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Top twenty for Yates and Chaves on stage two of Tirreno-AdriaticoThu 10 Mar 2016
2015 San Sebastian champion Adam Yates and 2015 Tour of Abu Dhabi winner Esteban Chaves of ORICA-GreenEDGE finished in 13th and 20th positions respectively on stage two of Tirreno-Adriatico today.
Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quickstep) took the win with a solo attack in the final kilometres which means that the Czech rider also moves into the race leaders blue jersey for stage three.
Sports director Matthew White was satisfied with how the stage unfolded.
"It was a long day in the office for the guys today and we did what we needed to do for the main part of the race," White said.
"The final climb was hard but wasn't as difficult as we had expected. There was a selection of maybe 40 riders, with our two climbers Yates and Chaves making it into the front group and finishing well.
"Tomorrow is a shorter stage with a finish that looks to favour the sprinters, hopefully giving Caleb (Ewan) an opportunity to show what he can do."
How it happened:
Blue sky and sunshine welcomed the riders to the start of stage two in Camaiore and the day's racing got underway without incident. An early breakaway of six riders formed and developed a lead of 3:35" after around 20 kilometres.
The parcours for stage two was designed by former Italian world champion Paolo Bettini and with a mainly flat route for the first 130 kilometres the breakaway were able to increase their advantage to nearly six minutes. BMC Racing, as expected, spent a lot of time on the front of the peloton protecting the blue leader's jersey of Italian Daniel Oss.
Approaching the Pian di Forno climb with 65 kilometres left to race BMC Racing, with Taylor Phinney doing the pace setting, started in earnest to eat into the time gap of the breakaway group. The peloton began to split as some riders including Mark Cavendish (Di-Data) lost contact towards the summit of the climb.
Despite the increased speed of the chasing peloton the escapees were still out front to compete for the intermediate sprint points and king of the mountains points on the Monterotondo Marittimo/Pian di Forno climb.
As the race passed the start town of stage three, Castelnuovo Val de Cecina, and began the descent towards Montecerboli the leader's time had fallen to 2:30" over the chasing peloton. The time continued to fall as the riders arrived in Pomarance for the first time and began the circuits through the 'Devils Valley'.
Movistar, with Alejandro Valverde in mind, joined BMC Racing at the front of the peloton and with less than ten kilometres to race the remaining three breakaway riders were mercilessly swallowed up by the peloton.
In the final kilometres attacks began to spring from the peloton, first with Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), then Stybar followed by Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). The rolling approach and uphill finish proved to be an exciting finale with Stybar holding off Nibali and the rest of the chasers to take the victory. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) claimed second place with Edvald Boassen Hagen (Di-Data) third.
Friday's stage three starts in Castelnuovo Val de Cecina and follows a 176 kilometre route to Montalto Di Castro.
Tirreno-Adriatico stage two results:
1. Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quickstep) 5:10:03
2. Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) 0:00:01
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data) 0:00:01
13. Adam Yates (ORICA-GreenEDGE) 0:00.01
General classification after stage two:
1. Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quickstep) 5:33:50
2. Greg Van Avermat (BMC Racing) 0:00:09
3. Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) 0:00:09
21. Adam Yates (ORICA-GreenEDGE) 0:00:34


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The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing offers Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to include, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse-Midwifery (NM), Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP), Pediatric Nurse Practioner (PNP) and DNP U.S. Army Anesthesia Nursing Program (at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas)
The Baylor Difference
* Our mission at LHSON is to prepare nurses within a Christian community, for professional practice, healthcare leadership and service to society.
* Our Christian faith is at the heart of nursing theory and practice. We believe nurses have been called to make a difference.
* LHSON's motto is Learn.Lead.Serve.® and we support Baylor's strategic vision, Pro Futuris that reminds us that our past is inextricably linked to our future and that responsibility to God and to the world continues to lead us.
Our Advantages
* We are located in downtown Dallas on the Baylor University Medical Center campus
* Our complex includes: student computer lab; spacious classrooms wired for multi-media, video presentations, and conferencing; study lounges, a Learning Resource Center and state-of-the-art human patient simulators
* Life-changing and career enhancing global mission trip experiences
* Online graduate programs available by clicking here

subset: commoncrawl


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Web application template printing enhancements in SAP BW reporting
Enhance SAP BW report printing for Web application templates by using the advice in this expert response by Peter Scott.
There is a print help service that can be added to your system to enhance the capabilities of Web-based printing. It allows you to do things such as enter headers and footers and set the number of data rows per page. It requires BW 3.1 content SP4 as a pre-requisite and a transport is necessary to install the help service.
You should be able to find documentation on the print help service through the SAP developers network (SDN). Newer versions such as NetWeaver 2004 (BW 3.5) and NetWeaver 2004s have more options available to you 'out of the box'.
Dig Deeper on SAP Web applications
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Negative project totals query in BW reporting
In this expert response, Peter Scott exposes how to query only negative projects in SAP BW reporting. Continue Reading
Using ODS objects for reporting purposes in BW
ODS objects support detailed information for reporting needs but can cause query performance issues. Peter Scott considers the options for BW ... Continue Reading
Potential SAP BW interview questions
Learn some potential interview questions for a position in SAP BW from BW reporting expert Peter Scott. Continue Reading
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Virtual servers allow you to get back the precious office space that is currently taken up by physical servers.
Our team will help you understand the advantages of both in-house virtual servers and cloud-based virtualization.
And we'll get you the best virtualization solution for your business processes!
Why are we sold on virtualization? Because…
You can get more done by using the mobility benefits of cloud-based virtualization.
You can save money on upfront costs, IT maintenance, and energy by using fewer physical server appliances.
You can simplify disaster recovery – by keeping your entire network in one place.
The benefits are many– and they are significant.
…But what about your computers?
Today's virtualization technology is so advanced that you can run everything – your operating system, applications, and data in a virtual environment.
What's that mean for you?
It means freedom from your office desk.
It means you can have everything that's on your current computers – and use it anywhere.
Not just the data – everything! …even your settings!
If you drop and shatter your laptop, don't sweat it.
Use everything from another device.
Isn't virtualization awesome?!!
Let's talk about what virtualization plan is best for your company! Contact us at (574) 975-0767 or email@example.com
Looking to implement a new line of business applications or replace an old server? With our approach to IT project delivery, we help prevent scope creep and keep budgets in line with budgeted project costs.
Call us today at (574) 975-0767 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Stay social, Follow us!


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Alright fellas, listen up! It's February and that means Valentine's Day is on it's way. The 14th to be exact! So what are you going to get your better half? A box of chocolates? Jewelry?
Ya those things are good, but it's pretty much predictable. Just go to any grocery store and they'll have aisles and aisles of Valentine's stuff and a good 80% of that would be boxes of cheap chocolates. So why not get out of the mainstream of Valentine's gifts and get her something bike related? This will only work if your significant other is into bikes. If not, then it would be similar to that episode where Homer getting Marge a bowling ball named "Homer." If you didn't see the show, it turned out bad and caused Marge to get tempted into having an affair…so do you really want that for yourself?
Anyhow let's get back to bicycle gifts. This all depends on your lady and how much she's into mountain biking. For some, new apparel would be great and others may even appreciate some carbon parts or even color matched components. Heck a new bike will have the same effect as an expensive piece of jewelry!
Here's something I've always believed in and most men don't realize. For starters, don't give her your seconds. Meaning, don't give her your old bike gear. If your wife/girl friend really likes riding, why not better her experience by getting her own stuff to enjoy her rides? I recently had a conversation with a friend where we talked about riding our motorcycles together with our wives on a date. But his wife wanted her own pink helmet. Mind you, he's always wanted her to ride on the back of his motorcycle for a while. But he responded by saying that she can use his old helmet…the response he had could have been a missed opportunity to get her more into riding motorcycles. It's the same thing when it comes to riding mountain bikes. Make sure she's enjoying her ride by getting things that is meant for her. Apparel that fit nice, components she likes, and even tires that would help her have more grip show's that you care. One thing I've learned over the years, our significant other love it when we make a fuss over them. It's the reality of women in general. If you show genuine interest in making her experience in what ever you do as a couple, that effort goes a long way.
My own brother does this for his wife. Though they don't mountain bike, they do like playing paint ball together. In fact they're part of a team that plays in a league. So when she showed interest in playing, and found that she likes it, he went out and bought her own gear and even a pink anodized paint ball gun.
So I hope you're getting where I'm going with this. If your wife/girl friend loves to ride, consider getting her stuff she'd really like for riding. Besides if you get her a box of chocolates, she'll get mad at you because she'll think you're trying to make her fat..


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Parkinsons Disease Channel
Topics & Medications
Related Channels
Parcopa Uses
How Does Parcopa Work?Dopamine deficiency (caused by a loss of dopamine-producing cells) in certain parts of the brain may be responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Although it would make sense to give dopamine to help treat Parkinson's, this does not work, as dopamine cannot cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. Levodopa is a precursor of dopamine, which means that the body can use levodopa to make dopamine. Unlike dopamine, levodopa crosses the blood-brain barrier.
Levodopa is almost always given in combination with carbidopa. Carbidopa delays the conversion of levodopa into dopamine until it reaches the brain, preventing or diminishing some of the side effects that often accompany levodopa therapy. Carbidopa also reduces the amount of levodopa needed for Parkinson's disease treatment.
Parcopa Uses in ChildrenParcopa is not approved for use in children. Discuss the potential risks and benefits of the drug with your child's healthcare provider.
Off-Label Parcopa UsesOn occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend Parcopa for something other than the conditions discussed in this article. Using Parcopa to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an off-label use of the drug.
Parcopa Medication Information
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD


