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In two recent elections, for parliament in September and for the presidency on Sunday, they gave most support to a party which wants a strong state and is highly suspicious of the free-market reforms of the last 15 years. It also has major reservations about the European Union.
Its victory offers an important reality check against the hot air of yesterday's Hampton Court talkathon and Tony Blair's latest calls to step up the pace of liberal reform. The biggest of the EU's new members is as attached to the old social model and as anxious about unregulated globalisation as the "no" voters in the French and Dutch referendums.
The "new Europe" tag was invented by Donald Rumsfeld in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq and initially covered foreign policy. Flushed with their post-communist freedom, it was claimed, eastern and central Europeans understood the value of Washington's international campaign to promote democracy better than western Europeans did. The claim soon proved inaccurate. The governments of "new Europe" supported the war, but majorities in the polls did not. Poles and Czechs were no more enthusiastic about having their troops in Iraq than people in Britain.
"New Europe" was then used to categorise attitudes to internal EU reform. It is this simplification which Poland's voters have exposed. The victorious Law and Justice party offers a traditional Catholic and nationalist platform, which is more about protecting inherited values than promoting further reform.
On social issues president-elect Lech Kaczynski is a man of the right, a critic of homosexuality and an advocate of the death penalty. After "nice" Lech Walesa, the Solidarity founder who became Poland's first non-communist president, we now have a "nasty" Lech, whose election was greeted in Brussels with warnings that he would be watched for any violation of EU standards. His twin brother, Jaroslaw, who led the Law and Justice party to victory in parliamentary elections, has similar views. He did not triumph outright and is still embroiled in fierce negotiations for a "grand coalition" which make Angela Merkel's enforced marriage to the social democrats in next-door Germany look simple.
The fact that Walesa and the two Kaczynskis are all former Solidarity activists shows how far Polish politics has moved from the romanticism of 1989 - and how much Solidarity, even in its first years, was an amalgam of not easily reconcilable interests: workers' rights, Catholic nationalism and westernising liberalism, to name just a few.
Simple slogans about freedom tended to exaggerate the political dimension of the Polish revolution. It also contained an important economic core. What happened in this autumn's Polish elections is the return of economics. During Poland's 16 years of neoliberal reforms, it did not matter much whether the governments which brought them in were post-communists or anti-communists. Economic strategies remained the same.
Now the electorate wants a rethink. At least those who voted do. Disenchantment with politicians of all stripes is high, with barely 40% taking part in September, the lowest turnout since 1989. The Civic Platform, which had expected to win but came second in both polls, is a radical "flat tax" party which advocates a 16% rate across the board. "Flat tax", which unashamedly goes against the philosophy that governments have a duty to promote income redistribution, was almost Angela Merkel's undoing as well. Her proposal to appoint a flat-taxer as finance minister caused a huge slump in her campaign.
Poland's elections exposed a divided country in which regional inequalities have got worse. The geographical split is not unlike Ukraine's. Poland's poor rural east and "rust belt", areas that benefited from postwar industrialisation and are now struggling, voted for the Kaczynskis. Warsaw and the more prosperous north and west chose the flat-taxers.
The results should not have been a surprise. The World Bank has just published its latest survey of central Europe and the former Soviet Union. The bank is hardly a leftwing propaganda outfit but its report, Growth, Poverty, and Inequality, shows how far the region still has to go to make up for the fall in living standards which came with the collapse of communism. In 1988 only 4% of the region's people were poor - defined as having an income of less than £1.25 a day. Now poverty affects 12%.
This is better than five years ago, when poverty affected 20% of the region's people. Things have got better thanks largely to the rise in world oil prices, which has pulled up the economy of Russia and some of its immediate neighbours. Among the countries covered by the World Bank, the eight new EU members are much better off. But the report shows that Poland, alone among them, has seen a further increase in poverty over the last five years.
It also found a growth in inequality between regions, with prosperity largely confined to capital cities while smaller towns and rural areas suffered. The World Bank notes that subjective impressions also matter. It talks of the "transition shock" caused by the sudden switch to market economics. "The socialist legacy of high access to social services (eg, heating) and infrastructure (eg, healthcare) which have since been eroded means that people feel an acute sense of deprivation," it says.
The lesson for the future is that assessments of progress and popular satisfaction must include socioeconomic factors as well as levels of political freedom. EU governments should not get involved in narrow crusades. Poland's neighbour, Belarus - which the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, has called "Europe's last dictatorship" - is sure to attract attention next year when it holds presidential elections. The World Bank survey is relevant here. While poverty went up in Poland, Belarus saw one of the sharpest declines, enjoying "broad-based economic growth beneficial to labour" in which the "benefits were broadly shared by the population".
Few doubt that the Belarus election will be less pluralistic than Poland's; but social solidarity, a strong state, and a government which attempts to lessen inequalities are what Polish voters have shown they want. The people of Belarus probably have similar views.


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Monday, July 14, 2014
Going Cruelty-Free
I want to make some steps towards going cruelty-free. For things not beauty related, I've been making small (tiny..) steps with my eating habits. I've cut my meat portions down and I try to eat cruelty-free (organic) eggs as much as possible. Today I'm trying to find a list of sustainable wild fish so that I can limit myself to only eating this fish, avoiding the farmed fish industry as well as harming the ecosystems and stuff by eating fish that is endangered or not sustainable. I seem to be on and off with my consumption of dairy products. Sometimes I buy rice milk, coconut milk, soy milk, flaxseed milk, some flavoured for the kids and alternate and for a couple weeks we drink just that... And then we go back to cow's milk. I guess it's an improvement over drinking ONLY cow's milk - I have to see the positive. I'm not a very drastic person so I couldn't do it all in one shot.
NEXT. Beauty products. I really really need to go cruelty-free. There are PLENTY of options for good quality cosmetics, even in different price ranges so really no need for me to buy products that have been tested on animals (directly or through its raw ingredients). It'll take a bit of effort to go cruelty-free on my shampoo since I always just purchase whatever is on special for my hair. I'll need to get informed.
Who here makes efforts to be cruelty free? What do you do? What are some tips or favourite brands or other ideas you can share? THANKS!
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My Son Is An Alien
My teenage boy is an alien.
And by alien I mean foreign. Far away from me. It's not so much that I don't understand him, or that he communicates as if he's from another planet. There is some of that going on some of the time, but I've become proficient in Teenglish (Mmm mmm mmm means "I don't know"). It's more like he and I are in different countries, and we call each other when necessary. To remind me we're out of frozen waffles. Or that he has an orthodontist appointment after school.
He turned 14 this summer. I don't know how he celebrated. He's at sleep away camp, as he usually is on his birthday, and the response to my letters and repeated requests to tell me about his special day is brief: "I'll tell you about my birthday when I come home. Please send me my blue Minecraft sweatshirt."
We don't need too much from each other, he and I. He walks to and from school. Even in the rain. Grabs a snack for himself. Does his homework. Gets consistently good grades with seemingly little stress and effort. He jokes around with his brothers and solves the Rubik's cube in less than two minutes. His favorite show is Gotham and he knows that as soon as it's over, it's TV off. Because if he doesn't go to bed, neither will his brothers. Lead by example.
We spend a little time together in the car, just the two of us, when I drive him to karate or the orthodontist. He answers my questions about school and friends with no more than three to four words. Not in a moody teenage way, rather very matter-of-fact. He asks me what I think of Jem and Scout's relationship, and did I know Harper Lee wrote another book? As we pass the park he yells out the window to someone. "Who's that?" I ask. "My friend. Michael. He's in my Spanish class." Oh.
Remember when I knew all his friends, and their parents, and where they lived? When I could picture him at recess playing basketball with those friends, knowing what he was eating for lunch because I packed it for him?
I'm not sad that he's growing up, becoming independent. I'm not feeling nostalgic or wistfully remembering when he was so attached to me he cried solidly all day every day for the first three weeks of preschool. In my mother-heart I know that he is happy, and thriving, and enjoying his teenage life – even if he doesn't share the details with me. He still loves to eat the cake batter out the bowl. And I leave the chocolate chips out of the banana bread – he hates chocolate.
Our long-distance relationship works for both of us. He'll happily babysit his siblings, and he helps me unload the trunk without being asked. He fixes his sister breakfast, explains the math problem to his brother. All with no fuss. Unfazed. I can't remember the last time he needed help from his dad or me, with anything. Schoolwork. A difficult social situation. A problem with a teacher. I don't worry if he doesn't come home straight after school, or wonder what he's getting up to online. As an almost freshman, girls are still just friends, and on the rare occasion I catch sight of him on campus or on the soccer field, he is engaged and social.
His baby brother wakes up wailing, and I bury myself further under the covers. He cries and mumbles to himself as he tries to get dressed, but I don't move. "I'll help you," I hear the big almost-man-brother in dinosaur pajama pants. As if he knows that I need just ten minutes more of quiet.
And in his not-neediness I keep him in mind. Fix him an after-school snack. I'm not even sure if he's coming home from school. Pastrami on a challah roll with the baby gherkins that he loves – no mayo, no mustard. I leave it on the kitchen counter on a plate, next to a note scribbled on a piece of scrap paper I fished out of the recycling: Love Mom. I use the faintest black gel pen.
He calls as soon as he gets home from school.
"Mom? So yeah I got the sandwich… it's nice."
I love you, Mom. And I know you love me.
About Nicki:
Nicki Gilbert is a writer and country music lover who lives in the Bay Area with her husband and their four kids. Her work has appeared on NYT Motherlode, Kveller and The Huffington Post. Follow Nicki on her blog at www.RedBoots.me and @nixgilbertca.


