falls. And that's just what they give her while she stays with them in California: a safe space where she can heal and find herself without too much interference. They take care of her like their own little cactus. And in the end, she starts to thrive.
When the book opens up, Wendy and her mother are in the middle of a fight because Wendy wants to go to California to visit her father, Garrett. Janet doesn't want Wendy to miss school, and Wendy thinks her mother is being mean and unreasonable and trying to stop her from getting to know her father.
Throughout the book, Wendy thinks back to this argument as something that separated her from her mother—something she regrets now that Janet is gone. But what she doesn't know is that she and Janet weren't really on opposite sides; before she died, her mother bought her a plane ticket and tucked it away as a present:
One more thing remained in the box. It was in an envelope. She opened it very slowly, undoing the top instead of ripping the paper, picturing her mother sealing it up all those months before. After this one last gift from her mother, there would be no more, ever.
Inside was a round-trip plane ticket, New York to Sacramento, with the dates left open.
"I shouldn't have given you such a hard time about this," she had written on the card. "A girl has every right to know her father." (34.35-37)
Excuse us while we tend to something in our eyes. Super touching, right? The last gift that Wendy gets from her mother is a kind of absolution for the fight they were having right before she died, enabling Wendy to finally move on, safe with the knowledge that her mother wasn't angry or disappointed in her at the very end. She was thinking of Wendy with complete love and understanding—and the airplane ticket proves it.
Poor little Louie is having an super hard time coping with Janet's death. In fact, he may be struggling more than anyone else in their family because he just doesn't understand why she won't return. He's too young to wrap his head around the permanence of death, and his belief in the possibility of his mom's return is most evident when he puts his faith in a "magic wand."
Louie goes to a show where a magician hands him a magic wand and says that it grants wishes. He decides to save the wish for his birthday because the magic will be stronger then (according to his little kid logic), and is devastated when the wand doesn't deliver on its promise:
It was the wand. She told him he should save it for his birthday. She told him if he was really good he might get his wish.
There was no need to ask what he'd wished for. (32.139-140)
The wand represents Louie's youth—and the way his mother's death comes to crush him emotionally over and over again. He doesn't just lose her once; he continues to lose her every time he's forced to confront that she won't be coming back again. Poor kid.
Although the story's told from a third person perspective, we get to see the inner workings of Wendy's mind—which is helpful, because so much of what she experiences is internal. Terrible things happen to Wendy and her family, yes, but a lot of her turmoil is silent. Because we can probe into Wendy's thoughts and emotions, we see how much she is suffering, plus we get to see memories she has of her mother from before she died, which helps us better understand the significance of her death. This is critical for giving us the full impact 9/11 has on Wendy and her life.
At the beginning of the book, we're introduced to our main character, Wendy, who's just an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl living in New York City with her mom, stepfather, and half-brother. She goes to school with her best friend, adores her little brother, and fights with her parents because, well, she's going through adolescence and that's just what happens then. On this particular September day, Wendy's been fighting with her mom because she wants to visit her biological dad in California and her mom doesn't think that she should miss school for it.
As Wendy huffs and puffs out the door to school, the stage is set: She's just your average teen, heading off to school on the heels of fighting with her mother.
This fight quickly loses its importance when Wendy gets to school and learns some seriously disturbing news: Two planes have flown into the World Trade Center—which happens to be where her mother works. In the days that follow September 11, Wendy and her stepfather Josh spend a lot of time putting up posters and looking for her mom, but their effort's in vain. In the meantime, Wendy's little brother Louie keeps having tantrums and doesn't seem to understand that their mother is probably dead.
The turning point in the plot comes when Wendy's biological father, Garrett, shows up to see her for the first time in years. He wants to take her back to California to live with him, and because her stepfather Josh seems so overwhelmed, Wendy decides to go. She moves all the way to the little town of Davis to live with her father, and she starts to get to know him and his life.
She meets his girlfriend, Carolyn, and settles into the town. Thing is, she doesn't exactly start going to school there. Instead, Wendy spends her time in this strange new place skipping school and wandering through Davis; sometimes she even takes the bus to Sacramento.
While Wendy is technically living with a parent, it's clear she's come unmoored. Will she get herself back on solid ground, or will she continue to flounder?
Slowly, Wendy starts healing emotionally and getting back to a new kind of normal in her California home. She surrounds herself with new friends, including Carolyn, a bookstore owner named Alan, and a troubled young mother named Violet. They all celebrate Christmas together at Garrett's house, and Wendy even makes out with a runaway named Todd who she's befriended. In the meantime, though, she keeps hearing from Josh that Louie isn't doing so well; he can't accept that his mother is really dead and keeps throwing tantrums.
Eventually, Wendy comes to realize that though it was the right thing for her to come to California, it's not her real home—Josh and Louie need her, and she tells Garrett this. He buys her a train ticket and Wendy takes the Amtrak train all the way across the country without even telling Josh and Louie first. When the story ends, Wendy has picked Louie up from school and taken him home. She's going to be there for her family at last, and she's ready to help them rebuild their lives together in New York City, no matter how hard it is.


