text:
Team Z is a small group of dedicated kayakers who compete in freestyle competitions and extreme races around the U.S. It started with a few friends who have worked and paddled at Zoar Outdoor for several years now.
Paddling since he was twelve thanks to his father, Jim is one of the best paddlers around. With a smooth and consistent style Jim gets it done on the water and on the slopes in Big Sky. Having taught for Zoar and Liquid Skills his instruction is world class and boats to match it. In the North East he was so dominant at the annual Deerfield rodeo organizers had to change the rules to beat him.
Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor
Longmeadow, MA
Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking?
My friends were my inspiration when I began paddling. We all worked and lived at camp together and pushed each other to learn new skills and develop our tricks.
What was your best moment on a river?
I've had many memorable moments on many rivers, hard to say a best one. Some include winning the Deerfield rodeo, paddling in Chile, doing my first self-support trip with great friends in northern Quebec, and running big drops in New York.
What is your dream paddling destination?
I think the next dream I want to make come true is heli-boating in New Zealand, or paddling in Costa Rica
How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar?
It's fantastic. We'll travel to events and promote Zoar. I'm also real excited to work with some of the young kids around here and develop their potential. It's also a great way for some of the students I've taught to see what I'm up too.
What do you have planned for the coming season?
One of my big plans for the season is to create some videos for students to have that are specifically tailored to the clinics we offer at Zoar. Of course I'll also be doing some local trips to some great paddling spots in the Northeast
Who are your sponsors? Zoar Outdoor, Jackson Kayak Regional Team
What does kayaking hold for you over other activities?
Kayaking is a lifelong pursuit. It is ultimate freedom in a dynamic medium.
What year did you start paddling?
What year did you start working at Zoar?
What is your favorite paddling memory?
Meeting my husband Jeff!
What is your favorite food or color or superhero or something you would like
to disclose?
What is something you like to do when you are not paddling?
Eat or sail
Why do you teach at Zoar?
I want to get more women involved in the sport of freestyle kayaking!
What kind of boats do you paddle and how many do you own?
Wave Sport X Wave Sport Diesel
What other sports do you do?
How did you start paddling?
My brother Mark and I learned together. It was my 22nd birthday gift from him.
Wave Sport, Shred Ready, NRS
Otherwise known as "Jr", Tino is relentlessly devoting himself to the pursuit of big air and tricky moves. He is one of the most talented paddlers to come out of the Academy after school kayaking program at Zoar Outdoor. Tino spent the spring semester of 2007 as a student at Huge Experiences where he paddled extensively in Chile and up and down the East Coast of the US. He then spent the next few years teaching filming and editing classes for Huge Experiences while traveling and paddling around the globe. He recently has been involved in producing full length documentaries and is very active with his Nomade Unknown series of videos.
Watch more of Tino's videos on Vimeo
Sponsors: Zoar Outdoor
Tino or Junior
Charlemont, MA
Who inspired you most while getting into kayaking?
I watched a short segment of some of the Young Guns crew surfing some huge waves and decided that that's what I wanted to do.
What was your best moment on a river?
While I was in Chile I paddled the Futaleufu River. The entrance to Inferno Canyon on this river is unbelievable. It feels like you are passing through gates, it's a really cool feeling. The other time was on the Fuy River in Chile. There is a thirty-foot waterfall that you can paddle behind. Behind that waterfall is I think the single coolest place I have ever been.
What was your worst moment on a river?
I can't remember ever having a bad time on the river and if I have a bad moment it is always outweighed by the overwhelming amount of good moments that take place.
What is your dream paddling destination?
The Deerfield River, of course. I also really want to tour Quebec and search for some huge waves.
How do feel about being involved with Team Zoar?
I am proud and excited to be part of a group that is really excited about bringing new paddlers into the sport and having as much fun as possible. It's a really cool idea to make a team that isn't about boosting the egos of the people who are on it.
What does kayaking hold for you over other activities?
For starters I haven't found a sport that is more fun than kayaking but something else that I love about the sport is the people. Everyone I have met so far are all super nice outgoing people and that just makes an incredibly fun atmosphere to be involved in. The last thing is that the sport of kayaking is progressing incredibly fast right now and I think it would be really cool to be part of making the history of a sport.
What year did you start paddling, and how did you start?
I started in the summer of 2011 when we took some sit-on-top kayaks down a class I section of the Hoosic River. About a month later, we had our own kayaks and were paddling all the time. My skills improved tenfold after I took nearly a dozen clinics with Zoar Outdoor last year.
Do you have a paddling nickname?
What is your favorite superhero?
Aquaman would make a good kayaker.
What other sports or hobbies do you enjoy?
When I'm not paddling you can find me on the mountain (skiing), at an ice rink (hockey), or taking pictures of something!
What will you try to accomplish while paddling with Team Z?
I really want to use my new position on Team Z to take my paddling skills to the next level, and also to introduce and inspire a lot of people to take up the sport. I love the feeling you have when you get someone hooked into something new that you have a passion for yourself.
Who inspires you the most as a paddler and why?
Women who have become extremely successful in freestyle and other disciplines are my biggest inspiration. Elaine Campbell, Jessie Stone, and Emily Jackson have provided amazing advice and support for me whenever I see them on and off the river.
What is your favorite paddling memory?
Long Summer nights at the T-ville hole in CT.
Where would your next dream destination be?
I would like to travel to South America to paddle one day. Rivers there are more secluded and you feel closer to nature.
Favorite river or place to paddle?
I love my local rivers; the Deerfield and the Farmington!


text:
Mineral structures have always represented a treasure trove for new discoveries in crystallography. For example, in the field of aperiodic crystallography, the mineral calaverite (Au1−xAgxTe2, with 0≤x≤0.33) was an ideal case to begin to shed light on incommensurability in crystals [1]. Later, mineralogy played an important role with numerous examples of mineral structures exhibiting non-commensurate (misfit) layer structures [2], currently known under the name of composite structures, and in providing the first example of a (billion years old) natural quasicrystal [3], which settled any doubt that could remain on the long-term stability of quasicrystals.The special issue of the Zeitschrift für Kristallographie on the complexity of mineral structures contains 10 contributions. While the first three articles are more general (intrinsic aspects of structural complexity), or methodological (electron diffraction tomography) or deal with more theoretical aspects of crystallography (structure description based on the sphere packing), the other seven articles are related to structure solutions of complicated, still unknown mineral structures. These papers include solutions and refinements of structures of silicates [swamboite-(Nd) and seidozerite-supergroup minerals], uranyl sulfates/selenates, sulfosalts (roshchinite, zinkenite, and semseyite), and tellurides (stützite). There are examples of modulated mineral structures deciphered with multidimensional structure refinements in superspace [swamboite-(Nd) and roshchinite],
Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials – de Gruyter
Published: Mar 28, 2018
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kramer VP-724xl
The Kramer VP724xl is an 8-input computer and video scaler/switcher. It scales any composite, s-Video (Y/C), component video (YUV), DVI video or computer graphics video signal up or down to a selectable graphics or HDTV output resolution. It provides seamless glitch-free switching between sources through FTB (fade-thru-black) switching technology, making it the perfect choice for all professional presentations.
Call AVIT today to discuss your switching equipment hire requirements.


text:
Are you ready to take an online course?
Answer these questions as honestly as you can.
If you think more than one applies to you, just choose the one that
applies to you.
I would describe myself as someone who
usually gets things done ahead of time.
needs reminders to meet deadlines.
waits until the last minute and is often late.
Classroom discussion and interaction with the instructor and other students is
unimportant and rarely helpful to me.
somewhat important and often helpful to me.
very important and always helpful to me.
When an instructor gives directions for an assignment, I prefer to
figure out the instructions myself.
try to follow the directions on my own, but ask for help if needed.
have the instructions explained to me.
How would you rate your writing skills?
I think I am a pretty good writer.
I'm no Ernest Hemingway, but I do okay.
I am not a very good writer, and I don't like writing.
How efficient are you at finding things on the Internet?
I am very efficient with search engines, including advanced search options.
I can usually find what I am looking for.
I sometimes have difficulty finding what I need and am overwhelmed by the search results.
I need instructor feedback on assignments
within a week or so, so I can review my work.
within a few days, or I forget what I did.
right away, or I get frustrated.
With my current school/work/personal schedule, the amount of time I can dedicate to an online course is
more than for an on-campus course.
about the same as for an on-campus course.
less than for an on-campus course.
My reading ability is
good. I usually comprehend what I read without outside explanation.
average. I sometimes need help to understand what I read.
below average. I often need further explanation to understand what I read.
When it comes time to study, I
have a quiet area dedicated for school work.
try to find an appropriate place.
don't have any special requirements.
I am they type of student who
works well alone.
can work alone or with a group.
needs to be a part of a group.
If I had questions about an assignment, I would
feel comfortable emailing my instructor.
feel uncomfortable about emailing the instructor, but do it anyway.
wait and hope someone else asks the same question.
When I don't understand course content, I
contact the instructor for clarification.
contact the instructor for clarification, but I feel uncomfortable doing it.
never admit that I don't understand.
Being part of a class and having face-to-face contact with my instructors and other students is
not really important to me.
somewhat important to me.
very important to me.
Going to campus for on-site classes is
difficult for me.
a bit problematic, but can be done.
no problem for me.
When confronted with technical problems with my computer, I
read help files or contact technical support.
call everyone I know until I find someone who can help.
panic and give up.