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What is an Education Loan ?
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Almost all of the leading private banks & government banks offer education loan. Their offerings and process may vary. But in general, you need to submit an application form for education loan and the application needs to carry your identity proof, residence proof, aadhar card, photograph, marksheets & certificates, the letter of admission where you are going to study and foreign travel tickets (in case of overseas education loan). At times the bank may also ask your parent to be a co-applicant and in that case you would be required to submit their ID, address, PAN card, ITR for last 2-3 years as well.
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Almost all leading banks offer education loans in India. You must compare their nitty-gritties, terms & conditions , interest rates, processing fee etc very carefully. Many banks have the feature of repayment holiday in education loan products, which gives you some breathing time to meet the liabilities of repayment.
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An expert education loan advisor may give you more detailed information on prevailing terms & conditions, rates and benefits available under various schemes.
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Yes. Education loans do bring you tax benefits. For an education loan taken for higher education purposes and from a bank or govt approved financial institution, when you repay the loans, the interest component of your student loan EMI (equated monthly installment) is taken as a tax waiver deduction under the section 80E of Income Tax Act, 1961. This tax waiver is applicable only for the 7 years from the start of repayment.
To know more on benefits of student loan and the tax implications related to it, you must contact an education loan advisor or any financial advisor who offers services in education loan as well.