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Getting ready for Big Community Challenge 2018
The weather recently has been extremely turbulent and unpredictable, but one thing that is always certain is our excitement for Big Community Challenge 2018! Preparations are well underway and we couldn't wait to tell you all about what our volunteers have been up to.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we're also very excited to announce what we're actually doing for the BCC this year. The theme of Big Community Challenge 2018 is promoting health and wellbeing in different outdoor spaces. Studies have shown that spending time in green, outdoor space has countless benefits, including:
- Reduction in depression, anxiety and stress related symptoms
- Improvement in dementia-related symptoms
- Improved self-esteem, confidence and mood
- Increased attentional capacity and cognition
- Improved happiness, satisfaction and quality of life
- Sense of peace, calm or relaxation
- Feelings of safety and security
- Increased social contact, inclusion and sense of belonging
- Increase in work skills, meaningful activity and personal achievement.
To really push the boat out for 2018, employee-volunteers will be revamping not one, not two but three separate venues over the course of the challenge. In recent years, challenges have taken place in one venue over three days, this year however we will be heading to a new venue every day and revitalising their outdoor spaces. The first place volunteers will be going is Gale Farm Court, a sheltered house facility with additional care provisions. On the second day of BCC 2018, volunteers will be creating a beautiful outside space for the young people at Mill Lodge, a mental health community unit for 12- 18 year olds. Finally, employee-volunteers will be making over the grounds at Clarence Gardens, a green space situated next to York District Hospital, creating a relaxing outdoor area for patients and visitors.
In Gale Farm Court, employee-volunteers will be making improvements to the community courtyard, creating more spaces more residents of all abilities to sit outside and socialise. Kerrie Smith-Sankowskyj, the Facilities Manager, at Gale Farm Court, said that the revamped courtyard will be a "positive community space" and will "enable more residents to use and socialise in it which in turn prevents loneliness and isolation amongst residents".
Gordon Eastman and the UoY team at with the Gale Farm Court Residents Association
As part of our pre-challenge preparations, a team of employee-volunteers from the University of York maintenance team – led by Gordon Eastman – were on-site, undertaking essential shrub clearance work. After a rewarding day of outdoors volunteering, Gordon enthused that "As ever, it is our pleasure to help out with the community challenge and as always we enjoyed it immensely". Employee-volunteers are already making a difference to York – and the Big Community Challenge hasn't even started yet!
While we can't guarantee perfect weather in June, one thing is certain – the Big Community Challenge will be elevated by teams of enthusiastic and hardworking employee-volunteers, just like the UoY maintenance team. As with Big Community Challenges past, we know employee-volunteers are going to make a huge impact on our city – we just can't wait to get started!
If your team would like to get involved in this year's Big Community Challenge then contact us for an application form email: email@example.com
This guest blog was written by Hannah Land, the Challenges intern at York Cares, who is volunteering with the charity whilst studying English and Linguistics at the University of York.


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- Home
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- LuxeSmile of Marshfield
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- Before & After
- Reviews
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Whether you are seeking a general dentistry, relaxation dentistry, or dentistry that specializes in implants or sleep apnea, LuxeSmile Dentistry is here to provide you with results and the most comfortable dental experience you will ever have.
Come experience LuxeSmile Dentistry and you will see we offer comfortable dental care with a smile to patients near Marshfield, Duxbury, Plymouth, Pembroke, Scituate, Kingston, Norwell, Hanover, Plympton and Carver, MA.
Learn more about our dental care services:


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E.JBusuttil, as the proud distributor of Medtronic's neurovascular portfolio used in the treatment of Ischaemic & Hemorrhagic stroke is honoured to share this news story…
Robert BusuttilJune 27, 2018
E.J. Busuttil Ltd. has established itself as a leader in the importation and distribution of premium healthcare products, delivering excellent service and innovation throughout the whole process.
Malta is largely known outside its shores for sunshine and historical architecture, but along with its natural and historical attractions, the country also boasts one of the best free healthcare systems in the world.
Over the years, Malta has also built a sterling reputation as a trusted hub for financial services and a home to international businesses thanks to its strong performing economy, attractive tax laws and a highly educated workforce.


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Bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a technology that integrates biomass conversion to heat, electricity, or liquid or gas fuels with carbon capture and sequestration, including the use of biochar for sequestration in soils.
This new publication summarizes a webinar and workshop that addressed the state of knowledge and research needs related to the potential of BECCS as a carbon dioxide removal approach, including:
- An overview of biomass resources, production pathways and capacities, implications of various feedstocks, advanced conversion technologies, and capture and storage strategies
- Status, challenges, and costs of implemented bioenergy and biofuels
- Cross-cutting issues that include life cycle impacts of large-scale BECCS deployment, policies and incentives for implementation of these approaches, and social acceptability barriers
The webinar and workshop were held to inform an ongoing National Academies study, Developing a Research Agenda for Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration. Other workshop topics in the study, for which proceedings have been or will be produced, include coastal blue carbon, land management practices, direct air capture, and geologic sequestration.
The final publication of the study will be an expert consensus report that outlines a detailed research and development agenda to assess the benefits, risks, and sustainable scale potential for carbon dioxide removal and sequestration approaches, as well as to increase their commercial viability.


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Here's an interesting fact: In my lifetime – I was born in 1992 – there's only been two Asian artists to top the Billboard Hot 100, the standard charting system in the United States for music.
One is Bruno Mars, who is of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent, who topped the Hot 100 twice in 2010 with "Just The Way You Are" and "Grenade". Then there's Jay Sean, who is of British-Indian descent, with his 2009 #1 hit "Down," which was apparently the first time a British-Asian artist topped the Hot 100 chart since 1980, according to Billboard, who counts the last previous British-Asian #1 to be by the band Queen, whose lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was also of British-Indian descent. Both of these men, interestingly enough, live in Western countries – America and the UK.
There's also been very few Asian artists to top Billboard's Hot 100, established in 1958, between the very first – "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto (Still the only #1 by a Japanese artist in the US) in 1963 and the likes of Bruno Mars and Jay Sean now. So, it would be an understatement to say that Asian-Americans – or just all Asian artists – are extremely under-represented in American media markets, especially that of the music industry.
Now, though, a song called "Gangnam Style" by an artist called PSY, below, which started as a viral internet meme, could become the first US #1 by a Korean artist. The question though is how this song has come out of nowhere to come close to such a feat.
There's a lot of issues regarding race and gender that could explain why an artist like PSY has found success in the US, especially given an understanding of which Asian stereotypes are present in an American mindset, which a blog like Racialicious breaks down brilliantly, but this post is not about that.
This post is a bit more optimistic, and, in theory, hopefully about what the exposure of a Korean artist could mean for other artists from Asian markets trying to break into the US market, which is not even that friendly or easy for outside artists from European countries to break into.
Here's a quick breakdown of K-Pop's recent rise in the United States:
- 2006 – Rain, K-Pop icon, sold out shows in both New York and LA.
- 2009 – Wonder Girls became first K-Pop band to chart in the Hot 100.
- 2012 – 2nE1 held first American concert at Prudential Center in New Jersey.
- September 2012 – "Gangnam Style" becomes first K-Pop song to go Top 20 in the US.
"Gangstam Style" is currently #11 on the Hot 100, is #4 on the Top Digital Songs Chart, has hit the #1 spot on US iTunes and is gaining significant airplay on US radio. PSY, himself, has been making the rounds on American television. "Gangnam Style" was featured heavily in a recent Saturday Night Live skit and he made a recent appearance on Ellen to teach Britney Spears how to do the signature dance from the video, below.
So, what exactly does this mean for other artists in the K-Pop genre and, more broadly, for other artists from Asian markets who have hoped to break into the US?
Well, for starters, there's now more incentive and confidence in the equation when it comes to people who could make things happen, like American managers and A&Rs at record companies, who may now give K-Pop and Asian acts that cross their desks a second-look.
There's also the simple fact that the basic exposure of an act from Korea could lead to people exploring more artists from that sound, to where K-Pop artists who have worked with American producers and songwriters yet have gone unnoticed, are now who the labels will be looking for in terms of pre-made, ready to be unleashed on the masses Korean chart smashes.
Acts like 2NE1 and Girls' Generation have worked the last couple of years to make some kind of dent in the US, and the presence of PSY could help them. 2NE1 actually have been able to pull in prominent fashion campaigns, like that of the most recent Jeremy Scott ads that also feature artists like Nicki Minaj and Big Sean.
Girls' Generation, specifically, have been working with American producers to try to create a more appealing sound to those in Western markets. Their single, "The Boys", below, was actually produced by Teddy Riley – yes, the Teddy Riley – and they've recorded demos previously offered to high-profile American acts like Ke$ha.
Some dismiss the success of an artist like PSY and a song like "Gangnam Style", as a mistake, which seems to have some backing due to the meme-style appeal it has for many, but, for now, the song is continuing to rise globally and even in the US, which has been one of the hardest places for outsiders to break in to.
Things could be changing though, especially for Asian artists within America. After all, Far East Movement just became the first Asian-American group to have a #1 hit on the Hot 100 with the 2010 song "Like A G6". PSY, however, could possibly do what even American acts like FEM couldn't – actually top the Hot 100 as a solo Asian artist from outside the US.