text:
Business intelligence and return on your investment
Business Intelligence represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of your business. These systems allow your company to gather, store, access, and analyse data to aid in the decision making process.
Business intelligence, or BI, is being used by more and more companies across the globe in the past few years, as they look to grab the bull by the horns and get a head start on competition.
You need to embrace BI,seeing as it's currently allowing those who make big business decisions within companies to have the final say on how it's used, and how the results are utilised.
So, just how can the trend be reversed so that Business Intelligence works for firms and helps them get the biggest return on interest?
Download the full eBook here>
In this eBook we deal with the 10 critical challenges for Business intelligence success, looking at:
- Cross-Organizational Collaboration
- BI Application Development Methodology
- Planning BI Projects
- Mobile
- Business Analysis & Data Standardisation
- And a whole lot more
Download the full eBook here>
If you enjoyed this eBook, why not join us at Africa's Customer Festival in South Africa in October? For more details on the upcoming event download the sponsorship brochure>


text:
"The secret to success is to own nothing, but control everything."
-Nelson Rockefeller
"I wrote down your license plate number, you'll be hearing from my lawyer!"
-Average Crybaby
If you are concerned about privacy, and you should be, it should be of interest to you to learn how to own your house and car anonymously.
The rich hide their wealth, their ownership, their business and anything else they can hide and they hide it all for good reason. You should make it very hard for anyone to find out what you own.
There are a million ways for you to lose everything you have. You can be sued for anything. Junkyard attorneys are looking for anyone and everyone they can get a little piece from. Any scumbag can sue you at any time and for any reason. Maybe they won't win, but they often do. Even if they do not win a settlement, you have already paid thousands to an attorney to defend yourself.
You are a walking target if you have means. You are a walking target if you own a house or a car outright. You are a walking target if you have plenty of equity in your home. You are a target if anyone can see what you own. The more successful you are, the bigger the bullseye on your back is.
However, if you don't have means or, even better, if you appear to not have means then your would-be benefactors will go after an easier target. If a junkyard attorney does a little digging on you and it appears that you own nothing of value then he isn't going to waste his time with you.
Who do you think is more likely to get sued:
- A) A man who owns a home worth 350k and has equity or
- B) A man who leases a home valued at 350k and clearly has no equity?
Clearly the gentleman in section A is the appropriate target for a frivolous lawsuit because he clearly (and publicly) has means which he can access by selling his home or taking a home equity loan. The gentleman in section B does not make a rich target for a Shark attorney. An attorney isn't going after someone who rents or leases a home, there is no money to be made there.
You may be thinking to yourself that surely no one is ever going to sue you over trivial matters. That's a mistake on your part. This line of faulty thinking is based on the assumption that other people think just like you do, and since you would never file a frivolous lawsuit then certainly no one else will file one against you, right?
Dead wrong. If everyone thought that way then the phrase "Frivolous Lawsuit" wouldn't exist. Not everyone thinks like you and not everyone has integrity. That is a fact you must get used to.
But surely common sense will prevail and I won't get sued for something that isn't my fault, right?
Look around you, common sense ain't so common. Common sense is a gift bestowed only upon the intelligent (and intelligence doesn't cancel out greed or desperation). Scumbags sue the better off every single day of the year. They sue because they don't care about you, they don't care about what's right or wrong, and they don't care who they ruin. They want, want, want and they aren't willing to work for that want and they want you to give and give and give.
There is one thing in common with all frivolous lawsuits: MONEY
Specifically, poor or desperate scumbag losers sue rich companies or rich people in hopes of getting a nice, big fat payday.
Well, friends, maybe you aren't rich but are you richer than a ghetto piece of welfare trash? I'm guessing that you are.
Maybe you aren't cash rich, but do you have equity in your home? Do you have assets (car, boat, motorcycle etc..) that you can sell? Do you have something to lose? The junkyard dogs will salivate at the thought.
And that's why you need to protect yourself and your assets from the prying eyes of the frivolous.
And the #1 way you protect what is yours is you HIDE IT.
The two things that are of the greatest value, that most people have, are a car and a house.
There are a million reasons you can be sued or otherwise targeted and, if you own everything under your own name, there are a million ways to find out what you own and how much can be taken from you. Something as simple as your license plate number can give incredible personal details about you. That is if, of course, you have your car registered under your own name.
What happens if someone is intent on getting something from you and all they have is your license plate number but, wait a second, they cannot get any information about you personally? Nothing. That's exactly what happens. They'll move on to the next target who has naively put everything he owns under his own name.
What to do if you own a house:
Well, to start if you buy a house you should buy with cash. You should not get a mortgage. It isn't home "ownership" if you have a mortgage. You simply rent from the bank instead of renting from a landlord and, oh yeah, you get to be responsible for all repairs. When you rent your landlord is responsible for all repairs.
You've heard of the "Rent-to-Own" programs for people with bad credit. They can "buy" a house on a rent-to-own plan and one day they can, maybe, own the house. You have probably laughed at these types of commercials and the people that do this and then, after you get done laughing, you write out your very own rent-to-own mortgage check to the bank for the house you don't own. Those rent-to-own people just weren't smart enough to actually "buy" the house and get a mortgage, unlike you.
What to do if you own a car:
The same goes for car ownership. When you go to purchase a car you should actually purchase the car and not rent to own from the bank. If you can't pay cash you should not buy the car. You could get a 20k loan and "buy" a brand new car or you could save up 10k and purchase a model that's a few years old and now you own it outright.
What if I need a brand new car to look successful but I can't pay cash?
Well then, if you want to look successful you should probably actually become successful enough to buy a car. Nothing looks more successful than success.
How to hide ownership of your house and car:
Ok, now that you have purchased your home and your vehicle with cash and you own them outright you are an attractive target to unscrupulous attorneys and lesser's. How do you own your house and car anonymously so that you aren't a target and no one knows what you own?
I'm glad you asked. Here is the answer…
You assign ownership of your house and your car to an LLC.
You open a New Mexico LLC and you assign the ownership of the house and the car to the New Mexico LLC.
Now the New Mexico LLC (limited liability company) owns the house and the car. In the eyes of the average lawyer or private investigator looking into your assets you don't own anything. But wait a second, obviously you own the LLC so they could just easily trace the ownership back to you and prove that you own it, right?
New Mexico State LLC's offer the greatest privacy for any American company.
An LLC is a very common business structure. LLC stands for Limited Liability Company and anyone can open an LLC. The owner of an LLC is public record in nearly every state and anyone who wants to find the owner of an LLC can easily do so.
The great state of New Mexico DOES NOT PUBLISH THE OWNER(S) OF THEIR STATE LLC's. In fact, New Mexico doesn't even know who the owner(s) of a specific LLC is!
The New Mexico LLC is often called the Invisible New Mexico LLC or the Anonymous LLC and it is one of the ultimate strategies of privacy and wealth management.
There are only 3 things required for a New Mexico LLC articles of incorporation:
- The name of the company and the address of the principal office (an address of your choice)
- The name and address of the Registered Agent (which must be in New Mexico, details below), and
- The duration of the LLC, which can be limited or perpetual (often 100 years)
The state of New Mexico does not require the names of the owner(s). The only place where your name goes is on the PRIVATE operating agreement, which is a document that ONLY YOU control. Literally only you will ever know who the owner of your New Mexico LLC is. The only way for anyone else to know is if you tell them.
The mailing address for the principle office can be anywhere in the world and you do not need to reside in or do business in New Mexico. There are no annual fees or reports for a New Mexico LLC, and even changes of ownership are completely private and confidential. Not only is the New Mexico LLC the best in privacy protection, it is the cheapest privacy strategy and holding company in existence (New Mexico only charges $50 for filing an Articles of Organization).
Now, you do have to have a registered agent, whom New Mexico can contact, and they must be addressed in New Mexico. There are plenty of companies you can hire to be your registered agent and they will charge around $100-$150 per year. The registered agent will receive official communications from the state and forward them to you accordingly and they will keep your name private.
The only way that New Mexico or your registered agent can demand the name of the owner(s) of an LLC is by court order.
New Mexico LLC's are most commonly used as a holding tool, rather than an active business, for houses, vehicles, boats etc… You do not want to do business from any New Mexico LLC in which you own and hold property and you do not want to get an EIN (employer identification number) for your New Mexico LLC. Your New Mexico LLC will simply be a holding company to keep your property ownership anonymous and out of the view of prying eyes.
What about taxes?
If you don't derive an income from your New Mexico LLC you don't need to pay any taxes.
What about non-American foreigners, can we open a New Mexico LLC?
Yes, foreigners can open a New Mexico LLC.
You have two ways to open a New Mexico LLC.
- You can go through the state of New Mexico and open an LLC yourself or
- You can hire a company to take care of all that stuff for you.
LLC's are formed by filing an Articles of Organization with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Corporations Bureau.
You can file the Articles of Organization for a mere $50 (for foreigners, the price is $100).
If you open the New Mexico LLC yourself you will still need to use a New Mexico Registered Agent service, so you will come out of pocket around $200 or less. There are no yearly fees to the state of New Mexico, but you will have to pay for registered agent service yearly (or several years in advance).
If you wish to use a company to set up your LLC for you, you have a couple of options. You can either choose a name for your company or you can purchase a "shelf company". A shelf company in an already-formed LLC that has never been used and is ready to go.
The cost to open a New Mexico LLC with a company (that includes registered agent service) is typically $325-$425. If you look around, sometimes you can get a good deal that includes 2 or 3 years of registered agent service included in that price.
When you put your property into a New Mexico LLC the junkyard dogs can sniff around all they want, but they will never be able to find what property you own or who the owner of an LLC is without a court order.
If you happen to get into a fender bender with a crazy person who jots down your license plate number in hopes of getting your address all they will find is a dead end.
If you wish to keep the equity in your house hidden you have a very easy solution, you assign the title of the house to your LLC and then you file a "friendly" mortgage with the LLC and you rent your own house from the LLC. If you own a 300k house, you file a 275k, or so, mortgage with the LLC.
If the junkyard dogs miraculously DO happen to get a court order exposing the ownership of the LLC, they will see that you have no equity in the home and it will be a waste of their time to proceed. Note: You do not have to make monthly payments to your LLC if you assign a mortgage to your house. You set the terms of the agreement (you don't ever actually have to pay anything, to yourself).
Okey doke, friends. I hope you have seen the need and the value in protecting yourself and your assets. What's mine is mine and I do what I can to keep it that way, and you should too.
If you're a man of means you need to protect those means.
And if you aren't a man of means, what are you waiting for?
-Victor Pride
PS – There are a million more reasons you need to keep your assets private, reasons that I did not discuss in this article; frivolous lawsuits are just one of many reasons. Even if you aren't worried about frivolous lawsuits, it should not be anyone's business but yours what you own. Why make it so that anyone can find out what you own?