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I am an English speaking tour guide. I was born and raised in Luxor, Egypt and I am passionate about sharing my home town with visitors. I work primarily in Luxor and Upper Egypt, but I also travel throughout Egypt. I believe that the best sites in Egypt are right here in Luxor, and love to share the history and culture of my country.
I have worked for many international tour companies. I am a licensed tour guide and I enjoy working as a tour guide. I enjoy meeting new people but also it is excited for me to connect with Egyptian archeology and connect with civilization, show the real life in Egypt, and share others with my experience.
I believe the tour guide isn't a recorder but an excellent tour Guide is like an actor - he sends a message through a way of creation. I can arrange tailor-made trips for groups or individuals based on your own interests and budget. I travel with my guests whenever possible. If another guide is necessary, I refer only to guides with similar credentials, and excellent standards.
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California Closets, serving Tarrant County, Texas
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Neurologically, we all have an instinctual reaction to words and language. That's why, in sales, there are good words and bad words. Good words include "you," "because," "free" and "instant." People respond to "increase," "take," "amazing" and "announcing," among other good words. And then there are bad words, to be avoided at all costs, especially when making a video.
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I was kind of expecting that by now MDB would be doing some extremely soggy gothic rock stuff; while I loved their first few albums it seemed that they were going to take a fairly logical (and disappointing) route to particularly whiney atmospheric rock. But it seems that somehow they've managed to mostly avoid those pitfalls, and what we have here is a pretty cool doom album with a tiny bit of goth, death, and cheese.
Well, it's not that cheesy, it's just that when Aaron sings he uses maybe four words, tops: Breast/Flesh/Pain/Love. Aaron, and I guess the rest of the band really, tread a fairly fine line here between over the top melodrama and genuine emotional impact. The whole seriousness of the thing does seem a bit unnecessary; I can imagine the band rocking up to the studio in suits and recording everything while just staring ahead and glaring at the walls. Whereas the earlier stuff had plenty of death-y parts where you could loosen up a bit, that's not really here, and it does get one-dimensional after a while.
It's still pretty cool though. Riffs abound and MDB seemed to have sorted out the occaisonal songwriting hiccups that they had in their earlier career. The slow motion weep fest of "L'Amour Detruit" is quite surprising in that it stays gripping and engrossing over the whole nine minutes; certainly that's something these guys have struggled with before. Indeed most of the tunes are fairly well written and arranged- tempos rise and fall, riffs (of slightly inconsistent quality, I'm afraid, a bit of unmemorable filler here) move around from teary doom trudges to some more midpaced, death-y riffs, and it's all done quite well (let's pretend the ending of the final song never happened, right?). While doom newbies may struggle a little bit with this most people should be able to handle it, and it's good to hear MDB throw in some small surprises -Love's Intolerable Pain's brief excursion into black metal, the surprisingly crushing album intro to the album, the fairly catchy, short doom excursion that's Thy Raven Wings this isn't the most progressive or surprising record but it's good that MDB have varied things up a bit throughout.
The mood of the thing is a little bit pointless and aggravating, though. MDB try to keep us as interested as possible, throwing in the occaisonal soaring synth and head-banging portions (the opening to Love's Intolerable Pain is quite the mid paced crusher), but the whole thing just has an extremely annoying "I have regret and I am crying" atmosphere, which while initially powerful and engrossing quickly outdoes its' welcome. I'd liken it to Xasthur or any of the depressive black metal bands- the atmosphere is done powerfully, but it's not really an atmosphere you want, especcially throughout a rather lengthy record. There's rarely any anger, just said regret and tears. Perhaps I'll need this record badly after I've broken up with someone, but until then the whole thing seems kind of pointless.
But while it may be a bit of a struggle to get through the whole album fact is that most of the songs are pretty good on their own. Aaron's vocals are a bit melodramatic, perhaps, and he'll never have the best tone in the world, but otherwise the band is tight and the songs are good, it just gets a little bit repetitive, that's all. Worth getting, I guess, because while it's quite repetitive the whole thing manages to balance the melancholy and the crushing riffage quite well.
In the past few years My Dying Bride have arguably crafted their finest works to date. 'A Line of Deathless Kings' is no exception to the newer, fresher sounding material as there is a little something for everyone in here.
This album has been subjected to an array of mixed reviews due to Aaron's choice to sing "properly". This is the first time he's sung clean for an entire album and as such probably won't be the last. The biggest difference in this and say 'Like Gods of the Sun' is that he's actually singing and not just speaking. His grim vocals have been in decline in more recent years and as a result most of his growls sound forced and dry. This album truly shows his versatility as a vocalist.
The guitars are thick and heavy and generally menacing. This is due to the stellar production job. This album has a lot of attitude in its riffs and leads. All of the bands hallmarks are here, but this is far from being rehashed. This is MDB at the top of their game. This is possibly one of their crunchiest (if not their crunchiest) album to date.
The bass is more or less what we've come to expect from the band. The drums (which have always been a standout point for the band) are just as brilliant as ever with session member John Bennett bringing yet another original color to the bands already bright pallet.
The keyboards add the requisite atmosphere where it would have been otherwise lost by the guitars. While Sara is certainly able to hold her own, she's no Martin. They lyrics are the usual Doom & gloom that we've come to expect.
This album, while sorrowful and bleak is also tough and robust. There is a lot going on here in terms of mood and feel. The harmonies and leads only add to the misery brought to life by the lyrics. This is by far one of the best MDB albums to date. This album takes the heaviness of the 'Dreadful Hours' and mixes it with the pure Doom that was 'Songs of Darkness, Words of Light'.
You could certainly do far worse in the bands catalog. This is highly recommended to any and all Doomsters. However, with that being said, those who might be new to the band might find this a decent starting place as it literally encompasses some of the bands better/best sonic attributes.
This was a difficult, almost painful, CD to review, especially since it not only comes from one of my favorite bands, but it ALSO comes on the heels of what I consider to be My Dying Bride's BEST fucking album to date: "Songs Of Darkness, Words Of Light." THAT particular album touched on just about every emotion under the sun, and complete with the newest MDB addition of blackened styled vocals, complete with songs that will take you from snarling, dark and demonic rage to extremely beautiful, melancholic and light hearted fare all in one song, "Songs Of Darkness..." is probably one of the most emotionally exhausting albums they've ever made.On the other hand, "A Line Of Deathless Kings" is confusing, jumps around quite a bit, and by the album's end your last few songs make you go "didn't I hear those elements in earlier songs... ON THE SAME ALBUM?"
Nevertheless, let's start from the beginning. CD opener 'To Remain Tombless' didn't make the greatest impression. Yes, the guitar work is very dark, heavy and almost thrashy at times, certainly one of the biggest highlights of the CD. MDB's DARKEST instrumentation to date, certainly, but the harsh vocals are limited to about three spots on the entire album. I thought for such a heavy and dark atmosphere the vocals on CD opener 'To Remain Tombless' could have been a LOT heavier, one of very few instances I have a problem with Aaron's vocal delivery. The next piece 'L'Amour Detruit' doesn't help either, as you have very nice emotional synths and guitars opening up (incidentally, the amazingly atmospheric synths seem to be absent for the most part from this recording as
well), and from the start you think "Ah, what amazingly emotional atmosphere,
fuck this could have been on "Songs Of Darkness!" But then halfway through the
darker tone with the instrumentation proves to be a double edged sword, as the
heavier parts could have been fleshed out better. It almost threatens to drag
the song down (The ending brings back the sounds of the beginning).
Let me say right now though that the most amazing passage on the album is the 4th track 'And I Walk With Them,' you'll know this ultra melodic passage when you hear it, as it features some soaring vocal work and trust me, it'll bring tears to the eyes (especially when you read the lyrics along with it). Why the rest of the album couldn't take this pace is beyond me.Nice piano notes open up 'Thy Raven Wings,' but for the life of me it just didn't grab me. Is there too much darkness overpowering the overall tone of the record? By tracks 6 and 7, I am DEFINITELY
hearing a band start to repeat themselves, and I'm STILL confused, as Aaron is still sounding sharp.
No song on here is terrible, or even godawful, but the MDB fan will definitely have to pick and choose his moments. I don't know if I'm just so into "Songs Of Darkness" that anything after that has been ruined or if the songs TRULY don't hold weight well. I'll give you what I think is the biggest clue, the HUGE piece to the
puzzle that makes me understand WHY this album isn't as good as it SHOULD be:
A recent interview I read in Metal Maniacs (which would NORMALLY have NO BEARING on ANY review I do) had Aaron stating quite matter of factly that THIS
album was recorded VERY QUICKLY, even by My Dying Bride standards. Let me
rephrase that, it was WRITTEN very quickly, Aaron going on to state that not only were lyrics not written until they were IN THE STUDIO, but FOUR songs were written while IN the studio. Had they spent more time on these songs, I dare say the album would have turned out better. That being said, any other band writing and recording an album like this would have far worse results.
While the last few years certainly have been up and down for My Dying Bride, a promise was made to make a return to their majestic doom/death style of old with this album. I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but this certainly isn't doom/death metal aside from a few small moments. A Line of Deathless Kings sees MDB continuing to explore even more progressive gothic metal territory without losing their edge. The thing is, the whole album is very samey, a fairly exhausting listening experience, and seems to be straight-out boring sometimes. This does a favor for the album in a very strange way, though.
Musically speaking, this isn't too far from the band's past two albums, except for one huge issue that I was forced to take points off for: the interplayed gothic harmonies on guitar and keyboards are barely present here. In fact, keyboards in general are almost totally absent from the songs, with "I Cannot Be Loved" and a few others being slight exceptions. Most of the songs are more guitar-based, but truth be told, there are only a handful of good riffs during the entire album. There seems to be less focus on atmosphere, (one of the things that made this band brilliant) and more emphasis put on the song structures, which are slightly more complex than anything else the band have done. You wouldn't think so when listening to this album, though; many of the songs follow a rigid tempo template that ranges from scorchingly to the lower end of what many would call mid-paced. As a result, most listeners will get bored quite easily and think the band are treading waters of lacking inspiration.
But that's the handle of this album; though things may seem boring, this may very well be MDB's heaviest and darkest offering since The Angel & The Dark River. "Deeper Down," while a bit generic and long-winded, shows the band balancing powerful palm-muted riffs and double bass with a dragging, unchanging tempo. While not as sonically heavy as past offerings, A Line of Deathless Kings takes the band into even more dirgy, menacing territory, and it is indeed a demanding listener that grows over time. "And I Walk With Them" is a perfect example, where sacriligeous lyrics play perfectly into the sparse, brooding guitar riffs. The repitition in riffs sometimes kills this, but songs like the tragic "L' Amour Detruit," which is one of the more melodic outings, brings back the long-missing Gothic flair to the band's sound that we have long yearned for. Aside from that, there's not much on an ear-candy level; the despair in the music is channeled through the pounding and slightly technical drumwork, eerie clean guitar interludes, and bludgeoning, fully voiced power chords, rather than the traditional keyboard melodies or searing guitar harmonies.
Aaron only uses growls two or three times during the whole album, but his clean vocals shine through wonderfully. Some may say that his voice sounds weak and uninspired here, but the darker context of the music brings out the bleakness of his voice. The opener "To Remain Tombless" shows Aaron's most fragile and sensitive performance, which coorelates perfectly with the lifeless lyrics. One of his best performances here is "I Cannot Be Loved," where a renewed sense of melody brings a sort of catharsis to everything. Though on the surface Aaron may seem to be inferior to even his own past offerings, his desperate croonings are as effective as ever, especially on "Love's Intolerable Pain." Lyrically, it's about the same for MDB, but songs like "One of Beauty's Daughters" take an almost sardonic, sadistic approach to dark love affairs. The album's closer "The Blood, The Wine, The Roses" is a grand tale of lust and damnation, and may be some of the best Aaron has ever written.
The rest of the band is a bit of a double-edged sword; it's certainly heavier in a round-about way, it just takes a few listens to realize and grasp it. Generally, the guitars still have quite a bit of melody, but most of it has been ditched in favor of a darker style that relies less on keyboards. When the keyboards do enter the mix, it's generally a miniscule role for background ambience, which is a shame in my opinion. The drums have a somewhat "broken" feel to them, and by that I mean that there's a return to the style where amourphous time changes interject with the songs through the means of jarring fills and stop-go cycles. This is a refreshing breath of air from the lumbering, bleak drone of everything else in the music, and adds a little bit of ear candy to the mix.
It comes down to this: some people will like this album, some will hate it, and some won't know what to think. Whatever it may be, keep in mind that this album is a grower; a a difficult one at that.
Favorite tracks: All tracks 2-5, "One of Beauty's Daughters," "The Blood, the Wine, the Roses."
This is as old as My Dying Bride: this band has always played with a dangerous double-edged sword. The one consisting in changing style with almost every release. We've known them playing death-doom, then softer clean-vocals driven melodic doom, then avantgarde music, eventually gothicized death-doom on their two last full-lengths – and now, they seem to have switched to another trend once again. Though this little game enables the British act to always explore new horizons and arouse the listener's curiosity, it nonetheless ends up becoming a tad frustrating. Being one of those who considered The Dreadful Hours and its follower as the best MDB outputs, I was expecting a third one from the same flour. But I was forgetting this band had NEVER released three successive similar albums.
The change isn't drastic though – another 34,788%... Complete it isn't. My Dying Bride haven't turned to nu-metal, industrial, pop music or whatever (fortunately). No, they still play fully honest, straightforward doom metal. But the gothic elements of their previous releases are gone – exit the emphasis on atmospheric keyboards, the bass-driven songs or the distorted vocals, and exit the growled parts as well! Indeed, this is another all-clean vocals album, the first since, precisely, 34,788%. Actually, the work the guys were willing to mimic becomes quite obvious listening to the song they chose as herald of this album, the one they released on EP, that is, Deeper Down: said track is furiously reminding of Like Gods of the Sun, save that Sarah Stauton's keyboard is now replacing Martin Powell's legendary violin.
So, Like Gods of the Sun part II? That means mellow, kind of sleep-inducing tracks which all sound more or less the same, with a little spark of melody here and there, doesn't it? Well, you're partially right, and that's the main weakness of this release. Several very linear parts are revealing an obvious lack of effort, imperfectly compensated by the overuse of old recipes coming from earlier albums, especially the one quoted above, hence an occasional annoying feeling of déjà-vu. The aforementioned Deeper Down for instance amounts to one of the less interesting songs, which is moreover likely to twist the listener's opinion as it is supposed to be the most representative one. Similarly, most of And I Walk with Them is filler and, coming to the closing The Blood, the Wine, the Roses, it's nothing more than an upbeat, fundamentally ridicule track. And what can be said about those grotesque titles, "I Cannot Be Loved", "Love's Intolerable Pain", "The Blood, the Wine, the Roses"? How couldn't have the guys noticed they'd fallen into the worst self-parody ever?
You'd have understood by now, everything is combined for this album to give a very negative first impression. But then, everyone paying a bit more attention to it will notice great musicians are still behind. Most of the time the less inspired, easiest bars are soon redeemed by both crushing and melodic passages MDB are renowned for or, at the other end of the spectra, acoustic parts – even if those are overall scarce. Love's Intolerable Pain, which combines both, is consequently and in spite of its stupid title one of the most agreeable tracks, maybe the most reminding of the two previous releases. Furthermore, it remains the only song exhibiting a little, tiny bit of growls (well, there's The Blood... as well, but let's just forget it) which only makes anyone regret there aren't more. Not that Aaron is a bad clean vocalist, he can even sometimes sound incredibly moving, but he nonetheless always tends to get a bit whiny, which is the main reason why none of the exclusively clean-sung MDB albums can really pretend to the masterpiece status. All the more as A Line of Deathless Kings already shows a large amount of spoken or whispered parts, what isn't what the band has made best either.
While Love's Intolerable Pain is a truly impressive song, a couple of others don't have anything to envy it, like the long, melancholic L'Amour Detruit and its creepy central part once again reminding of Songs of Darkness, Words of Light and its predecessor. By contrast, Thy Raven Wings is a short, but intricate track from which suddenly emerges a haunting tune which may stick in your head for longer than you expected. Without forgetting To Remain Tombless and its slow, harmonious chorus – and the list could go on.
Don't believe those who'll tell you this album is crap. They'll most certainly have listened to it only once, as I more or less shared their opinion the first time I heard it. But after one or two more listens it began to reveal itself far more complex than it looked at first glance – and far better as well. Though, considering the two previous MDB full-lengths, A Line of Deathless Kings remains undoubtedly disappointing, it may still perfectly get a place on the shelves of every doom lover.
Highlights: To Remain Tombless, L'Amour Detruit, Love's Intolerable Pain
I have respect for this band. My Dying Bride shows how a good band should evolve. On each album they bring something new, I dare say even something I never heard before [which alone most bands miserably fail to do ever]. And yet they still remain the same band with riffs and melodies typical for them [unlike bands for which "change" means completely different style or even genre]. Even after 14 years, you can hear this is the same band that recorded "As the Flower Withers".
I have gotten used to the fact that I have to listen to MDB's new albums several times before i can really appreciate them. First listening gives various impressions, some passages feel strange but others are catchy enough to keep your attention and for you to have patience with the album. The more you listen to it, the more you grasp these new and "strange" ideas and find their peculiar beauty.
Even though sometimes I like new MDB album more than its predecessor and other times less, I have yet to hear a bad album from this band. "A Line of Deathless Kings" is giving me somewhat better impression than previous "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light", though I can't explain why and it's probably a very subjective feeling. What I am sure about is that if you were following this band's works from the beginning like me, and haven't given up on them by now, you will definitely not throw this album away. I advise to give it at least 3 listenings though before you judge it. It gets better every time.
I'm not much for detailed descriptions of each song, it's simply a good album as a whole. The production is flawless, needless to say in case of such a band. Some melodies remind of previous albums and a few of them may feel perhaps a bit "too familiar" but it's not to an extent that would disturb me. If you get the impression some riffs seem too familiar the first time you hear "ALoDK", it will probably fade the more you get to know the songs.
There aren't any significantly ultra slow passages on this album [as in the "The Angel and the Dark River" kind of slow], and faster riffs [like "The Fever Sea" from '99] are very scarce. And there's almost no growling voice, but these are things that come and go in case of MDB, so not necessarily a sign that they disappeared for good. Still the pace is quite variable, mostly ranging from slow to mid-tempo and there are at least small bits of everything we are used to hear from MDB.
I must give credit to the drummer. The drums catch my attention quite often in case of MDB. Rarely any band shows that drums can do more than just give rhythm to the song, but MDB is one of the few exceptions. I was surprised how small role keyboards play here. After first listening I wasn't even sure if there were any, apart from the piano at the beginning of "The Raven Wings". There's actually more, but barely noticeable, staying in the background. Lyrically I haven't noticed any changes, the title of the track "Love's Intolerable Pain" sums it up pretty well.
I can't really find a weak point of this album, except things of personal preference & choice. MDB are too proffessional to make mistakes. It may not be the best MDB album and I don't think anyone would expect that either, but it's definitely a good one and the band shows that they're not getting weak. And while most of the bands that i liked 10+ years ago are horrible/boring/ridiculous today, My Dying Bride can easily keep the status of one of the best bands in their genre.
My Dying Bride return with the follow up to Songs of Darkness, Words of Light, which was a somewhat inconsistent/average release in my opinion, lacking a unique identity and only achieving a high level of quality on just a few tracks. Upon first hearing "A Line Of Deathless Kings" I was surprised and a little dissapointed to hear no death vocals (other than a few background screams) until the 6th track, Love's Intolerable Pain. However, after listening to this CD several times, I am amazed at how beautiful and unique this is. There are very few traces of the aggression from the Dreadful Hours here, but in its place is a somber, convincing, and grief stricken performance by frontman Aaron which surpasses anything he has done in the past and a noticeable progression by the band. Aaron's voice has never sounded more amazing....he does some singing here which includes some of the most haunting and heartbreaking moments in the history of this band. His voice is stronger, his vibrato and range is improved tenfold, and vocal harmonies appear consistently, and he employs some interesting and highly memorable melodies, which all but renders the (for the most part) absence of death vocals meaningless, that is how good he is here. The music is equal parts excellent melodic guitar harmonies, which also come across as more heartfelt and convincing than in years, a heavy Candlemass/Like Gods Of the Sun style of riffing (more of a true doom style), your typical doom/death sections which are very dark, and some great experimentation on a large protion of the songs (this is easily their most unique record since 34% but it is not like that record at all...has a few elements of it but is firmly rooted in MDB darkness). There is also a noticeable change in the style of drumming at times compared wiht the last release which does work well. There are absolute gems in the songs in To Remain Tombless, I Cannot Be Loved, L'Amour Detruit, Thy Raven Wings (I almost weep every time I hear this track when the vocals come in...amazing), and Deeper Down. My only complaint with this CD is a few riffs I do not care for at the beginning of The Blood, The Wine, The Roses, Love's Intolerable Pain, and One of Beauty's Daughters (a little too "rockin" for me) but otherwise these tracks are good and this is a band reinventing themselves while also staying true to their inherent sense of sorrowful doom. Absolutely fantastic stuff here, and by far their most unique CD since 34%.


