text:
Today in Sacramento: Here's what you need to know for Wednesday
Sacramento artist installing huge sculpture at Kings arena
State of public art detailed
Shelly Willis, director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, will present an overview of recent public art programs and projects, including the Golden 1 Center public art program from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. at Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St. Go to www.crockerartmuseum.org/event/817/2016-09-21 for more information.
Expect I-80 delays near state line
The state Department of Transportation is alerting motorists to anticipate traffic delays Wednesday on Interstate 80 west of the Nevada state line near the Farad undercrossing in Mystic for slide debris removal. Motorists should anticipate delays as maintenance crews intermittently close both lanes of I-80 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to blast apart boulders too large to remove. Three to five 20-minute closures will be required at different times throughout the day, Caltrans reports.
Harvest dinner at Sacramento High
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson hosts the annual Seeds of Hope Harvest Dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Sacramento High School garden, 2315 34th St. The dinner showcases Sacramento High students and local chefs, including Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney's Building and Loan. Go to www.sthope.org for more information.
Roseville council to meet
The Roseville City Council meets at 7 p.m. at council chambers, 311 Vernon St. Among the items to be discussed is the Community Development Block Grant 2015 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. Go to www.roseville.ca.us for more information.
Water management plan on agenda
A public hearing on adopting the 2015 Urban Water Management Plan is one of the topics to be discussed at the West Sacramento City Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at council chambers, 1110 W. Capitol Ave. Go to www.cityofwestsacramento.org for more information.


text:
For Skype, the line could be going dead.
At issue is a key piece of software code licensed to Skype by a company called Joltid. For months, Joltid and Skype have been scrapping over the legal rights to the code – and now, the battle has gotten serious enough that eBay, which owns Skype, is getting worried. If Skype loses the right to the software code, "Skype's business as currently conducted would likely not be possible," eBay said in a quarterly filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The hitch sent tremors through the tech world, not least because eBay was reportedly considering letting Skype go public. "Waiting for eBay to spin off Skype into the stock market? Don't hold your breath," Kevin Kelleher wrote on GigaOm. The legal battle "could delay the move until at least the second half of next year — and possibly put the entire offering into jeopardy," Kelleher wrote.
According to several news reports, Joltid claims that eBay broke the original licensing contract. EBay, meanwhile, seems unsettled by the affair – and concerned about the long-term implications.
"Although Skype is confident of its legal position, as with any litigation, there is the possibility of an adverse result if the matter is not resolved through negotiation," eBay wrote in the SEC filing. "Skype has begun to develop alternative software to that licensed through Joltid. However, such software development may not be successful, may result in loss of functionality or customers even if successful, and will in any event be expensive."
For more tech news, follow us on Twitter.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
English | Espańol
All Issues > Volume 13, Issue 2
After Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert, He "returned in the power of the Spirit" (Lk 4:14). Likewise, we will emerge from this Lenten fast as great men and women of God, "filled with faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5), but only if we accept God's grace to forgive those who have hurt us.
Joseph became one of the greatest people in history and one of the most powerful men in the world, but he first had to forgive his brothers for planning to murder him and for eventually selling him into slavery (Gn 37:20, 28). Jesus, the Greatest of all, God Himself, was the Stone rejected by the builders (Mt 21:42). Jesus was rejected so viciously that He was nailed to a cross. There He prayed: "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). The greatest people are the greatest forgivers.
Forgiveness is one of the major graces given in our fasting. Forgiveness is the road to greatness, the way of the cross, the vocation of every person. Forgive and be great.