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Consider helping out in updating the wiki for 3.9.0 - see Path of Exile Wiki:To-do list/3.9.0.
Game data updates will go live when the patch is live.
Atziri's Splendour (Armour, Energy Shield and Life)
Atziri's Splendour
Sacrificial GarbQuality: +20%
Armour: (1052-1118)
Evasion: 394
Energy Shield: (204-217)
Movement Speed: -3%Requires Level 75, 66 Str, 66 Dex, 66 Int(200-220)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
+(90-100) to maximum Life
+(20-24)% to all Elemental Resistances
+100 Life gained on Kill
+100 Mana gained on Kill"When you have nothing to hide,
you have nothing to fear."
- Atziri, Queen of the VaalSell Price
13x Alteration ShardMiscellaneous
Item class: Body Armours
Atziri's Splendour is a unique Sacrificial GarbSacrificial GarbArmour: 329
Evasion: 329
Energy Shield: 64
Movement Speed: -3%Requires Level 72, 66 Str, 66 Dex, 66 Int.
Drop restrictions
This item can only drop from uber Atziri in the Alluring Abyss and cannot be chanced.
Version history


text: The Prize Is Your Life:Humans Hunting HumansBy Mike WhiteThe Prize Is Your Life Humans Hunting Humans By Mike White. Man is a dangerous animal. For decades, audiences have delighted in films in which human beings are hunted. From The Most Dangerous Game to Predator to Hard Target to Surviving the Game, the list of "man hunting" movies continues to grow a title or two every year...Man is a dangerous animal. For decades, audiences have delighted in films in which human beings are hunted. From The Most Dangerous Game to Predator to Hard Target to Surviving the Game, the list of "man hunting" movies continues to grow a title or two every year. Taking the predatory pursuit out of the jungle (urban or verdant), we find that mano a mano confrontations feel "safer" to audiences when placed in gladiatorial arenas of Ancient Rome or in the distant future. In both of these cases, the recreational bloodletting takes on a more political subtext-the games find sponsorship with the state.We find that the state-funded contests stem from a desire to placate citizenry with cathartic violence. The attendees, or viewers, of these confrontations convey dronish complacency when not frothing at the mouth, chanting "Jonathan" while watching the latest Rollerball contest, screaming dissatisfaction at the antics of Ben Richards in The Running Man, or throwing themselves into the road for the love of Frankenstein in Deathrace 2000.While showing barbarism in the distant past or "sometime in the future" provides some comfort to an audience, the real challenge comes when this kind of event takes place here and now. Far more provocative than Ridley Scott's Gladiator in 2000 or John McTiernan's 2002 remake of Rollerball were two films of 2001 bereft of major marketing campaigns but with a far more radical realization of mortal combat as sport.Series 7: The ContendersEmploying an accomplished television parlance, Daniel Minahan's Series 7: The Contenders mixes the gritty vérité of COPS with a hyperbolized competition that dwarfs the contests of television shows like Survivor, The Mole, or The Runner (the latter ultimately deemed "too sensitive" for production). Shot on digital video, Series 7 stars Brooke Smith as Dawn Logarto, an expectant mother and reigning champion of this horrific competition wherein six randomly chosen civilians struggle to kill off their opponents. Their prize? Nothing more than staying alive and fighting in Series 8. Keeping the details of the contest sketchy keeps Series 7 from becoming a science fiction story and, in turn, gives it more of a punch.Director Minahan presents Series 7 as a full season of a program boiled down to a tight 87-minute running time. As with actual television programs of its ilk, Series 7 creates drama in its presentation. The contestants come from vastly different backgrounds-from the "Angel of Death" nurse, Connie (Marylouise Burke), to the blowhard loser, Tony (Michael Kaycheck). Minahan drives further into television faux-reality by placing Series 7 in Dawn's home town and making one of the contestants an old high school flame-Jeffrey Norman (Glenn Fitzgerald), a terminally ill artist with a long-suffering, manipulative wife (Angelina Phillips).Series 7 presents characters in rapid-fire shorthand but, remarkably, none of them come off as stereotypes. Rather, they're infectiously enjoyable and become so familiar so fast that the audience can invest in them (save for the underplayed Frank (Richard Venture), a conspiracy theorist).By consciously employing the clichés of "reality shows," Minahan brings to fore commentary about the desires of today's audiences while not overpowering the film's narrative. Indeed, audiences have found Series 7 disturbing in the film's ability to minister to and underscore the undeniable bloodlust that prevails in today's "enlightened" society.Series 7: The Contenders succeeds in every milieu it invades. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about its distributor, USA Films. Except for "key markets," Series 7 played in few U.S. venues. It seems that USA hoped to shirk any potential controversy that this insightfully violent film could incur. After avoiding several major film festivals, USA dumped the film onto video and DVD in late 2001-not bothering to make the film available to several major retailers or to update the film's well-crafted website with this information.Perhaps USA Films took its low-profile cue from the problems faced by Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale. Embroiled in controversy, Battle Royale hasn't come under fire because it pits forty-two contestants against one another in a similar life-or-death game. Rather, the dilemma stems from the fact that the players are all high school students.Battle RoyaleThe 61st film of 70-year old director Kinji Fukasaku, Battle Royale begins with a prologue:"At the dawn of the millennium the nation collapsed. At 15% unemployment, 10 million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence and, fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act AKA the BR Act."While the logic of instating the BR Act due to the downturn of the Japanese economy is tenuous at best, Battle Royale screams into action and doesn't allow time to ponder such issues. After a few scenes setting up core characters-Shuya (Tatsuya Fujiwara) and Noriko (Aki Maeda)-the forty-two high schoolers become trapped on a remote island where they're reintroduced to their seventh grade teacher, Kitano (brilliantly played by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano)."This country's become no good," Kitano says. "The bigwigs got together and passed [the BR Act]. So today's lesson is... you kill each other off. 'Till there's only one left. There's nothing against the rules."Armed with a random "weapon" (some get semi-automatic guns, some get less lethal implements), each student has three days to dispatch his or her classmates in hope of being the last one standing. Again, there is little time for logic and no room for pacifism. Playing like a high-stakes version of Martin Campbell's island prison adventure No Escape, Battle Royale finds fuel in the heightened melodrama of adolescence. As these kids struggle to stay alive, classroom rivalries skyrocket and doe-eyed crushes become heavyweight love affairs.Shuya, whose father abandoned him by taking his own life, becomes the stand-in for the audience as well as the prototypical Japanese. Struggling in this microcosm of Japan, Shuya is a young man without a father as Japan is a country without a strong leader. Meanwhile, the only male role model for Shuya appears to be Kitano, the slump-shouldered former teacher plagued with family problems of his own.Shot as a movie rather than a TV show, Battle Royale has its moments of "score-keeping" via graphics that appear, tallying the names of those who have died as well as how many students are left. Though not a "public spectacle," the competition of Battle Royale sucks an audience into its world. As the body count goes higher, director Fukasaku keeps raising the stakes, never relenting in this dogged contest. Cleverly, Battle Royale doesn't appear as an outright parody but, rather, it takes melodrama to the nth degree. The film's score booms with emotionally riveting classical pieces, giving the proceedings an operatic tinge.As for the controversy surrounding Battle Royale, it is to be expected. People feel they should be outraged at the idea of teenagers forced to kill one another. There is a conception that a film such as this would encourage teen violence across the country. At some level, there is a realization that countless Columbine powder kegs exist. Rather than looking at the problem from a preventative perspective and diffusing the problems that cause such combustible situations to exist, these brave little moralistic firefighters take the tack of rushing around madly, throwing water, and heaping accusations on provocative elements such as songs, television shows, and films.Sadly, Battle Royale seems destined to never find widespread distribution in the United States. Rather, the premise of the film will keep it, and any discussions surrounding it, to a limited audience.Punishment ParkShamefully, Peter Watkins's Punishment Park suffered a similar fate in 1971 that Battle Royale endures today. Playing for a mere four days upon its U.S. release (to some violently negative reviews), Punishment Park quickly disappeared from public view. However, where the internet is ablaze with reviews and fan sites dedicated to Battle Royale, Punishment Park and its director, Peter Watkins, remain largely unknown to younger cinephiles. Until 2002, the only version of Punishment Park available on video was a French-subtitled copy whose muddy picture quality only further emphasized the subversive subject matter of the film.Like Minahan's Series 7: The Contenders, Watkins employs a set of stylistic conventions to give his film more weight. As with the lion's share of Watkins's oeuvre, he shot Punishment Park as a documentary (years before faux documentaries were in vogue).Like Battle Royale, Punishment Park begins with a prologue that explains the basis for the film. "Under the provisions of Title 2 of the 1950 Internal Security Act, also known as the McCarran Act, the President of the United States of America is still authorized-without further approval by Congress-to determine an event of insurrection within the United States and to declare the existence of an 'Internal Security Emergency.' The President is then authorized to apprehend and detain each person as to whom there is reasonable ground to believe probably will engage in certain future acts of sabotage. Persons apprehended shall be given a hearing, without right of bail, without the necessity of evidence, and shall then be confined to places of detention."If this sounds familiar, that is probably because several of these tenents have recently made their way into the Patriot Act, which Congress hastily passed after 9/11/2001. At the time of this writing, the detention camps of Punishment Park don't openly reside on the U.S. mainland but, rather, only at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.As a "humane" and "fair" method of sentencing, those accused of insurgency have the option of serving out their sentence in a federal penitentiary or of taking their chances in Punishment Park. The "Park" is a sun-baked, rocky landscape where participants have three days to complete a fifty three-mile trek to a U.S. flag. To add some "excitement" to the mix, the detainees must evade capture by pursuing law enforcement officers. The officers have transportation, guns, and water.Shot "for European television," Punishment Park follows the trial of a group of alleged dissidents. Having been held for two months without ever hearing the charges against them, they're given a chance to speak-to a certain extent-at this tribunal. The kangaroo "courtroom" setting with the comments of those on trial and of their uptight, white, bourgeoisie jurors are inter-cut with scenes of the previous group of "troublemakers" making their arduous journey through Punishment Park.Watkins doesn't skimp on ironic juxtapositions of actions and sentiment between any of those involved. Yet, Watkins spares viewers from ham-fisted theatrics or preachy sentimentalism. Punishment Park is thoroughly convincing. The "acting" never feels theatrical. Instead, the performances in Punishment Park feel frighteningly real, helping audiences to invest in the story. From there, the editing and pacing are truly hypnotic.If Punishment Park feels so shocking and relevant in 2002, I wonder how disturbing it must have been for audiences in 1971 when the Vietnam War was still in high gear. While Punishment Park (and much of Watkins's other work) remains unreleased in the U.S., this film has recently been restored and released on DVD in France. Those interested in seeing Punishment Park would do well to make the effort to track down this DVD version, as it is a world apart from the video version that's been available for the last few years.ConclusionThe precursor of state-funded killing films, Elio Petri's 1965 Italian film, La Decima Vittima (The Tenth Victim), finds roots in Robert Sheckley's short story, The Seventh Victim. While containing the kernel of a good idea, La Decima Vittima folds under the weight of its gynophobia. The film's protagonist, Marcello Polletti (Marcello Mastroianni sporting an unlikely head of flaxen hair) plays in the state-run contest wherein participants alternate roles from hunter to victim until they perish or retire after ten games. Polletti closes in on the end of his career, becoming the final prey to Caroline Meredith (Ursula Andress). More dangerous than this assassin with her bullet shooting bra are Polletti's wife and mistress who vie for his attention and income. Despite terrific Pop Art cinematography, La Decima Vittima doesn't know when to call it a day, having a series of false endings that only serve to help wear out its tired presence. Like Battle Royale, the contest of La Decima Vittima remains relatively free of television scrutiny.Meanwhile, another Sheckley-inspired film, Yves Boisset's Le Prix du Danger has TV at its core. Based on another Sheckley story, The Prize of Peril, Boisset's film bears a strong resemblance to Paul Michael Glaser's The Running Man. In fact, The Running Man often appears closer to Le Prix du Danger than to the Stephen King novel adapted for Glaser's film!Starring Gérard Lanvin as an ex-con turned TV sensation, Le Prix du Danger takes far too long to get started. Likewise, the scenes of six average citizens hunting Lanvin bear little excitement. The finale of Lanvin's confrontation of TV host Michel Piccoli should be viewed as an unsuccessful dry run for Arnold Schwarzenegger taking on Richard Dawson four years later.The idea of violence as public spectacle-especially for mass-consumption-becomes less farfetched with each coming television season. Boris Paval Conen's 1998 Dutch film, Temmink: The Ultimate Fight, questions the plausability of modern day gladiatorial games as popular entertainment. Taking a cue from the frighteningly popular Pay-Per-View and video rental Ultimate Fighting Championship series, Temmink simply pushes the envelope and gives a bloodthirsty audience what they're afraid to admit that they want. The fighters of "The Arena" don't merely beat each other to a bloody pulp: they battle to the death!As with nearly all participants in filmic "experimental programs," the contestants of "The Arena" consist of convicted murderers. Jack Wouterse plays the titular fighter, finding that his uncontrollable bouts of rage come in handy during these death matches. When his face isn't flaming crimson with anger, Temmink seems to be a fairly nice guy. Occasionally, Conen's film feels as though it might stray into more science fiction territory but the director does well to stay his hand, providing a credible world in which "The Arena" might exist.On the road from Roman and futuristic bloodletting to the reality-rooted state-funded killing films a handful of works reside between spectacle and scathing social satire. Too often only the lack of sheer audacity has pushed these films into the fringes. Punishment Park, Battle Royale, and Series 7: The Contenders bear backbone in abundance. By setting themselves in the now and by appropriating or playing off stylistic conventions, these films provide concurrent catharsis and caricature. Back to Issue 13