text:
The Public-Private Partnership Conference & Expo (P3C)
The 2018 Public-Private Partnership Conference & Expo (P3C) in Dallas unites developers, investors, builders, and service providers with public leaders, higher education officers, and development agency officials at the municipal, state, and federal levels of government.
As a proud Silver sponsor of the three-day event, ICF is excited to join 1,350 industry influencers for discussions on nationwide economic development and infrastructure challenges — and consider how innovations in project delivery, procurement, life cycle asset management, and technology can help solve them.
Want to be a part of the conversation? On Wednesday, February 28, at 8:30 a.m., our own Ed Trumbull will join fellow industry experts for a panel discussion: The Future of P3s – Driving Diversity and Depth of the U.S. P3 Workforce. Ed and others will tackle questions about emerging training needs, and discuss how we can achieve increased depth and diversity among the P3 workforce.
You can also find us on the Expo floor at booth #24. See you in Dallas!
- Social programs


text:
We've got a new challenge today on the Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge Blog and this week our theme is 'teenage kicks'. You can find all the details about the challenge here on the challenge blog.
For my card I've used:
'Mason's MP3' digi stamp set from Imagine That Digis by Kris
paper and gems from Craft Creations
washi tape
stitched circle die from Memory Box
I'd like to enter my card in the following challenge:
Craft Your Passion Challenge - 'anything goes'


text:
What happens if you are still on the ground at 1900 and fail to call? (May have multiple answers.)
ATC writes you up for failing to obey an ATC instruction.
Your void time is permanently canceled.
Search and Rescue procedures are initiated.
ATC will un-friend you on their Facebook wall.
2 & 3
If you enjoyed taking this interactive quiz and would like to see more like it, go to the IFR Quiz page. And if you thought it was unfair, confusing, or a waste of time, we'd like you to tell us that, too. And if you have an idea for a subject that you think would make a good future IFR Quiz, be sure to let us know.


text:
With only 17 days remaining until Festivus, we are discovering Festivus poles are appearing here, there and everywhere. Here is a small sample of what we've seen!
On Facebook, Sara Alice from Colorado Springs submitted a photo of her Festivus pole, and it's a five-foot beauty with a home-made base. "This is how we decided to decorate since we are moving in like two weeks!" Sara added.
When asked about the hat on the pole, Sara explained, "It's a top hat, so we thought it added a certain air of formality to an already important Festivus."
Of course! It does make the pole seem more formal. Maybe adding a cape and a cane would make it even better?
Sara, thanks for sharing your beautiful pole. Happy Festivus!
On Facebook, Cindy Taylor declared Sanford, NC as a town with it's own Festivus pole! Located right beside the Micky D's on US 1, the Festivus pole does resemble a rather large flagpole.
Meh… doesn't matter. A flagpole can always double as a Festivus pole, but a Festivus pole can never be a flagpole. Works for us!
Over on Twitter, @ruthpn reports that she is shopping for a Festivus pole. Nice selection!
It reminds me of shopping for a Christmas tree as a child, so many from which to choose, each with its own pros and cons. It was always a big decision, and we hope a Festivus pole found itself a new home at Ruth's place.
On the Black Raven Brewing twitter feed, they've revealed their brewing secret: A giant Festivus pole that has sprouted from a wooden cask. Just like "Jack in the Beanstalk", if you climb the pole you'll find yourself in a magical world filled with bottles of their Festivus Holiday Ale. It's a Festivus Miracle!
Last but not least, Twitter user Jeff Gabbard reports someone stole his "Al Roker TV Guide". But rest assured, the remainder of his collection is complete and ready for Festivus. Another Festivus Miracle!


text:
We consider each of our partners to be a single block in a set that, when built properly, forms a reliable and sound solution. The team at Inspired IT has partnered with a number of partners to ensure the best business IT support Perth clients can enjoy. Having the right partners increases our speed to market, scalability, and reliability for our customers.
No business is an island, and having the right partners can assure your ability to be successful — especially in the realm of technology. Inspired IT helps you put the building blocks in the right order.
Leave your name and email in the message box below. Or you can call us at (+61) 08 6142 8221.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Phone: (+61) 08 6142 8221 9/24 Parkland Road Osborne Park, Perth 6017


text:
Jehovahs Witnesses Show Theological Rift by Staying Silent on Michael Jackson
In recent months publicity surrounding the Michael Jackson trial has brought a spotlight on Jehovahs Witnesses and their beliefs. Normally a closed society that allows little information to the public has been forced to face some hard realities with regard to their theology. [read VH1 article here]
In the year 2001 the child abuse scandal was exposed as being a worldwide problem in the JW community. Hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles offered victims accounts of abuse in the religion around the world. Television media in the form of all major networks including Dateline, BBC, CBC, along numerous other reputable programs offered horrific accounts told by victims of abuse cover up that aired in over fifty countries around the world. The reaction of the administrative arm of Jehovahs Witnesses (Governing Body) was publicly documented in the New York Times [read story here] as they started disfellowshipping members that were whistle blowers for speaking about abuse being a problem in the religion. In the same month the NYT article went to print the religion offered an internal article to all members in a monthly newsletter called Our Kingdom Ministry. In a four page insert that was studied in two consecutive meetings, the question of how to treat a disfellowshipped relative was addressed in an article entitled, Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative is Disfellowshipped. [read article here] This article apparently was a reaction to the media coverage on child abuse in the organization and was used as a tool to try and silence any family member that might come forward about past abuse. The organization went on to disfellowship several more members for not being silent about the abuse problem. The article presented family members that wished to not be disfellowshipped only one choice that was to disown their family members that were disfellowshipped by following the guidelines of the 2002 KM. In the article an example was mentioned regarding a son and daughter calling their mother and explaining they would no longer speak to her until she was reinstated. (no longer disfellowshipped) The article also cited that a family would have to consider if a child would be allowed to eat at the dinner table if it was disfellowshipped. This harsh edict of theology was taken to the most extreme application of this belief in the history of the religion. In effect it threatened all members into silence and loss of family if they were deemed to be disfellowshipped by elders of the congregation.
This interesting reaction by JW management in their abuse scandal was a great contrast to the actions of the Catholic Church, a religion that for years had been crucified in JW literature for having a child abuse scandal. The Catholic abuse scandal was used as a way by Jehovahs Witnesses, to condemn Catholic religious belief as being part of Babylon the Great the world empire of false religion directed by Satan the Devil. [see articles here]
In time the Catholic Church has acknowledged there was a problem, set forth policy changes, and the Pope publicly apologized. While this certainly does not mean the Catholic issue is completely resolved at least it was some positive steps in the right direction. Not once has the JW community made mention of Catholic progress in their literature after giving them such a hard time over the years in print. JW management to date has refused to acknowledge their problem and for the most part disfellowshipped anyone that tried to go public with the abuse scandal. Many abuse survivors were simply notified with a letter or phone call they were kicked out after talking about child abuse as a problem. Judgment was swift and harsh to abuse survivors who became outcasts to their families and friends in the context of the 2002 KM on how to treat disfellowshipped relatives. The Jehovahs Witness Public Relations Department offered numerous press releases to the media in reaction to victims going forth to media to tell their s tori es. In each case the religion claimed innocence and at one point a lead attorney acting as a media spokesman actually claimed JW abuse policy was far superior to any other religion. This was after they acknowledged a private database with thousands of child molesters that had not been reported to police.
Now the Michael Jackson Scandal goes out to the media in January of 2003. At the time Firpo Carr a member of the elite 144,000 heavenly class of Jehovahs Witnesses served as Jackson s spokesman. This special group only numbers around 4,000-5,000 of the JW membership and by their belief represent a long linage of those with special favor before God, the last of mankind that go to heaven to rule as kings over the earth after Armageddon. Carr served as Jackson s spokesman for three months along with Jackson s family going public again and again in his defense. An article was written about the apparent inconsistency in how the Jackson s were being given special privilege outside of the JW teachings on disfellowshipping. [read article here]
News articles have continued to state Michael Jackson is a Jehovahs Witness. In the spring of 2003 when the media alluded to the allegation that Jackson had converted to Islam the rebuttal was swift and public. Jackson flatly denied any association to the religious belief. Yet in recent articles time and again references are made that Jackson is a JW. It is a strange silence not only from the Jackson camp but also from the previously very vocal Public Relations Department of Jehovahs Witnesses on their child abuse scandal. In 1987 the religion publicly stated Jackson had been removed from membership of the religion. In light of the publicity and scandal it would appear they would want to clarify this to media unless Jackson actually has been welcomed back as a member in good standing.
For current members of Jehovahs Witnesses that is familiar with the doctrine it offers a theological dilemma as Jackson s way of life appears to go in complete conflict with how members are directed to make decisions on how to live. It comes to a simple point of conflict,
A recent article that mentions Jesse Jackson praying with Michael Jackson is yet another inconsistency.[read article here] In Jehovahs Witness belief if a member were to pray with a minister of another religion it would provide an automatic basis to be kicked out of the religion. If any of Jackson s Jehovahs Witness family joined in they would be ousted as well. If Jackson is a JW how will the organization respond to this compromise of their belief? If Jackson is not a JW then how can his Jehovahs Witness family members and friends openly continue to support him by going to court and speaking out in his behalf?
To the public this may seem to be of little consequence but to active members of Jehovahs Witnesses it represents a total apostasy from their theology. The longer JW management remains silent the greater the problem becomes. Has the Jackson family turned the Governing Body (JW leadership) into silent lambs or will they be forced to clarify this total disregard of the belief they require all members to follow?
The fact remains victims of abuse have been silenced by the religion while the religion remains silent about the vocal praise and support by Jehovahs Witnesses for an alleged child molester.