text:
Okay...I haven't had a post with a point for a while now. So here goes nothing (NUMBER STYLE!)
Sunday, November 30
Post with a point
From the mind of Kris at 3:47 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I WIN!!! I FINALLY FINISHED THAT STUPID WASTE-OF-TIME OF AN ENGLISH REVIEW OVER THE HARDEST PLAY EVER!(so far anyway) JULIUS CAESAR. GAH WOOHOO! now i just have to go do every other stupid waste of time projects... darn. so much for a celebration. now i just ruined my mood. happy that i FINALLY finished that review (took me all Thanksgiving break ((wednesday thru sunday))), only to go do all my other projects. that i REALLY don't feel like doing. gah. oh well... i won't do them then! yay!!! :)
From the mind of Rian at 1:50 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Saturday, November 29
"I'm going to be gone for two years."
From the mind of Kris at 11:43 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
tis my new word... sorry i'm not here much anymore. stupid english study guide... but i'm almost done!! yay! only 53 more questions!!! i know, it's a lot, but considering there were over 300 (i'm guessing here) it's pretty good. gah. i still need to memorize a whole passage in Julius Caesar... why is his name spelled like that?! Caesar... i think it should be spelled ceaser. just because it's a long e sound, so ... ok. lost my train of thought. dinner time. i had spaghetti. that's a weird word too. spaghetti. like, spag hettee. i SHOULD be spugetty. yay! i like spugetty. that's fun. ok. now i'm just being random... and i don't feel like being random. so...
From the mind of Rian at 8:41 PM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
Friday, November 28
"Continue driving until I say you are lost."
Okay...Thanksgiving was pretty fun, but also pretty weird. We visited my uncle who used to live in Germany, and there were a bunch of random people that I didn't know, all speaking German. It kind of freaked me out. Before we ate, I walked to the park with my cousins, brother and mom. One of my cousins was antisocil and only talked to my mom, and the other two were hyper. Then we were forced to eat outside, which I hate, and a bunch of hilarious stuff happened.
From the mind of Kris at 7:47 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Wednesday, November 26
People who have problems using punctuation annoy me.
I found this on one MX user's page.
From the mind of Kris at 6:48 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I hate biology. and geometry. and english.
dumb teachers gave us homework over the break!!! GAH!
now i have to do like, 3 projects- one for each of those classes, while having THREE DIFFERENT THANKSGIVINGS this week!!! erg. now i have to do homework instead of stuffing my face and talking with people i haven't seen in forever. aoiawgoiadegoiaswnhgolgsw. see?! that's how mad i am. i've resorted to talking gibberish nonsense. loti rambled jonsense. so today, i have to go do research for bio project, then do research and somehow START my geom project, then answer like, a bajillion questions on my english thingy. gah- worst thanksgiving break EVER.
i'm now super depressed... hopefully christmas break will be better.
From the mind of Rian at 10:11 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
GUESS WHAT?! I FOUND FANG!! Well, not me. But I found some people talking about who would be a good Fang. And he's amazing! Really. I guess I should post the picture....Here:
From the mind of Kris at 12:17 AM 2 people were awesome enough to comment.
Tuesday, November 25
turkey day reviews!
I can't stand it when people talk about things they don't know. Someone left a review about my fanfiction:
Texas is not near the Ocean; it's near the Gulf of Mexico, which connects to
the Atlantic Ocean by Florida. I think it has a tropical climate. I know
Louisiana does. I had to do a report on Louisiana a while back.
From the mind of Kris at 1:37 PM 2 people were awesome enough to comment.
I'm happy, i'm feeling glad. I've got sunshine, in a bag.
i'm useless, but not for long- the future, is coming on. loti that's Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz, by the way. anyway, i got out of school about an hour ago, (yay!) and i was happy. am still happy- don't worry, the bad mood's almost all gone. THANKZGIVING BREAK!!! YESh, which reminds me of those capri sun commercials, strangely. which makes me think- WHY do people insist on Thanksgiving NOT being a holiday? You may not think you do, but if you put up Christmas lights BEFORE Thanksgiving, before NOVEMBER even, to me it signifies a rush. A rush to get to Christmas. Because people are greedy and all they can think about is what they want to get as a present. Or who they want to get the present from. blah blah blah. RESPECT THE TURKEY. RESPECT IT! loto capri sun commercials rock. ya know what i'm saying? if not... go HERE to find out. yeah. now my bad mood is making a come back. DARN IT! i was already to be all happy/cheery cuz of our 5 day weekend, but NO. NO NO NO. arg. i'm a pirate. loti. ok.
tZvR (go to MAXIMUM X PEOPLE!!! it's totally AWESOME!!!!)
i'm sorry. the person i'm talking to will know what i'm talking about. The rest of you can be confused about it if you like... loti. oh, also for my friend: maximum-x and the blog
From the mind of Rian at 1:31 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Monday, November 24
The world has problems.
I'm in a bad mood. And it's not helping that stupid idiots can't even make correctly timed videos to the FEW songs that I don't know the lyrics to. And then random people just stop talking to me without any reason. They just leave.
From the mind of Kris at 4:51 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
What the HECK was THAT?!
i REALLY don't know. loti ok. i'm talking about a dream i had...
I did my best to notice, when the car came down the line. Up to the platform
of surrender, I was brought but I was trying. Because tonight will be the night
that I will fall for Human, over again.
From the mind of Rian at 6:00 AM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
Sunday, November 23
i am going to have 4 Thanksgivings. no kidding. I had ONE today, then one Thursday, actual turkey day, and then one Friday, and one i DIDN'T know about, on Saturday. yeah. it was good food. and now we're watching Star Wars Episode 1. yeah. very interesting. this is a short post. yeah. IF YOU HAVE MAXIMUM X CHAT WITH ME!!! lol. YIPPEE!!! that's what anakin said. loti. ok
tZvR OUT!
From the mind of Rian at 7:40 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
my dream.
Yes, I'm still gone, but I borrowed my dad's laptop to post about my dream because I'll probably forget by the time I get home. It was one of the weirest dreams I've ever had in my life, and that's saying something.
So I was running around a park thing with Rianna, and there were all these signs saying stuff like, "Rian and Kris rule!" Then we randomly won a contest and were shipped off to a haunted house on some island in South America. But Rianna wasn't even with me in the Haunted house. It was me, my brother, and some other random people. So we all went to sleep, and slept on the couch together because we were scared, except fr one kid. He slept in some random bedroom with the door closed. So in the morning, I woke up and went to wake him up. He got out of bed and was closing his door, when the house started filling with water. It was a two story house, and it was filling up house. So I grabbed one of those foldy tables and smashed the window to let the water out. But then the lady who owned the house got mad at me for breaking her window and she started throwing dishes and stuff at me. So I was trying to protect myself with the table, but it had become soft, like a blanket. Then I started whipping the lady with it and she kept getting mad, then she disappeared. That was the end of the dream.
Yep..It was very weird. Well, I'd better go now. We have to check out of the hotel at noon and hopefully we get to go to the Barnes and Noble! It's awesome and has two stories.
From the mind of Kris at 11:12 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Saturday, November 22
maximum-x. rocks. my. two. different. socks.
yeah, i'm wearing two different socks, you got a problem with that!?
anyway, i have lots of new online friends and it's totally fun!!! yay for awesome friends!
i'm not going to list them all... that'd take forever. but there's sable & ku-chan... they're fun, here's the blog that i will put with the other blogs later. clicky. (it's not really theirs, but i only know them so...) Then there's spazzi who has an awesome site that i can't remember right now. sorry spazz. so yeah. ok. lots of random boring things to do today (HOMEWORK!) so i'll keep it short.
From the mind of Rian at 11:05 AM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
short post
Leaving. Will not be back until sunday night when I will have to write a five minute speech about stretching. Must go eat donuts. Will post Sunday night.
From the mind of Kris at 10:14 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Friday, November 21
more weirdness
Okay...I found my phone. In the pantry. For real.
From the mind of Kris at 4:34 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
From the mind of Kris at 3:55 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Ridiculously Awesome
My story (the short way):
Kristin and her dog were walking in the park and sat down on the bench
across from me. She pulls out her notebook and pencil and starts reading. i start reading MR (The Angel Experiment) and i go and describe all the
characters (max, fang, iggy, nudge, gazzy, angel, jeb, & ari). Kristin
then beckons me over to her bench, and we start talking about how inhumane The School is. Then she tells me to read her story. It was about an adverse group of people in a transparent airplane. It hits turbulance, so they summon a giant chimera that burgeons and it saves the plane from being obliterated. The people climb down the giant chimera and successfully dissuaded a miser from cutting down the plant. and they gave him the antidote for his illness. then they traveled through the village and installed suffrage. they figured out that the village
was on the edge of a cliff when one of the more stoic people in the group fell off. what people didn't know was that one of the fatuous people in the group wanted to save him and fell off afterwards. the recluse who lived at the bottom of the cliff went and brought the bodies back up. then the people didn't know what to do with the hermit- should they let him in the village, should they not? so some of the villagers climbed up to the top of the chimera with him and then they pushed him off, and then the other villagers were mad at them. Finally, a random pirate comes and gives them a clue for them and they acertain that doom is going to come to their village, and then a giant came, by instructions of the pirate, and squished the village. the end.
ah! it's messed up! so yeah, that was my story in SL- we needed to use
45 vocab words and i didn't know half of them... loti. most of them aren't in
there though. but anyway, in bio my lab partners and i (we sit three to a table)
found a piece of paper and made a game out of it. if i ever get it, then i'll take pictures of it and post it. totally awesome. in espanol, we were talking about puppies(cachorros) and someone said cuchara (spoon). yeah. then on the bus EVERYONE was randomly riding, so it was really weird and i had to sit all the way in the back. with all the juniors & seniors. and my only other freshman friend went up to the front to go sit with this one guy because the guy offered. so i felt lonely and yeah. but i'm going to go watch Twilight soon! yay! i'll post about it too. ok? i won't give TOO much away... omc that was hilarious! sry- my dad's watching judge judy... and she asked this guy how he gets by (cuz he doesn't work) and he's all uhm, and she says um is not an answer. so he's all, "I uh, um, i... i... i do alright." and we burst out laughing. yeah. ok. going to get ready for kristin to come pick me up! and eat food- i almost kinda skipped lunch cuz i was working on that story. i almost didn't have enough time. so yeah. i only ate chips and a sandwich... yeah. ok.
tZvR (is annoyed at this... but happy/anticipating suckiness from the movie!)
From the mind of Rian at 3:40 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Thursday, November 20
I'M OFFICIALLY DEPRESSED... but slightly happy
why? because fang's blog kinda ceases to exist. why? STOP ASKING!! sry. he's not going to post there anymore because of the new website he has. Where is it? Maximum-X. tis a mix between MR & Daniel-X, but mostly MR. because Fang's in charge, that's why. But i'm still sad. maybe i'll join them. as all you MR fans should! :] jk you don't have to, but yeah. nevermind. So that's why i'm totally depressed yet slightly happy.
Click here for Maximum-X.
From the mind of Rian at 7:48 PM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
This is the weirdest thing I have ever read in my life. It is out of character. This person needs to be force-read these books. I will gladly do the job. None of this stuff would ever happen. Ever. Including the part where Max is super excited because she cussed more than Fang. And the part where she is mad that she got Fang for a project partner. Or the part where she faints. Or the part where Ella and Iggy are making out and Fang and Max are watching and Ella hears them abd Iggy doesn't. Or the part...
From the mind of Kris at 7:24 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
hilarious day...
This post is dedicated to Twilight Guy, the most hilarious person in my journalism class. My friends have started to question his gayness (yes i just said that) due to a few things:
From the mind of Kris at 4:22 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
that's today's word. because today was pointless. we learned some kind of proof in geometry that almost put me to sleep, in gym we just dressed out and sat around, in geography took notes we started 2 weeks ago and after lunch we had a "dance off" because the teacher left the class, and in english there was a debate between like, 4 people in the whole class. i sat there eating Cheetos (the flaming hot version) and basically not doing anything. So on the bus one of my friends told me three jokes. i'm only going to tell two, but if you REALLY want to know, cbox or comment.
Joke 1:
Two peanuts were walking down the street, and one of them was assaulted.
Joke 2:
A guy walked into a bar, sat down, and ordered his drink. The barkeeper went away to get it, and the guy hears, "Hey. Nice shirt." He looks around to see who said that, but there wasn't anyone around that could have said that. So when the barkeeper comes back, he asks, "Hey- did you see who told me 'Nice shirt'?" The barkeeper responds, "Oh yeah. It was the peanuts. They're complementary!"
get 'em? assaulted, like, a Salted? yeah. and complementary- complementary peanuts... yeah. they may be bad, but they were funny. So if you want to hear the third one, comment or cbox... and i'll probably tell kristin, so if she remembers and she happens to know, yeah. but commenting is better... unless you decide to check the cbox like, every 15 minutes... yeah. or if you happen to know my email (stalkers!) or my HOME phone number (SUPER STALKERS!) then you can reach me there. or if you have my myspace (AH!) or facebook (SUPER AH!) then yeah. YOU STALKERS!!! I'M SCARED NOW!!!!! bLaH. what can i say? I'm a paranoid person. ya never know... until you know. loti. NEVER SAY NEVER CUZ NEVER'S JUST EVER WITH AN N IN FRONT OF IT!!!! :] O.o
tZvR (is probably being stalked... even though she's at home.)
From the mind of Rian at 3:33 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Wednesday, November 19
Okay...Yen Plus update. There's a hilarious manga about a girl who wears a pig mask because she is cursed. So at the beginning, this guy goes up to her because she's randomly sleeping in his bed. And he takes off her mask, and her face looks EXACTLY the same as the mask! It was SOOOO hilarious! And apparently she has to marry him to get the curse off, but he has no idea who she is. And she keeps calling him milord. Like MY-LORD. It's called Pig Bride just in case you want to look it up.
From the mind of Kris at 6:41 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
mood o meter
yay twilight movie. i'm in a weird mood...not hyper. a couple of level down...let me draw the mood o meter
From the mind of Kris at 5:40 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
How To:
Make Scrambled Eggs!
- eggs (the number is up to you)
- a bowl
- a fork
- salt, pepper, and maybe other spices?
- a small pan thingy
- a spoon (like, a wooden or plastic ones that you would mix... idk cake mix with?)
- a stove
- milk
- cooking oil (like pam or something.. canola oil, olive oil, whatever i guess...)
Step 1: crack eggs on a hard surface.
Step 2: break the eggs into the bowl... don't get ANY SHELL in there. Just get the white & yolk... and also get your fingers gooey.
Step 3: whisk the eggs in the bowl with the fork.
Step 4: put pan thing over a flame on the stove.
Step 5: spray/pour oil stuff into the hot pan.
Step 6: Pour fork-whisked eggs into hot & oiled pan.
Step 7: Play a game. Stir the eggs around (in the pan, of course) and try to keep them from sticking everywhere. it's really fun.
Step 8: Whisk until the eggs look to be cooked to your fancy.
Step 9: turn off the fire and keep stirring until eggs stop hissing. Then put on a plate.
- Bread
- Honey/butter
- Toasteroven/Microwave (oven)
Step 1: Put bread into toaster/microwave oven on anywhere between 239-269 degrees F.
Step 2: only keep it there for around 30 seconds.
Step 3: take out... AFTER turning off whatever you used. **Caution** toast & oven thing CAN and most likely WILL be hot. (in case someone can't tell)
Step 4: put honey/butter on warm bread/toast.
Step 5: ENJOY WITH SCRAMBLED EGGS!!!
idk why. i had that for breakfast this morning... yummy. and then i had ice cream. yummier. yay for xbox 360 awesome homepage place!!! woohoo!!! it's fun. ok.
tZvR (is once again pondering WHY the post HAS to be double spaced...)
From the mind of Rian at 6:26 AM 2 people were awesome enough to comment.
Tuesday, November 18
Making ATL playlist...yay!!!
From the mind of Kris at 7:06 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
That's french...it means: THE BEACH! THE BEACH!
From the mind of Kris at 7:01 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
dear maria count me in/vegas!
Today...was so off schedule! We had a fire drill during the math test, which was timed, and out bus driver had to take some kids to a field trip, so he was late this afternoon. We had to get on another bus and ride with them until our bus driver could meet us. Yupp...and guess what?! I totally discovered an awesome band! All Time Low. I was on youtube, trying to find something to listen to, and i just randomly clicked it. I like Dear Maria Count Me In best. And Vegas.
From the mind of Kris at 5:52 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
COMMAS, and other random randomness
yeah. one of my friends likes commas. so... ok. i know it's random, but do you think i care? no. not really. not at all, actually. :] ok. so i'm in a slightly better mood... all i have to do today for homework is write four cards for math (not too bad) which i already finished. now i just have to skim 411 pages in this 800 page book that i was supposed to have read by tomorrow, but of course, because i had to read it for an assignment, i read it REALLY slow. and it took me three hours to read two chapters. no kidding. so i'm skimming. yay! i like skimming... it's really fun. but then you see random things and you have NO CLUE what's going on... loti. guess what i did today!? I READ THE MAXIMUM RIDE MANGA! in kristin's YEN+ MAGAZINE!!! yay!!!!! i also read a new one for me- One Fine Day. I really like it- tis HILARIOUS!!! It's about No-ah, Rang (a mouse girl), Guru (her older brother- a cat dude), and... darn. i can't remember his name... but it's another brother and a dog boy. yeah. arg. now it's gonna bug me until I figure out his name. NANAI! i remembered. yay me! ya know, so far, i've used only 10 commas. i'm sorry, friend... that is, IF you're reading this. That'd be nice if you were... and then you could comment!! YESH! :] ok. well, i've gotta get to skimming- I wana be done before 5:30 ish... but not right now. I'm going to have a snack. If i can find one. blah. FRESHILICIOUS! sry. that was random. i just remembered it though. you know what's fun? trying to get people to say/spell honorificabilitudinitatibus (on-er-if-ick-uh-bill-ih-tood-ee-nee-tat-uh-bus). hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, too. bLaH. i like dinosaurs. i want to make a GINORMOUS chocolate chip cookie. like, i just envisioned it and EVERYTHING. it looked awesome. ok. Mr. Tummy is hungry. If Mr. Tummy no get food, he gets CRANKY. lotio. so i'm gonna go get Mr. Tummy some food... yay food!
tZvR (and one very cranky Mr. Tummy) :]
From the mind of Rian at 4:07 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Monday, November 17
Is there really a point?
no. homework has NO POINT except to make poor children work really hard on stuff they probably don't even understand, so that way their heads can explode later on in the day. If only we had some kind of method that was less painful- like... idk. getting hooked up to a machine that put information in your head. Then, you don't have to worry about doing ANYTHING. you just KNOW things. that would work out pretty well for all us poor children who have to go to something called high school/college. Because really, elementary and middle school aren't all that bad. it's just learn the basics, and relearn the basics. high school is: learn new things and relearn things in more confusing ways that no one can really understand. college, i really don't know about, since i haven't been there yet, but i would assume that if you actually work, it can be pretty pointless. just like all school. yeah. i just got done with random busy work vocabulary homework over words I already knew.
tZvR (is still in a bad mood...)
From the mind of Rian at 10:31 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
From the mind of Kris at 8:06 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Jeez, i have like five posts in a row today...so it really makes no sense for me to be posting another one...but i randomly remembered something.
From the mind of Kris at 6:06 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Oh yeah. You have GOT to read this story. I was reading the new chapter late last night and I got in trouble for laughing so much. It was the absolute funniest thing I had ever read in my entire life. I swear. It was awesome. I guess I should give you the link now, shouldn't I?