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One of the most influential sci-fi films in modern history, Ridley Scott's 1982 dystopian classic Blade Runner commands respect from just about anyone who loves the genre. Starring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard - the titular Blade Runner - Scott's film examined what it really means to be human, and posed the question of whether an artificially created being could ever advance to the point of being entirely indistinguishable from mankind in any noticeable way.
Since the original release of Blade Runner, one of the most popular theories concerning the film has been that Deckard himself is in fact a Replicant, a variation on the genetically engineered beings that he's tasked with hunting down over the course of the film. The theatrical cut of Blade Runner left the answer to this question ambiguous and open to interpretation, although further edits - including Scott's preferred Final Cut - seemed to offer much clearer hints that Deckard isn't human.
One factor that has prevented many fans from accepting one way or another that Deckard is a Replicant is that those involved with making Blade Runner have publicly disagreed. Scott has said that Deckard is a Replicant, while screenwriter Hampton Fancher prefers to leave the question unresolved. Ford himself has expressed a belief that Deckard is human. When asked during today's Blade Runner 2049 SDCC panel whether the sequel clears up any lingering questions that Ford may have had about the original though, he responded rather bluntly, "It doesn't matter what I think."
Ford has, of course, come to be known as a no-nonsense straight shooter over the years when asked questions concerning his films. Still, it seems a bit telling that the above was his answer to a question by host Chris Hardwick that clearly seemed to be referencing Ford's stated disagreements with Scott about Deckard being a Replicant. If Ford doesn't think his opinion matters, it's likely that Scott chose to specify once and for all in the sequel that Deckard isn't human.
While the Replicants that Deckard hunted in the original film were engineered with a limited lifespan in mind, the fact that Deckard has long outlived that span doesn't necessarily mean anything either way. The original film made it clear that there were different models of Replicants, and it's quite possible that Deckard is simply an advanced model capable of a normal human lifespan. Whatever ends up being the case, sci-fi fans will surely turn out in droves to learn the answer in October.
Source: SDCC
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017) release date: Oct 06, 2017


text: PaulRuddSays 888 Posted May 14 1 hour ago, jagsba said: See also, advSlam Vynder moving last being brushed over because R2ID Han is worse. Wait, are people serious in considering gunboat SLAM to be problematic? That's not even on my radar... 1 Brunas reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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DATE/TIME: April 24-May 8 Thursdays 10:30-2:30 (4 sessions)
REGISTRATION: Call in, Come in, or register online. Scroll to the bottom of this page for online registration. 425.697.2787
LOCATION: Cole Art Studio located on the lower level of Cole Gallery. 107 5th Ave. S., Edmonds
Learn the tips and tricks to make a painting of metal and glass look more realistic without being overly photographic. Acrylics' quick dry time can be frustrating for many, but Angela will take you through the steps to manipulate the paints and make it work for you.
In each 4-hour class, Angela will demonstrate how to paint a different subject of glass or metal. After each demo you will start on your own quick study that can be used to launch a bigger piece in the future!
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from this master of reflective surfaces!
You can pick up all your great art supplies at ARTspot in Edmonds just blocks from Cole Gallery. Registered Cole Art Studio students will receive a 10% discount on all their art supplies. Make sure to pick up your 10% off slip at Cole Gallery's front desk.
Artspot's Web Site
You may use up to 4 supports during this class, depending on your speed and amount of extra studio time you get outside the class.
Optional: Pthalo Turquoise
Hooker's Green Hue (Golden Brand - NOT Liquitex for this hue)
Paper palettes work well and are easy to clean up for acrylics, but anything you can mix paint on will work.
Note that different manufacturers' sizing varies, just to confuse us! So if you're unsure, come on in to ARTspot and we'll hook you up.
Small liner brush (size 1)
Simple glass and metal objects you've always wanted to paint! (some will be provided as well)