text: I love matcha chawan tea bowls. Matcha chawan is the "lead performer" in the Japanese Tea Ceremony "show" where bonsai may or may not be one of the "stage props". Japanese bonsai aesthetics owe a lot to the tea ceremony and this is why the tea bowl topic periodically pops-up in my blog (see http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/end-of-year-pots.html, http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/my-first-japanese-tea-ceremony.html and http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/jeff-minchams-teabowls-2009.html). During my stay in Osaka last June, I went window shopping at Hankyu Department Store at Umeda. The most interesting thing I saw there was a pair of tea bowls available for sale (see images above). Both are from the Raku family (see my post on Raku Museum here http://lomov.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/the-raku-museum-kyoto.html). The one on the left is made by Kichizaemon, the current 15th generation Raku master and the one on the right is by his predecessor Kakunyu (1918-1980), the 14th generation Raku master. How much do you think these tea bowls are worth? The one on the left by Kichizaemon was roughly AU$125,000 and the one on the right by Kakunyu was about AU$56,000. Here is the question: Do you think it is a case of perceived value gone too far? I can confidently say that there would be dozens of well-known contemporary ceramic artists who make tea bowls better than these, but none of them can command such exuberant prices. The perceived value of these tea bowls defies the spirit of wabi-cha and Zen in my opinion. Unfortunately, this problem also appears in bonsai when it gets too competitive and commercial.


text:
Like Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas in the NBA, Love has been suspended indefinitely in northeast D.C.
ABRA served the nightclub with a summary suspension, closing the club as of Friday morning. Love can appeal at a hearing on Tuesday.
The suspension followed several recent incidents of violence at the club.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier ordered Love nightclub to close its doors for 96 hours after a stabbing on New Year's Day. The stabbing was reportedly the third violent incident at the club in a week, according to the Washington Post. Nobody was killed, but a man in his early 20s suffered serious injuries. There have been no arrests.
On Dec. 26, another man got into an altercation with a bouncer and suffered a skull fracture. Then, the very next day, another man suffered a serious head injury.


text:
We love Summer at ULTIMO, and we love Christmas! So for the first time ever, we're starting our Summer Sale early so you can have your latest designer pieces here earlier too! Our Summer Sale starts Saturday 19th December and we're offering up to 20% off new orders from our exclusive European suppliers.
Make sure to visit our showroom between 19th December to 30th January to take advantage of some great savings this festive season and New Year!
*ULTIMO Summer Sale 2016 offers and discounts are not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. This includes Trade Discounts, Gift Vouchers and Credit Notes. Reductions on new orders are for a strictly limited time. Please see in store for full terms and conditions.
Please note that we are closed over the holidays from Thursday 24th December to 1st January.


text:
A moustache to a man is the same as a fringe to a woman. From Hitler to Shikhar Dhawan, moustache adds an identity to the personality of a man. An outline of their moustaches and one is sure to recognize them. You too would have wanted to flaunt your twirlies. But are you suffering from thinning, patchy or balding moustaches? If so, then a moustache hair transplant is a perfect solution for you. Style your moustache into handlebars, cowboy, dali or chevron. Or maybe just keep it simple with a dense stubble. Moustache hair transplant helps you attain permanent moustaches shaped according to your choice. It has helped men bring back their lost confidence with their macho looks.
Moustache transplant is also opted by men who suffer from cleft lip or a surgery mark. Cleft lip is a type of birth defect where the upper lip splits and the opening may extend till the nose. The cleft lip can be successfully treated by a surgery. In such a case, the muscle tissue beneath gets affected causing loss of moustache. Other than that, men suffering from alopecia areata or hormonal problems also have troubled moustache hair growth.
A botched surgery can lead to lifelong regret and embarrassment. Hence, it is important to choose the hair transplant clinic wisely. One should always look for the before and after results, usually available on the website. Visit Kabera Global for a free consultation to be a better judge in choosing the right moustache hair transplant clinic.
Kabera Global, a prestigious name in the field of facial hair transplant, consists of a team of supremely qualified and experienced medical staff. With its pan India presence, we are proud of all the 21+ clinics which provide quality services at the most cost-effective price. Nowadays, any surgeon with a degree can perform hair transplant surgery but it requires years of experience to provide full satisfaction to the clients. The surgeon should have an artistic understanding of hair growth like the angle at which they grow, the density of hair, formation of the proper hairline, all this and more. This is what distinguishes Kabera Global from other moustache transplant clinics. Surgeries are performed by professionals who understand the personal value associated with cosmetic treatments.
You can call us at (+91) 98880 99906 or mail us at email@example.com to ask a query or book an appointment.
Moustache hair transplant costs depend mainly on the number of grafts needed and the technology used. Other factors like the experience of the surgeon, the location of the clinic and medicine costs can also affect the overall cost. One should not be blinded by cheap discounts leaving you with nothing but embarrassing results. Thorough research and consultations will help you determine the optimum cost.