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Saturday, July 25, 2009
Questions Part 3 | #27 Blogathon @ 10:30 PM
Anyone who wants to chime in on the LGBT hurdles, please do. I am sure my insight's skewed, being a boring ol' heteronormative married mama:)
Grr. The sound crapped out at the end. All you missed was a YAY Intarwebz speech about how we are opening up culturally because of communication technology:)
24 Hours of Daisybones :: Sponsor me and help support Rainbow Pride of WV.
3 comments:
thank you for your comments. it means a lot. i think you're right about the traditionalism affecting lgbt issues here. also what seems to me, given the history of the abuse from outsiders overall, there might be a little (and i mean this in the nicest way possible) xenophobia.ReplyDelete
but you're right. we're pushing forward. and it's because people like you who are willing to stand with the lgbt community.
Yes- there is a whole lotta xenophobia goin' on. But you're right- we have a history that's made us wary of outsiders.ReplyDelete
What lovely comments- thank you!
squee! realliveheidi!ReplyDelete
I'm a bit of a dork who is just now catching up on blagathonia posts.... I agree that traditionalism and homophobia go hand in hand (growing up in the BAY with half a "good ol ranching family"). But it's super good to hear that progress is being made, especially if it comes in forms of donations via blogathons.... Also, I'm doing a tour-the-u.s. roadtrip after college, hopefully, and am trying to get a feel for where-to-not-talk-about-scary-liberal-issues. So this was helpful :)
ps You're cute and well-spoken :) Congrats on an immensely successful blogathon! <3!


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|Problems? Is your data what you think it is?
Re^2: Test::Class and test organizationby adrianh (Chancellor)
|on Mar 22, 2006 at 11:30 UTC ( #538468=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
The problem I see with your structure here ... is that you are trying to call specific tests and ask it to run them. You should write all your tests as methods in your module and then run them all.
Nothing wrong with it :-) T::C was explicitly designed to make object-based setting of fixtures possible where class-based stuff was too inflexible.
In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom


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It further claims that the app is being used by the terrorist group for communication. It can be used on Android phones and comes with encrypted communications features with the help of which the members of the terrorist organisation are able to exchange messages and other digital communications without raising an eyebrow.
Thankfully the app is not listed on the Google Play store, which means people will have to search it and side load an apk to be able to access it. In the past, apart from the social networking sites, ISIS had been using Telegram, WhatsApp and Tumblr to communicate with its user base.
Currently, ISIS is the most dangerous and barbaric terror organization in the world. It has resorted to different means like kidnapping, killing, beheading, and hacking of social networking sites to spread its fear across the globe.
GhostSec is an affiliate of the hacking group Anonymous. Post the terror attack in Paris Anonymous had launched targeted attacks on ISIS. They had hacked Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram accounts belonging to the ISIS members and even taken to the streets of several American cities to protest against these terror monsters.
Anonymous had also urged the people to celebrate 'ISIS Trolling Day' on Dec 11, 2015. This app from ISIS seems to be a counter strategy of ISIS.
(Image Credits: Indiatimes)


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Social Media
Social media can be overwhelming if you don't have the proper knowledge or tools. Whether it's to create or re-purpose content, to find the best way to engage with your online community or to create a comprehensive posting schedule, having the right social media management tools is crucial to your success. We can provide you with our social Wi-Fi solution or manage your social media.


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Wikipedia's definition: A puppy mill, at times known as a puppy farm, is a industrial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon income above animal welfare and is often in substandard situations regarding the properly-becoming of dogs in their care. Her rescue operation contains the expense of all the dog pens, dog carriers, dog beds and dog crates pointed out above as effectively as veterinary care, toys and meals. You must full an application, which will help us determine if the dog you are interested in is a great match for you. She came home with us soon after CT scans and all sorts at the vets, in a desperate bid to discover out what was causing her to be so skinny and weak. That mentioned you can be positive that by adopting a dog from Rescue Group you will get much more information from the foster home than from the Shelter staff. Blue Dog Rescue and other nearby animal welfare organizations demonstrate that Austin has a heart as massive as Texas itself.
Numerous rescue organizations use foster homes, where puppies and kittens for adoption are socialized with kids and other dogs and cats, and given crucial obedience education ahead of they go to their new homes. I resolved extended ago to never ever, EVER get a dog from the pet retailer (where they are typically puppy mill dogs) and to try to often use the Humane Society in locating my pets. If you are contemplating adopting a dog from a rescue organization, please take this checklist into consideration.
Part of me is glad I bought him due to the fact he's the ideal dog I've ever had and I really feel like I saved him from an owner who may possibly not have taken care of him as properly as I have. Do not get me incorrect, Buttons was an awesome dog and lived to be almost 15 years old, but he had inherited issues that may possibly have been attributed to puppy mills. Its care, supplying sanctuary to the ones that truly need to have it or a place to simply become a dog once more for other individuals. All Dog Rescue demands your help to raise income to spay and neuter dogs this year.
Principal distinction among Rescue Group and Shelter is that dogs adopted from Rescue Groups live closer to their foster households whilst dogs from the Shelter live rather in an overcrowded spot full of other dogs. They will ask concerns about your way of life, pet history, and knowledge of the dog breed you are interested in adopting. Once you have managed to rescue the dog is it very essential to get him safely to the vets and get him checked and treated for any injuries. As you can see, dog adoption is genuinely a continuous cycle of saving lives, and it is the humane thing to do!
When adopting man ideal pal you need to take into account regardless of whether you wasn't a dog that stays in the house which most men and women do. Subsequent step is what size it is and how you are going to care for it. Adopting a dog is the very best point and the greatest place to go to if you are searching too take a dog with you. Though the dog might generally be a extremely friendly affectionate dog it is most likely to be completed various beneath the circumstances due to the fact it is quite frightened and possibly injured and in discomfort so it is crucial to approach with care simply because he might growl and attempt to bite. My dog Buttons was purchased by my sister from a pet store and I ended up with him.


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Jamestown often refers to:
Jamestown may also refer to:
Jamestown is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and is a suburb of the nearby cities of Greensboro and High Point. The population was 3,382 at the 2010 census.
Jamestown is located at 35°59′54″N 79°56′9″W / 35.99833°N 79.93583°W / 35.99833; -79.93583 (35.998221, -79.935733).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), all of it land.
You may access the Town of Jamestown's municipal website at for more information.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,088 people, 1,229 households, and 924 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,159.0 people per square mile (448.2/km²). There were 1,293 housing units at an average density of 485.3 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.79% White, 7.97% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.74% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.04% of the population.
The Jamestown was a large sailing ship which was abandoned and ran aground near the Icelandic village of Hafnir on 26 June 1881.
The keel was laid in Richmond, Maine. She was registered there in 1880 after having been first floated the year before.
The Jamestown left Maine on the 10th of November, 1880, bound for Liverpool carrying a cargo of high-quality lumber. No sooner was the ship out of port than four of the crew jumped ship, and Captain William E. Whitmore had to find replacements. Then a windlass broke and the ship had to stop in Eastport, Maine for repairs. Finally underway across the Atlantic in early December, the ship encountered heavy seas and the rudder was torn away. After being battered by the seas for several weeks, the captain and crew was rescued by the Anchor Line steamer Ethiopia and left the Jamestown to drift at 43°06′N 22°00′W / 43.10°N 22°W / 43.10; -22. In total, 27 people were rescued, including the captain's wife and child.
The crew arrived safely in Glasgow on 16 February 1881, but their ship didn't reach its final resting place for another four months. On the morning of 26 June, residents of Hafnir woke to find that the enormous vessel had run aground the night before, although at that time of the year, it never gets fully dark at that latitude. The cargo of timber was particularly valuable in Iceland, which suffered almost complete deforestation in the several hundred years following the initial Viking settlement in 874. As such, the cargo was unloaded and one third of it was reserved for those who had participated in the salvage operation. The rest was auctioned off, bringing in about DKK 10,000. This is equivalent to USD 62,000 in 2012 dollars.
Credit may refer to:
Credit (from Latin credit, "(he/she/it) believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt), but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources (or other materials of equal value) at a later date. The resources provided may be financial (e.g. granting a loan), or they may consist of goods or services (e.g. consumer credit). Credit encompasses any form of deferred payment. Credit is extended by a creditor, also known as a lender, to a debtor, also known as a borrower.
Credit does not necessarily require money. The credit concept can be applied in barter economies as well, based on the direct exchange of goods and services. However, in modern societies, credit is usually denominated by a unit of account. Unlike money, credit itself cannot act as a unit of account.
Movements of financial capital are normally dependent on either credit or equity transfers. Credit is in turn dependent on the reputation or creditworthiness of the entity which takes responsibility for the funds. Credit is also traded in financial markets. The purest form is the credit default swap market, which is essentially a traded market in credit insurance. A credit default swap represents the price at which two parties exchange this risk – the protection seller takes the risk of default of the credit in return for a payment, commonly denoted in basis points (one basis point is 1/100 of a percent) of the notional amount to be referenced, while the protection buyer pays this premium and in the case of default of the underlying (a loan, bond or other receivable), delivers this receivable to the protection seller and receives from the seller the par amount (that is, is made whole).
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.
In the creative arts, credits are an acknowledgement of those who participated in the production. They are often shown at the end of movies and on CD jackets. In film, video, television, theater, etc., credits means the list of actors and behind-the-scenes staff who contributed to the production.
In non-fiction writing, especially academic works, it is generally considered important to give credit to sources of information and ideas. Failure to do so often gives rise to charges of plagiarism, and "piracy" of intellectual rights such as the right to receive a royalty for having written. In this sense the financial and individual meanings are linked.
Academic papers generally contain a lengthy section of footnotes or citations. Such detailed crediting of sources provides readers with an opportunity to discover more about the cited material. It also provides a check against misquotation, as it's easy for an attributed quote to be checked when the reference is available. All of this is thought to improve integrity of the instructional capital conveyed, which may be quite fragile, and easy to misinterpret or to misapply.