From the mind of Kris at 5:09 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I jsut got the magazine Yen Plus! And guess what it has in it?! Maximum Ride!! Rianna, I'll bring it tomorrow so we can read. It's already into the story, but we've read the book, so we know what's happening. Oh my gosh, I'm excited. So excited that I stopped in the middle of the story to type this.
From the mind of Kris at 4:43 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I kept my promise
YEah. The one guy on the bus read a little bit in the middle of the story, and the other guy has my notebook. After some careful thinking on the bus, I have figured out why I dislike people reading my writing, especially random people I don't know. But I won't tell you. MWAHAHA!
From the mind of Kris at 4:11 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Sunday, November 16
oh yeah...
I can't believe I forgot the most important thing!
From the mind of Kris at 6:57 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
today had to be one of the most BORING and TIRING and POINTLESS days of my WHOLE LIFE. I guess this post is going to be a rant on homework, cuz that's what i did ALL DAY LONG!! i JUST NOW finished all my biology, math and only HALF of my english cuz that's all i feel like doing. I don't have to have it done til Tuesday, so i will do the other half tomorrow. but i STARTED my homework at... 10:15ish this MORNING and FINISHED at 5:20. and i only had an hour break because we went to my uncle's house, and it's a 30 min trip from here to there. and since we drove there and back... well, i think (HOPE) you get the point. it's TOTALLY UNFAIR how much homework we get. see- last year, we got... idk, 32 problems for math and we complained. this year, we get 12 problems and it's a NIGHTMARE. not even kidding. i hate school- i really want to know what is wrong with those who like it. and WHY they like it. if it's just because you get to hang out with friends, ok. i'm cool with that. but if it's because you get to WORK... well... maybe you should visit a mental hospital? jk. loti- i'm not THAT mean. at least, i HOPE i'm not that mean. i TRY not to be mean... ok. this is just getting repetitive. also, it didn't help that i couldn't spell anything today. i obviously can't type either... anytime there's a word with u then s in it (because, obviously), the s comes first, then the u. so the word becomes becasue or obviosuly. yeah. see, my brother's over here playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (good game, i must add) and I'm over here until 5:30, when I will read my book for SL that I have to have finished by Wednesday... that i'm only on page like, 263/ 800 on... yeah. i have to at least get to page 687 or so TODAY, so that way I can finish the other...113 pages tomorrow & tuesday. argy arg arg malarky. yeah... bLaH. i guess i should stop wasting time and do something fun before I leave the computer pretty much permenantly for the day... GERGENSCHNIEL!! I HATE SCHOOL AND TEACHERS (except Kristin's mom... and KIND OF my SL teacher...) AND HOMEWORK AND POINTLESS THINGS AND DIFFICULT THINGS AND ARG ARG ARG ARG ARG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! grrr... now i'm in a bad mood. and will probably STAY in a PERMENANT bad mood til THANKSGIVING BREAK... or at least til Friday, when the horrible Twilight movie will come out, and I'm probably going to go see it. bLaH. Any words of encouragement/ cheering up or whatever would be nice, but i really don't CARE. cuz i'm in a bad mood.
tZvR ("Notorious, I'll squish you like a jelly bean. i'm BAD." -I'm Bad, L.L. Cool J.)
From the mind of Rian at 5:20 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
It's not even noon yet and today is already going down the crazy road.
From the mind of Kris at 11:36 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Saturday, November 15
That's my new word. I randomly made it up today when I needed something to say. Today...was a weird day. My mom got mad at me multiple times, I'm having other problems, and someone is trying to persuade me to go to the winter ball, even though i kinda don't really want to. But I don't know yet. And he got mad because I didn't go to the football game to watch him dance. Apparently it was epic.
From the mind of Kris at 11:25 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I had the weirdest dream...
From the mind of Kris at 12:08 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Another one...
A new band has come to my attention: Cobra Starship. and by finding them on pandora, The Academy Is... . yeah. i know, but what can i say? I like music. almost always listening to it. and if i'm not, i'm playing some song over and over and over (and over) in my head. or i'm humming. or singing. yeah. kk, i guess, maybe, JUST MAYBE, someone out there wants to know WHO THE HECK COBRA STARSHIP IS. well, then click the following words to find some random info and songs!
Send My Love to the Dancefloor (lyrics are better than the actual vid... trust me.)
Guilty Pleasure (once again, lyrics are better! then you can sing along!)
check out other songs!
ok... so The Academy Is... i'll see if I can find some good songs by them. let's see:
You Might Have Noticed
Chop Chop
There. My duty is done... for now.
tZvR (the musical brains)
From the mind of Rian at 8:11 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Friday, November 14
wow. totally hilarious.
From the mind of Kris at 6:55 PM 3 people were awesome enough to comment.
Okay, so today was pretty good, i guess...until i lost my pencil had to borrow a stupid squeaky one because i didn't have any more lead, then had to write with a pen, which I hate.
From the mind of Kris at 5:19 PM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
DISCURSIVENESS!!! (it's a fun word, what can i say?)
right now i'm listening to a sadish song. ok. it's pretty depressing, actually. but i like it. so i listen to it. i know. random. but not as random as this one girl was when she told me i sucked because i had a book... it was WEIRD. and FREAKY. and RANDOM. and IN MATH!!! ok. i'll stop talking about school... i've noticed that. all of our posts are centered around school. is life really THAT BORING where all we can talk about is SCHOOL, of all places?! AH! so i will talk about something else. like the long awaited Twilight movie. woohoo. it's gonna be HORRIBLE!! YAY!! hehe... you see, i was having some pretty high expectations for this movie- that is until i saw Cedric Diggory, Sharkboy, and Sophie (from Jumper)... did you know Charlie was from Law & Order?! Geez. that lowered my standards... and the trailor... O MY GOSH! could you get ANY MORE DRAMATIC?! ok... don't answer that. i REALLY don't wana know. but still. i was pretty sad. So i decided i was going to go watch it with a bunch of my friends on premier night, which happens to be in SEVEN DAYS!!! WOOHOO!! i've dubbed it: The Movie Everyone's Going to Hate, But Will Watch Anyway. yesh. ... ok... lots of elipses, eh? loti, if you don't know, elipses are these: ... . yeah. lots of random assentish words too. hehe that's a word i just made up off the top of my head. speaking of words, i declare a poll type thing. Personally, i vote yes, but it's up to you. it's a totally awesome word, by the way. (Fresh-ih-lish-iss)
From the mind of Rian at 3:57 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Thursday, November 13
too much hilariousness
go here... tis FUNNY!!! ok.. go HERE
the lady reminds me of that one lady who does the ERICA commercials... loti
tZvR (idk WHY, but i find the need to sign all my posts... even though it says in the little thingy at the bottom of the post... yeah.)
From the mind of Rian at 8:59 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
This is going to be shuper short and quick because I have stuff to do.
From the mind of Kris at 4:29 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Big words
Discursive = Nudge & I
Laconic, Taciturn, and Terse = Fang
those are the only words i've made associations to with people/ characters out of books. i really am discursive though... but not as much as this guy out of this book i'm reading... wana see? here's a passage!! or five...
"A track which has a ditch on each side of it is called a road. Yes, gentlemen. Now, do you know what a ditch is? A ditch is an excavation on which several people work. It is a hollow. Yes. They work with picks. Now, do any of you know what a pick is?"
"He stopped officers on the street and engaged them in unendingly long conversations about omelettes, the sun, thermometers, doughnuts, windows and postage stamps."
"At a banquet in the officers' club Colonel Kraus von Zillergut (the guy who is discursive) said quite out of the blue, when there had been mention of Schiller: 'Now, gentlemen, I saw a steam plough yesterday. It was driven by a locomotive, but mark my words, gentlemen, not just by one locomotive, but by two. I see the smoke, I come nearer and there is one locomotive and on the other side another. Tell me, gentlemen, is't that funny? Two locomotives, as though one were not enough.' He was silent for a moment and then remarked: 'When the petol in the car is used up it has to stop. I saw that yesterday too. And then they talk nonsense about perpeetual motion, gentlemen! It doesn't go, it stands still, it doesn't move, it hasn't got petrol. Isn't that funny?'"
that guy totally confused me, and now i can't get the whatchamacallit working right again. it's all... over in the middle. the paragraph thingys. idk. and it's centered... WHY?! i didn't DO anything!!! don't you hate it when you know what someone ELSE is saying, but when they say something and you feel like you should say something, you don't know what you're talking about? sorry... this is really random. loti in geo one time i told my friend she was really random and then asked her if she wanted a grape. cuz i like grapes. yay for grapes!! loti that's random too... oh well. i'm gonna go have some snickerdoodle cookies now... they're my favorite. and if you're wondering why i'm not gonna go eat grapes, it's because i already HAD grapes today... and we finished that scary movie with the lions... yeah. REMINGTON DIED!!! AHH!!! not cool. and John had this dream that his wife & kid came to africa (like they had planned to) and then a lion attacked them and ate them. everyone was scared, but i was angry at the lady for not listening to John... yeah. so John killed the lions (thank goodness!) and because it was based off a true story (AH!) the actual lions are in a museum in Chicago. the movie is called The Ghost and the Darkness, for anyone who wants to watch it. pretty awesome!!! ok. food time now. this is long.
tZvR (is really confused, as usual- and can't type. Arg!)
From the mind of Rian at 3:13 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Wednesday, November 12
maybe i'll elaborate on this later. but for now, i have to finish typing up cornell notes (idk how you're supposed to do that, but i just made a table and am filling it in) and type at least a few pages of kristin's story... that i have to come up with a title for. then i have to go read a book that i'm on page 210ish or so out of 800, that i have to have read by next wednesday. fun fun, eh? loti. ok. so i was just stopping by... just cuz kristin would get mad at me if i skipped today, even if i were busy. so yeah... have you noticed that most of my titles are not even words? it's just frustrated muttering sounds. weird. but i couldn't come up with a better name for them (or the posts) so i just went with it... yeah. ok.
tZvR (reporting for duty!)
From the mind of Rian at 7:02 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
questions and stuff
Today I realized for the first time that one of my characters is modeled after a person in real life. I didn't realize it until then, but they really are very much alike. It's kind of weird, especially since I didn't do it on purpose.Yeah...you shall NEVER know who it is. :)
From the mind of Kris at 4:56 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Tuesday, November 11
From the mind of Kris at 8:41 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
...i hate biology.
ok, not really, but i DO hate (is a strong word, but i reallyreallyreally don't like you!) sry. i'm gonna be having random pieces of songs in my posts probably... anyway, i reallyreallyreally don't like my bio teacher. here's what she's making us do:
- Dupont essays
- Current Events
- Biome Projects
- Review for Test on 17th
- and she's probably going to squeeze 3408240 labs in there.
arg. too much! same with english and the teacher's BUSY WORK!! i guess she doesn't really have a lesson plan- we were GOING to start Julius Caesar, but some random teacher had to come in and say we couldn't start that until AFTER Christmas break, so we have BUSY WORK to do up until next semester. arg!!! i think the last grading period (since we don't have 6 weeks anymore... stupid grading cycles with it's 5-6-5 first semester & 7-6-7 second semester!!) gergenschniell!!! arg. bleh. wOw. i just realized that i used to say something else all the time, but i can't remember because i've been saying arg the whole time. YAY!! i love THIS song... Come Out & Play by the Offspring. actually, i love like, lots of songs. want a list? no? too bad.
The Offspring:
- come out and play
- you're gonna go far kid
- why don't you get a job?
The Killers:
- Somebody told me
- when you were young
- human (it's DANCER, not DENSER)
- Mr. Brightside
Papa Roach:
- Forever
- Getting away with murder
- last resort
Modest Mouse:
- Float On
- The Ocean Breathes Salty
- Troublemaker
- Say it ain't so
- my name is jonas
- Undone (the sweater song)
ok. i only feel like posting those songs... too lazy to go look at anymore. blah. oh wait- there's also:
Cut Off Your Hands
- You and I
- Expectations
- Still Fond
Honest Bob and the Factory-To-Dealers Incentives
- I get by
Snow Patrol
- Take back the city
- i like lots of songs by them but can't remember the names.
now i'm not gonna post anymore... maybe tomorrow!
tZvR (figured you guys would need a longer post to make up for her lack of being here)
From the mind of Rian at 7:06 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
oh yeah, i totally forgot!
From the mind of Kris at 5:23 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
School sucks...oh well
I've had wayy too much homework. And I forgot that my biology current event was due. And my English teacher totally hates our class. Here's what we did in that class.
From the mind of Kris at 4:48 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Monday, November 10
I'm sorry...
i know, i haven't posted in like, 2 days. here's MY weekend:
- totally bored & did basically NOTHING. yay.
- played rockband a few times.
- did pretty much nothing. again. i know, i'm boring.
- played rockband again: endless setlist- finished it- yay!
- did boring homework.
Right now:
- multitasking- watching heroes, listening to THIS song (which i love: I Get By by Honest Bob and the Factory-To-Dealers Incentives-i know, long name, but they're totally cool), AND posting.
- i will then talk to kristin in 3 different places, just because we can.
- i'm also randomly laughing at jason. with his scary toilet. lotio.
yeah. that's pretty much all... NNOOO!!! SYLAR'S GONNA KILL HIMSELF!? NNOOOO!!!! sry. i told you- i'm watching Heroes!!! awesome show!
From the mind of Rian at 8:12 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Okay, i found two random people singing Fall For You on youtube...they're not especially good at least by my standards. I think the first one is better, but he sounds kinda gay...ish.
From the mind of Kris at 7:12 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
This weekend was super boring at first but then it got really really interesting, which prevented me from writing, which is going to make this post really long.
From the mind of Kris at 4:09 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Saturday, November 8
I swear, this is the most hilarious thing i've ever read.
It's also very well written.
From the mind of Kris at 11:43 PM 1 people were awesome enough to comment.
Making this the title so Rian won't get confused.
From the mind of Kris at 10:14 AM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Friday, November 7
i have mixed feelings.
the short overview:
got a cool song in orchestra today. watched parasite movie in bio. watched cool and then scary movie in SL. was superbored in spanish.
the LOOOOOOOONG overview:
got a cool song in orchestra. it's easy, but hey- i'm not complaining.
the movie in bio was HILARIOUS!! i mean, the movie ITSELF wasn't... ok, fine. it was. but it was depressing. but i was laughing the whole time (no, not at the people on the video... that'd be so mean!) at the people who were ew-ing the whole time. and how fake it was when they showed worms. so hilarious.
had stupid A-lunch today. it's the first one, meaning it's at 10:42!!! arg! it was so annoying... i just ate an apple and am STILL HUNGRY!!! argy arg arg garg.
we had started a cool movie in SL... can't remember what it's called. takes place in this African village called Tsavo... on the River Tsavo. yeah. It was pretty cool at first- engineer goes to the place of his dreams (Africa) because he is to build a bridge. Meets cool people - Samuel & Angus- and kills a lion with a single shot. then meets Mahina. THEN, once we were all, oh yeah, this is gonna be awesome! some LION has to come in the middle of the night, DRAG Mahina through SAWGRASS, and DRINK HIS BLOOD!!!!!! so scary. then, when Samuel, Angus, and engineer dude (John) go to hunt it, ANOTHER one has to show up and KILL ANGUS! because it was on a ROOF and jumped down and LANDED ON ANGUS!! AAAHHHH!!! then, John went on a lion hunt with Remington (guy who travels the world- hunter- his name is a gun name cuz his family made the guns) and the Masi tribe. THEN, just when things couldn't get ANY scarier or worse, the gun given to John by the doctor guy (David) MISFIRES!! AND THE LION WAS LESS THAN 10 FEET AWAY!!!!!!!!!!! so Remington saves the day. thankfully. and we can only assume that for some reason, David wants John dead. but then again, he hasn't really liked him from the start, so...
then my spanish teacher got mad at us and made us correct a quiz. and we did boring things. i have to draw a picture. and then we have quizzes on tuesday. arg.
From the mind of Rian at 4:58 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
I agree with Rianna...this week has been super boring and slow. The only interesting thing that happened was that I got mad at someone (on the inside, of course. i never yell at people), even though what they said wasn't offensive in any way. I think I'm just in a bad mood. So to make up for this mood, I am going to write, eat, watch tv, write more, eat more, and play tetris. By the way, if anyone wants to play, the totally awesome site I play it on is this:
From the mind of Kris at 3:27 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.
Thursday, November 6
does NOTHING HAPPEN?! this week has been SO SLOW and it's REALLY ANNOYING!!! has it been extremely slow for anyone else? like, it felt like it should already be friday on monday... arg. argy arg arg. blahbiddy blah blah malarky. googleah. bloopsy! idk. making random noises. because i'm bored. someone tell me something interesting!!! like how i haven't done an insanity post!!! AHH!! oh well... i already put the one thing up that i would've eventually insanity posted about, so yeah. have anything insane? comment. tell me about it. please? it will make like SO much more interesting... or at least this week... please? peas and carrots? per favora? por favor? si vous plate? (i don't have the little accent thingys here... sry) uuhhh... easeplay? :) idk how else to say please... i mean, i only know so many languages!!! as much as my already overloaded brain can handle!!! ahhh!!!! ok. i'll stop being... what was the word?... started with a d i think... i was right. the word i'm looking for is discursive. i'll stop being discursive. it means rambling. yeah. i'm a nerd. who's a nerd? I AM!!! loti. ok. stopping the discursive-ness.
From the mind of Rian at 6:48 PM 2 people were awesome enough to comment.
I feel like a giver upper.
I'm totally unfocused and stressed right now...so I don't know if I'm going to do NaNo...maybe next year? Because I really need to finish what I'm writing right now and there's too much homework and projects and stuff like that going on right now...Arg.
I'm writing a story about Bella Swankins. Isn't it beautiful? And she falls in love with a vegetarian vampire that sparkles in the sunlight and loves her sooo much and has marble skin!
That's almost as good as my story about Farry Fotter.
I'm writing one about Bunny the Umpire Slayer.
I decided to write Peragon.
Sounds like one epic novel to me
Oh, and I also wrote one about Tinnochio yesterday it was pretty awesome.
It'll be a movie, then a TV show that lasts for 7 years, and then a comic book series.
I wrote about sixty books in a series called Bedwall.
I've written a story about a girl named Fanny Hotter! She has a scar in the shape of a star on her buttocks.
But Peragon has a dragon named Diamonda, and an hot elf chick named Narya.
Well.... Bella Swankins can see Russia from her house!!
... Actually thats Farah Balin
Yeah, well, Bella Swankins doesn't go to Pigpimple's School for Kids With Magic Skillz!
This has actually inspired me to start writing a story about a girl named Fanny Hotter with a star-scar on her buttocks and attends Pigpimple's School For Kids With Magic Skillz and is fighting off the evil that is Moldyshorts!
& Finny! And Fon! And Germione! and Sumblesore, and Horge, so many characters! And Ralfoy. Ralf for short.
and Love Lunagood
We should also have someone named Susie Marie, or something like that.
She was cursed when she was little so that her eyes change color with her mood.She's also part of the Order of the Ostrich and in a prophecy about birthdays with a boy named Deville.
and she pwnz at magic and has a love affair with snape and harry and ron and draco all at the same time!
You mean Kape and Farry and Fon and Treyco.
Oh yeah, and she should kill nilicent, germione, and hinny.
Oh yeah, and she should also sceretly be angsty cuz she's Lord moldypant's aunt's sister's daughter's cousin's dog's friend's second cousin's kid.
And she will single-handedly put a stop to Moldyshorts and all the Meth-Eaters.
And this is what people talk about on the Neopets writers board...yeah. I jsut ate a twix...they are the best candy ever! Okay, going to eat or something...I have no idea. Oh! An email!
From the mind of Kris at 4:56 PM 0 people were awesome enough to comment.