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How to Stay Encouraged When You Feel Lost After College
By Khadejah Stegall
Khadejah is a part of the TLC College Ambassador Program and attends North Carolina A&T University.
You know when you're in planning mode and you're just trying to figure your life out, especially when you are straight out of college with a degree you feel that you can't use? You plan and plan which leads to you stressing out because you can't figure everything out. Instead of planning and seeking out for advice, have you taken the time to spend time with the creator and seek his advice? It's so easy to get caught up on how your life is supposed to look after college. Just because you may not get to a destination as fast as someone else doesn't mean that you are excluded from receiving blessings. Greatness takes time and Oprah was not built in a day.
If you are taking a job after college that is a prerequisite for where you want to be, but you aren't really feeling it, be sure to learn valuable skills and lessons from it. Too many times, millennials don't give anything a chance. We want to just pack up, leave and try something else that will benefit us. There will be times where you must go through uncomfortable seasons to strengthen your faith, patience and skills. Live in the now and enjoy every moment because once you finally get that dream job, what's next? Are you just going to stop there? There are many people who said once they finally got where they wanted to be, they thought "what's next?"
The important fact to remember is to enjoy the journey. Remember to pursue purpose instead of pursuing titles and money. Don't know your God-given purpose? Now is the perfect time to do some self-reflection and figure it out.
Finally, just relax and stop worrying yourself to death. You aren't going to get to your destination any faster by worrying, so have faith that everything will work out. Wouldn't you be disappointed if you rushed your life, chased a title/money and when you finally get there, you hate it? There's nothing wrong with starting at the bottom because the bottom will teach you valuable lessons that you need to make it to the top. Life after college can be scary, but if you seek purpose and take leaps in your faith, everything will come to fruition.
Khadejah Stegall is a college mommy blogger that inspires others to achieve the impossible through the power of Jesus. She enjoys family time, eating vegan meals when it's convenient and mentoring others on professional development. To be inspired by more post, follow her blog at khadejahstegall.com


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I'm passing on a couple of important news items! First, Gillian from Crafting A Rainbow in cahoots with Adrienne have arranged a meet-up in the heart of Toronto's Fashion District this Saturday. And the second important piece of information is via Tanit-Isis about a brilliant idea of Vicki's that will help us find each other on a global scale. Go ahead! Add your little blue button!
Sewista Party Time


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Niki's Famous Crawfish Dip
- 12 ounces frozen peeled crawfish tails, thawed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon crab boil seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning™
- 1 1/2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
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|Nutrition Facts
|Serving Size 1/24 of a recipe
|Amount Per Serving
|Calories 77
|Total Fat 7g
|Saturated Fat 4.3g
|Cholesterol 35mg
|Sodium 229mg
|Total Carbohydrate 0.5g
|Dietary Fiber 0.1g
|Sugars 0g
|Protein 3.2g
|* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.
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The Bond Between the Spiritual Mother and the Priest
by Mother Judith Zuniga, O.C.D. - Superior General of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
I am a priest for the Diocese of Orange, California and have been a priest for since 2009. Born and raised in Southern California, I come from a large Catholic family of eight children. My fraternal twin brother has been a priest for the diocese of Orange since 1995.
I can say that since high school the call to priesthood was there, but other things took precedence: school, sports, girlfriends and a job; it was not difficult to relegate the thought of becoming a priest to the back of my mind. After graduating from high school, I went away to college. While the idea of priesthood came up occasionally, I gave no serious consideration to becoming a priest.
After college, I became a State Farm Insurance agent and through a lot of hard work and the grace of God, I built a very successful insurance agency. Although, I planned on getting married and having a family, through Divine providence, I never met the right woman for me to marry. I believe the reason was that the Lord knew that I would eventually respond to the call to the priesthood.
Over years, I was able to build my insurance practice into a turnkey operation which enabled me to cut back my work schedule to approximately forty hours a week. Around the same time, I was going to Mass a couple of times a week and eventually, was drawn to attend daily Mass. I was receiving much grace from the Eucharist and my prayer life deepened.
Through the Eucharist, daily prayer, and a devotion to the Blessed Mother and her intercession for me, and the sacrament of reconciliation, the call to the priesthood became much more clear, and I became open to the possibility. Eventually, I took the leap of faith and entered the seminary.
After doing my philosophy year at St. John Seminary in Southern California, the bishop asked me to go to the North American Pontifical College in Rome for my theological studies, which was a wonderful experience.
After I was ordained to the priesthood in June 2009, the bishop asked me to go back to Rome for one more year to finish an additional degree in spirituality.
I would like to offer something to those of you whom the Lord might be tugging at your heart regarding priesthood or religious life. From a worldly perspective, I had the perfect lifestyle before entering the seminary, a beachfront condo, nice cars, lots of money, girlfriends, etc. But I have never for a minute regretted making this 'career change,' I have found true happiness and abiding peace as a priest.
My love for the Lord continues to grow all the time. And the Lord has given me the grace to truly understand that who are you are is so much more important than what you have because who you are will last forever and what you have will fade away.
I used to insure people's cars and homes, which was a good thing, but now I help ensure the salvation of people's souls for eternity.
By the grace of God, I have completely embraced this call to priesthood and never look back. I thank God that he had patience to wait for me.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the role that two other people had in my spiritual journey. Although my mother passed away before I entered the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood, I know her intercession for me on earth and in heaven have been very important in my spiritual journey. Through her persistent prayers and the example of her holy life, she greatly helped me be open to saying 'yes' to the Lord's call to the priesthood. Her maternal prayers are a reminder of the power of the power of prayer, and that praying for others is a wonderful way of showing love for them.
And finally, a dear friend—Kathleen Beckman, played a big role in helping me to have the courage to say 'yes' to enter the seminary and answer the call to priesthood through her intercessory prayers and encouragement.


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A Little Birthday Post.../
I set my feet on the path to fifty eight this week. Fifty eight. Wow. Those things that you hear older folks saying "but I'm still sixteen inside here" turns out to be true, sort of. I am the person with the long term memory in my circle, I can tell you anything you want to know about times long ago (but don't ask me about last week!)
I carry mental snapshots of cutoff jeans, halter tops and hot sultry days in the Florida sunshine walking to the beach with my girlfriends. I can describe to you the way the white soft powdery shell rock streets of my youth felt like beneath my bare feet. A mental photo book of my babies that comes with the sweet smell of the top of their head, as I nestled them in my arms rocking them to sleep. I still recall the sights and smells of the third world cities I've visited and the faces of the people I saw there. So many were smiling, laughing in the face of such poverty. The lush green, unlike anything I've ever seen, of the terraced hillsides in Thailand as we traveled to stay in a Mung village, where some of the people still wore their colorful native garb. The sound of the wind like I've never heard it before or since, when I stood on a cliff called "South Point" on the big Island of my beloved Hawaii and looked out as far as the eye could see on the Pacific Ocean.
My life has been full and glorious. I can honestly say that the beauty and miracles far out weigh any negative experiences. There have been "things" for sure, but even in heartache, beauty peeks her head around the darkest corner, bringing with her a whole new chapter, dispelling the shadow of despair. My heart aches at the memory of those who are gone from me, but then I recall a moment spent with them or the loveliness of their faces in my minds eye and sweetness fills that spot.
I write to you this morning with a heart filled with gratitude at the wonder and miracle of life. I open the door and look outside at the beauty of my garden, with the sun shining on my face, I take my first step out the door and on to the path that leads to fifty eight.