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Last month I mentioned to Mike that I wanted to get Jethro into our chiropractor to see if she could help his spine. I knew that if it was something that couldn't be fixed with manipulation, she would be very upfront about it. And, if it was something more, I wanted to get on it so that it could hopefully be taken care of without any or very little invasive 'intervention'.
Thursday, Jethro had an appt with the chiropractor. I told her my concerns and she examined him. He has scoliosis. He does have an S shaped curved to his spine ~ I had missed the upper curve. So, she is referring us to the local Shriner's hospital. She had never seen scoliosis in a baby...not even in school. (This is Jethro we are dealing with!) She didn't even want to adjust him until a spinal specialist has looked at him.
I was disappointed that Jethro has one more thing to deal with, but I was encouraged that we left her office with a plan in place. Once we got home, I looked up infantile scoliosis. Only 1% of children under the age of 3 have scoliosis...Yep, that's my Jethro. :-) At least he's holding true to form...I'm wondering if I should have him play the Lotto.
I am now getting everything together to send to Dr. W, so that she can make a referral to Shriners. She said that it could take a month or more to hear from them, so we would appreciate prayers that everything goes through smoothly.
Jethro is doing well. He is now sitting by himself for long periods of time, happily playing with his toys or observing his brothers and sisters. He has 5 teeth in now, and judging by his crankiness, I think maybe 20 or more coming in. :-/ That's not totally fair. He is still very happy and content, but boy, when he decides that he is unhappy ~ look out! Bed time seems to be mostly when he decides that he doesn't feel too chipper. I'm getting in lots of singing. :-)
|Happy boy!


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Our Concealers provide natural & even looking skin without the feel of heavy make-up and are designed for specific portions of the skin such as the under eye and uneven skin tone areas. We offer variations of three skin tone groups: Cool, Mid-tone and Warm.
In general, people living close to the equator are highly darkly pigmented, and those living near the poles are generally very lightly pigmented. The rest of humanity shows a high degree of skin color variation between these two extremes, generally correlating with UV exposure. The main exception to this rule is in the New World, where people have only lived for about 10,000 to 15,000 years and show a less pronounced degree of skin pigmentation. So, if your genetic makeup is from the Polar regions - choose our COOL TONES. If, from the Equatorial Regions - choose the WARM TONES. Everyone else dabble in the MID-TONES!


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The Container Throughput Index of the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) experienced a fall in October 2017 when it dropped from 129,7 to 128,3 index points. For the September value of the index which marks the current all-time high no revision was necessary. The decline might be interpreted as a counter-reaction to the extrodinary gain of the index in the previous month. As of today any conclusion of a trend reversal in world trade would be too early.
The index is based on data continuously collected from world container ports by ISL as part of its market monitoring. Because large parts of international merchandise trade are transported by ship, the development of port handling is a good indicator for world trade. As many ports release information about their activities only two weeks after the end of the respective month, the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index is a reliable early indicator for the development of international merchandise trade and hence for the activity of the global economy. Together, the 82 ports covered in the index account for about six out of ten containers handled worldwide. The flash estimate for October is based on data reported by 45 ports, accounting for close to 80% of the total index volume.
The RWI/ISL-Container Throughput Index for November 2017 will be released on 19 December 2017.


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Living Art
Back in 1888, a little well known guy named Vincent Van Gogh painted what would eventually become a very well known piece of work. At the time, he was living in a town called Arles, France. From what I am told, the people did not like him very much due to his lack of money, lack of hygiene, and love of booze. Well, it just so happens that we visited this little town yesterday and went to a part of it called Place du Forum. It is here that Van Gogh found his inspiration for Cafe Terrace at Night which he painted in September of that year.
Some things you might not have previously known about this piece of art: It was his first painting in which he used a starry night – much like his even more famous works that were created later that year. The cafe was not actually painted yellow, even though it is now. Instead, there was a large yellow lantern that illuminated the wall and made it appear yellow. As well, the painting is not signed, however Van Gogh wrote about it with detailed description several times.
It might not seem that cool to some, but it truly was the best thing I have seen in the past week. I have always loved art and tried to appreciate it to the best of my ability (which is very minimal). However I have always had to take in art from museums and controlled environments (particularly the Modern and the Kimbell in Fort Worth). Seeing this spot where it was conceived and created was an extraordinary moment and sparked an even greater and renewed interest and passion for art in me. It makes you enjoy each stroke of the brush all the more.
Can't wait to appreciate even more pieces in new and unique ways around the world.


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There is a new trend emerging in the field of credit card scamming and it preys upon our efforts to protect our computers.
MacGuard, an entirely bogus piece of software, claims to clean up your system and remove adware, spyware, and trojans. It doesn't. Not only does the software make no effort to protect your computer, but the companies that sell it are merely scamming your credit card details. MacGuard claims the following:
"Macguard's high-tech system scanner will search your hard drive for malicious objects such as Adware, Spyware and Trojans, cleaning your files, eliminating the threats, and securing your privacy in just a matter of minutes. Its real rime smart protection will also ensure new threats will not even reach your desktop."
It is interesting to note that Winiguard claims exactly the same thing … word for word. These are both totally bogus products. Do not visit their sites. Do not click the download links. Do not enter any credit or debit card information.
On the MacGuard site, nothing actually downloads when you click the product's download link which is a big clue that something is wrong. Fortunately, like most virus vandals out there, they have not figured out how to break in to the unix-based kernel of Mac OSX. On the Winiguard site, a nasty virus does, indeed, download. WiniGuard hijacks your desktop and typically displays exaggerated or false spyware claims to frighten the user into paying for the program. This is digital terrorism, nothing else.
Aside from this, the real scam here is undoubtedly your credit card information. By purchasing this software you are happily giving your credit card numbers and billing information to a bunch of crooks. It is very likely that you will subsequently find additional charges on your credit card. Sadly, ArsTechnica report that more than 30 million people have already been scammed in this way.
Our advice is to avoid purchasing software from a company you have never heard of, or who has no references, or whose web site is vague and imprecise.
We all know that security and viruses are a serious risk when using a computer and especially the internet, but one should not blindly trust a web site just because it is out there. Putting up a website is pretty straight-forward if you know what you are doing. Before buying any software online, check it out with someone trustworthy: Mister Geek, a tech blog or magazine for example. You'll find out more than you think with a good internet search. As the Roman's apparently said: caveat emptor, meaning buyer beware. This goes for absolutely everything you purchase online, but even more so for anything claiming to protect you.
If you have found trouble in your computing environment and need advice or action, whether it be XP, Vista, OSX or Linux, please contact Mister Geek and we will be glad to help.


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Members' Plant Sales
You will receive 73% of the selling price for all of your plants that are sold, with the remainder going into the lOS treasury to support some of our projects. To sell plants at our next meeting or show, complete the Plant Seller Form and send it to firstname.lastname@example.com. When you arrive there will be barcoded sales labels waiting for your plants.
Plant Donations
Have some plants that are taking up valuable space and that you don't want to go to the trouble of selling? Donate them to the society and we'll take them off of your hands and put them on the members' sales table. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com to make a donation.