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Immersion at Scale: AR/MR Will Change Everything
There will be an encore of this session occurring Monday March 11 at 5:00pm. JW Marriott: Salon 3/4
Augmented Reality is making its mark on the world, with commercial deployments across gaming, entertainment, media, and retail. The computer interface is going immersive, with phone-based AR and stand-alone headsets leading the charge. As the appetite for immersive content and applications exponentially increases, this paves the way for Mixed Reality (MR)-- wearables and headsets that combine the real world with digital data-- to become the next ubiquitous computing medium. Following the Magic Leap and Hololens experiences, what does the future of an AR/MR wearable society look like, and what are its uses for brands and consumers? We'll lay out the differences of AR and MR, and where they're headed tomorrow, with a specific focus on the future of retail.
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.


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Dance?... Defence?... A little bit of both.... Kalarippayattu, Kerala's own martial art, is one of the oldest in the world and one of the awesome to watch. It is combat that has a unique rhythmic feel that can make you forget that what you are seeing was once a way of war.
Kalarippayattu's movements draw inspiration from animals. Even there are poses named after the boar, the elephant, the lion, the fish and the serpent.
Mental discipline is important too. The battles are fought as much in the mind as on the ground.
Kalarippaayattu is a distinctive brand of acrobatic combat drawing heavily on yoga and ancient Indian knowledge of the human body. Its techniques of hand-to-hand fighting, weapon skills and healing were first formalized in 9-12th century.
This is practised by the bodyguards of medieval war-lords and chiefs. But there is evidence to suggest the form derives from practices two or three thousand years old.
Under the guidance of their gurus, young boys would be trained for years as specialist fighters. Then they would be employed to wage duels and settle disputes on behalf of landowners and chiefs.
Most of what we know about Kalari today is gathered from practitioners of the art. Prominent persons among them are late C V Narayanan Nair and Chirakkal T Sreedharan Nair.
Legends about brave Kalari fighters are to be found in popular ballads such as the Vadakkan Pattukal and Thekkan Pattukal (Ballads of North and South, respectively).
Vadakkan Pattukal narrates the story of Unniarcha, a beautiful woman who was also a proficient Kalari fighter. Similarly, the ballads narrate the soulful story of Thacholi Othenan, a valiant fighter.
The word 'Kalari' denotes a gymnasium or school and 'payattu' means fight. Perfection in the form comes after years of concentrated training at the kalari.
The process is spread over three stages. First stage is Meippayatt - exercise to control the body. This is followed by Kolthari - fighting with sticks. The final one Ankathari - skills in using metal weapons such as daggers and swords.
The talented disciples go on to learn much more. They are taught secrets about the human marma and the techniques of Verum Kaithari.
Marma's are 108 highly sensitive, vulnerable and vital parts of the body. Verum Kaithari focuses on bare hand combat against an armed enemy and is for advanced practitioners only. This is the finale of at least a decade-long training.
Two distinct schools survive - the southern and northern systems. Both, however follow a similar progression.
Once initiated, students are taught a complex set of exercises to become their bodies strong and flexible. They are practised in kicks, jumps, animal postures, spins, step sequences and stretches.
The oil massages are another essential part of training. The massages are given with the feet and hands by teachers holding on to ropes suspended from the roof of Kalari.
When the set moves have been mastered, students are eventually introduced to combat with weapons. The weapons include the udaval (sword), paricha (shield), kadara (dagger), kuntham (spear), gadha (mace) and urumi (a long flexible sword).
Perhaps what sets it apart is the fact that is something more than just a martial art. It has strong links with Ayurveda, and Kalari Chikilsa (medical treatment). Kalari Chikilsa specialises in curing ailments such as back pain and spondylitis.
Every Kalari fighter is also given uzhichil or massage using medicinal oils, to make the body supple. These massages are today part of the Kalari treatment.
Kalari demonstrations are staged at gyms and tourist resorts across Kerala. The shows are never dull, and injuries, although rare, do happen.
East Fort Trivndrum Tel: +91 471 2474182
Contact Person:G Sathya Narayanan
Branches: Affiliated to Centres at Karukachal, Kottayam and Nadakkavu, Calicut.
About the Institution: The gives training in traditional northern style 'Kalarippayat'. It also arrange model training and performance. Established in the year 1956 in Trivandrum by C V Govindan Kutty Nair Gurukkal.
A formal training centre for Kalari performance was established in 1975. The centre has been actively engaged in the promotion and propagation of Kalarippayattu since then.
Gurukkal has performed all over India and abroad in many countries and conducted workshops and performance tours in Europe, Asia and US.
Kalariyil Cotton Hill Trivandrum Tel: +91 471 3297840
Contact Person: P S Balachandran Nair
Branches: Kalariyil Dharmaikam, Parassuvaikal, Parassala, Trivandrum
About the Institution: Activities practiced are kalaripayattu training, study and research in marma, kalari chikilsa, meditation. Guru Balachandran Nair-a master of the martial art, Kalari established ISMA.
Among the school's principles, the well-versed theory of Guru-Shishya (Teacher-student) relationship is included. They are trying to keep the great tradition, culture and inheritance of every Indian especially of Keralites alive, without compromising the pride, honour or discipline.
Nettirachira Nedumangad Trivandrum Tel: +91 472 2793120
Contact Person: A M Sali Asan
About the Institution: M S Kalari Sangam offers kalarippayattu and kalari chikitsa courses in the traditional manner. Courses are offered but not formally scheduled. This private institution established in 1967. Visitors will be allowed to watch daily training.
Aranmula Pathanamthitta Tel: +91 468 2278670
Contact Person:FACT Mohanan
About the Institution: Samskrithy is the training centre for Indian performing arts. Kalarippayattu is regarded as a theatre art form and as a martial art for physical exercise. Training in martial arts and massage are given in the Kalari Centre of Samskrithy.
Mattam Junction Athirampuzha Kottayam Tel: +91 481 2731500
Contact Person:Nazar Gurukkal
About the Institution: Area of training include kalarippayattu and yoga. Started in 1985, Jai Hind Kalari Sangam has been functioning with the approval of Sports Council.
Besides its coaching classes in kalari treatments and martial arts, special marma massages and body treatments are provided for body and mind rejuvenation.
Melampara Kottayam Tel: +91 482 2275045
Contact Person: V J Joseph
About the Institution: This centre for kalarippayattu and kalari treatment offers training in both. The private run institution started functioning in 1986.
Nettoor Ernakulam Cochin Tel: +91 484 2700810
Contact Person:E S Narayanan Embranthiri Gurukkal
About the Institution: ENS Kalari was established in 1954 by the Kalari grandmaster late E N Sreepathy Gurukkal. This Kalari centre gives training in both northern and southern styles. The centre facilitates regular kalari training, kalari certificate courses, daily demo and kalari treatments.
Near Muthukade Devi Temple Mappathadom Aluva (Alwaye) Cochin Tel: +91 484 2556835
Contact Person:Kalari Master Prasannan Gurukal
About the Institution: Nava Kerala Kalari School was started in 1980. Activities practiced are kalaripayattu, ayurveda and yoga
Chattakalikal House Chelachuvadu Kanjikuzhi Idukki Tel: +91 481 2327756
Contact Person:Chacko Devasia
Branches: Thadiampadu, Bison Valley, Idukki District.
About the Institution: Started in 1992. This Martial Arts training centre gives training in kalarippayattu and marma Chikilsa.
Kanjikuzhy Idukki Tel: +91 481 2239183
Contact Person: P N Kumaran Assan
About the Institution: This martial arts centre gives training in kalarippayattu. The courses offered are not formally scheduled.
Started in 1996, the centre conducts a grand performance on the annual day, 2nd February.
Poomully Mana Peringode Palakkad Tel: +91 4926 255218, 258318
Contact Person:P M Narayanan
About the Institution: The centre offers free courses in ayurvedic practices and kalarippayattu. Coursed offered are not formally scheduled. Started in 1998, the centre is run by a trust.
West Mankave Thiruvannur Calicut Tel: +91 495 2325188
Contact Person: C Chandran Gurukal
About the Institution: Started in 1965 and run by a trust, the centre offers courses in kalarippayattu. The courses are not formally scheduled.
Vadakara Calicut Tel: +91 496 2517853
Contact Person:Karunan Nair
About the Institution: The centre offers courses in kalarippayattu. The courses are not formally scheduled. Started in 1980, this is a private run centre.
Near Ganapathy Temple Kundooparamba Road Edakkad Calicut Tel: +91 495 2391808, 2701249
Contact Person: T Sudhakaran Gurukkal
About the Institution: C V N Kalari is the most reputed traditional Kalari training center with calm and quiet village atmosphere. They conduct scientific and thrilling kalari demonstrations on various stages.
Treatment for back pain, joint pain, and spondylitis is given here through the traditional kalari marma massaging system by experienced trainers.
Puthupanam Vadakara Calicut Tel: +91 496 2528135
Contact Person: Madhu Gurukkal
About the Institution: This centre offers training in Kalarippayattu. Started in 1993, this is a privately owned centre.
Puthupanam Vadakara Calicut Tel: +91 496 2524147
Contact Person: M E Suresh
About the Institution: This centre offers courses in Kalarippayattu but the courses are not formally scheduled. Started in 1970 this is a private run centre.
Shakti Bhavan Chirakkal Kannur Tel: +91 497 2775814
Contact Person:S. R. D. Prasad
About the Institution: The centre offers training in kalarippayattu. Classes are conducted all through the year and are not formally scheduled. Special short-term courses are also conducted. Started in 1948, the centre is run by a trust.
Deli Kalanad Kasaragod Tel: +91 4994 238596
Contact Person:P K Aboobacker Musiliyar Gurukal
About the Institution: The centre offers training in kalarippayattu. The courses offered are not formally scheduled, started in 1988.
Book a Hotel at the best price from 30+ online booking services. All hotels rated by guests.
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Today I was sad to say goodbye to my friends Brian and Paul. They came from Quartzsite about two weeks ago to check out San Felipe because they'd never been and knew I like it so much here. Turns out, they liked it a lot too.
I had a great time with them while they were here. We went out to dinner every night and we made it an adventure to try a different place every night. We had some great seafood.
At some of the smaller places (think 'hole in the wall') the three of us could have fish tacos and lemonade for about $10 total. Good deal and delicious tacos. The idea for the fish taco was born in San Felipe, and they are very proud of that fact here.
This is a picture of their campsite, near mine. Paul is on the left with his pickup camper, and Brian is on the right, with his van. And that's Brian's dog, Dina, always keeping an eye on everything we did.
(You may click on today's blog title to see Brian's blog about their visit to San Felipe and his pictures.)
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Articles in TOP VIDEOS
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
Persistent rain and a forecast for more forced postponement of Saturday night's scheduled Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway until 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday on NBCSN.
Matt Kenseth will lead the field to the start when the first race in the Contender Round of the Chase begins more […]
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup reaches halfway with a homecoming at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Greg Biffle says he likes racing near his North Carolina home while three-time Lowe's winner Kasey Kahne sees NASCAR Banking 500 Only From Bank of America as a chance to rally from 11th and get back into title contention. […]
A recap of the action from Sunday's Auto Club 500 from Fontana. Jimmie Johnson took the win, and with it, the lead in the Chase standings.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to California and the Auto Club Speedway for the first time in history. Denny Hamlin says it's a welcome change for competitors and fans alike while Washington state native Kasey Kahne enjoys racing in front of his West Coast fans. Plus, get the top five in Driver […]
Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart held off four-time champ Jeff Gordon for his second Kansas Speedway win. Both drivers moved up a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings while Mark Martin extended his lead over Jimmie Johnson.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series one and only visit to the track this season. Jeff Gordon says his mile-and-a-half program could earn him a third victory at the facility while Carl Edwards says nothing would be bigger than a win at his home […]
Jimmie Johnson completed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season sweep at Dover International Speedway and closed within 10 points of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup leader Mark Martin, who finished second. See how the Monster Mile changed the point standings with eight races to go in the Chase.
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Mark Martin tells you why Dover International Speedway is one of his favorite racetracks while Kurt Busch talks about the demands of racing at the Monster Mile. Plus, with three men in the top five in Driver Rating, Roush Fenway Racing could have a turnaround weekend.
In a furious fight to the finish with Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Martin claimed his fifth win of the season, increasing his Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup lead. See how the other Chasers did and how the points reset after the first of 10 races.
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The first and last drivers to clinch Chase berths, Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers, talk about the challenging Magic Mile. Driver Rating says Stewart is the favorite to win. Plus, find out who else to watch.