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Flyers CHL Prospect Playoff Update
Although the Flyers may have missed the playoffs, some of their prospects and recent draft picks are still participating in the CHL playoffs for their respective teams. Let's take a look at how they've performed thus far:
Samuel Dove-McFalls (C/LW, Saint John): The powerhouse Sea Dogs currently have a perfect record of 8-0 so far in the playoffs after sweeping Rimouski and Val d'Or in the first and second round, respectively. Dove-McFalls has been lights out on the faceoff dot, winning roughly 65% of his draws. The Flyers 2015 4th round pick 2015 has 1 goal in the playoffs, and that was an overtime winner against the Foreurs on April 7th. Sea Dogs will take on Chicoutimi in the third round, who upset the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in a seven game series in the second round. It is worth noting that the Flyers must sign Dove-McFalls to a contract before the draft, or else they will lose his rights and he will re-enter the draft.
Dove-McFalls' 2016-17 Regular Season Stats: 65GP, 17G, 36A, 53PTS, +21
Dove-McFalls' Playoff Stats: 8GP, 1G, 3A, 4PTS, +5, 85/130 on faceoffs
Pascal Laberge (RW, Victoriaville): Laberge and the Tigres were swept out in the first round of the QMJHL playoffs by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. The Flyers 2016 2nd round pick scored 2 goals in the 4 matches. Laberge never really got back into form after a concussion that he suffered on October 15th.
Laberge's 2016-17 Regular Season Stats: 46GP, 12G, 20A, 32PTS, -11
Laberge's Playoff Stats: 4GP, 2G, 0A, 2PTS, -3
German Rubtsov (C/LW, Chicoutimi): It was announced before the playoffs that Flyers 2016 1st round pick German Rubtsov would miss the QMJHL playoffs in its entirety with a broken hand. It has been an up and down, injury-plagued season for Rubtsov to say the least. He has broken his foot, nose, hand in a matter of 8 months. If Chicoutimi were to advance to the Memorial Cup, Rubtsov may be healthy enough to return. However, the Saguenéens would have to upset the number one seeded Saint John Sea Dogs in the third round.
Rubtsov's 2016-17 Regular Season Stats: KHL: 15GP, 0G, 0A, 0PTS, -4
2017 World Juniors: 5GP, 0G, 0A, 0PTS, -1
Rubtsov's Playoff Stats: N/A
Philippe Myers (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL): The Huskies were upset in the second round by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, a series which lasted seven games. After starting off the playoffs hot, scoring 8 points in his first 7 games, Philippe Myers hit a bit of a cold patch. The undrafted defenceman was held pointless and was a minus-4 in his next four games. Myers will be joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for their playoff run in the AHL now that his QMJHL season is over.
Myers' 2016-17 Stats: QMJHL: 34GP, 10G, 25A, 35PTS, +21
World Juniors: 4GP, 0G, 3A, 3PTS, +1
Myers' Playoff Stats: 13GP, 3G, 6A, 9PTS, -1
Connor Bunnaman (C/LW, Kitchener): Kitchener lost in the 1st round to a powerful Owen Sound squad in 5 games. Bunnaman missed two of the games due to suspension, but he was an impactful player when in the lineup. The 6-foot-3 winger scored 4 goals in 3 playoff games but was a minus-8. With the regular season and playoffs combined, Bunnaman scored a grand total of 41 goals in 67 games.
Bunnaman's 2016-17 Regular Season Stats: 64GP, 37G, 15A, 52PTS, -5
Bunnaman's Playoff Stats: 3GP, 4G, 0A, 4PTS, -8
Anthony Salinitri (C/RW, Sarnia): The 8th seeded Sarnia Sting were swept out in the 1st round by the Erie Otters, to no one's surprise. Flyers 2016 6th round pick Anthony Salinitri tallied 1 assist in 4 playoff games and won approximately 43% of his faceoffs.
Salinitri's 2016-17 Stats: 66GP, 28G, 30A, 58PTS, -19
Salinitri's Playoff Stats: 4GP, 0G, 1A, 1PTS, -6
Carsen Twarynski (LW, Kelowna): The Kelowna Rockets are off to the 3rd round of the WHL playoffs. Carsen Twarynski has 5 points in the 10 playoff games he's played, but has missed 1 game due to suspension. The 6-foot-3 physical forward got off to a start in the playoffs, but has cooled off recently, tallying just 1 point in his last 6 games.
Twarynski's 2016-17 Stats: Calgary: 36GP, 10G, 11A, 21PTS, -11
Kelowna: 28GP, 7G, 15A, 22PTS, +19
Twarynski's Playoff Stats: 10GP, 3G, 2A, 5PTS, +2
Carter Hart (G, Everett): Carter Hart was phenomenal in the first round of the playoffs. He lead Everett to an incredible Game 6 victory that lasted 8 periods (5 overtimes)! Hart made 64 saves in the longest game in CHL history! The Silvertips were then swept out in the 2nd round by the Seattle Thunderbirds. Still, a very impressive season for the 6-foot-2 goaltender who racked up a total of 10 shutouts! It was announced on April 15th that Hart would be joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the AHL playoffs now that his WHL season has come to an end. The 18-year old netminder may not suit up in an AHL game, but simply just practicing with the pro club is invaluable experience.
Hart's 2016-17 Stats: WHL: 34-11-2, 1.99GAA, .927SV%, 9 SO
2017 World Juniors: 4GP, 2.38GAA, .906SV%
Hart's Playoff Stats: 4-6, 2.43GAA, .908sv%, 1 SO
CHL Prospects still participating in the playoffs: Samuel Dove-McFalls, German Rubtsov (injured), Carsen Twarynski
CHL Prospects Eliminated from the playoffs: Pascal Laberge, Philippe Myers, Anthony Salinitri, Connor Bunnaman, Carter Hart
An Update From The SHL
The SHL finals is currently going on in Sweden, a battle between Brynäs and HV71. The best-of-seven series is currently tied 1-1. Two Flyers prospects' play for Brynäs: 6-foot-2 left winger Oskar Lindblom and athletic goaltender Felix Sandström.
Lindblom has 1 goal in the series, that coming in Game 1 which resulted in a 5-2 Brynäs loss. He has been dominant throughout the playoffs, scoring 14 points in 15 games.
Sandström has been Brynäs' starter for almost 10 consecutive games now. He took over after veteran goalie David Rautio was ill. The Flyers 2015 third round pick has posted a 2.98 goals against average and .898 save percentage so far in the playoffs.
Game 3 between Brynäs and HV71 will take place on Thursday, March 20th.


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For many in the U.S., medical insurance – whether public or private – just doesn't cover it. Some who can't afford care turn to free clinics. And as CGTN's Roee Ruttenberg reports, for those who can't get to the clinic, sometimes it comes to them.
Hundreds line up outside a south Texas high school. But they're not here for class. Indeed, many camped out overnight.
Those who get in can be seen by a doctor and pay nothing. No questions asked, no identification required.
Technically, this is an emergency preparedness drill. State officials said the free medical care is a perk.
"We do know that there are areas here that we might have people who may not be able to afford to go to a doctor," said John Villarreal of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "And so they take advantage of Operation Lone Star to do that."
The Texas State Guard takes the lead – just as it would in any natural or man-made disaster.
One of those guardsmen, Patrick Mejia, explained that, "I've had friends and brothers die in this uniform and bleed in this uniform. So I hold it to the highest standard as possible. And the fact that I could serve my fellow Texans, it's the greatest feeling in the world."
Almost no one working here is getting paid. That includes Junior Osinde, a 28-year-old dentist who shut down his private practice for a week so he could volunteer with the operation.
"There are government facilities for dental that are low cost to some patients," Osinde said. "But a lot of patients can't go to those areas because it's very remote. If you don't have money, you really don't have transportation to get to the location where they serve you."
That's where Remote Area Medical, or RAM, gets involved. Each year, the Tennessee-based traveling non-profit leads – or partners in – more than 100 clinics across the United States.
"We're providing medical care for folks who can't afford medical care, or can't afford medications to control some of their medical problems, and who are in need, who are suffering," explained RAM core volunteer David Maurer.
Many of the patients here are uninsured. And those who have insurance said it isn't enough.
Rhonda Schwarzbach came for glasses. She said the insurance she gets through her husband's employer doesn't cover them.
For her teeth, she crosses the border to Mexico, because even though she has dental insurance, "It's still cheaper going across there. And they've got great dentists over there. I mean, and it's almost a fourth of the price I would pay after my insurance kicks in."
One of the unique things about this operation is a mobile optical lab that travels across the country. They can make customized lenses, which means people can leave with brand new glasses. And for some, that can mean the difference between night and day.
"We had a young boy come through with his grandpa. I realized he couldn't see the writing on the wall across the hall from us," Maurer recalled.
"We got the boy glasses and his face lit up because he had never seen birds in the trees. He had always heard them, but he never realized what birds in the tree looked like."
For some, this is no drill.


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Practice Velocity and Urgent Care Consultants are proud supporters of the third annual Pediatric Urgent Care Conference, being held March 29-31, 2017, in New Orleans.
This conference brings together nationally recognized experts in pediatric urgent care, general health care and business practice. The objective is to improve the procedural skills of caregivers and provide a foundation for operational and business success.
Among the experts presenting at the conference is Practice Velocity Vice President Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MAcc, who will be presenting a lunch-and-learn on "Differentiation for Pediatric Urgent Care Operators." The session will be held on Friday, March 31, at 12:30pm in the Ballroom Gallery of the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Ayers' session describes that in crowded markets with increasingly blurred lines between walk-in providers, it's important for pediatric urgent care operators to differentiate their service offerings to emphasize speed, care, pediatric expertise, quality outcomes, and interconnectivity with primary care and specialists. With "soccer moms" in particular, pediatric urgent care thrives to the extent it creates loyal "fans" who spur positive word-of-mouth, both in person and online.
Practice Velocity's award-winning electronic health record supports pediatric urgent care with:
- Designation of a parent/guardian historian for pediatric patients
- Age-specific vitals and exceptions
- Pediatric-suggested exam templates
- Full ICD-10 code sets including separate code sets for pediatrics
- Pre-calculated medication lists with pediatric dosing by weight
- Pediatric-specific discharge instructions
Practice Velocity's partner, Urgent Care Consultants, supports pediatric urgent care entrepreneurs with start-up services including "Start-up Pro" which is a 1,500+ item workplan covering the entire process from business plan development and financing through site selection and build-out and operational planning including staffing models and policies and procedures. For more information visit www.urgentcareconsultants.com.