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We're less than a month away from the Flying Monkey GT! Let us help you plan your trip - click on the links below for nearby hotels, restaurants, activities and more!
Tournament Tickets Available Here
Pub Crawl Details Here
Tournament Shirts (Designed by Brian Hunter) Available Here
Hotel Details Here
Things to Do Here
Nearby Restaurants Here
Have Questions? Contact Us!
- Home
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- Rules Question
- Our Mission


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Hi Gang,
Isn't this so cute ?? Smile, I told you so ! Well, what now, guys, start doing what I told you to start doing a year ago. Starting building the "Ark" and get ready for the "Storm ?" Few people have the where with all to just walk out today and buy, store, everything they need, but there are some suggestions listed below.... although I suggested that people do them a few YEARS ago... duh. Let's face it, I am going to be hurting too, but I have at least tried to 'soften the blow' buy building my little house out of stone and brick.
And just what does it mean to "RESET" OUR SYSTEM ?? Do we expect everyone to just forget about our personal debts? I kind of doubt that... HA! The greedy and the Gov't will want their pound of flesh, and I honestly believe that many, if not most people will be far set back into a past world of near slavery or feudalism, plus riots all over the place, and then Martial Law, which is just what Obama wants. People in the Western part of the USA will soon run out of water, and will have to pay high rent upon moving East, if they can.
Oh, Gee, I am painting such a dark picture of things to come. Not to worry, just stick your heads in the sand like most Dims/ Libs do all the time. Or get right with God right now, today ! ! Yes! When all else fails --- read the KJV Bible... the BOOK !
Frankly, I know that the little bit that I have managed to save up, is only a 'half-measure' and I will never be rich [except that I am rich in Spiritual things... like God's Grace, and the Holy Spirit]. Besides, the Obama Gov't WILL ROB THE RICH, but especially the Middle Class, hard working Americans, and give it to the worthless illegal aliens, Muslims, and reward those who put him in power... the maggots... lol. But, IMHO, the Congress is just as guilty. The Military is now a hollow shell, and all the good guys are mostly kicked out of the Service, for their moral and Christian beliefs and ethics, so really, what do you have left ?
I have already cut down on many things, like disconnecting HBO, Newspapers, cut up some Credit Cards [that started a small war with my wonderful wife... Ha! She just doesn't understand simple Math, even though she has a degree in it.]. But today, I will start to figure out how much more I can and will do, to prepare. Let's face it, Friends, Americans are soft, rich, fat and lazy, for the most part. Hey, I was raised on a farm in Wisconsin, and all we knew was hard, sweaty work, every day of every year !! That is one reason why I joined/ enlisted in the U.S. Army, to get away, learn some skills, and do something with my life..... rather than just be Dad's strong 'field hand.' And man, it really 'straightened out that family !!' Yes ! You never know how much something or someone is worth until their gone.... and then YOU have to do the work ! Smile ! As Sonny and Cher used to sing: "Don't it always seem to go --- that you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
There is NO WAY that human kind can work or find their way out of the congested, foul, toxic, slum/ scum, disobedient, God-hating world, so polluted with garbage and Satan !! The only person who can clean up and fix this world is GOD !! Or do you all still feel like being stubborn, arrogant, haughty, and try to do things yourself ?
I have said that I have a lot of faults, personality flaws, I am a big old sinner. But I know God, and Jesus is my Lord and Savior ! He will save me, or I will die and wake up in a much better place.
Warm Regards,


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Graeme Taylor shot out the window of a train at 210 frames per second, reversing the usual trick of shooting and slowing down a high-speed object from a stationary spot; rather, he shot a stationary spot from a high-speed object. The effect is something like a mundane bullet-time, where the world has stopped so that no one can do much of anything. It's mesmerizing.
As Jason Kottke writes, "Wonderful illustration of the concept of frames of reference."
Both glides were filmed by sticking a - relatively cheap - digital camera out of the window of a train as it arrived at a station. The 'trick' is the camera collects images at a rate of 210 per second - but the film is played back at 30 frames per second. So, every seven seconds of footage that you watch corresponds to 1 real second. At least at the start, one real second is plenty of time for someone to move into, then out of, the camera's field of view, but isn't enough time for them to really do much: hence, the frozen effect. It breaks down towards the end not because I'm doing something clever with the frame rates (captured or replayed), but simply because the train was stopping! Thus, as it decelerated, any given person would be in view for longer, and have more time to point an arm, take a few steps along the platform, or maybe even notice me at the window. Any such action captured is still slowed down seven-fold during playback, just as with my usual static captures.
At least one other person has tried this before: Trey Ratcliff captured a station in Japan this way over a year ago, describing the effect as "Stuck in motion". He also mixes in other slow motion footage and its inverse, time lapse photography, in this gorgeous video, Heartbeats of Time.
"Pointless, action-free and totally mesmerising"
- Boing Boing: Liquid-nitro-dipped rose being shot, captured in high ...
- High-speed photo of a lightbulb burning out - Boing Boing
- Boing Boing: High-speed amateur pix of balloons in mid-pop
- Amazing skydiving photography - Boing Boing
- Bullfrog Ballet: high-speed video of bullfrogs - Boing Boing
- Ultra slo-mo videos from Make Faire - Boing Boing
- High speed video of man shaving his beard - Boing Boing
- Video: The Destructive Waltz - slow-motion combat robotics - Boing ...
- High-speed Dance Dance Revolution kid juggling three pins - Boing ...


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Welcome to my Mixtape/ Beat page. Here I will be posting several of the beats and mixtapes I have made over time. I own the rights to every thing I post to this site. I hope you guys enjoy this site just as much as I enjoy putting it together for you. Thank you for visiting and when you exit, have a nice day.
A Renzo Story: The Prologue