Hair transplant surgery at Kabera Global will help you in getting those perfect moustaches at the most genuine costs. With hygienic clinics and latest technology at your disposal, be rest assured you will get the best value for your money.
Moustache hair transplant treatment, like any other surgical procedure, needs proper care and attention both before and after the procedure.
Pre-operative care is as much important as the post-operative care. You should darken any gray hair 3 days before the surgery for better visibility to the surgeon. You should make sure to avoid any type of blood thinning food items like ginger, cayenne, etc. The blood thinners cause increased blood loss during the procedure. One should avoid aspirin, vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, or any multivitamins before your surgery. Steer clear of intoxicants and smoking both before and after the surgery.
Though moustache transplant surgery is not a major surgery, however, some precautions and instructions should be followed religiously for the best possible results. First and foremost, the face should be protected from scratching, tugging and hitting. The operated area will be sensitive and hence the area should not be touched. Apart from that, you should start shaving your moustaches only after a period of 2 weeks.
All the other specific instructions and medicines will be prescribed to you by the trichologist. You must also take all the medicines on time and report any type of discomfort to the clinic immediately. Here at Kabera, we initially keep in touch with you every day following the surgery and then weekly and monthly follow-ups after.


text:
Clearskin Acne
Acne causes different types of spots that can become red, swollen and inflamed. It often starts at the point of puberty, but it can go on to affect those in their late teens and even continue into adulthood. 80% of teenagers get acne in some form and it can also occur in pregnancy – typically, whenever there are hormonal changes in the body. Acne isn't medically dangerous, but it can be painful and when spots are particularly severe, can also cause emotional distress for the sufferer, who may become withdrawn and struggle with self-esteem and confidence. Severe acne can also result in scarring, so it is always best to start a treatment regime as soon as possible to minimise the risk of scarring.
What Causes Acne?
There are some misconceptions about the causes of acne. Many believe that it can be caused by eating the wrong types of foods, although there is no scientific evidence to suggest this, whilst others believe that it can be caused by wearing make-up or by having poor personal hygiene. In fact, too much cleaning can actually strip the skin of its protective oils, making the condition worse. A Skin Technology expert will consult you about your diet, lifestyle and the products you are using at the moment, advise you about good nutrition, supplementation, and the correct skin care regime.
Acne occurs when the pores in the skin are blocked with either oil, bacteria or dead skin. This can be caused when the follicle (pores are the opening to follicles) produces too much oil or sebum, when dead skin cells block the pore or when bacteria accumulates in the pore. The bacteria associated with causing acne is called propionibacterium acnes or p.acnes. A combination of all three – sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria – will contribute to acne.
Hormonal changes are the most common trigger for acne, either in puberty or through pregnancy. A diet that is high in fat or sugars can also contribute, and this is possibly due to a combination of increased blood sugar and insulin release. Certain medications, such as the contraceptive pill and corticosteroids, can also trigger acne.
ClearSkinTM Laser Acne Treatment
Advanced Treatment for Clearer, Healthier Skin. The Harmony XL Pro laser machine offers highly effective results for treating acne and the associated problems such as excessively oily skin, pustules, blackheads and bumpy skin.
Acne is a very common skin condition which usually occurs with the onset of puberty, but can continue or recur throughout adulthood, particularly in times of stress or hormonal change.
The Symptoms include:
Spots and pimples, sometimes with pus
Red and tender lumps and bumps
Enlarged cysts or nodules
Whiteheads and blackheads
Acne can result in scarring if not properly treated. It can also cause deep embarrassment and self-esteem issues for the sufferer. Treatment is highly advisable to avoid long-term problems.
The Clearskin laser works to destroy the acne-causing bacteria and stimulate the skin's healing responses. Within four weeks, the Clearskin can provide significant improvement. This is three times faster than common antibiotics and topical. Patients should achieve 80% clearance and treatments for acne take only a few minutes. We suggest the correct home care and a definite approach to good nutrition. The sooner the acne is cleared, the less opportunity for scar tissue to develop.
Acne Treatment
We offer a range of acne treatments, including a course of acne products, skin peels and, ClearSkin Laser treatment. Our acne products are designed to reduce and minimise acne and with continued use, to clear skin completely. Some patients are more suited to stronger courses of treatment, and these are outlined in more detail below.
Skin Peels
Skin peels or chemical can reduce the symptoms of acne by working deep within the skin, stimulating new cell growth and the production of collagen and elastin, encouraging cell renewal. Dead skin cells are removed and replaced with clean, fresh, new skin, improving the tone and texture of skin over time. Skin peels can easily be combined with our other treatments for improved results, if suitable.