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NGB Discos supplies stunning wedding discos throughout Berkshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire
Looking for something specific? information about some of the venues we have played at previously ? Use the search box below
Check out some of our other great services
Request a quote
If you would like a quote please fill in our form below
The Event and Entertainment specialists for Berkshire and the surrounding counties
Are you looking for a Wedding disco or having a party or event and need an quality DJ? You've come to the right place. Not only have we got years of experience creating events and parties to remember, but we pride ourselves on providing an exceptional level of service, understanding your every need, with personalised sets to build your fresh and fun DJ sets for you and your guests so you can just enjoy your day or night.
We'll help you with some amazing idea's and make sure your event happens without a hitch! Sophisticated and stylish or fun and fabulous we can make sure your event is a party to remember. Not only do we provide the music, we're fully equipped to enhance your venue with our high quality lighting set up. We don't stop there either, make sure you check our additional services such as our pop-up photo studio services and accessories to make your venue look extra-special!
Creating events you'll never forget!
Wedding Decor and Lighting
Not only do we do your music to dance the night away, we can help give you those little finishing touches that really make a difference. We offer large stand-alone wedding signage for hire, such as a love lighting which we can install. To find out more just get in touch and we can walk through all our available options.
Pop-up Photo Studio
To capture those really refined professional images and to allow your guests and you a little spot of glam, we also offer a pop up studio set up at your wedding venue. With white screen, professional lighting like you'd find at a magazine photo shoot, allow you and your guests inner celebrity come out. Other than being a fun way of capturing even more pictures, it's great fun and very unique.
For our Wedding 26/11/2016. Pure quality. Excellent set up with the 'love' letters, Gave some brilliant photos too. Music spot on to what we wanted. Lovely man. Highly recommended!! Cheers for making our evening perfect! Would recommend to everyone
"We had Martin for our wedding, well what can I say, outstanding from start to finish kept the dance floor busy and we've had nothing but endless compliments about how good he was.. Thank you Martin for an amazing reception disco, we will be sticking with you for all our parties from now on... Recommend 100% you will not be disappointed"
"Thanks so much for Djing at our wedding. You gave us and our guests the best party imaginable! I highly recommend NGB Discos!"
- "Just wanted to say a huge thank you for an amazing job last night at Yasmin 14th birthday party. All the kids had a great time. Would definitely use your service again. You an amazing job . You're a star. Would recommend you to anyone."
"Perfect service for our wedding evening reception - it was a great party, everyone enjoyed themselves
with dance-floo r action the whole night! Thank you, would highly recommend to others."


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I have been blogging for a long time.
Not just about food. But about family. My family.
I started a personal blog back in 2006. I keep it as a journal because I have a terrible memory, and if things aren't written down, they are gone forever. I love the outlet that it gives me – that I can talk incessantly about my kids and post 30 pictures of the family dying Easter eggs. (Yes, I really did.)
When I started Taste and Tell back in 2007, I did it just to talk about food. And really, for the most part, I've kept to that. But there have been times that I've wanted to get real with you all, and share parts of my life outside of the kitchen. (I have shared a few times, but really, it's been mostly about the food.)
So that is where this Home and Family section comes into play.
I'm going to be honest – I have no idea where this is going to go. But that is exactly what I love about it. I'm not crafty. I don't have a perfectly decorated home.
But I am real. (As witnessed by the above photo…)
You probably aren't going to find crafty tutorials. Or me gushing on about how my life is perfect. And it's not going to be all about just posting photos of my (completely adorable) children. I'm going to take this section day by day, but I want to share parts of my life with all of you. Things I've learned about parenting. Random musings. Things I'm loving. This will be my wide open space where I can really do whatever I want to do. No rules.
Thanks for joining me here, and I'm excited that you are along for the ride!


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This is the first of my 'Battle Brothers' articles. Battle Brothers are allies of the hobby and help make this wargaming hobby better with the time they give to us.
I watch a lot of battle reports. They range in how engaging they are, and vary in presentation style. In these past few years, there has been one YouTube channel that has the characteristics that I find most desirable.
Winters SEO channel has a lot going for it. There are consistent battle reports - about one a week. Winters also has tactics articles and some guides about terrain. The best part about his channel is the story line that he weaves into his battle reports. I enjoy following the trials of the 13th, the Penitent Forge, and occasionally the Dark Eldar.
Check out his channel, you will not be disappointed. I have linked a video below of his latest battle report, it was enjoyable.


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Perfect for lovers of monochrome and will add a touch of sleek to your room. - because Black will always be the new Black.
Our signature Pillowcase Pair from our EDEN range is made from hand-picked 400 thread count 100% Long Staple Cotton. The fabric is woven in a Sateen weave giving it a soft luxurious feel.
Pack includes two standard pillowcases
Wide 22cm internal envelope to ensure pillow sits tight inside
8mm piping around all four edges
Classic woven label inside envelope
48cm x 73cm Standard Size


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The most effective way to deploy SIEM
The problem with many SIEM deployments is they're purchased, acquired and absorbed, but not operationalized, said Anton Chuvakin of Security Warrior Consulting. SIEM or Security Information and Event Management is the use of technology to collect data from different systems and study what it means. Chuvakin explained that compliance, such as PCI, requires users to not only deploy a solution, but to actually touch and look at the data in at least a daily manner.
Chuvakin also offered up some advice on the most effective way to deploy SIEM within an organization so as to get "quick wins" and be very effective in your phased deployment.