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TPE vs PVC Yoga Mat Review: Which Material is Safer for you!
Before you buy a new yoga mat, be sure to read this article in order to understand which mat will be safer and healthier for you when it comes to the materials used to make the mat.
A Look at the Different Materials That Can Be Used:
There are several types of materials yoga mats that will be used to manufacture mats;
- PVC stands for Polyvinyl Chloride
- TPE stands for Thermal Plastic Elastomer (foam)
- EVA stands for Ethylene Vinyl Acetate
- NBR stands for Nitrile Butadiene Rubber
- NBR/PVC is a combination of PVC and NBR
We're Going to Look at The Two TPE & PVC Yoga Mat to See Which's Safer For You
As many have become more eco-friendly minded we are going to look at these two more closely.
1. As stated TPE stands for Thermal Plastic Elastomer but what exactly does that mean?
Basically, so we do not get over our heads in what is what, it is a mix of a plastic and a rubber to make it so that it is stiff yet flexible. It allows a yoga mat to be rolled or folded. That is the simple explanation.
2. PVC is a synthetic resin produced by the polymerization of vinyl chloride.
Think of a vinyl shower curtain when you open it and the smell then thinks of a yoga mat made from the same material.
Why does vinyl have that odor?
As PVC is produced, as we use it in yoga mats, and as it ends up in the landfill it gives off dioxins (a family of toxic chemicals).
2018's Reviews of the Best TPE Mats
#1. HappYness TPE yoga mat
¼ inch thick, eco-friendly 100% biodegradable and recyclable, reversible double layer 2 colors with a 5-star rating.
The layers are not glued so there are no toxins. Both layers provide a good grip and no slip during a workout. Also included is a carry bag.
- Eco-friendly
- Biodegradable
- Nontoxic
- Carry bag
- No warranty
Here is what customers say;
Jessica says,
"Nontoxic, eco-friendly, could be a little thicker but works well. Also, love the carry bag that comes with it."
2. DaZein Fitness TPE Yoga Mat
7mm thick, 1-year warranty, as well as a 60-day guarantee.
- Eco-friendly
- Warranty
- Chemical free
- No strap or carry case
Ellen writes,
"I absolutely love this mat. It is just thick enough, is eco-friendly and the warranty and money back guarantee is awesome. I know that it is healthier for me than other mats since it is chemical free. I do wish, however, that it came with a strap or carry case."
#3. MERRITHEW Eco Yoga Mat (TPE)
3mm(1/4 inch) thick, easy to clean, eco-friendly
- Eco-friendly
- Durable
- Good grip
- Nontoxic
- No strap
- No warranty
Terry says,
"This mat is eco-friendly and easy to clean. It is great on carpeted floors not so sure about harder floors it might be too thin. The fact that is durable has good grip, and nontoxic outweighs the fact that there is no strap or warranty."
Best Overall
2nd Choice
3rd Choice
Get Started
Easy clean
2018's Review of The Best PVC Mats
1. Yes4All Print PVC Yoga Mat
5mm thick, no latex, easy clean, and portable
- Easy clean
- 2-year warranty
- No latex
- Portable
- Smell
- Not thick enough
Belinda writes,
"I had read a lot of good reviews on this mat, so I decided to order it. I was very sorry I did. It is not thick enough but worse than that was the smell. I also found it very slippery and have my doubts as to how well this mat will really hold up since it also left hand and footprints from sweat on the mat."
2. YogaAccessories 1/4″ Extra Thick Deluxe Yoga Mat
1/4 inch thick, no latex.
- No latex
- No heavy metals
- Nonslip
- 74 inches by 24 inches
- No strap or carry case
- No warranty information
- Smell
Rochelle says,
"While the size is good, it is an only ¼ inch thick which is not thick enough on harder floors. Also, I found that you do slip once you become sweaty. The big downer for me was the smell! It was horrible. Add to the smell no warranty, no strap or carry case for making it easier to carry I was very disappointed and caution anyone who is serious about yoga on buying this mat. If you just want to try out yoga and see if you like yoga, this mat might be ok but know that you will need to replace it if you intend to stick with yoga."
3. Gaiam Print Premium Yoga Mats
5mm thick, non-slip.
- Nonslip
- Free workout video download
- No warranty information
- No carry strap or case
- Smell
Gena says,
"I bought this mat when I went to college because it was nonslip and had a workout video download that came with it. Imagine my horror when I opened it and it reeked! The smell filled my dorm room and I had not even used it yet. I just knew I could not take this to yoga class. I tried to wash it with a mild soap the smell didn't go away so my roommate suggested using white vinegar, that helped some but still, I could smell it. I packaged it back up and returned it. I will find another mat for use that I can store in my dorm room without smelling the room up. I would in no way recommend this mat to anyone…not even an enemy."
Best Overall
2nd Choice
3rd Choice
Get Started
Yoga Extra Thick Deluxe Yoga Mat
Easy clean
The verdict
If you want a truly safe yoga mat, you need to invest in a TPE mat.
While many of the PVC mats say they are free of toxic chemicals and are eco-friendly you need to remember what PVC is and how it will react during exercise.