text:
Each night at 8pm, we'll post a blog about the day's hand-picked beer in our Big Beery Advent Calendar - why we love the brewery, why we've chosen the beer, why we think you'll love it too. Feel free to comment below or have your say on Twitter.
One Mile End says: "Brewed with malted Maris Otter barley, a small amount of wheat and lots of US hops. This beer has an aroma of grapefruit and orange, mixed with a balanced bitterness and a slightly sweet finish."
We say: Our one complaint with One Mile End - the tiny microbrewery that lives under the White Hart Pub in Whitechapel - is that they never brew enough of the beer we love. All this is set to change, however, as the brewery is on the move to new, bigger premises, which is great news as it means MOAR BEER. Bad news in the short term is that you won't find this luscious pale ale in store while they make the move. Stand by for more One Mile End action in 2016.


text:
Health Facts About Meat
- Animal meats, like beef, contain high-quality complete protein, which means they supply all the amino acids your body needs to build the protein it uses for essential body functions such as growth and development.
- The iron in red meat, especially beef, is twice as beneficial as the iron found in other food sources – and about half of it is heme iron, which helps reduce the risk of anemia. Eating meat also enhances your absorption of non-hemetic iron from plant foods, so be sure to accompany your Sunday roast with all of the vegetable trimmings. Your mom would be proud!
- Four ounces of lean beef provides half of the daily requirement of vitamin B12, which is essential for a healthy nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin B6, also supplied by beef, helps convert the potentially harmful chemical homocysteine, which is linked to the risk of heart disease, into other benign molecules.
- Zinc and selenium are trace minerals that are considered vital to a healthy diet, and both can be found in lean beef. Foods rich in selenium are associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer and can help alleviate inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis, while zinc is needed for the proper function of the immune system – this makes it useful in preventing infections.
- Fat is an issue often raised by the anti-meat brigade, but the leanest cuts of beef, pork and lamb now contain less than 10% fat, compared with 25% back in the 1970s. Meat also provides a large dose of monosaturated fat, which is a common component of the healthy Mediterranean diet.
- Vitamin B1 is essential to the growth and repair of nerve and muscle tissues, and it also helps maintain appetite. One of the best sources of Vitamin B1 is pork. Pork also rivals milk as one of the best sources of riboflavin, which keeps your skin and eyes healthy.
- You can't build muscle without protein and meat is arguably the best way to get it. The World Health Organization states that protein digestibility is reduced by about 10% in a vegetable-based diet, because of its high-fiber content. So, if you are eager to bulk up on your biceps, you should visit your butcher today.
THE MYTH: You should time the cooking of roasts by figuring "x" number of minutes per pound.
THE FACTS: Shape is a more important factor than weight. To demonstrate, we took two pork tenderloins of the same size and weight, left one intact, then cut the other one in half crosswise and tied the halves together, one on top of the other. We then put both tenderloins into a 350 degree oven. Though they weighed exactly the same amount, the uncut tenderloin took only about half as long to reach 145 degrees. So think shape, not weight, to estimate cooking time and, as always, use your meat thermometer to check doneness early and often.
THE MYTH: Marinades tenderize meat.
THE FACTS: Well, marinades that contain a high percentage of an acidic liqiuid do have a tenderizing effect on the proteins in meat. Unfortunately, though, this is only true for the proteins that the acids come in contact with, which usually means about the outer 3/16 of an inch. And even this is not so desirable, since the resulting texture is more mushy than tender. So rely on marinades to add some flavor to meats, but not for tenderness.
-From Gourmet Magazine, 2008-2009