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Softball Coaching Staff
Sam Macken - Softball Director
Sam attended Rochester Lourdes High School where she graduated in 2013. A Minnesota native, she attended the University of Minnesota, Twins Cities, where she lettered four years and started both infield and outfield. She was awarded 3 Academic All B1G Ten Honors, was a 2-Time Distinguished Scholar, received both 1st and 2nd Team All B1G Ten honors and was a 2-Time NFCA All-Region selection. Her freshman year she sealed the Gophers 1st B1G Ten championship in 15 years with a walk off hit and was instrumental in helping the Gophers to their first ever Super Regional with a go-ahead home run against Auburn in the NCAA Regional final. Sam helped lead the Gophers to 3 B1G Ten Championships, 4 NCAA Tournaments and a Super Regional in her 4-year career. She ended her career ranked 2nd All-Time in runs scored and 4th All-Time in doubles. Her career batting average was 0.339. In her senior season she was awarded the B1G Ten Sportsmanship Award and was a Top-30 Finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. The Gophers won over 190 games in her 4-year career and establish the winningest season ever in 2017 going 56-5. Sam graduated in 2017 with a degree in Business Marketing and a minor in Sports Management.
TAYLOR LEMAY - Hitting & Catching
Taylor attended East Ridge High School in Woodbury, MN where she graduated in 2012. Her collegiate career began at Concordia University St. Paul MN, but upon the completion of her freshman year, she transferred to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she was a three-year letter winner for the Gophers and started as the catcher each of those three seasons. She earned 2 Academic All B1G Ten honors, 2nd Team All B1G Ten Honors, was a 2-time NFCA All-Region selection, and was the 2016 B1G Ten Defensive Catcher of the Year. Taylor was an important part of two B1G Ten Championships in 2014 and 2016, 3 NCAA Tournaments, and the Gophers first ever Super Regional during her time with the Gophers. She ended her career being a consistent .300 hitter, and a solid backstop behind the plate with a .991 fielding percentage. Over her three-year career, the Gophers won 134 games. Taylor graduated in 2016 with her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She was also the Volunteer Assistant for the University of Minnesota during their 2017 season. She primarily worked with the catchers, as well as working with pitchers during practice and games. She is now attending the University of St. Thomas getting her Masters in Physical and Health Education.
Tori Finucane- Pitching
Tori, a Maryland native and 2013 graduate of Bishop O'Connell High School (VA), is a two-time NFCA First Team High School All-American. Her high school career also included back-to-back Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year awards in 2012 and 2013. Her college career began at the University of Missouri, where as a freshman in the Southeastern Conference, compiled a 21-6 record with a 1.73 ERA. Also during her freshman season, she won SEC Pitcher of the week and NFCA National Player of the Week after going 2-0 on the road against the #3 ranked team in the country, the Florida Gators, including a 10-strikeout performance to clinch the series. Additional recognition during her freshman season included being named the 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-SEC, SEC All Freshman Team, and NFCA National Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist. As a sophomore, Tori compiled a 21-8 record and was named Second Team All-SEC. After a junior season that was limited due to injuries, Tori completed her final year of eligibility at the University of Minnesota. In her lone season with the Gophers, the team set numerous school records, including a #1 ranking in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and a 56-5 record for the season.
Hannah Evavold- Pitching
Hannah attended Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota where she graduated in 2013. She went on to pitch at the University of Minnesota for three years receiving Distinguished Honor Awards, AFCA Academic Honors, All Academic Big Ten Honors in 2014, 2015, 2016, was named Female Student-Athlete of the Month July 2016, and named Teammate of the Year for 2016. Hannah has coached fall, winter, and summer softball for the past four years, three of the years being a head coach. She has also been a pitching instructor since high school and feels comfortable conducting both individual and group pitching lessons. Hannah graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Human Resource Development and Psychology with minors in Human Resource Industrial Relations and Leadership.
Erika Smyth - Starters Softball Club Coach
Erika, a Washington state native and 2011 graduate of Kentlake High School, is a two time First Team All-League award winner and four-time Gold Glove award winner as a high school short stop. She still holds her high school record for most plate appearances without a strike out (182). She was recruited by former Gopher Softball Head Coach Jessica Allister, and signed her NLI to play softball at the University of Minnesota where she was a four-year letter winner. Erika was a part of the historic class of 2015 that took Gopher Softball to their first Regional appearance in 10 years in 2013, first Big Ten Championship in 15 years in 2014, and the first Regional Championship and Super Regional appearance in 2014. She ended her career having started 110 games at second base and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 2014. She is the first and only player in Gopher Softball history to win back-to-back Teammate of the Year awards in 2014 and 2015 – the only award voted on by the players. Erika graduated in 2015 with her Bachelors in Business and Marketing and was a three-time Academic All Big Ten Award winner.
COURTNEY O'CONNOR - Hitting & Catching
Courtney graduated from Shakopee High School in 2013. While playing for Shakopee she received All-Conference Honorable mention and All-Conference honors her senior year. After graduating in 2013, Courtney went on to play for Bemidji State University, where she was a 4 year starter behind the plate. While at Bemidji she was part of a program turn around from an 11- 31 freshman year to a 28-19 her senior year. Courtney was on pace to break the program putout record until an injury ended her senior season. She also boasted a career fielding percentage of .981. She graduated from Bemidji with a degree in Exercise Science and a Coaching Certificate. Courtney has been coaching girls fastpitch for 8 years, 3 of which were spent as a head coach.
David Reyes - Starters Softball Club Coach
David attended Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minnesota where he graduated in 2013. He went on to play college baseball at Bemidji State University for a couple of years, and is currently a student finishing up his last academic year. He will be receiving a Bachelors of Arts in Sport Management with a minor in Human Performance. David has coached fall and summer softball for the past three years for the Clutch Hitters out of Bloomington, Minnesota. On those teams he was the primary hitting and outfield coach but also assisted with infield and catching drills. In addition, he has performed individual baseball and softball hitting and fielding lessons for the past four years and enjoys working with players of all ability levels. With David's passion and enthusiasm for the game he will be a great asset to Starters Club Softball.
Mike Macken - Starters Softball Club Coach
Mike Macken is a Rochester, MN native and attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he played third base and lettered 4-years for the UW baseball program. After baseball he played competitive softball where he won more than 20 Minnesota State Championships and 6 National Championships. He started coaching fastpitch in 2003 when his daughter, Gopher, Sam Macken started playing. He coached Sam throughout her JO career, first in Rochester, then for the MN Stars (Eagan, MN). Currently, he is the Assistant Coach at Lourdes High School in Rochester, MN where he has been coaching since 2007 and is also an active member of the Rochester Youth Fastpitch Softball Association. He has been an advocate for softball players for more than 30 years.


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The Fujifilm XS-1 is one of the highest-end extended zoom camera money, and lots of it, can buy. For those who want an all-in-one that offers a tactile experience that rivals that of DSLRs, the XS-1's 26x lens is operated manually rather than with a toggle. The lens is based around a large 2/3-inch 12 megapixel EXR sensor, the same technology used in a variety of Fujifilm's successful compacts. The user can choose one of three modes that favor either high dynamic range, low noise, or high resolution. The low noise and high dynamic range modes reduce the resolution, yet measurably improve image quality. You can even leave the camera on EXR AUTO, which will make these difficult decisions for you. And, as you'd expect from such an expensive camera, there are manual modes, 10fps continuous burst, 1080p HD video, and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder. The XS-1 does cost more than many entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless systems, however, so it really is meant for those who want the zoom range without the bulk. Image quality isn't as good as larger-sensored interchangeable lens cameras, but it's certainly the best you'll find in an extended zoom camera. For some savings, Fujifilm also makes the EXR-equipped (but smaller sensor) HS30EXR.
Fujifilm Reviews
Being among the first creators of the compact camera, Fujifilm is one of the world's most significant imaging and photographic companies. Fujifilm launched the DS-1P in 1988, gaining credit for the first real digital camera widely available.
Most of their latest advanced cameras use an X-Trans sensor, which eliminates the need for an optical low pass filter by reducing moire with the arrangement of pixel units instead. Eliminating the optical low pass filter means there's less between the lens and the sensor, which translates into better resolution and detail.
Fujifilm digital cameras are famous for their natural image color, wide dynamic range, low noise and high sensitivity. It's hard to go wrong with a Fujifilm X mirrorless camera. Models like the X-M1 have an affordable price, yet sacrifice the right features in order to reach that price. Models like the X-T1, on the other hand, are packed full of the latest, greatest features on the market.
Fujifilm is about more than mirrorless though, offering several fixed lens cameras that are good options as well. Their super zoom cameras are usually a pretty good bet. They also offer a waterproof XP line, but they're more of a budget camera than a best-in-class option.
Fujifilm has also recently joined the retro camera craze, giving many of their models a retro film look with all the features of digital. Many of their models follow this trend, but there's a few that stick with a more digital look.
We here at Digital Camera HQ offer unbiased, informative reviews and recommendations to guide you to the right camera. We're not an actual store; we're just here to help you find the perfect camera at the best price possible by using our camera grades. Let us know if you have any problems or questions, we're happy to help.


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This article examines the impact of various individual differences on consumers' propensity to engage in two distinct forms of conspicuous (publicly observable) luxury consumption behavior. Status seeking is an established driver, but other managerially relevant drivers can also explain conspicuous consumption of luxuries. The study develops and empirically confirms a conceptual model that shows that bandwagon and snobbish buying patterns underlie the more generic conspicuous consumption of luxuries. In addition to status seeking, the self-concept orientation regulates which of these two patterns is more prominent. Both susceptibility to normative influence and need for uniqueness mediate the influence of self-concept. The modeled psychological constructs explain a large part of the variance in conspicuous luxury consumption patterns and can be used as input in the development of marketing strategies.
Explaining variation in conspicuous luxury consumption: An individual differences perspective
Author: Minas Kastanakis and George Balabanis
Cited as: KASTANAKIS M., BALABANIS G., (2014), "Explaining variation in conspicuous luxury consumption: An individual differences perspective", Journal of Business Research, Vol. 67, Issue 10, pp 2147-2154.
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This morning, the Borderlands Writing Project gathered in Mesilla, New Mexico to experience the historic home of Mr. J. Paul Taylor, a local treasure of a man who has lived a life of service as an educator and legislator. Today was special for a lot of reasons: life connecting to art, to place, to teaching, to writing, to people.
While we were there, we took some time to write:
Minimalism is trending. They say, "declutter" and "purge" and "let it go" ...
A modern approach.
Clean lines and shiny steel.
Bright white.
Open floor plans.
Let your eyes rest.
Thank god for Mr. Taylor and his magpie eye. A collector's soul understands that cosas can hold worlds. That threads can tell stories. That shelves filled with memories speak.
Objects are time machine treasures that take us back to the intimate breath of the most personal moments, or that project eras of history on the drive-in movie screens of our collective consciousness.
Mr. Taylor has created a habitat for history, an environment for exploration, a loving shrine to the sacredness of art, an ode to living. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for following your New Mexico heart and gifting us with your home. Its rooms are acequias, flowing full with culturas that water the imaginations of those who visit.
History is not for minimalists. History is for those who value the colorful, eclectic, layered, collections of living - gathered and gifted by the voices who have come before us.
Click on the photos below for full-sized images.


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Campsterdam is a cool interesting place for hippie, budget backpackers and laid back people. So don't expect a five star hotel. There's a big barn next to the courtyard where you can hang out, watch a movie, listen to music or have some diner. There's a kitchen, toilet and 2 showers. And a fireplace to keep you warm. But there is also a big campfire outside where you can meet other interesting fellow travelers.
This unique old-timer Camper is nicely decorated and is fully equipped with a heater, little composite toilet, a big bed and a place to sit and relax. You can open the back window and enjoy the water view. The Camper is situated on a courtyard with also other Campers, Caravans and two Boats.
Take a bike to the ferry (for free) and in 15 minutes you're in the centre of Amsterdam .
Click here and join Airbnb today and receive $32 off your first stay from Adventurous Childs.