ClearSkin Laser
The ClearSkin laser is part of the Harmony XL Pro platform that we have in our clinic from Alma Lasers. The ClearSkin technology is a great treatment for acne and is the first technology available to combine an Er:Glass, non-ablative laser (with a 1540nm wavelength) with contact cooling and vacuum technology, delivered all at the same time. The laser light goes deeply into the skin and targets the oil-producing sebaceous glands. The heat generated destroys the bacteria responsible for causing the acne, the p.acnes, and as it is targeting the sebaceous glands, it also helps to reduce the over production of sebum or oil.
The combination technologies of vacuum and cooling also play a part. The vacuum extracts all the material and debris that builds up in the pores, thus cleaning the area. The contact cooling is there to protect the surface of the skin from any damage, as well as to make the treatment comfortable and almost painless while the laser energy is doing its job deeper in your skin.
As well as targeting active acne, we can also use ClearSkin to target acne scarring as it stimulates the production of new collagen where the laser is targeted.
Treatment with ClearSkin is suitable for all skin types and both men and women. We use it for acne on the face as well as other areas of the body, such as on the back and chest area.
What Should I Do if I am Troubled by Acne?
Book your acne consultation at Skin Technology today, we will carry out a thorough consultation and Skin Scan to assess your skin quality, and this will be emailed to you directly for your information. Your consultant will help you decide on the best course of treatment for you, utilising one or a combination of the treatments we offer to give you the clean, clear skin of your dreams.
Treatment Price:
Consultation £25 redeemable against treatment
Acne treatment Face £100 per session — Course of 3 £250 — Course of 6 £460
Chest area £120 per session
Back area £150 per session


text:
Campari Oransoda was first created in 1932 and is considered the first pre-mixed drink in the world.
>> dettaglio
The Kaminwurzen (smoked sausages) are mildly smoked and air-dried sausages of beef and pork, a typical South Tyrolean speciality.
The land hunters Villgrater are classical tyrolean raw sausages with their typical flat-pressed form, like the Kaminwurzen, easily smoked, produced of beef and pork, well ground.


text:
LCD monitor panel prices rising despite downturn: iSuppli
iSuppli Corp.'s LCD PriceTrak Service recently reported that prices for LCD monitor panels are rising, despite the weak economic situation and cuts in consumer spending. Isn't this quite unusual, and on surface, really spectacular, given the recessionary conditions.
Thanks to my good friend, Jon Cassell, I was able to get into a conversation with Ms. Sweta Dash, director of LCD research at iSuppli. I started by trying to find out the reasons for LCD monitor panel prices to be doing reasonably well in these times.
China's program driving demand
Sweta Dash said panel demand has been strong due to 'China's rural consumer stimulus program', which increased sales of small-size TVs that uses monitor panels. Also, the panel demand was strong from branded manufacturers due to inventory adjustments.
She added: "Monitor brand manufacturers and retail channel orders mostly stem from the demand for inventory replenishment because they have kept their stockpiles at lower-than-normal levels since the end of 2008. Now, factory demand is strong as they need to buy panels for inventory adjustments."
The figure here presents iSuppli's estimate of pricing for various sizes of panels for LCD monitors.
In that case, is China's rural customer stimulus program the only major factor behind this rise in prices of LCD monitor panels?
According to Dash, the other factor is the inventory adjustment by brand manufacturers. TV sales in the US were also better than expected due to the very aggressive prices by brand manufacturers.
"Some retailers reported that they could not meet their demand due to low inventories level. Now, they are trying to adjust the inventory level. Besides better than expected demand for TV and monitor panel, severe cut in factory utilization rates (severe cut in panel production) also contributed to the tight supply for the monitor panel and small-size TV panel, which resulted in panel price increase," she noted.
Is there any specific reason behind the retailers placing higher orders during recession? Or is it only due to the very low prices?
Dash clarified that it is mostly inventory adjustments. "In March, the inventory levels for monitors at the brand and channel levels were below three weeks level; and some were at two weeks level, which is considered low for this time of the year. Also, once the panel price starts increasing, buyers try to buy more in order to take advantage of the very low price."
Situation regarding component shortages
There was also a note in iSuppli' report regarding component shortages. I was keen to find out the exact situation with component shortages, and which specific ones!
Dash said that there is tight supply for PCBs and driver ICs. The lead time for PCBs is extending from two to three weeks to four to six weeks; and the lead time for certain driver ICs is extending to about six to eight weeks.
No recovery soon!
Interestingly, iSuppli cannot declare that monitor end-market demand is headed for a sustainable recovery at this point.
Dash added: "In the absence of a strong rebound in end-market demand, rush orders are not likely to be sustained in May with component shortages being resolved by then. And, the forecast for panel demand is most likely to remain conservative at that time. Also, panel prices are still below cost level. Therefore, in spite of the increasing panel demand, suppliers are still losing money. Further, panel suppliers are rushing to increase their utilization rates and production."
Koreans doing better than Taiwanese
Evidently, the Korean suppliers seem to be doing better than the Taiwanese, as of now. What would be the key reasons for this?
According to Dash, the Korean suppliers were able to provide more competitive prices due to weaker Won rates.