text:
Lt Jeffery Pereira, NOAA Corps: Careers in NOAA Corps
Dr. John Scala, MetFORENSICS: Forensic Meteorology
Alan Cope, NWS Mt. Holly: National Weather Service Careers
Evan Lowery, Weather Trends International: Persistance in a Difficult Field
Peter Mullinax, Planalytics: Private Sector Meteorology
H. Michael Mogil, How the Weatherworks: Cloud Watching from the Ground Up
Timothy Marshall, Haag Engineering: Tornado Damage Assessment and the TWIRL Project (Banquet)
Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency (LEMA): Mr. David Boucher: spoke about the relationships between Emergency Managers & Meteorologists
AccuWeather: Expert Senior Meteorologist & Forecaster Hiring Coordinator David Dombek along with Senior MeteorologistFrank Strait; internships opportunities & future employment
NWS Forecast Office Philadelphia/Mt. Holly: Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) Joe Miketta; internship opportunities & employment within the NWS
Peace Corps: Gregg McCambley (MU Alum) spoke about his experiences & future opportunities
Earth Resources Technology (ERT): Ken Carey, Vice President, Science and Engineering Business Units; shared words of wisdom, experience, and future opportunities.
Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR): Dr. Josh Wurman, founder of the non-profit research institution along with a Doppler on Wheels (DOW)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Director Dr. Jim Hurrell keynote speaker at our 17th Annual Russell L. DeSouza Banquet
United State Air Force: Curtis L. Jones, SSGT, USAF; future opportunities and possible employment
Paul Kocin, HPC: Winter Storms Through The Decades (10/26/2011)
Dave Dombek and Eric Pindrock, AccuWeather Inc.: Life at AccuWeather (11/2/2011)
Peter Jung, NWS State College: SKYWARN Training (3/21/2012)
Ken Carey, Noblis: Mentoring in Meteorology (4/18/2012)
Louis Uccellini, AMS President & Director of NCEP:The Past, Present and Future of NCEP (Banquet, 5/4/2012)
John Watchter: (10/13/2010)
Rick Schwartz: Hurricanes in the Mid-Atlantic (10/27/10)
Hampton University: (11/10/10)
Mark Miller, Program Manager for NOAA NextGen Weather Program:
Greg Zarus, Supervisory Scientist at Centers for Disease Control and Mayor of Pine Lake, Georgia
Planalytics: Computer Science and Meteorology (10/21/09)
Dr. James Miller: (11/11/2009)
Melissa Burt, CSU Grad Student & Diversity Manager at CMMAP: Grad School Opportunities (3/31/10)
Tom Russell & Paul Lynch, CBS 21 (3/11/09)
Chuck Doswell, CIMMS/University of Oklahoma (2/25/09)
Paul Kocin, NCEP (2/18/09)
Joe Bastardi, Accu-Weather (10/22/08)
Eugene Clothiaux, Penn State: "Opportunities in Grad School" (10/8/08)
Ken Carey, Noblis: "Mentoring in Meteorology" (9/24/08)
Frank Lombardo, Weatherworks: "Working in Forensic Meteorology" (9/17/07)
Louis Uccellini, NWS/NCEP: "NCEP Update: Getting Ready for Winter" (10/17/07)
Richard Grumm, NWS-CTP: "Ensemble Forecasting at the NWS" (11/14/07)
Pamela Heinselman, NSSL: "Phased Array Radar" (3/20/07)
Lance Bosart, SUNY-Albany: "Modern Weather Forecasting" (Banquet, 4/16/07)


text:
The new president of the Montgomery County Bar Association wants to increase and to better publicize charitable work by the bar's members. "In my opinion, the reason people have so much angst toward attorneys is because whenever you need one, something has gone wrong in your life," said Kendall Dunson, an attorney with the Beasley Allen law firm.
This year, the association's volunteer efforts will focus on One Place Family Justice Center, which brings together several different agencies under one roof to assist victims of domestic violence.
"We want people to know that we are not just attorneys, we are here to serve our community," said Dunson, who was installed as the association's president last month.
He is the organization's first black president.
Read the full story at the Montgomery Advertiser online.