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It's one of the most popular refrigerants, but switching away from R404A will boost operators' environmental credentials and profit, contends Ray Gluckman of SKM Enviros
During the last 10 to 15 years R404A has become one of the most widely used refrigerants. It was introduced in the mid-1990s as a replacement for ozone depleting refrigerants including CFCs (such as R12 and R502) and more recently as a replacement for HCFCs (such as R22). In the supermarket sector it has become the dominant refrigerant across Europe for both chilled and frozen food refrigeration. It is also used widely in other commercial systems, for industrial refrigeration and for cold storage.
I have often wondered why R404A became so successful, because it is not a particularly good refrigerant! It filled an urgent gap during the 1990s and it was well marketed. End-users and refrigeration contractors became familiar with the fluid and have continued using it as the "refrigerant of choice" in many different applications. It is still used in many new systems, even though there are other better refrigerants now available. Now is the time to stop being complacent about refrigerant choice and to use better alternatives. Switching away from R404A has the potential to quickly and cost effectively help the environment and reduces the running costs. A cost effective alternative is available for all new refrigeration systems and for most existing ones.
What is wrong with R404A?
The two key problems with R404A are that (a) it does not achieve the best energy efficiency in many applications and (b) it has a particularly high global warming potential (GWP).
The relatively poor energy efficiency leads to extra running costs and also extra CO2 emissions from the power stations that generate the electricity being used. Alternative refrigerants can give electricity savings of between 7 per cent and 12 per cent in many applications.
The GWP of R404A at 3922 is the highest of all the commonly used refrigerants. R134a is only 1,430 and R407F (Performax LT) is 1850. Hence leakage of 1 kg of R404A is two to three3 times worse in terms of global warming impact than some other HFC refrigerants.
It is interesting to remember that historically supermarkets used two different refrigerants; R12 was used for chill systems and R502 was used for freezer systems. Each refrigerant could be well optimised to its operating temperature. When these ozone depleting systems were phased out most supermarkets decided to rationalise their refrigerant use – both the chill and freezer systems in most UK supermarkets now use R404A. That may have been convenient but it creates some degree of compromise in the plant design and leads to an overall loss of efficiency.
A strategy for new refrigeration plants
A very simple strategy can be applied immediately – do not use R404A in any new systems! This is a practical and cost effective strategy as there are various refrigerants now available that suit all R404A applications and that can deliver both improved efficiency and a significantly lower GWP.
When buying a new refrigeration plant three crucial design factors should be considered:
1. How can maximum energy efficiency be achieved? This is the most important issue both in terms of running costs and energy related CO2 emissions. The choice of refrigerant has an impact on energy efficiency – and R404A is a poor choice! For a chill system R134a should give 10 per cent better efficiency, although it would need a slightly larger compressor. Alternatively refrigerants such as R407A or the recently announced R407F also give good efficiency with GWPs that are less than 50 per cent of the GWP of R404A. It is vital to also remember that many other design parameters have an even bigger impact on efficiency than the refrigerant. When buying a new system that could run for the next 20 years it is essential to make every effort to maximise the efficiency.
2. What type of refrigerant should be used? For a new plant you have many options that can help you avoid R404A. These fall into 3 main groups:
n Medium GWP HFCs such as R134a, R407A, R407F and R410A. These can offer better energy efficiency and much lower GWP than R404A. These medium GWP options represent a good short to medium term alternative.
n Newly developed very low GWP hydro-fluoro-olefins (HFOs). HFO1234yf has a GWP of just 4 and properties similar to R134a. It is going to be used by car manufacturers to address the R134a ban that applies to mobile air-conditioning in new vehicle types from 2011. HFO1234yf is slightly flammable, requiring a relatively high energy ignition source, and is classified as an A2 refrigerant – requiring appropriate design measures to ensure its safety in use. Refrigerant manufacturers are also looking at various blends that combine HFOs with HFCs, which can remove the flammability issue while giving good performance with GWPs in the range of 500 to 1000. Unfortunately, HFOs will not become commercially available for use in stationary refrigeration applications for another 2 or 3 years – so whilst these fluids can be considered, they cannot be used immediately on new systems.
n Refrigerants such as ammonia, CO2 and hydrocarbons (HCs), often called "natural" refrigerants. These all have very low GWP (between 0 and 5) and can provide efficient performance in many applications if they are carefully designed. They all have practical issues that tend to make them more expensive to use than HFCs. Ammonia is highly toxic; it is well suited to large industrial systems, but less cost effective at small and medium sizes. HCs are highly flammable; they are excellent refrigerants for very small hermetically sealed systems but safety is an issue for medium and large sizes. CO2 has emerged as a strong contender for supermarket refrigeration and other applications during the last few years. There are many design issues to be addressed as CO2 operates at much higher pressures than other types of refrigerant, but it can be a good alternative to R404A; however investment costs can be high.
3. How can the new design minimise leakage? There is no better time to reduce leakage than on the drawing board! Low leakage is vital whichever refrigerant option is chosen. For HFCs we are trying to avoid emission of high GWP gases. For "natural" refrigerants leakage could cause safety problems. HFOs will probably be much more expensive than HFCs – so leakage will cost money! Spending a little extra on valves, joints, pipework etc. can produce a new system with much less risk of leakage. It is vital to ensure good installation quality for site built pipework – many leaks on large systems come from poor installation.
A strategy for existing refrigeration plants
What about all that R404A that is already in use? Are we stuck with low efficiency and emissions of a high GWP gas for the life of these plants? The good news is that there is a cost effective strategy that can be implemented on many plants that can make a significant reduction to running costs and to greenhouse gas emissions.
The majority of supermarket chill systems can be retrofitted with a medium GWP refrigerant such as R407A or R407F. In a carefully planned retrofit programme, a switch to one of these refrigerants can have 4 separate benefits:
1) The energy efficiency can be improved by 7 per cent to 12 per cent because the new refrigerants have superior efficiency characteristics to R404A. A few minor design changes may be required (e.g. changes to expansion valves) but the cost of such changes are small.
2) The new refrigerant will have a GWP less than half of R404A – so there is an immediate step change reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions of any leaked refrigerant.
3) During a "best practice" retrofit programme some components in the old system can be upgraded to reduce the risk of leakage. Some small investments in valves, joints and seals will in many cases reduce the historic rate of refrigerant leakage substantially – a 50 per cent cut in leak rate is a realistic target.
4) The retrofit programme should also include a thorough check of all components and plant re-commissioning. There are many examples of where this process has uncovered previous problems and lead to overall energy savings well above the 7 per cent to 12 per cent target.
Combining these benefits can reduce the direct global warming impact of the old R404A system by as much as 75 per cent and reduce the indirect electricity related CO2 emissions by a further 10 per cent to 15 per cent. The reduction in electricity use provides very useful cost savings. The payback period for a retrofit of a typical supermarket system will be in the range of 3 to 5 years. Also, the major UK supermarket chains participate at the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme which means they have to buy carbon allowances priced at £12 for each tonne of CO2 from electricity used, making the payback period shorter.
Given the enormous pressure to reduce CO2 emissions throughout Europe, it is good to find an opportunity that will deliver significant greenhouse gas reductions and add extra profit to the bottom line!
An opportunity being missed
Some end users are missing this excellent opportunity for short term greenhouse gas reductions. They are concentrating on a strategy for their new equipment, for example using CO2 on new systems. This is an effective long term approach, but will only take effect slowly, as old plants are replaced.
Most supermarket refrigeration systems have a life of 15 to 20 years. It is important to have an investment programme that combines the best refrigeration strategies for both new and existing plants. This is vividly illustrated in the graph below. The graph shows 3 different strategies that could be used by a supermarket company that owns many stores:
a) Strategy 1: the company retains R404A equipment in all new and existing systems (this is the "base case" for comparison).
b) Strategy 2: the company slowly eliminates its R404A equipment over a 20 year period; as each old R404A plant reaches the end of its life it is replaced with new plant based on very low GWP technology.
c) Strategy 3: the company combines a short and long term strategy. Existing R404A equipment is converted to R407A or R407F over a 4 year period. All old plant reaching end of life is replaced with a very low GWP system.
The figure clearly shows that emission reduction in the early years is much greater with Strategy 3 than with Strategy 2. The overall savings achieved over 20 years is equivalent to the area under each curve – which is also much larger for Strategy 3. The significantly improved savings are summarised in the table below. During the first 10 years the dual strategy (Strategy 3) achieves twice as much emission reduction as the strategy that only addresses new plants (Strategy 2). Because the energy efficiency is improved when R404A chill systems are converted to R407A or R407F, these extra emission reductions are achieved at lower overall cost.
Emission reduction compared to Strategy 1
(R404A in all systems)
|2011 to 2020
|2011 to 2030
|Scenario 2: New systems use very low GWP solution
|12 per cent
|32 per cent
|Scenario 3: Existing systems converted to R407A or R407F over 4 years and new systems use low GWP solution
|23 per cent
|37 per cent
We are in an era of increasing concern over climate change. All European countries are introducing tough policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Refrigeration plants have two types of GHG emission – from the energy they consume and from refrigerants that leak. R404A has proved to be a convenient "interim" refrigerant, to help us replace the old ozone depleting refrigerants. But it has a very high global warming potential and is not particularly efficient – the time has come to stop using R404A in applications where better alternatives exist.
For new plants, a number of approaches can be considered to improve efficiency and to reduce leakage related emissions. Big step change improvements can be achieved, especially if energy efficiency is maximised. New plants will often be running for more than 20 years – so it is vital that every opportunity is taken to make cost effective improvements. R404A should be avoided on all new plants.
For existing plants running on R404A there are some good retrofit opportunities to use a medium GWP refrigerant such as R407A or R407F. These refrigerants have less than half the GWP of R404A and can often deliver a 10 per cent to 15 per cent improvement in efficiency in a well managed retrofit programme. In many situations this efficiency improvement will provide sufficient energy savings to give a good payback period on the investment required to convert to a new refrigerant – and the GHG emissions can be reduced at the same time.
Readers' comments (3)
Based on these assumptions, the direct CO2eq emissions for the three refrigerants were estimated to be 33.65, 18.07,
and 0.003 Mkg for R404A, R407A, and R744, respectively. The direct emissions of R404A were approximately
three times that of the lifetime indirect emissions. This is largely driven by the high GWP of R404A. Although
R744 consumed on average 11% more energy than R404A, it had practically no direct emissions. Over the lifetime,
R744 has a significant emissions payback. Adding direct and indirect emissions result in the LCCP shown in Figure
7. On average for the 16 cities, R407A and R744 resulted in 37% and 77% less LCCP compared to R404A,
respectively. R407A is a current drop-in replacement for R404A with a significant potential for emissions reduction
with minimum energy penalty. For the long-term, R744 present the greatest emissions reduction. Even if the
technology advances such that a 1% annual leakage rate can be achieved, R744 still presents significant emissions
reduction, as shown in Figure 8. On average; R744 system resulted in 14.2% and 4.2% LCCP reduction compared to
R404A and R407A respectively. R407A with only 1% annual leakage rate showed to result in lower LCCP than
R744 systems in hot climates such as Phoenix, AZ. It is noted that several market barriers exist for R744 which
hinder its market penetration. Among these are first cost due to a total system changeout and energy costs as the
result of higher energy consumption and peak demand charges - http://oz-chill.com
: )
R404a was never practical. I'm glad that it's finally being replaced with newer more efficient refrigerants.
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Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson take on internships at Google in this new comedy. Watch the first trailer for The Internship below.
The Internship movie was really filmed on location at Google. The trailer reveals that The Internship is one big product placement for Google. Watch the funny trailer below. The Internship is a must see movie for all internet geeks.
Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation's most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.
The Internship movie opens in theaters June 7, 2013.