She added: "Also, the Korean suppliers have higher generation fabs, and they have more in-house or regional component production, which gives them the cost structure compared to Taiwan suppliers. They also have more internal customers (for example, Samsung LCD's internal customer is Samsung TV and monitor brand).
Year ahead for LCD monitor panels
Finally, how does the year ahead look like for LCD monitor panels?
Monitor panel demand may face some softness after the inventory adjustment in Q209. That is the reason why panel suppliers have to expand their production cautiously.
"Otherwise, it has the danger of pushing the market back to over supply. We still expect real end-user demand to recover in the second half of 2009 especially by Q4-09. If panel manufacturers act cautiously and expand rationally in the first half of 2009, they can see real demand recovery in the second half of 2009," noted Dash.


text:
The Himalayan Institute of Buffalo
Continuing Education for Yoga Teachers
Open to Yoga Teachers of all traditions and lineages.
Get inspired, enliven your teaching, and connect with other yoga teachers in the Greater Buffalo area! The mastery of teaching yoga is an ever evolving art and practice. HI Buffalo has created a space for yoga teachers to come together to study and learn.
Our continuing education classes are led by Julia Kress, E-RYT 500 and Sarah Guglielmi, E-RYT 500. Julia and Sarah are on the faculty of the Himalayan Institute both in Buffalo and at our headquarters in Honesdale, PA and have been teaching Yoga and Ayurveda for over 15 years. They travel nationally to train yoga teachers at the 200 and 500 hour level and in the Himalayan Institute's Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist program. To read more about our teacher training faculty, click here.
Look for the CEU logo in the SEMINAR section of our web site to see our up and coming CE Trainings.
All courses qualify for Continuing Education Credits with Yoga Alliance.


text:
Winning a Master Chef Apron from Gordon Ramsay, Graham & Joe!
On June 5th 2012, which was yesterday, the second round of Master Chef Season 3 auditions was telecast on Fox and it was my big day as I was cooking for the esteemed judges!
We invited some of our close family and friends for a Viewing Party and they all came home to cheer and support me:) I was busy the whole day prepping for my Big day! I kept getting calls from friends and family who were so supportive.I had prepared so much food so all of us could just sit down, relax and eat while we watch the auditions that evening. The second round of Master Chef auditions were to be telecast on Fox at 9pm after Hell's Kitchen at 8pm EST! And so we all settled down in our couchwith food and drinks and then IT BEGAN!
The second round of auditions kicked off and suddenly after the emotional shocking exit of Luca, again a very good friend and works as a restaurant manager in New York- there I was! I was shown running out with the most prized possession- the Master Chef Apron towards my husband and my daughters:) I got several calls from family and friends asking me what my Signature dish was and were all eager to know what happened inside when the Master Chef door opens? and what the judges had to say about my Signature dish?
So I definitely wanted to share my experience prior to winning that apron with all of you. So here goes- My Signature dish was a "Spicy Egg Curry with Cashew Peas Pilaf and a Pomegranate Raita". I basically grew up with this dish which was particularly made often in a place like Kerala where I hail from in the South of India. "Raita" is basically a coolant, it cleanses one's palette off the spices and has a cooling effect!
I had just one hour to prepare the dish and one would think thats plenty of time but with all the commotion that goes around and fellow contestants cooking, coming towards you and asking you what you are making and what you added and how you plan to plate it – time just flies. There are families of contestants who are eager to watch, some are screaming and cheering, there is so much going on that I think it was very very very hard to focus! Anyway, I managed to finish my dish in one hour and was ready to go! I cooked my rice in the pressure cooker and looked perfect and smelled very nice- filled up the room. Most of my fellow contestants wanted to taste it 🙂 so I thought that was good. Overall, I was pretty confident going in but there still was that little bit of nervousness when the door opens and you still dont know what to expect! As I enter, I wave to all the 3 judges. The judges ask me to introduce myself and I tell them that I am a stay at home mom of 2 girls who used to work as a Microbiologist full time and quit my job to pursue my passion which is Cooking! Graham asked me where I am from and I said- New Jersey and then they asked me "Where are you originally from"? and I said -India. Gordon jumps in and asks me- "Which part of India do you belong ?" and I immediately have this smile and tell him proudly- Kerala! OMG! Gordon wouldnt stop because he loves Kerala and has been there and so he starts talking to me about the place. I keep rambling back and tell them that my mom doesnt feel that cooking is very reputable because back in India, if you are interested in cooking then you are considered a cook or a maid- A BIG NO NO- Not considered a noble profession!
I also tell them that I got to the US after my marriage which was 7 years ago and that my husband worked in NY city! I also mentioned to them that "Ours was an arranged marriage" and they are all shocked to hear that. Joe even says that its not too late to change my mind LOL! Gordon says" Congratulations on completing 7 years of successful marriage"! and I thank them for their kind words.
OK People, now is the time…..Gordon says looking at the clock your 5 minutes is almost over and my heart jumps out of my chest- I am not even thinking clearly:)
It is so hard to be in that room with the judges and talk and plate at the same time. I was planning to make my "Pomegranate Raita" in front of them.