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Congratulations to the SGC and their benevolent funders on the milestone release of their 1,000th structure 2XML. More details are available on the press release.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Opportunities to work with the ChEMBL team
We are anticipating engaging two/three contractors to work on a number of very exciting collaborative projects which will significantly augment the content and scope of the ChEMBL data. The work will be located at our facilities here at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus (you will need to have existing right of residence and right to seek employment within the United Kingdom for these contractor positions), and we hope to start work before the winter holiday season. These offer the chance to work within a friendly, Open Access/Open Data team committed to developing novel and innovative precompetitive solutions for private and public sector drug discovery.
We are looking for creative developers/scientists with existing skills covering significant elements of the following - perl/python, Linux, handling of biological and chemical structural data, ChEMBL, Matlab / Octave / R, MySQL / Oracle / SQL / PL/SQL, GO, MESH, blast, MVC development techniques, UniProt, Pfam, PDBe, Ensembl, Stitch, drug properties, drug targets, DMPK, etc.
If you are interested in being considered for these contractor positions, please send us a cv/resume. Any submissions from employment agencies will not be considered, sorry!
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
ChEMBL Rocks!
It would be good to try and collect sites that have integrated, mirrored, processed, or derived online tools from the ChEMBL bioactivity data - we'll maintain a list of these on our website. Please mail us the url of any sites you know of, or if you would like listed?
Posted by Unknown at 9/28/2010 03:48:00 pm No comments: Links to this post
Friday, 24 September 2010
GPCR SARfari Released
We are pleased to announce the release of GPCR SARfari. GPCR SARfari is a web based workbench focused on Class A G Protein-Coupled Receptors (Rhodopsin-like). The system currently contains:
We have been collecting the protein structures of rhodopsin-like GPCRs and plan to add a structural component to GPCR SARfari. There will be a blog announcement providing more detail about this soon.
The system is very similar to Kinase SARfari, so if you are familiar with the kinase version, you should have no problems navigating around GPCR SARfari. If there is enough interest we will also be happy to set up a webinar describing how to use both systems, please mail us in this is something you might be interested in.
- 912 protein sequences
- 546,467 bioactivity data points
- 118,834 compounds
We have been collecting the protein structures of rhodopsin-like GPCRs and plan to add a structural component to GPCR SARfari. There will be a blog announcement providing more detail about this soon.
The system is very similar to Kinase SARfari, so if you are familiar with the kinase version, you should have no problems navigating around GPCR SARfari. If there is enough interest we will also be happy to set up a webinar describing how to use both systems, please mail us in this is something you might be interested in.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Papers: Ligand Efficiency Indices for Mapping Chemico-biological Space
A few months ago, Cele Abad-Zapatero visited our lab here at the EMBL-EBI, he touched all our lives in many ways and was a pleasure to have around. The sort of lab visitor anyone would welcome! Anyway, while here, we worked together on Cele's long-standing idea of an 'atlas' representation of target-chemical space, and a variety of descriptors will be incorporated into the ChEMBL database over the next few releases, both for visualisation, and also to enable data mining.
%J Drug Discovery Today %T Efficiency Indices for an Effective Mapping of Chemico-biological Space: The Concept of an Atlas-like Representation %D 2010 %V 15 %P 804-811 %A Abad-Zapatero C. %A Perišić O. %A Wass J. %A Bento A.P. %A Overington J. %A Al-Lazikani B. %A Johnson M.E.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
EBI Services User Survey
Would you consider completing the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) Survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EMBL-EBI
- It should take 10-15 minutes.
- There are no compulsory questions.
- You can be entered into a prize draw where you could win an iPad.
Otherwise, please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/EMBL-EBI and complete the questions relevant to you. We will be collecting data until the end of September.
Thank you for your help.
(The picture is from the eponymous beta site).
Posted by Unknown at 9/21/2010 01:29:00 pm No comments: Links to this post
Friday, 17 September 2010
Kinase SARfari Update
Kinase SARfari compound and bioactivity data has been updated using the latest release from the ChEMBL database. The compound count has increased from 28,223 to 33,559 and the bioactivity count increased from 146,865 to 212,735.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Lecture: Development and Applications of Computational Chemogenomics
We have a special visitor to the EMBL-EBI on Wednesday 10th of November - Didier Rognan of the University of Strasbourg at Illkirch. His presentation, on the "Development and Applications of Computational Chemogenomics" will be after lunch, so if anyone in the Cambridge area is interested in attending (campus staff will get a mail closer to the date, so please don't mail ;) ), please let me know (since I need to get you through security).
Posted by Unknown at 9/14/2010 02:06:00 pm 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: Conferences
Monday, 13 September 2010
Books: Germ Stories
One of the great things about large meetings (I'm at the 50th meeting of ICAAC at the moment) are the publisher's stalls; the sort of specialist literature I like doesn't make conventional bookshops, and how bad is Amazon for recommendations for actually surprising and expanding your horizons and interests....
Anyway, we all have a little special someone in our lives, and this book, Germ Stories, is just for them. A set of delightful poems and rhymes about bugs, of all sorts, written by Arthur Kornberg for his children. Education and entertainment for youngsters at it's best. High production values in the book - good quality binding, nice relief printed titling on the dust jacket, and delightful illustrations. A stylistic merging of Dr. Seuss with interesting subject matter, but in no sense is this nonsense. A must buy for all parents - especially at the show price of $20!
%T Germ Stories %A A. Kornberg %D 2008 %I University Science Books %O ISBN-978-1-891389-51-1
ChEMBL PhD studentship Opportunites for Oct 2011 Intake
Registration in now open for applicants to the EMBL International Phd Programme (EIPP) for an October 2011 intake. We have potentially two positions available in the group, covering our general research interests, or an alternative project of your design. Students will be registered at the University of Cambridge, the highest rated university in the world (according to the QS World University Rankings 2010). Deadline for registration is December 1st 2010.
There are other colleagues at EMBL with an interest in Chemical Biology, and Bio- and Chemoinformatics, so please consider their research projects as well.
Please, please, check the eligibility requirements carefully, and if you wish to mail with any specific queries or ideas please feel free to do so.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
UK QSAR and Chemoinformatics Autumn Meeting Registration Now Open
It is impossible to underestimate the importance of drug discovery researcher community groups in the advance of drug discovery science in general, professional networking, and precompetitive and collaborative activities. A prime example is the UK QSAR and Chemoinformatics Group, who have been in existence since 1986. It is therefore a pleasure to host the Autumn 2010 meeting here at the EMBL-EBI, on Tuesday 12th October 2010 (there will be an informal meal, the evening before at a local hostelry for those interested). Finally, you don't have to work in the UK to attend!
Registration (which is free) is now open at this link.
Posted by Unknown at 9/12/2010 09:00:00 am No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Conferences
Thursday, 9 September 2010
EMBL-EBI Small Molecule Bioactivity Course - Feb 2011
Just posted on the EMBL-EBI website are the first details of the Small Molecule Bioactivity Course. There will be more details later, and the agenda needs sketching out in more detail, but the dates, and guest lecturers are all set. So, if you would like to take part in an introductory level course to the use of chemogenomics approaches to understanding biology and supporting healthcare research, keep an eye out for more details, or take a chance in case all the places go, and register now!
On a related note, I would like to highlight the overall good-all-round-goodness and helpfulness of Noel O'Boyle; in honour, I may even go back to using the Irish form of my surname O'Verington.....
The image above will mean little to most, but a lot to the few who watch UK kids TV.
Posted by Unknown at 9/09/2010 05:33:00 pm 2 comments: Links to this post
Friday, 3 September 2010
ChEMBL_06 is live
We're pleased to announce the release, a few moments ago of ChEMBL_06. This contains an additional 29,142 compound records and 138,348 new bioactivities. We've also done quite a lot of compound cleanup, names, research codes (vide infra), and so forth. A variety of database dumps are available from the public ftp site, and the live web database is now connect to ChEMBL_06.
Additional data this release includes the standard literature data, but also the data from the brilliant Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer project, coordinated by Ultan McDermott at the Sanger Center (interested readers in the oncology area are also pointed to this previous blog post).
2010 New Drug Approval - Pt. XI - Alcaftadine (Lastacaft)
ATC code:
The summer got in the way of a timely post on this new drug. On 28 July 2010, Alcaftadine was approved for the treatment of patients with allergic conjunctivitis as a 0.25% opthalmic solution.
This allergic reaction is most familiar in patients with hay fever but can also be caused by other allergens such as dust mites, moulds, perfumes etc. It causes red, itchy and watery eyes.
Allergic conjunctivitis is caused by a type I hypersensitivity reaction of the immune system. Antigenic epitopes of the allergen are detected by IgE antibodies which mediate the excessive activation of mast cells and basophils. The symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis are mainly caused by the release of histamine from these activated immune cells. Histamine increases the permeability of blood vessels and stimulates the activity of immune cells, through a number of differing histamine receptors.
Alcaftadine and it's carboxylic acid metabolite (produced via a non P450 route) are antagonists of the H1 histamine receptor (Uniprot: P35367) and also inhibit histamine release.
Alcaftadine is administered topically as a 0.25% solution. In a pharmakokinetics study, the plasma CMAX of Alcaftadine is 60pg/mL and occurs after 15 minutes, the plasma CMAX of the active metabolite is 10pg/mL and occurs after one hour. Plasma protein binding (ppb) for Alcaftadine is 39.2%, and for the carboxylic acid metabolite is 62.7%. The elimination half-life of the metabolite is appoximately 2 hours. The presence of the aldehyde is an unusual chemical feature in Alcaftadine, since aldehydes are usually quite reactive, as would be expected this group is readily metabolized to a carboxylic acid.
The full prescribing information is here.
Adverse reactions may include eye irritation, eye redness, nasopharyngitis, headache and influenza.
IUPAC: 11-(1-methylpiperidin-4-ylidene)-5,6-dihydro
SMILES: CN1CCC(CC1)=C2c3ccccc3CCn4c(C=O)cnc24
InChI: 1S/C19H21N3O/c1-21-9-6-15(7-10-21)18-17-
Alcaftadine was developed by the Janssen Research Foundation and will be marketed in the US under the name Lastacaft by Vistakon Pharmaceuticals.
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Human Toxicology Project Consortium Coordinator Catherine Willett was in Italy last week to take part in "Advancing AOPs for Integrated Toxicology and Regulatory Applications." Co-sponsored by a broad range of stakeholders* and organized by the European Commission, US Army Corps and US EPA, this workshop was designed to build on the advancements of two previous workshops, "A Vision and Strategy for Predictive Ecotoxicology in the 21st Century: Defining Adverse Outcome Pathways Associated with Ecological Risk" (SETAC Pellston, Forest Grove, OR, 2009) and "Development of alternatives to chronic ecotoxicity tests: predicting early life stage and endocrine-mediated toxicity in aquatic vertebrate species" (ILSI-HESI, Paris, France, 2010). Like the previous workshops, this one brought together dozens of scientists representing industry, academia, government, and non-governmental organizations from around the world. The goal was for participants to develop specific approaches for the regulatory application of AOPs, focusing on how to use AOPs to understand and reduce uncertainties in the risk assessment process, and to support Informed Approaches to Testing and Assessment.
Workshop organizers anticipate that the discussions will form the basis for symposia at the upcoming SETAC Europe 24th Annual Meeting (May 2014) and SETAC North America 35th Annual Meeting (November 2014), and will also generate one or more open access journal articles.
Update: The slides for Dr. Willett's presentation, "Animal Welfare Perspective on Pathway-based Approaches to Safety Assessment," can be downloaded here (PDF).
*Co-sponsors included Environment Canada, Humane Society of the United States, United States Environmental Protection Agency, ILSI-HESI, BioDetection, European Commission – Joint Research Centre, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC), American Chemistry Council, and Italian – Regional EPA.