text:
Fitness For Purpose vs Reasonable Skill & Care…Part 2
As promised this is the follow up to my previous article on the issue of having two apparently competing obligations in one contract. In this second article I discuss the ...Read More
As promised this is the follow up to my previous article on the issue of having two apparently competing obligations in one contract. In this second article I discuss the ...Read More
In construction contracts nowadays it has become fairly common practice for the drafters to include express obligations and undertakings from contractors in respect of the design or suitability. In many ...Read More
As an industry we shape the built environment in many ways. We enhance society by creating buildings and structures that make life better. When you think about it, our industry ...Read More
I read with great interest in today's Construction News that there is talk of exploring a merger with the NSCC and UKCG. For those of you who don't know who ...Read More
….Friday humour, with a very simple lesson too…. A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. ...Read More
The following is a cautionary tale on how not to complete a form for the appointment of an Adjudicator. In the case of Eurocom Ltd v Siemens Plc [2014] EWHC ...Read More
Christmas has come early for one Contractor, albeit they may have to hand back some of their gifts…… In the case of ISG Construction Limited v Seevic College [2014] EWHC 4007 (TCC) ...Read More
The Technology and Construction Court (TCC) handed down a decision in the recent case of Liberty Mercian Ltd vs Cuddy Civil Engineering (Employer vs Contractor). The decision sends a very important warning to Contractors ...Read More
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Written by Davis Nguyen
You're 26 years old with $100,000 in student loans. Your recent start-up has just collapsed. You have a law degree and your friends and family pressure you to be a lawyer, but what you really want to do is build things.
What do you do?
This was a real dilemma facing Andrew Yang, who is the author of Smart People Should Build Things: How to Restore Our Culture of Achievement, Build a Path for Entrepreneurs, and Create New Jobs in America, a few years ago.
I met Andrew a few month ago at a conference where he delivered our keynote. The conference had nothing to do with business or start-ups, but when Andrew asked "how many of you would want to start your own business or join a start-up?" 80% of the attendees raised their hands.
Andrew followed up by telling us that while the dream of building a company is one most of us have, when it comes time to choose, most of us will defer our dream for security and comfort. He understood that this was a normal reaction.
Bootstrapping Your Life
Andrew graduated from Brown University in 1996 and earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1999. After graduation he started working at private firm. Despite the job security and six-figure salary, Andrew couldn't find much meaning and purpose in his work. Six months into his career as a lawyer, Andrew quit to pursue his passion of building things with no experience in business and $100,000 in student loans. Less than a year later, his first company, Stargiving.com, was a victim of the dot-com bubble in 2001 leaving him with no back-up plan.
Despite his parents jeering him, "Didn't you used to be smart?", his friends introducing him as a lawyer, and his growing pile of bills, Andrew decided to give entrepreneurship another chance.
Today, thirteen years later, Andrew has had a successful career as an entrepreneur and founded Venture for America, a non-profit helping recent college grads become entrepreneurs by pairing them with early-stage companies to gain experience. He was recently named Champion of Change by the White House and one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" for his work with Venture for America.
While most people in the audience were amazed by Andrew's successes, I wanted to ask him about the story behind the success: the nights no one will talk about.
Two lessons I learned about being a successful entrepreneur from Andrew Yang
1. Find Your Yoda (Mentor)
After Andrew's first start-up failed, he started to work for Manu Capoor, whom he met while networking for Stargiving. Manu was a former doctor and investment banker who had started a healthcare software company, MMF Systems. Andrew had no prior experience in this industry, but working under Manu, Andrew had found his Yoda.
Andrew notes in the book that it was from Manu where he learned the most important lesson about getting things done in business. It comes down to "people, processes, and technology." Andrew left MMF after three years to work under his friend Zeke Vanderhoek at Manhattan GMAT where he learned to shape company culture, scale a business, and provide unparalleled customer service. Andrew eventually became the CEO in 2006 and ultimately grew the company to employ over one hundred people and had it acquired by The Washington Post Company/Kaplan three years later.
2. Learn to live within your means
Andrew gave up a six-figure lawyering job to work at start-ups that were paying him just enough to cover food, housing, and other essential needs. Through this process, Andrew learned that what he previously thought he "needed" were really just "wants."
Besides paying for living costs and his student loans, Andrew never went broke or homeless. As one of my favorite quote about entrepreneurship goes, "Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't."
Audio Interview with Andrew Yang
I had a chance to do a 18-minute audio interview Andrew, where I went into more depth about Andrew's decision to quit his six-figure job, managing a start-up with student loans, and how you can take the first steps towards being an entrepreneur today if you wanted. You can listen it below.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/145135038" params="color=cc0000&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
You can buy your own copy of Smart People Should Build Things here.
We'd love to hear from you in the comments below:
What is the biggest obstacles facing your entrepreneurial endeavors?
What is one first small step you can take?
About Davis
Davis (@IamDavisNguyen) graduated from Yale University in 2015. He currently lives in San Francisco and works at Bain & Company. When he's not helping CEOs transform their companies, he is helping recent graduates figure out the type of life they want for themselves and helping them get there.


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AceShowbiz - %cPink% is ready to hit the road. On Tuesday, September 18, along with the release of her latest album "The Truth About Love", the "So What" hitmaker brought good news to her devotees by announcing her North American tour dates in support of the freshly-released album.
The Pennsylvania songstress is set to kick off her 25-date tour in Phoenix, Arizona in the middle of February 2013. She will stop by Toronto and Montreal, Canada in mid March, before wrapping the month-and-a-half trek in Boston, Massachusetts in late March next year.
Fans could expect Pink to deliver acrobatic performances on stage just like what she recently did at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, where she sat on giant lips which were lifted in the air. As for the opening acts, the 33-year-old singer still hasn't announced who's going to support her gigs.
Tickets for "The Truth About Love" tour will be available from September 29. More details of the "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" singer's upcoming North American tour can be obtained on TheTruthAboutLoveTour.com.
Pink's "The Truth About Love" Tour Dates:


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The Virus. CeeInject. F is a malicious application that is installed on any computer without any prior consent or information to the user. This virus spreads through spam emails, unauthentic online offers, and unsafe browsing. Once this dangerous parasite installed on any PC, it can change the home page of the browser along with the other important browser settings. It remains resident in the background, and it can damage the sensitive system files. The basic purpose of developing this dangerous virus is to steal the precious information about the user such as credit card details, and shopping preferences. This information then transferred to the hackers and online criminals that are willing to use it in online frauds. This malicious application is a serious threat to the security of the infected system, and besides stealing the information; this is also used for the promotion of unauthentic products. Every time the user starts the windows, this application runs in the background which made it hard for the new users to delete this manually.
Manual Removal of Virus.CeeInject.F
Once it is detected in any computer, you need to delete this malicious application at your earliest. You can use any reliable automatic tool to get rid of the Virus.CeeInject.F, and if you think you can follow the complicated instructions accurately, you can also choose to remove it manually. In order to remove this virus manually, you need to follow the steps mentioned below:-
Restart the Computer in Safe Mode
The first thing which you need to do to get rid of the Virus.CeeInject.F is restart the computer in safe mode. This is not as difficult as you just need to restart the computer and press F8 button to see the boot menu where you have to select the safe mode option and hit the Enter button.
Kill the Associated Process
After restarting the computer in safe mode, you have to press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys together to start the windows task manager, and click on the Processes tab to find and delete the following malicious processes associated with the Virus.CeeInject.F.
- %AppData%\[RANDOM CHARACTERS]\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
Delete the Files and Folders
After killing the malicious processes, you also need to find as well as delete the following associated files of this dangerous Virus:-
- %Desktopdir%\Virus.CeeInject.F.lnk
- %Programs%\Virus.CeeInject.F\Virus.CeeInject.F.lnk
Delete Associated Registry Entries
Once you are done with the files and folders, you need to clean the windows registry by starting the registry editor through "Regedit" command. Once the registry editor is started, you have to navigate to the following associated registry entries related to the Virus.CeeInject.F. Once you have found these entries, you need to delete them by selecting them one by one:-
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Virus.CeeInject.F\DisplayIcon %AppData%\[RANDOM CHARACTERS]\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe,0
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Virus.CeeInject.F
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Virus.CeeInject.F\UninstallString "%AppData%[RANDOM CHARACTERS][RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe" -u
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce\[RANDOM CHARACTERS] %AppData%\[RANDOM CHARACTERS]\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Virus.CeeInject.F\ShortcutPath "%AppData%\[RANDOM CHARACTERS]\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe" -u
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Virus.CeeInject.F\DisplayName Virus.CeeInject.F
Once the registry entries are removed successfully, you need to close the registry editor, and start the computer in the normal mode to check the effectiveness of the manual removal process.


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Immune system and winter wellness support
ApiHealth New Zealand propolis liquid 15% extract manufactured �in an alcohol base. Propolis is sourced from New Zealand clean, green environment and contains bioflavanoid level of at least 20 mg/g
The well-known properties of propolis as a very strong natural body protector �make product very effective for immune system support.
Propolis - "recognized as a powerful, all-natural protector"
This sticky, brown resinous substance is collected by honeybees from various plants and mixed with wax. Used to sterilize their home against infection, bees also use propolis as a multi-purpose cement and varnish.
Propolis is the only food on earth containing all 22 nutrients needed by the body for complete and perfect health. It contains over 16 different vitamins, rich in amino acids and trace elements; it also has a high vitamin content, including the valuable bioflavanoids and all in complete and natural balance.
The bioflafanoids in Propolis make it a superb anti-inflammatory. Flavanoids are a class of natural products of high pharmacological potency. The high content of flavanoids in propolis is attributed to its success as a product itself. �For centuries, physicians have used preparations, which contain flavanoids as the principal physiologically active constituents, in attempts to treat human disease. There are nine flavanoids in New Zealand propolis, these are unique from the mix of flavanoids in propolis of other origins.
It is also enables it to be highly effective in boosting the whole body. It is believed that Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed the use of propolis to help heal sores and ulcers,
internally and externally . Unlike penicillin or other drugs, propolis it always effective, because bacteria and viruses cannot be build tolerances against it.
Propolis actually stimulates strengthens and rejuvenates the immune system, which is the body�s defense system against disease, cellular destruction and aging.
ApiHealth propolis is standardized extract made from the highest quality New Zealand propolis. Can be used externally and internally.
✔�Oral hygiene
✔�Support respirator system in winter period
✔�Support digestive system
✔�Contains antioxidants
The key unique ingredients of Propolis extracts is natural New Zealand propolis.
Every 25ml bottle of Propolis extract (alcohol base) contains:
15% w/w of NZ Popolis
85% w/w of Ethyl Alcohol
12-15 drops in water
We are recommended to use disposable cup to avoid cleaning or add small amount of honey mixing together with water
People who have allergic reactions to propolis should seek medical advice before using this product


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Tommy Edison Builds Secretary Knox a Robot (1909)
The only thing I might love more than robots of the 1920s and 30s are robots from before the word "robot" was coined in 1922.
Now, I won't pretend to understand what's going on in this illustration. Like most editorial cartoons that I stumble upon while searching newspaper archives, I have no idea what's happening here with Secretary Knox and his mechanical, moustachioed man of political obfuscation. Though, on its surface, we might call this "same as it ever was."
Source: October 22, 1909 San Antonio Light and Gazette (San Antonio, TX)


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This post contains affiliate links, read our disclosure here.
You're out with your son running errands and you can see his anxiety getting bigger and bigger. You can't delay these errands, but you're noticing he looks like he's about to head into full meltdown mode. And you don't have his coping skills toolkit with you right now. What can you do? Maybe there's an app that could help.
Apps can help kids manage when they feeling anxious. Some apps can help kids get through an anxious moment. And there are also apps that can help by distracting them.
Note: all these apps are on iOS. Some are also be available for Android.
Apps to help kids with anxiety
Mindfulness for Children (Free Version and Pro Version $4.99/one time fee)
The free version has 5 guided meditations for kids. They give more detailed information about each of their meditations and instructions on how to do mindfulness.
Relax Melodies (Free Version and Paid Pro Version Available)
Not specifically targeted for kids, but can be used by people of all ages. There's a huge variety of sounds you can play, but there are also guided meditations. There are a lot more options in the pro version.
Calm (Lite Version, or $4.99/month for the year)
Calm is a popular app among adults for mindfulness and meditation. Did you know there's a section called Calm Kids? You can get access to it with a subscription. If you use the app for free, there's also a daily calm series inspired by the characters in Winnie the Pooh.
Positive Penguins ($0.99)
This is good for upper elementary kids who are strong readers and typers. This app helps kids figure out why they are feeling a certain way and then encourages them to think of things in a different way. There's also a 5 minute guided meditation. Cool fact - this app was created by kids!
Mindful Minutes by Oops Yay ($1.99)
Super cute and kid friendly. This app has relaxing music and no ads. There are four different little minutes you can do, with a fish, a balloon, a star and a gem. Kids hold down the image as it goes up through relaxing scenery. This is super calming even for adults.
Bedtime Meditations for Kids by Christiane Kerr ($4.99)
Can be helpful at bedtime to help kids settle down and transition into sleep
Headspace (Free limited access version, but you can upgrade for the full experience for $7.92/month for a year, or $12.99 monthly)
A popular one for adults, this also has a section just for kids. It's divided by age (under 5, elementary kids and pre-teens) and covers topics like calm, focus, kindness, sleep and wake up. There's an introduction video to help you get started.
Stop, Breathe and Think: Meditations (Free, Premium Version available starting at $4.99)
This is another app that is for adults, but also has a family section with three guided meditations for families to use together.
Distracting Apps
There are a ton of game apps out there that can help distract kids. Here are a few I've discovered to be soothing and calming.
Recolor - Coloring Book for Kids (Free)
A coloring app that's very easy to use. Just pick a picture and a color pallette. Touch the color you want and tap the area of the picture you want to color in. You can zoom in on details. What a neat way to distract kids.
TanZen Free (Free)
Relaxing tangram puzzles. They have all the pieces out for you, all you have to do is arrange them.
Blox (Free)
Keep the diamond on top while you move out the blocks below. The music reacts to the block movements and is quite calm.
Mekorama (Free)
You lead a cute little bot through puzzles with no timers or buzzers. It's adorable!
Breath of Light: Relaxing Puzzler ($1.99)
It's gorgeous and the background music is quite relaxing
Monument Valley ($3.99)
It's a puzzle game where you are changing the environment to get from a starting point to the end. The music is so soothing.
Highlights Hidden Pictures ($3.99/month)
I recently discovered this one. We were out and my son needed a break. I, unfortunately, did not bring any coping tools with us. But I did have my phone. I knew he liked Hidden Pictures, and I wondered if there's an app for that. And I discover that there is. You can zoom in on pictures, and find the images. You can do free play, timed play, or find the clues in a particular order.
Audible ($14.95/month after free 30 day trial)
Listening to books can be a great way to distract kids and have them focus on something else other than their anxiety.This app is connected to amazon, and it's a way you can listen to audiobooks. There are a TON of books available. It can be used across devices, so you are always in the right place in a book. My kids love listening to books like Harry Potter, Magic Tree House, Eragon and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Your son started using the Mindful Minutes app and he seems to be relaxing. You're back on track to finish up your errands quickly and then get your little guy home so he can relax in his calm down spot.


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Founded in Memphis in 1983, Professional Audiological Services started out like any small town business, with only a modest number of employees (one to be exact). Since then, we have grown to three audiologists, one hearing instrument specialist, and a total of seven employees. With our professional family growing, we made the move to a 6000 square foot clinic in January 2012. Professional Audiological Services is proud to provide Memphis with the most advanced private ear and hearing clinic in the state. Our state-of-the-art facility is your best choice for treating hearing loss in both children and adults alike.
The facilities include large, comfortable sound suites designed to promote a sense of calm to help clients feel at-ease during audiology evaluations, such as hearing loss tests and ear sounds tests. While most audiology clinics have only one sound booth (6×4 ft.) we are proud to offer four complete sound suites (10×12 ft.) allowing us to provide customized, one-on-one services with little-to-no wait time. The sound suites are a fantastic addition to our office; each provides a soothing, convenient space for us to perform an accurate hearing test. Our hearing test results are always accurate and our audiologists are highly-proficient in using those results to identify and offer options for a wide variety of hearing problems.
Our Real Ear Machine provides a calibrated measurement of our patients' range of improvement. The Real Ear Machine performs a hearing test based on "average" natural ear canal resonance, providing measurements with pinpoint accuracy. This type of technology is typically seen in universities, not private practices. However, providing you and your family with the most high-end calibration technology remains our top priority and our Real Ear Machine makes this possible.
After your fitting, we believe you deserve the opportunity to try out your new hearing aid before leaving our office. Our Reality Room offers a simulated home setting complete with comfy couches, TV's, and other various electronics to complete your hearing aid test. If needed, we will make any necessary adjustments. We want you to leave our offices happy and with an understanding of what to expect with your new hearing aid.
We offer a wide range of solutions designed to meet your hearing loss and preservation needs. Our services include comprehensive hearing evaluations, industrial hearing conservation, in-school programs, custom-molded monitors, hearing protection for musicians, and hearing aid examinations and sales. Additionally, we proudly service all makes of hearing aids and distribute for the world's three largest hearing aid manufacturers.


text: Hi, I am new to the forum. I work on control engineering and want to calculate the second order Frechet derivative of f(X)=P(I-XP)^(-1) with respect to X, X and P being positive semidefinite matrices. I tried to compute the first order one, which is -P(I-XP)^(-1)K(I-XP)^(-1), but have no idea on how to calculate the second order one... Thanks for help.


text: On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 4:39 PM, Paul Bennett<Paul.Bennett at mch.govt.nz> wrote: > Not sure if you're looking for suggestions or a tool / framework to do > the heavy lifting for you. Suggestions:) We have our own custom-built framework where we can certainly mix and match content as the client wants. The issue is that what they are asking for creates a very confusing, unusable situation for both members and administrators. We are developing this portal for another company as a subcontractor. The problem is that our client thinks it is a good idea to be able to approve a story, yet reject the photo -- even though they are submitted at the same time, as part of one unit -- if that makes sense. It's like saying the car is OK, but we'd like different tires -- after the order has been placed and the car has been delivered. It creates, in my mind, unnecessary complexity. FWIW, I have spent some time going over Drupal. In fact, we have spent a good bit of time studying the code. -- Randal Rust R.Squared Communications www.r2communications.com 614-370-0036


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Q: How do you get an active toddler to sit still while using a nebulizer?
A: TV. The only answer is TV. We've been rocking a lot of Daniel Tiger around here.
And that's all you need to know.
(P,s. Caden is fine. He has a slight cough with no other symptoms, hence the nebulizer.)
(P.p.s. He actually does amazingly well with it. Sometimes he whines and squirms a little bit, but otherwise makes no attempts to get down or away from the mask. He knows exactly what to do when he sees the mask come out, and leans his face foward into it every time. And then, of course, it's fun to play with when we're done.)


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Once again, Stuart "The Judge" Platt steps up to check out another game. This time a copy of the newest version of Axis & Allies landed on his gaming table, but how did his experience of this long-running franchise go down?
I would imagine most in our hobby will be aware of Axis and Allies. This, along with Risk, is the more mainstream face of area control games, also known as the 'dudes on a map' genre. A&A is a legendary war game with a somewhat fanatical fan-base who analyse each new release and modification of the rules with a passionate scrutiny normally reserved for Games Workshop's cash cows. Where would a beginner start? How does a rank amateur with no previous experience get into this legendary series? Well, I was under the belief that such questions were only relevant to the complicated investment sector but much before the introduction of this user-friendly automated trading bot called the QProfit System that put an end to the trading/investment challenges of the beginner traders, satisfactorily! But, looks like the challenges faced by the beginners are true in every field and let's see what's in store for them now in this game!Well, their 2012 release claims to be a beginner version – let's see what Wizards of the Coast hype has to say:
Quick and Convenient: Axis & Allies 1941 is designed to be set up and played more quickly than any previous A&A game. In essence, this is a simplified A&A experience that will introduce players to the A&A mechanics and play style. Play time runs between 1.5 to 2 hours.
Set up was pretty easy – once you identify the minimal differences between the miniature boats that are provided for each of the 5 factions (US, UK, Russia, China and Germany are the players in this scene) the board is laid out and ready to go.
Game flow consist of players committing resources to buy troops which will arrive at the end of that turn, then moving every unit on the board. Firstly those that are fighting leading to a whirlwind of dice and retreat or destruction, then your models who are not fighting will move. Next, reinforcements are added and you hand over to the next country.
Sounds simple enough, and it is – but it's also very, very, very slow and tedious.
As you have a relatively limited amount of troops and resources, every move you make is vitally important. Also, because of the irregularities of dice, you feel compelled to over-commit to each combat to make sure you come out on top. So you're pretty much doing ONE important thing each turn, and moving the rest of your troops round to defend and you're finished. For a very long time.
As everyone else plans out their turn, executes and rolls numerous dice in a tedious, outmoded and luck heavy combat system, you sit and watch and wait and because the board can change so much between one turn to another, any sense of planning your next move is pointless.
In our playtests, people left the room between turns to check on other games, make a drink and read the unabridged Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
I gained NO pleasure from this gaming experience whatsoever. I wanted to feel like I was playing with toy soldiers within a framework of rules feel fast, fun and fair. Instead A&A is an antiquated, rigid, boring mess of a system that doesn't allow fun to come to the surface.
So what's wrong? Well, gaming has moved on in the last 30 years and no one appears to have told A&A. The combat system is awkward, fiddly, time consuming and ultimately only marginally better than flipping a coin. Also, the current trend for the micro-turn appears to have spoiled us. Modern games (both in the Euro and Ameritrash styles) now lean towards shorter turns and a faster pace. Axis and Allies is such a dinosaur in this respect. It neither fulfils a quick, fast, war gaming fix (something that Memoir '44, for example, does much better) or is deep or strategic enough to satisfy the heavier war gamer crowd. It just doesn't work.
Let me help you out, WOTC, and rewrite your hype for you.
Slow and Impotent: Axis & Allies 1941 is badly designed to be set up and played more slowly than any game ever. In essence, this is a tedious A&A experience that will introduce players to the A&A mechanics and play style. Play time runs between forever and the end of existence itself (which may come as a relief.)
The original Axis & Allies was designed by Larry Harris back in 1981, but the version Stuart looked at was released in 2012 by WOTC. If you're feeling somewhat masochistic, Gameslore have it in stock for a shade over £20.