There was hardly any time left and i was moving like this crazy person trying to toast my spices and plate up my dish. I finally somehow manage and plate my dish! First Gordon walks up to me, tastes, walks back. Next was Graham, who walks up to me and asks me what spices I toasted and if I used fresh Pomegranates? for my Raita.
Lastly, Joe walks towards me and I think al the judges could hear my heart beat -it was that loud. Joe has this intimidating way of looking at you and tasting your dish that it completely freaks me out.
Now up until this point, I had not mentioned to them that I was a Vegetarian and have never cooked or eaten meat. Growing up in India, I was raised a vegetarian and my husband is one too! So I have been a vegetarian for 32 years now. I dont eat any kind of meat or fish:) due to 2 reasons- 1) Religious and 2) because I am against killing of animals:)
I knew what was coming next – Joe Bastianich asked me the question that I was looking to avoid the most:) He said to me" I cant wait till your next challenge and see how you handle it?" Graham asked me how I would cook meat if it was given to me in a challenge and I said to him "I would cook meat but not taste it"
I had to repeat that several times and be assertive that irrespective of whatever happens, my principles do not allow me to taste meat and I wouldnt do it.
So finally Gordon says, YES or NO?everyone……
and he says For me, ITS A YES. He said it was one of the best dishes and authentic curry that he had ever tasted. This was a huge compliment for me!!
Graham said he liked the technique that I displayed in toasting the spices and adding them to the dishes! Graham said he was skeptical about the meat part but solely based on the dish- he gives me a YES!!!YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Finally it was Joe Bastianich's turn. He also expressed his concern about my Vegetarianism and was trying to intimidate me by saying what if my hands are smothered with blood from some animal 😦
I was freaking out and all I said to them was" Please give me a chance"
Finally Joe says the most amazing words to me- "Your plate and dish represents you, it represents finesse and class"!!!!!!
I was weeping like a baby by the time he finished his words………
I had a blast and a great time with the judges and I will cherish those few minutes with them my entire life:)
I am thrilled to be on the TOP 36! of Master Chef Season 3:)
Please support me by liking me on my Official Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/MC3Nandini and follow me on Twitter at #MC3Nandini
Stay tuned for the recipe of my currylicious Signature Dish: "Spicy Egg Curry with Cashew Peas Pilaf and Pomegranate Raita" coming up on my blog soon!
Comments6 Responses to "Winning a Master Chef Apron from Gordon Ramsay, Graham & Joe!"
We, your parents are really proud of you.I am sure you miss your grandparents . With their blessings and prayers you have reached the heights. Really miss them. But i am sure they will be watching from above and enjoyiing and blessing you , Vikram and children ——– . Even your periamama always used to tell that her niece would become a great model. now that is also fulfilled through recent MASTERCHEF show.
Hey Nandini!!! Congratulations and wishing you the very best for the contest ahead!!! So very proud of you !!!
I love the drama of Gordon Ramsey's shows so much that I had to look for some blogs about the show, and I found yours. I must say I never imagined I would find the personal story of a contestant, but I was so delighted to find it and read how you have so many adoring friends and family. Last season one of my Dish co-workers told me about MasterChef, and now it will be even more exciting to see YOU on the next episode. We love that we can fit in several programs in one evening now that we watch commercial free, (automatically skipped) with the Auto Hop feature on our PrimeTime Anytime recordings. We like watching Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef back to back the next evening now, which helps me feel like I'm getting more value out of my service.


text:
The New Campaign, by Kailis Jewellery By Rachel Farag 06.06.2017 6053 Views
June is a special month for Kailis. Being month of the pearl, we celebrate the living and lustrous gems that have been our passion for nearly four decades.
To celebrate this unique and naturally exquisite Australian gem, we have worked with internationally renowned style icon and photographer, Margaret Zhang, to create a new campaign. Shot in New York by Margaret, and under her creative direction, the new campaign takes the Kailis brand in a new direction, presenting our beautiful pearls in a new, artistic light. Capturing Kailis pearls as simultaneously timeless and evolving, Margaret draws from the soft light and luminance of Johannes Vermeer's
Girl with a Pearl Earring, creating an aesthetic that is classic and timeless.
The campaign features Australian model Alexandra Agoston and artist-model, Anh Duong in an expression of timeless moments to resonate with every woman.
Talking about the new campaign Margaret explains, "Anh and Alexandra really represented the Kailis woman for me - timeless, intelligent, understated and elegant. I often feel that pearls are limited in their representation in imagery and styling, so wanted to show their versatility and applicability to a range of personal styles in this campaign."
Kailis is an authentic Australian luxury brand whose collections are understated, elegant and timeless. With versatile designs that appeal to every woman, each featuring the rare and exquisite untreated Australian South Sea pearl. The versatility of Kailis' designs appeal to every woman, and feature the rare and exquisite untreated Australian South Sea pearl. Such luxury is enveloped by the warmth, inclusion and natural sophistication for which Australians are renowned, and strengthened by the heritage of a family with more than a century of maritime history
The new campaign builds on this our history, moving the brand forward into a new and exciting era.


text:
The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Startup Menu
The Windows Advanced Boot Options menu, also known as Windows Startup Menu, includes various system repair and troubleshooting modes which help users fix system startup problems, access command line interpreter, and run Windows in safe mode, along with Windows boot debugging option to initiate step-by-step identification of Windows boot process issues. Like previous Windows versions, Windows 8 Startup Menu can be accessed by pressing F8 key before Windows starts loading. Along with the changes in Windows Desktop, Start Menu, Start Search, Control Panel, and Task Manager, the Windows 8 Startup Menu has also been revamped with new metro look.
This guide is a part of our series on detailed coverage of Windows 8 New Features and Improvements.
- How To Install Windows 8 On VirtualBox
- What's New In Windows 8 Desktop, Start Search, And Start Menu
- The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Explorer, New Ribbon Tools And Options
- The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Task Manager, New Features And Options
- Windows 8 PC Settings [Complete Guide]
- How To Refresh Or Reset Your Windows 8 PC [Complete Guide]
- All About Windows 8 FileName Collisions And Copy/Move Dialog Box
- The Complete Guide To Windows 8 Startup Menu (Currently Viewing)
- Sync Windows 8 User Settings Between PCs & Tablets via Windows Live ID
- Quick Overview Of Windows Lock Screen
- The Complete Guide To Windows 8 File History Backup
The Windows 8 Startup Menu user interface includes two useful Windows repair options, namely, Windows Reset and Windows Refresh, while all the other essential advance system repair options are also available, such as, Automatic repair, System Image Recovery, System Restore, and Command Prompt. In this post, we will discuss latest additions to Windows 8 Startup Menu and how to access the classic troubleshooting utilities.
To open the menu, reboot or turn on your PC and press F8 function key repeatedly to enter into Windows 8 Startup Menu. In case you've dual-booted Windows 8 with Windows 7, you will find option to select the OS to boot, and a link to open advance system startup options, namely Change defaults or choose other options.
This link will open the Options menu, which allows you to choose how long to wait before the default OS starts booting, choose the default operating system, and choose other advanced options. Clicking Choose a default operating system will open a window where you can select the operating system that you want to load each time the system starts. Clicking the Change the timer lets you specify the amount of time before default operating system runs automatically; you can select 5 minutes, 30 seconds, or 5 seconds boot delay options.
When you click Choose other options, it provides you with options to exit the Startup Menu and continue loading Windows 8, choose another OS to boot, Turn off the PC, or choose advance system Troubleshoot option to perform numerous system related operations for resolving issues.
Under Troubleshoot window, you will find two new repair tools; Refresh your PC and Reset your PC. We have already covered these options in our guide here.
Clicking Advance option will reveal all Windows 8 repair tools, including, System Restore, System Image Recovery, Automatic repair, Windows Startup Settings, and Command prompt.
The System Restore option shows all previously saved System Restore Points.You can choose restore point with last stable configuration to revert all the changes made to system back to selected restore point. The System Image Recovery option allows recovering Windows using system image file. When you attempt to restore your system through this option, it will ask you to attach an external storage device or optical disk having recovery image to begin the process. The Re-image your Computer wizard will guide you through the process.
The next utility in Advanced Options is Automatic Repair. In comparison with other provided options, this options is relatively less useful, as it is capable of identifying only basic Windows startup problem. When you select Automatic Repair, it will start finding problems with your PC. On finding issues with your PC, it will ask you to select fixes amongst the list to repair your system.
The Command Line Interpreter utility is accessible through Command Prompt option. You can use the CMD console to find, copy, move, remove files, replace files with newer versions, run other command line utilities to fix the problems with your PC and so on.
The Windows Startup Settings option lets you change Windows startup behavior, including driver signature enforcement. It allows you to restart the system in order to change various Windows boot options, including Disable early-launch anti-malware protection, Disable auto-restart on system failure, Enable boot logging, safe mode, debugging mode and low resolution mode.
Although Windows 8 Startup Menu looks like a simplified version of the good-old Startup Menu that we've grown used to, we did face some issues while recovering our system from Startup Menu. The Windows Startup Settings and Automatic Repair options do not provide detailed information for resolving the hardware and Windows boot-related issues. However, Windows 8 Startup Menu includes a wide range of system tools, like Reset your PC, Refresh your PC, System Image Recovery etc., to help users apply quick fixes for routine PC problems.


text:
Thanks so much for submitting a report. It has been emailed to the Rum Captain and will be actioned shortly.
Have you found an online vendor selling Cartavio ?
Please input the URL directly to the vendor page with the rum for sale and we will automatically show it on RumRatings
Thank-you for your submission. It will appear on the site once verified.