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HOLLYWOOD — Demi Lovato's Hollywood Hills home just can't stay out of the news.
According to police, someone trespassed on the Hollywood Hills property of the actress-singer overnight, police reported today.
It's the same house that escaped being flattened in a landslide due to the region's heavy rains in January.
A person who works at the property in the 8000 block of Laurel View Drive reported that a person had trespassed late Tuesday night, Los Angeles Police Officer Liliana Preciado said.
"The homeowner was not present," Preciado said.
According to TMZ.com, "a man wearing all-black clothing and a baseball cap scaled the security gate just before midnight Tuesday at Demi's Hollywood Hills home."
"We're told the man had a ladder and made it on to the balcony of her home, and that's when the dogs began furiously barking," TMZ reported.
"The house manager sensed something was wrong, walked over to the balcony and saw the man peering through Demi's bedroom window," TMA reported. "The live-in house manager ran to the phone, called 911 and left. By the time cops arrived the bad guy was gone."
The actress bought the house in September 2016, and was in Boston promoting a new recording at the time of the incident, TMZ reported.
A string of burglaries have been reported in recent months targeting celebrities in the Hollywood and Beverly Hills area, including Alanis Morissette, Nicki Minaj, Emmy Rossum, Jaime Pressly, David Spade, Yasiel Puig and Derek Fisher.
There was no indication that this latest incident was related to any of the earlier ones.
Lovato's home was perilously close to being damaged on Jan. 30 of this year when a massive landslide caused two other homes in the neighborhood to be red-tagged when mud and debris took out one home's backyard and sent mud pouring into two houses below.
Some dirt was sent into Lovato's driveway, but her home was otherwise unaffected by the landslide that occurred during one of the rainiest years in recent memory.
Lovato has been in the news lately for less unusual reasons.
On Tuesday, she released her new single, "Sorry Not Sorry," which she told fans on Twitter is "an anthem for anyone who's ever been hated on and has risen above it and come out from the other side like a #$%&* savage!"
Lovato also has an upcoming YouTube reality show called "Simply Complicated," which is slated to debut later this year.
City News Service and Daily News Staff Writer Steven Rosenberg contributed to this report.


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Learning by doing! With our metal model kits we are opening up the whole world of mechanics to the youth with attractive models from the age of 6+. Screwing according to construction instructions, modifying models or even constructing new ones promotes creativity and three-dimensional thinking, including the sense of achievement, of having built a complex model with your own hands.
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Hallam Internet, in Nottingham, has done a good analysis of last week's #NottinghamRocks campaign on twitter. Complete with their selection of the best/most interesting of the tweets. Since there were some 16,000 on the day, I am glad they decided Less is More for the article.
Mention was made, in an earlier blog post, of the County Council's Arts Fund. They have updated the page on their website with some case studies of successful applications and the art/creative results. Worth a read if you think this could help you.
The Queen and members of her family will be in Nottingham on Wednesday, 13 June. So get to the Market Square early/avoid the Market Square [delete as applicable]. The City Council website has an outline itinerary of her day which starts at the train station, without times (presumably these will be published closer to the day). You could get ready for this by watching the newsreel of her visit in May 1968, courtesy of the Media Archive for Central England – you can see her arrive at the train station, walk in the rain in the Market Square ….
University's Fine Art Degree Show is currently on at the Djanogly Art Gallery, but only until this Sunday, 10 June. Their website has the details and images from the past two years, why not go along and see if this year is even better.
Exhibition Submissions for 2013, at the local Surface Gallery, are invited. Groups, curators and individuals are all welcome to make a proposal. The form is on their website, and while you are there, how about applying for their Open Show this year, the deadline is 28 June for submissions.
End of year Showcase for Confetti students is next Tuesday, 12 June, from noon to 6pm. You can see what students of film, animation, music production, sound installations and more have been up to this past year.
NTU students are not to be outdone by any of the others. They have a pop-up shop running this Thursday and Friday, on Lower Parliament Street next to Currys, run by final year decorative art students.
John is one of our team of bloggers. He can be reached on john AT creativenottingham.com and followed on Twitter @johnwithbeard


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107 – The Deadline
Norman Rockwell
c. 1938
Cover illustration for Saturday Evening Post (October 8, 1938)
Oil on canvas
Adult Tour
PETER ROCKWELL: In 1938, my father solved the problem of being stumped for a cover idea by painting an illustrator stumped for a cover idea.
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: Everything in the painting suggests that this is Norman Rockwell himself, and the struggle that he had to constantly come up with ideas. …. sketch after sketch tossed aside on the floor, … we see the palette …. tossed aside with brushes, many colors put out, all the artist's tools.
PETER ROCKWELL: Look at the top of the artist's canvas, above his head. His good luck charms have had no effect. The canvas is still blank.
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: And of course the great pun in this is the artist facing the blank canvas …. actually becomes the image of this painting.
PETER ROCKWELL: The irony here is that my father never would have sat down at a blank canvas and just attempted to paint a picture. He had a painstaking preparation process, going through a whole series of sketches, sessions with models, plus charcoal and color studies before he would actually sit down to create the final painting.
Work Process
PETER ROCKWELL: First came the sketch.
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: they fit right in the palm of your hand– … a little snapshot of the idea. And he would typically take these ideas to the art editor of the Saturday Evening Post.
PETER ROCKWELL: Each picture was like a little play, and my father was the director. One he got his characters, it was time to cast the parts and find his models.
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: He painted from his family and friends. People in the community … students in the school, people he met at the Grange suppers and that he knew from around town. … So his next step would be to start drawing a very large-scale charcoal, pencil drawing.
PETER ROCKWELL: If he wasn't happy with a portion of the drawing, he would cut it out, patch in a new piece of paper and start again!
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: He went through two more stages. He would do a rough color sketch, usually about the size of the magazine cover. … Then the final stage took place.
PETER ROCKWELL: He'd transfer the charcoal drawing onto the canvas.
LAURIE NORTON MOFFATT: Since his art training was really in the style of the old masters, his paintings are beautifully painted. … Rockwell's paintings are very large, as you can see. … And he worked in such large scale because he could fit all …the detail that he loved to include in his paintings.
Spanish Adult Tour
Peter Rockwell: En 1938 mi padre resolvió el problema de no saber qué illustrar en una portada, pintando a un ilustrador que no tenía idea de lo que deseaba plasmar en la portada.
Mujer: En esta obra todo sugiere que se trata del mismo Norman Rockwell, y de la lucha constante de tener que crear nuevos conceptos, boceto tras boceto, desechado en el piso. Vemos su paleta de pintura y sus pinceles a un lado. Muchos colores listos para ser utilizados. En fin, vemos todas las herramientas de un artista.
Peter Rockwell: Observe la parte superior del lienzo por encima de la cabeza del artista. Sus amuletos de la buena suerte no han surtido efecto alguno. El lienzo aún está en blanco.
Mujer: Y por supuesto, la gran broma de esta ilustración es que el artista que se enfrenta a un lienzo en blanco se convierte en la imagen misma de esta pintura.
Peter Rockwell: Lo más irónico es que mi padre nunca se habría sentado ante un lienzo en blanco y simplemente intentado realizar una pintura. Él seguía un riguroso proceso de preparación en el que dibujaba toda una serie de bocetos y bosquejos. Tenía sesiones con los modelos, y realizaba estudios al carbón y colores antes de sentarse a crear la pintura final.


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4 minutes of your life worth spending!
Credits: Cru Singapore
When Theology Meets Reality
4 minutes of your life worth spending!
Credits: Cru Singapore
In summary, Voddie is stating the high calling of a husband and a godly man – will we live up the standard? Honestly, I think I fall far short, but I am trying to be the better man I ought to be. I am fallen short of the mark, I have not taken enough responsibility, I have not put in the best effort to be the gentleman I could possibly be. I have not yet led or are able to lead spiritually : all these shortcomings point to one thing. I need God's love to love as a husband, grace to care as a husband and wisdom to take charge as a husband. God leads me, I lead the family.
A chord of three strands is not easily broken. This isn't You, Me, and our Children. This is You, Me, and God. The first person in a godly relationship must be God, who put all things together. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. A partner and a helper is God can provide, who provided Adam with an excellent and able helper Eve – leave it to God to provide you that excellent and loving wife or husband.
A four part series I felt i needed to share – this is a 4 part series by Voddie Baucham on Love and Marriage, the blibical way.
I have attended my church's marriage seminar which is a prerequisite for church members to qualify for pastors to solemnize the marriages in church. A good portion of blibical dating, love and marriage is covered but I wouldn't go into detail here.
In particular, I find this series very applicable to singles of either gender looking for love – godly girlfriends or boyfriends. Many of the things IN marriage should have been foundational, if you didn't know already, now is the time!
Something not mentioned here is the 5 priorities of a biblical husband. The outcome of many pastors losing their marriage despite being the head of the church and the household, is that they get this 5 priorities mixed up.
Here's the 5 :
Husbands, don't make ministry your God, they are different. Many pastors have fallen because they have neglected their wives in favor of their ministerial work, but forget the commands of God of the conduct of a husband toward a wife, and also to the family.
Reiterated – your serving in ministry is not the same as putting God first.
Remember the advice from Paul as he laid down the conditions for a deacon or bishop. The house must be set in order before taking care of the church (1 Timothy 3 : 5)
This is a 4 part series video that is about 47 mins, 50 mins, 48 mins and 48 mins.
Part 2 of the series will be uploaded on the 19th at 8pm.