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Trial of 'Nazi fiancée' Beate Zschäpe opens in Germany
Issued on: Modified:
The trial of Beate Zschäpe, the neo-Nazi accused of nine xenophobic murders between 2000 and 2007, opened in Munich on Monday. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look at the woman behind a case that has sent shock waves throughout Germany.
The German press has nicknamed her the "Nazi fiancée".
Beate Zschäpe, the only surviving member of a neo-Nazi cell blamed for a series of xenophobic murders that has sent shock waves throughout Germany, appeared in court in Munich on Monday to face charges of ten murders committed between 2000 and 2007, nine of which were allegedly motivated by race hatred.
Specifically, Zschäpe is accused of killing eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007, as well as carrying out two bombings in immigrant areas of Cologne and 15 bank robberies.
Four other defendants are also on trial alongside Zschäpe.
The news that the National Socialist Underground (NSU), undetected for more than a decade, was recently operational has forced Germany to recognise a more militant neo-Nazi fringe than previously thought to exist.
'I'm the one you're looking for'
Since her arrest, the blue-eyed, 38-year-old Zschäpe has been silent.
But it was Zschäpe herself who, on November 8, 2011, put an end to 14 years underground by turning herself in to the police. "I'm the one you're looking for," she reportedly announced upon entering the police station of eastern German city of Zwickau.
Before turning herself in, Zschäpe blew up the apartment she had been living in with two of her accomplices. Investigators found the weapon used to kill her victims, as well as a video claiming responsibility for the crimes, amid the rubble of the apartment.
Four days earlier, Zschäpe's two accomplices, Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundler, committed suicide following a failed robbery. Zschäpe reportedly knew the two men and had been involved romantically with both in the past.
The three met in a youth club in the central German city of Jena in the early 90s, and became involved in far right movements in an economically depressed former East Germany around 1995.
"My family is dead," Zschäpe told investigators after her two accomplices committed suicide.
But the mother of the accused is still alive, though the two women have reportedly not seen each other in several years. "The political opinions of my daughter are not the only reason for our estrangement," Zschäpe's mother told German magazine Der Spiegel. "But they were one of the main reasons."
Eluding the radar of German domestic intelligence
Born in 1975, Zschäpe was raised mainly by her grandparents just outside Jena. Her father, who was Romanian, never took responsibility for her, and Zschäpe's mother drifted in and out of her life between two failed marriages. By the time the two lived together, Zschäpe – at that time a teenager studying horticulture – was already starting to join far right movements.
When the police showed up to ask questions in 1996, Zschäpe's mother was shocked. Never had her daughter expressed any racist or xenophobic sentiments, or any interest in far-right ideologies, in her presence.
An investigation into the handling of the murders revealed a number of oversights and missteps by police and domestic intelligence services which appear to show that the threat of right-wing extremists had been grossly underestimated.
The head of domestic intelligence resigned in July after staff admitted shredding files relevant to the case, and a parliamentary committee has been set up to look into what went wrong.
The scandal also exposed a web of contacts between the secret services and the far-right in which the state systematically exchanged cash for information, raising questions about possible collusion.
(FRANCE 24 with wires)
What Zschäpe's mother did not know was that her daughter had already helped found a neo-nazi group in Jena with the men that would end up being her accomplices. Beate Zschäpe was also a regular attendee at meetings of a local branch of National Socialist Underground, a German neo-Nazi group that at the time had several hundred followers, according to German intelligence agents.
Two years later, in 1998, German intelligence officials discovered a garage being used as a headquarters for bomb-making, rented under the name of Zschäpe. The three young extremists subsequently were forced to go underground, and German authorities lost all traces of them – though many journalists and politicians in Germany suspect that the government was at times in contact with the National Socialist Underground in order to better infiltrate and monitor far-right movements in the country.
"It is clear that the VS [the German domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution] had many informants on their payroll who were quite close to the National Socialist Underground," confirmed Gideon Botsch, a German political scientist specialised in far-right movements, noting that the system of paid far-right informants was much criticised.
But Botsch added that "after 9/11, a regrouping took place in the VS, and a new focus in prevention of 'Islamist' terrorism [resulted in] the special branches for the extreme right suffering shortages in money, equipment and staff".
Within the span of 13 years, Beate Zschäpe was therefore able to adopt roughly ten fake identities – three of them under names of Susann Dienelt, Silvia Rossberg, Lisa Pohl – and made a good impression on everyone whose path she crossed. "When she walked into a room, you forgot all your problems," a former neighbour told Der Spiegel. "I would never have imagined her capable of killing and harbouring hatred like this."
An emblem of German biases?
The trial is expected to last more than two years, with 600 witnesses expected to testify and fifty lawyers working on the case. Prosecutors are hoping that the trial will shed light on xenophobic murders targeting small business owners of foreign origins, as racism was not one of the motives seriously considered during initial investigations into the murders.
"The police, at an early stage, excluded racist motives and focused on perpetrators from the immigrant milieu," Botsch explained. "This shows that the police force is not free of a biased attitude towards immigrants, and that there are no checks and balances to prevent them from following their biases."
Moreover, those biases may be more widespread in contemporary German society than many previously thought. According to Botsch, recent opinion polls show that 10 percent of Germans have a "core right-wing ideology", while another 25 percent have "far-right, xenophobic attitudes to a certain degree".
As for the families of the victims in the Beate Zschäpe trial, considered one of the biggest neo-Nazi cases since World War II, there may be little in the way of closure or comfort on the horizon: the accused has said, via her three lawyers, that she will not testify.


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WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP Franchise
Join the LARGEST team of independent chimney sweeps trading under one brand… WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP
Chimney sweeping is one of the UK's oldest professions, and with more home owners returning to the traditional, and now fashionable, use of open fires and multi-fuel stoves, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for chimney sweeping services once again.
Established in 1895, WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP is a business steeped in tradition but also one that has moved with the times. Whilst the service still uses brushes (and not children!), the use of commercial vacuum cleaner and supporting tools and technology, has brought it into the 21st Century.
WILKINS is looking to capitalise on this revival by expanding their multi-award-winning business across the UK. We are therefore looking for individuals or couple looking to start their own chimney sweeping business in their local area.
The WILKINS franchise opportunity
WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP is the only chimney sweep business that is a member of the British Franchise Association.
Our franchisees run their own local van-based businesses in their exclusive territory. They deliver a suite of services and products to support a year-round, professional business, offering several income streams - sweeping, bird protection and, during the quieter months, you can use our secondary brand - WILKINS POWER CLEAN - to support a year-round business, including patio and driveway pressure / jet washing service.
Starting as a single operator we expect our franchisees to develop to a second van in their third or fourth year. Our model ticks the boxes for a sustainable, growing, profitable business.
WILKINS franchisees follow a proven model that maximises every interaction with a customer (without the need for a 'hard sell') whilst providing a safe, professional and efficient service in their home. Our franchisees build up a reputation for good quality work which generates word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers.
Why WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP
A WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP franchisee has a 'unique' proposition for our customers just by being part of a franchise. Since we deliver exception chimney sweep training and then go on to monitor the standards of our franchisee's sweeping skills, customer service and business behaviour, customers can be assured that WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP franchisees are part of the only team of 'independent' chimney sweeps in the UK who are regularly assessed and answerable to someone beyond their professional association (if any).
Our first franchisees joined us in 2011 and the team is growing steadily, adding new business owners each year. We strive to ensure that every franchisee gets the best business opportunity, training, kit, back office systems and support that you would expect from an award-winning franchise.
How much does a WILKINS CHIMNEY SWEEP franchise cost?
The typical start-up cost is £13,100. Of which you will need to invest a minimum of £5,500 of your own money.
We work closely with many of the leading banks who are happy to fund up to 70% of the total investment (dependent on personal circumstances).
What do I get for my money?
- Exclusive local territory
- 2 weeks practical chimney sweep training live with customers
- 1 week business training (including systems & accounting)
- Ladder use accreditation with the Ladder Association
- Extensive top quality sweeping and pressure washing kit
- Branded clothing
- Marketing Launch including website and vehicle signage
- Personalised, award winning, marketing material (and a centralised ordering system)
- Comprehensive Operations Manual
- Access to the Wilkins bespoke CRM system: ProSweep
- SUPPORT: face to face or telephone, annual conference, regional meetings, on-line training, business planning, reviews, assessments and IT help!
Who makes an ideal WILKINS franchisee?
None of our franchisees had experience at chimney sweeping before joining us (and most didn't have any business experience!) – but they had the skills to learn a technical trade and, equally as important, to learn to run a successful business.
We will train you in all aspects of running your own chimney sweep business, and so whatever your background, as long as you are hard working with a passion for learning, we would love to hear from you.