Sort by: Popularity | Date | Rating
Smokey ,sweet, and a little spicy yet smooth. This makes an exceptional rum and coke too.
sugar test-8g
This rum is only 1/2 the price of the Cartavio XO, and is quite good. It's a bit dryer and seems more oaked than the XO.
Oak, toffee, banana, spice, and a touch of bourbon. Good. But the Cartavio XO is in another league, so try that too if you can!
Otro buen ron de la Casa Cartavio, excelente precio para la calidad del mismo (13 dolares en el Duty Free Aeropuerto Jorge Chavez), aun con mucho alcohol para tomarlo solo, excelente para hacer mixes. Muy recomendable
It's a smooth rum. Aroma is nice, if a bit subdued. Dry and oaky flavor. Makes a good rum n coke, not great. Good for price
Figured Peru had rum, but what a surprise it turned out to be.
For a $30 bottle it is a good choice for a decent rum. Not quite to the level of a bottle of Ron Cartavio XO, but not bad. The aroma is inviting, the taste is a little spicy and sweet with just a little lingering aftertaste.
Good price and nice aroma and taste without too spicy.
This is standard rum for me.
Ron Cartavio 12 year is always in my cabinet.
Sweet, not too spicy. A nice rum for the rum rookie
Es un ron perfecto para un buen Cuba Libre. A mi modo de vista mucho alcohol para tomarlo puro, pero a la vez mucho cuerpo y personalidad. Otro buen ron de la casa Cartavio.
This is a great full bodied rum. It's great to mix or just sip on the rocks. Excellent price for what you're getting. It's a staple in my home.
Sweet, with light burn in the middle, bit of banana taste (over ripe banana). On the other side of my taste (as whiskey enthusiast I like the complex taste).
It is flavorful, full bodied, with just the right amount of sweetness. It is similar to brugal 1888. Maybe a slight bit more sweet and less fruity but close. I paid $30 and considered that a steal for the quality. I can't wait the try the xo version.
taste and finish are both dominated by notes of tabac, coffee and caramel, coming by in a nice and balanced manner, mild and not complex. Overall this rum has a very sweet taste. Finish is not very long unfortunately.
Una muestra de los.excelentes rones que produce Cartavio, este en particular esta al nivel del Barcelo Imperial, si lo mezclas que sea con poca Coca Cola para que disfrutes su sabor
I ran across this one this morning and remembered that this distiller got quite a number of reviews here. I also thought that it was from Columbia as I now seem to be gravitating to rum from there. A 12 Year Old Solera Rum for $33 sounded like a good deal......until I opened it up when I got home and found out that it was not a true Caribbean rum, being from Peru. Sorry, but the flavors just cannot match any rum from the Caribbean.
The first taste was after letting it breathe for only about 10 minutes, so it initially got an unfair rating of 5. One needs to let this one breathe in the snifter for at least an hour. Then the harsh alcohol taste finally fades to let the rich flavors come out with only 8 gpl of added sugar. The flavors are still no match for the finest of Caribbean rums since this one is in a class all by itself. It just takes getting used to. Be patient with this lady and you may come to love her.
Ron suave, dulce (no demasiado) e ideal para beberlo sólo o acompañado de refresco de cola.
Consta de un aroma frutal y un cuerpo sólido que nos dará una buena experiencia de sabores, en cuanto al alcohol es perceptible pero pasará inmediatamente.
Este ron es nuestro engreído, bueno, rico y barato. Probablemente el que más tomo.
Ikke en dårlig rom, men den mangler lidt mere smag, for at slå rigtig igennem!!!
This rum is only 1/2 the price of the Cartavio XO, and is quite good. Sweet, smooth, caramel flavors, soft burn, good finish!
Un ron que le hace el pare a cualquiera.
Sorprende su calidad y finura en todos los sentidos!
Muy Bien Cartavio!
Un ron con gran carácter. Tiene la base del XO. Al probarlo es del dulce ideal y no quema tanto al pasarlo. Se deja tomar solo y con hielo mejor aún.
I can definitely dig this one, not too sweet, not to strong. Def nice to sip.
Den er okay, men den er ikke nogen stor rom oplevelse. Lidt tør i smage, mangler lidt sødme. Den er god sammen med cola.
Es un buen ron para mezclar con Cocacola, debido a que es un ron fuerte, de muy buen sabor y un ligero toque de dulzura.


text:
Taking into account the large potential customer base, every industry is targeting all possible platforms to reach out. Now the time is to create a strong online presence with provide smart, interactive, updated and responsive solutions to the end-users. Whether it is retail, hospitality or service industry- applications or software cater to unique needs for your business.
We at Gurudev Informatics develop business-oriented applications using highly- advanced technologies. We provide end-to-end application services including development, migration, maintenance, and management- for all platforms. Our Application Services help you to become a full-fledged IT enabled business with accurate system, proficiency and technologies. We have the expertise and experience across the global platform with flexible delivery, development and pricing models. Thus, we help you to reduce risks and trim down costs.