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How can you boost staff morale and productivity? Check out Call Design's top 5 ways to digitally reward employees, from online gift cards to social shout-outs.
Are you looking to increase productivity and decrease staff turnover? Find out how to optimise your workplace to ensure your agents are empowered and engaged.
Are you looking to enhance workplace productivity? A performance management program and training course can help you achieve your corporate goals.


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Eligibility and Benefits
The Status of The SEEK Student
Students accepted into the SEEK Program become full-time matriculated students of the college, pursuing courses leading to the baccalaureate degree in all major programs of the college including pre-medical, pre-law and pre-engineering.
SEEK students add a positive dimension to York College through academic excellence, involvement in student organizations and college governance committees. Many have graduated with academic honors.
Who is Eligible?
Prospective students must meet the following criteria for admission into the SEEK Program:
- Have a high school diploma and less than an 80 high school average or a New York State high school equivalency diploma or its equivalent from other states. (A limited number with averages above 80 may be permitted into the program. )
- Have resided in New York State for at least one (1) year prior to application.
- Are citizens of the United States, or have permanent resident status.
- Have not previously attended an institution of post-secondary education, except in the case of veterans who are permitted up to 18 credits earned during or prior to their tour of duty in the armed forces.
- Have a gross family income in the qualifying range. (See below)
SEEK Program
Economic Eligibility Screening
2017-2018 Academic Year
|Number of Household Members
|Total Annual Household Income
SEEK Benefits
- Unlimited free tutoring.
- Supplemental instruction in SEEK designated courses.
- Access to expert professional counselors.
- Modern computer lab.
- Availability of experienced counselors.
- Recognition of academic and personal achievements.
- Support from motivated, caring peers.
- Involvement in SEEK student society service projects.
- Book stipend each semester.
- Up to three summer sessions-books, tuition, and stipends.
- Two additional semesters of TAP.


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Sheep and shepherds are under attack. Pastors everywhere are telling me that the adversary has ramped it up and is relentlessly assaulting both them and their people. I just spent 3 days with pastors from all over the country and their story is the same: the frequency of the attacks are increasing, the intensity of the attacks are increasing, and the scope of the attacks are increasing. Satan is peeling believers away from their pastors and their churches though lies and offenses. He is doing this to divide us. He does this because Jesus said that every house divided against itself will fall. He does this because he knows there will be nothing impossible for us when we are unified and undivided. It's astounding so many can't see this.
Satan is manipulating believers by twisting and distorting God's Word. When a churchgoer directs their anger or frustration at their pastor undeservedly, it demonstrates they have become blinded by deception. And a deceived person doesn't know they're deceived because they're deceived. We have to quit acting like this isn't happening. It is happening, real time, and it's stopping our forward progress. When a Christian sets another Christian in their crosshairs for whatever reason, it proves they've fallen prey to the enemy's devices. Paul told us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but rather against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. It's tragic so many won't see this.
Sheep and shepherds, we have to reengage. We have to refocus. Eternity is waiting on us. Pastors, we have been delivered from the people so that we might be sent back to the people, to preach and prophesy and proclaim the Word of God so that these same peoples' eyes might be opened and they might receive their inheritance by faith. Sheep, unless your pastor is doing something illegal, unethical, or immoral, get behind them and put your shoulder to the vision and serve along side them and make a difference. Let's make a commitment together to quit sheep trading and fishing out of one another's ponds and let's get our eyes upon the harvest as Jesus encouraged us. There are so many unsaved still among us.
Sheep and shepherds are under attack, but, praise God, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us. We can do this thing … together.


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The next part of this project, is to install OpenVPN. Again, in Debian, this is pretty simple. So make sure you're logged in as root, and run the following:
apt-get install openvpn
See, I said it was easy. Now there's a little more of a complex part, where we setup the CA and utilities needed for generating Certificates for the Server and all the Clients.


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Reusing or recycling wooden pallets in indoor or outdoor furniture has become very popular with people all over the world. It's not just because you make a fun project, but because you can quickly create a highly functional sofa, coffee table or other things for your garden. And you will be proud if you do not spend too much, because they are perfect projects for small budgets.
Today we show you more than 50 pallet furniture ideas and tutorials so you can do it yourself.
1. Outdoor Pallet Loungers
Perfect to create your relaxation spot, where you invite people over and enjoy some time together. Designs are simple and won't require a lot of tools. Just make sure you sand the wood (!!!). And pay attention to how you wrap pillows and cushions so that they don't wore out too fast. A tutorial on how you can make your pallet patio furniture is available from Sassy Sparow.
2. Pallet Chillout Lounge
Miss Freckles had an amazing idea for an entry way. Of course she used pallets, and she even painted them in a bold blue. You just need to make sure you contrast the color out, like she did with the red pillows. It looks nothing short of stunning.
3. Modular Corner Lounge
This is probably my favourite project from our list today. While it does look like it requires a lot of work, in all honesty, even a beginner would be able to replicate this stylish project. If you ask us, we think this modular corner lounge would be a fantastic addition for your living room. The tutorial comes from Shanty2Chic.
4. Blue Pallet Sofa
Perfect for entry halls, kids rooms or even out on your deck, you will love your new pallet sofa. The creative heads from Scrap Hacker came up with this concept and I must say it's really darling.
5. Pallet Bed Swing
You can make this fabulous swing bed using only pallets and rope. In case you want to build one that will fit a twin size mattress so that you can relax with your significant other, then you'll have to check Manda from The Merry Thought, and follow her very detailed tutorial.
6. Pallet Wooden Deck
While this may sound hard to believe, you will have to take our word for it: this beautiful wooden deck is really made out of recycled wooden pallets? From our knowledge, the project won't set you off more than $300 and that includes all accessories, too (no tools though). Folks at Remodelaholic have the tutorial.
7. Outdoor bar, with tables and chairs made off pallets
There are many ways that you can turn the pallets into useful outdoor furniture, but this project which turned them into a garden bar with chairs and tables is astonishing. So much for quiet Saturday, right? [Tutorial]


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Heart Shape Umbrella
0 out of 5
- Great travel accessory gives your sweet memories
- Creative heart shape look turns you into his only one
- Aluminum alloy handle and comfy foam grip, lightweight, easy to carry
- Closed length: 40″, Canopy Arc: 34″, enough room for couples
- Let your love under your protection!
Availability: In stock SKU: 8148 Categories: Anniversary, For Her, For Him, Love Tags: Love, Valentines
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Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


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RC Dirt Bikes
RC Trucks
RC Trucks vs RC Cars
RC Nitro Trucks
RC Nitro Engines
RC Nitro Fuel
RC Monster Trucks
RC Snowmobiles
RC Related Site Map
Sitewide Site Map
RC Dirt Bikes Offer Two Wheel Radio Control Off Road Fun
RC dirt bikes have been increasing in popularity. Improved technology and better designs are making these RC vehicles more realistic and more fun to operate. Generally speaking, many of these models are electric powered. One popular model with a reasonable price is the Radio Shack Ricky Carmichael CR250R. This model comes with a radio system and motor already installed, and it has an internal gyroscope built in the back wheel to help increase stability and handling. There are also other brands of these fun RC motorcycles. For the ultimate realism, there are also fire breathing 2 stroke nitro engine powered models. If you enjoy full size off road motorcycle action, then it's very likely that you will also enjoy the scale model fun available from RC dirt bikes!
Electric RC Dirt Bikes
Another company that offers electric RC dirt bikes is AR Racing. Made in Italy, these high quality 1:4 scale models are built to higher hobby grade standard than some of the other bikes that are available. What this means is that you will find better materials (more metal and less plastic) and higher build quality on these hobby grade RC dirt bikes. The ARX-540 are available as a build it yourself kit or pre-assembled. In either case, you will need to provide and install the radio system and motor of your choice. The ARX-540 Electric takes a 540 size motor. With the advent of potent brushless motors and powerful battery packs, these electric RC dirt bikes can offer impressive performance and good run times.
Nitro RC Dirt Bikes
An internal mechanical gyroscope in the rear wheel helps stabilize and make the AR models easier to control. AR Racing also offers a nitro powered version which can further increase the performance, fun, and realism. The ARX-540 Nitro model takes the concept a step further towards realism utilizing a screaming .15 nitro engine for power. The sound, smoke, and performance are closer to the full size 2 stroke motocross bikes that it is modeled after. These Italian made models are impressive and built tough. You will pay more for the extra performance, quality, and features, but the old saying "you get what you pay for" comes into play here. With their increasing popularity, there will probably be other RC motorcycle models available in the future.
UPDATE: As expected, there are more RC dirt bikes becoming available for the motorcycle and hobby enthusiast. With the advance in brushless motor technology in the hobby industry, there are now a couple more RC dirt bikes available. One of them is distributed through Tower Hobbies and is called the Duratrax DX450 1/5 scale motorcycle. Another model is the Venom VMX450 1/4 scale rc dirt bike. You can see both of these RC dirt bikes in the pictures below.
Duratrax DX450 Venom VMX450
Both models employ a gyro in the rear wheel. High capacity LiPo batteries are recommended for these electric dirt bikes because the brushless motor has high current draw to get the gyroscope spooled up during initial take off. Venom recommends a 2 cell 8.4V LiPo battery pack for their model. They say that a 3 cell LiPo will destroy the brushless motor and can not be used. They also state that NiMH batteries are not recommended, because of the high current demands of the brushless motor system. These model RC dirt bikes are impressive. The technology keeps improving on these dirt bikes and so does the fun factor!