text: Clio Blog Technology Posts How To Secure Your Tech Devices Against Attacks Written by Clio Team The holiday season is upon us! That wonderful time of year, filled with gift-giving, overeating, and holiday parties. If you're like me, it's also the time of year to ask for that smartphone or tablet that you don't necessarily need. Your current device handles your work and personal needs for the most part. But it's slow, and getting slower, and it's battery life leaves a lot to be desired. When the time comes, you tear open the wrapping, open the box, and stare lovingly at your new toy. Its screen is unblemished by fingerprints. Its edges lack the nicks and scratches – or "character" – your current device earned over months and years. As you cradle your new device, you imagine a better world. You know that this new device will be a huge boon to your law practice. In paperless heaven, you'll be both more productive and incredibly stylish. It's a glorious new day. Ok, so that may be overstating it a bit. However, updating to the newest device does have a lot of advantages for your practice. Unfortunately, all of those advantages are meaningless if your new device isn't secure. Below, we'll explore how to secure your tech devices against cyberattacks. Set a Password An estimated 40–60% of smartphones and tablets are not password-protected. That's right, half of all smartphones and tablets can be accessed entirely simply by turning them on. To quote Droz from PCU: "Don't be that guy!" The very first thing you should do with your new device is set a password. A password is your first line of defense when it comes to protecting the information on your device. You take your device everywhere, and put your whole life on it. Even the U.S. Supreme Court Justices know that. Oh, and you put your clients' information on it too, so password-protecting the information is probably an ethical obligation. An added bonus – passcode lock also encrypts your data on most devices. Most devices allow you to increase the strength of your passcode (iOS actually allows you to increase your passcode from 4 digits to 37!). By adding even one digit to your passcode, you substantially increase the code's effectiveness. If your device allows for biometric authentication, such as the fingerprint reader on new iOS devices, use it! Biometric authentication provides an even greater level of security (although certainly not foolproof), and it actually makes securing your device more convenient. You'll catch unicorns more frequently than you'll see technology that increases security and convenience. Resources: Tips for complex passcodes; Coming up with passcodes you'll actually remember; Top 10 Passcodes you shouldn't use. As part of your passcode setup, also make sure to enable the auto-lock feature. Auto-lock allows you to set the amount of time your phone can sit idle before the passcode must be re-entered. Use it – what good is your passcode if a thief never needs to use it? (Additional Tips: Did you know that you can passcode protect many of your apps too? I highly recommend it!) Update your Device The best protection your device has against viruses and malware is an up-to-date operating system, or OS. Every update to your device's OS is important, frequently addressing a variety of issues, including minor adjustments and bug fixes. Most importantly, though, the updates usually include fixes for vulnerabilities that hackers use to access your device. It's important to note that updates aren't just important for your OS, but also for your apps. Usually, app updates tend to discuss feature additions/modifications or aesthetics. However, important security protections are oftentimes a part of these updates as well. While some recommend setting your device to auto-update, there has been some concern voiced about potential app permissions that may actually make your device easier to hack if you do so. Personally, I just make it a priority to check for new app updates every couple of days. Frequently updating your OS and your apps means that you'll always have the most recent anti-virus and anti-malware protections available. Configure Privacy and Security Settings You also need to configure your device's privacy settings. For attorneys, this can be an extremely important, yet highly overlooked, step. Nearly all new smartphones and tablets have the ability to know and track your location. Most devices have that ability activated by default. In addition, almost every app you download will also attempt to track your location, and unless you adjust your settings, they will do so automatically. Some make sense, like Google Maps. Some don't. On my phone, the Epicurous cooking app and ESPN both want my location. You also probably want to deactivate geo-tagging of your photos and social media posts. Geo-tagging tracks your exact location when you create content, then save that location. For a photo, that might not be terrible. Making your location easily available for anyone following you on Twitter? Not so smart. As far as security settings go, the first thing you should do is enable remote-wiping of your device. On iOS, use Find My Phone, on Android, use Android Device Manager. This way, if your device is ever stolen or lost, you'll be able to prevent any of your clients' confidential information from being accessed by deleting it from your device. (You should also back up your device to the cloud, ensuring that you won't lose important data if you have to use this feature.) You should also disable Bluetooth and NFC (Near Field Communication) except when you want to use them. They're definitely useful features. However, hackers can access your device through active, unused ports. (The same is true for Wi-Fi, so if you're not actually using it, turn it off!) If your law firm has a BYOD policy, you'll likely be installing some form of security app. If not, but you're interested in what security apps are out there, check out this site. One More Thing: Lost amidst your fawning over your new device is the fact that your old smartphone or tablet is probably loaded down with confidential information. What are you going to do with it? Give it away? Sell it? Before you do, make absolutely certain that you have completely erased its internal memory. It certainly wouldn't be fun to explain to an ethics committee how confidential information was lifted from a lost or stolen device. Imagine how much worse it would be to have to explain that you forgot to erase the information before selling your phone on the internet. Check out this article for instructions on erasing your device's hard drive. Brian Focht is a civil litigation attorney at Stiles, Byrum & Horne, LLP in Charlotte, North Carolina, and co-founder of the Information Technology Consulting Company B&R Concepts, LLC. Brian is also the author of the blog The Cyber Advocate, which seeks to educate and inform attorneys and legal service professionals about how they can improve their practices—and better serve their clients—through technology. This post was published on December 29, 2014. Last updated: January 21, 2020. Categorized in: Technology Get key data insights to drive law firm success Learn what makes today's legal consumer hire and recommend you (and much more) in the 2019 Legal Trends Report. Get Your Free Copy


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The blind Spanish composer and vihuelist Miguel de Fuenllana served for a time at the court of Elisabeth de Valois, wife of Philip II.
Vihuela Music
Fuenllana's music for the Spanish vihuela, a counterpart of the lute, is found in one collection: his Orphénica lyra, published in Seville in 1554. The work includes original compositions for vihuela as well as transcriptions, the latter often including a voice part. The introduction to the collection is a useful source of information about contemporary techniques of performance.


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Your phone model is: Bbk I399
Version for your phone is: UC Browser 22.214.171.124
Updated date: 2010-11-03
Change phone model:
A good browser for phones is similar to a helpful partner to humans. Without doubt, UC Browser is the optimal companion for your mobiles. UC Browser intelligently offers its vast holders to accessing to the internet, browsing various pages and communicating with people international. I'm sure that you would love it.
UC Browser is the leading mobile internet browser with more than 400 million users across more than 150 countries and regions. This product is currently available on all major operating platforms in 7 different languages.
"BBK Electronics Corporation, Inc.is a Chinese company specialized on electronics such as television sets, mp3 players, digital cameras and cell phones. The primary market for BBK is Russia. So all devices have Russian menus and manuals."
Bbk I399 is a touchscreen phone manufactured by Bbk, with a resolution of 240X320.Bbk I399 users can download the latestUC browserfor Bbk I399 via UCWeb's official website.


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During the last few years, the emergence of Velon has sparked some debate, as to whether the concept is 'revolutionary', or just frankly unnecessary. Let us take a look at how Velon has changed the pro scene since its inception.
Intro to Velon
Velon was formally announced in late 2014, as a joint venture company, which aimed to ensure "a sustainable future for the teams", and to revolutionise the way in which fans interact with the sport. The group wishes to make the sport more marketable, in order to increase sponsorship in cycling; something that has been viewed as a major issue in recent times, with the likes of companies such as Tinkoff and IAM deciding to leave the sport. At a time where ASO has significant power in cycling, Velon may be fundamental in protecting the future of pro teams.
The WorldTour teams that are part of the Velon group include: BMC Racing Team, Cannondale Drapac Pro Cycling Team, Lotto Soudal, Orica-Scott, Quick-Step Floors, Team LottoNL-Jumbo, Team Sunweb, Team Sky, Trek Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates.
Velon Live Data
One of the main features of the Velon concept is the real-time rider performance data, that is provided in Velon partner races, like the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de Suisse, to name a few. Indeed, the general idea is centred upon the notion that fans will have a greater understanding of how hard riders are working at a given point.
Stage 7 of #tourdesuisse today ⚡ Follow along with our live news feed, data + more on the Velon Live Cycling app >> https://t.co/0htPkGaUEO pic.twitter.com/2onCLVSbeR
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) June 16, 2017
However, while this live data does provide fans with some insight into the suffering the pros are enduring, to what extent is its usefulness? The primary issue with Velon's live data is that greater context is required to interpret the data fully. For instance, heart rate is heavily influenced by age, I remember during this year's Giro d'Italia looking at Andre Greipel's HR, in comparison to Fernando's Gaviria's, and it being around 20bpm lower, at the same point within the stage. Power, as we all know is all to do with weight, without data on a rider's weight, especially on climbs, the live data becomes of limited use, as comparing riders is made difficult.
Hammer Series
Whether you thought the Hammer Series was a good or bad thing for cycling, I don't believe many people could claim that they weren't, at the very least, intrigued by the concept. Although the inaugural event held in Limburg, Netherlands earlier this month by no means revolutionised cycling, and certainly did not decide 'the best team in the world', in my humble opinion it was an engaging and unique sequence of races.
–Hammer Climb: Without a doubt the most enthralling race of the event for me. Witnessing a race splitting to pieces within the first two kilometres, and never coming back together, is something you can only usually find in Junior races.
–Hammer Sprint: The omnium style sprint event, where points were scored on the 8 crossings of the finishing line every lap, was chaotic to say the least. Including this style of event in future Hammer Series would definitely establish a pattern of consistently, unpredictable racing.
–Hammer Chase: Paradox is the word that springs to mind when summarising my thoughts on this crazy Team Time Trial chase format. On the one hand, I found Sunweb's pursuit of Team Sky at the head of the race to be an encapsulating sight. On the other hand, the coming together of Orica-Scott, LottoNL-Jumbo, Cannondale-Drapac, Movistar, Lotto Soudal and Nippo-Vini Fantini on the course to form a huge 'peloton Team Time Trial', was a moment I was in awe of, but one that was heavily criticised. The consequence of so many teams occupying the same road space, making it impossible to enforce the 'no drafting' rule, was that the credibility of the Hammer Series was diminished, since the results after Sky/Sunweb clearly were not fair.
While the Hammer Series will never achieve greater status than our beloved Grand Tours and Monuments, as cycling is a sport steeped in history and tradition, I think many of us can agree that it can co-exist well alongside the regular race calendar.
In summary, while I do believe that Velon has implemented some positive changes in cycling, they certainly have not 'revolutionised' the sport. Velon's presence should lead to its teams having greater protection from the strength of ASO, however, do bear in mind that Velon, like ASO, is also motivated by profit. And why is it that not every team in the WorldTour has joined, if the benefits are so great? Unfortunately, this is not a question I have direct answers for. Moreover, I could bombard you with quotes from pros about Velon, yet for those of us who aren't paid to love Velon, they are of little importance.
So Velon has indeed changed the pro scene, but just not to the extent they would have you believe.
About the Author: I'm Will Turley (known as The Cycling Delegate on Twitter), a 17-year-old A-Level student with a slightly obsessive interest in professional cycling. I use the medium of twitter to provide race previews, race updates and analysis/thoughts for the majority of both women's and men's races. Follow me to take you through every race!
Strava – https://www.strava.com/athletes/3292238
Featured image is from: http://www.shiftactivemedia.com/clients/velon/


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Miami Marlins Pitcher Dan Jennings Clobbered by Screaming Line Drive Off Head [VIDEO]
Here's another reminder how frightening sports injuries can be.
Not even a week after Paul George went down with a brutal broken leg, Miami Marlins pitcher Dan Jennings suffered a blow to the head off the bat of Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer on Thursday night.
Jennings suffered a concussion. As you can see in the video, he looked dazed after the incident.
Later, Jennings updated his condition: