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The Newport Round Table in Weathered Oak
French Farmhouse Style Table...Great dimensions for smaller spaces and in beautiful reclaimed timbers.
The Aztec Drum Stool...perfect to perch yourself on, or a book, glass of wine or both!
The Jolon seat in marvellous Natural Hemp
The Atlas Pendant Light in large.
Want to see more? Pop into the showroom - Charcoal Interiors. 59 Doggett St. Newstead.
If I had a $1 for every customer who rang or emailed us about a product they had seen a week or a month prior...loved it...left it....and then wanted to buy it and it had sold!!...........
And so, here's a real bargain for those who love casual living...LAST ONE!
..ps...these make excellent yoga chairs too for those who have trouble sitting cross-legged (like myself)...very comfortable.
Pod Chair in the Natural with Brian our Chief Salesperson.
Exclusively to our Charcoal Interiors Blog and Facebook readers, we now have our Natural Rattan Pod Chair ex floor stock reduced down by 40%....the price is too ridiculous to publish here on the blog, so contact us
07 38526002 or you can send us a message via the blog. Alternatively, pop by the showroom as we have just so much gorgeous stock available.
Charcoal Interiors
59 Doggett Street
Newstead. Qld 4006
Our latest 'must have' and 'must sit in'....this Cross Arm Chair is Art Deco meets Hamptons in luxurious French Crushed Black Velvet...and fully customised by the design team at Charcoal Interiors...of course...
....aaahh Brian..I had to show this pic because he once again insisted on being in the shot!
Art Deco meets Hamptons...and hows the plush French Velvet?...wait until you sit on it.
Available now and exclusively for sale....p.s dont forget that 'Snooze You Lose' rule! :-)
Last weekend I attended the wedding of the year down in South Australia (my darling cuz Kristen married her prince charming Al)...and of course a visit to SA just wouldnt be complete without a trip to the McLaren Vale region. Time was of the essence and with only an hour or so to kill, Pete the Greek and I were left in a quandry because we wanted to relax, have a glass of red and eat!...what to do..what to do?...and then we remembered a gem of a place we had discovered a while back that would tick all of our boxes...Oscars of McLaren Vale.
Oscars is in the main street of McLaren Vale and caters to groups big and small or your romantic lunch/dinner etc....we always sit under the vine canopy outside (weather permitting). Mediterranean fare is the mainstay of Oscars and they do it will. Our pizzas were full to the brim with fresh ingredients and being in the heart of superb wineland country, the wine list is well stocked and covers all bases. We went for a local Shiraz that complimented the Greeks Spicy Meat Pizza and my Marguerita pizza.
Service was prompt and friendly. On arrival we were the first in the courtyard but it quickly filled with groups and everyone seemed to be enjoying their experience there too. We have dined here now 3 times and will be back due to the convenience, quality food and you know that you can always get a decent glass of wine. Recommended for larger groups and for those who need to be fed and watered in a hurry. Relax in the courtyard during the warmer months, or retreat to the fireplace inside in Winter....nice....
Like to visit Oscars and the McLaren Vale region?
Breakfast at The Gun Shop....Our Large Leaf Basil is plentiful...Jacarandas are in bloom in Brisbane....Sweet Coffee in and old home in Clarendon....
I have recently discovered the beauty of marinating chicken for barbecuing...and a secret ingredient which is Pineapple Juice. The juice gives it a real 'zing' but also helps with tenderising the chicken as pineapple has enzymes that assist with the process (and thats about as technical as I get...). But, do try this recipe as its been lauded as one of the best ever by barbecuers around the world!
Photo credit to josh bousel via flickr with thanks
Marinating chicken not only gives additional interesting flavours but also helps the chicken keep moist while its on the grill. We like to add a pot of natural yoghurt to the table and some freshly cut lemon wedges to squeeze over the cooked chicken too.....yum!
What you need.....
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 cup spring onion flinely chopped
1 hot pepper finely chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oil - we like to use Bon Haye quality Olive Oil
1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leeaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice ground
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
a dash of hot sauce.....Yowza!
What to do....
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This marinade can be stored in the fridge for up to a month!
Add a few tablespoons of Pineapple Juice to the mix (optional)
We like to use this marinade for drumsticks, satays and also chicken breast pieces. Can also be used on a whole chicken (we get ours butterflied) and I like to baste regularly during the barbecuing process.
highrocketphoto via flickr credit with thanks
Photo credit to TheDeliciousLife via flickr with thanks
What better way to compliment a deliciously spicy barbecue feast than with a cocktail with a kick...but also refreshing!?
We bring to you this week...The Jalapeno Margarita.
A combo of delicious fresh ingredients...including the hero of the concoction which is our dear friend the Lime...
This recipe is cocktail making on a grand scale!
Muchas Gracias!
How to....
Make a BIG batch of margaritas with a twist!
Blend 1 thin slice of jalapeno, a handful of celery leaves, 6 ounces of fresh lime juice and a spoonful of sugar in a blender. Mix with 16 ounces of Tequila and 8 ounces of orange liqueur. Pop it in a large jug.
Serve up on the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass.
To be sipped with chicken drumstick in one hand and cocktail in the other....under the shade of your Sombrero...Areeeeebahhh....Reeebahhhh!!
Until next week....we hope that the week ahead brings you love, light and most of all laughter!
The Charcoal Team


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sherdog needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 40 designs submitted by 14 freelance designers.
We are looking to create a new identity for our upcoming ecommerce website. Our goal it to take over the wheel and tire industry on the internet.
We do not have any catchy short slogan are are open to any ideas
Rim Kingz
RimKingz will be working with the 18-34 year old audience. The logo should be trendy and should include a crown. I will leave the as much creativeness to you
our website design can be viewed at
The logo should look good on both white and black backgrounds, but we are emphasizing on using it on mainly a dark background.
The logo will be used on web/print/attire
We do not have any catchy short slogan are are open to any ideas
We are looking for a trendy logo using a gold color as part of the palette I would like to see a royal crown used in the design.
Colors: Gold (#F8BB00) and (your choice)
It would be cool if it was legible in the address bar as a favicon bu is not 100% neccesary.
Im not sure what I don't want i just want the logo to kick ass!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
New students launched their Beloit educations in August when they began their First-Year Initiatives (FYI) seminars a week before regular classes. Part of the Initiatives program, which prepares them for life at Beloit, FYI courses are built around ideas rather than single academic subjects. Students choose seminars based on interests instead of intended majors. FYIs continue through December.
10 of the 20 seminar titles offered in 2013:
- The Elements of Identity
- The Nature of Time
- Treatments and Cures: Why, When, and How We Address Human Disease
- Is That a Good Idea? Generating and Evaluating Provocative Proposals
- Up: A Natural History of Flying
- Seeing is (Dis)believing: Questioning Social Media Culture and Visual Pedagogy
- The War on Terror
- Business, Culture, and Ethics in the Global Marketplace
- The Healthy City
- Invisibility


text: My objects and the viewer are moving and rotating around in an OpenGL-Scene. In that scene I want to draw particles as textures on a square (blended). To avoid distortions the squares have always to face the viewer. I know how to undo these rotations but that needs a lot of matrix multiplications. I think it would be much easier to set up the squares with the correct coordinates. So I need a vector from a point in 3D-space to the actual viewer or at least perpendicular to the viewing plane (distance is also intereting). Can anyone help?


text:
Beauty & Beast Enchanted - 16 oz Tumbler
Tervis is the original, double-wall insulated drinkware designed to keep hot drinks hot, cold drinks cold & reduce condensation. It comes with a coordinating pop on/off travel lid featuring an easy open/close slide top for drinking. Dishwasher safe, BPA free & backed by a "Made for Life" Guarantee.


text:
Remember that time that our west coast celebrity-blogging sibling Defamer got some news on George Clooney's electric car, and we were all like "Defamer got some car news before us, wow." And then remember we were like, totally jealous and stuff? Hell, even big brother/sister/poppa/momma bear Gawker was impressed. "Who are they to be stalkin' our man!" we remember them cryin' while strikin' their best baby-momma pose. Yeah, that was totally an awesome night. But this is more awesome...
because we've got more news on the super-narrow electric car called the Tango T600. And we've got it before Defamer. Nyah! Yep, Clooney's got one, because that's how he rolls. But just cause the perpetual stalkee rolls that way, don't expect we'll be writing checks just yet. We're still cynically skeptical about the Tango, despite some videographic evidence of some pretty awesome tire-smoking burnouts because, well, that's how we roll. Continue reading our in-depth analysis, or just watch the video and go back to your game of Sudoku or you know — however it is you roll.
You have to admit, the Tango can do a sweet burnout for an earth-loving hippie car. But that's about where our fascination ends. Aternative energy car builders still haven't got the cost/performance/design formula quite right, and the Tango is no exception. First, it looks dorkier than the dorkiest of dorkmobiles. And your passenger sits behind you — jump jet style — when you're not carrying any cargo. And then there's the price. It's not in production yet and the ordering page says it'll take $108,000 to get a Tango T600 (the model in the video) kit, no word on how much assembly is required. Excuse us, but we don't love mother nature that much. Try Treehugger.
Read the Commuter Cars website a little deeper, and you'll see that the claimed 0-60 time of "about 4 seconds" is totally theoretical and not yet tested. And if you've watched the video you've heard the best two quotes, one calling the Tango a "chick magnet" and the other one where creator Rick Woodbury says "crashworthiness is better than any production car that I know of." Our belief is these two quotes are themselves equally theoretical and untested.
But the really disturbing thing about the Tango is that it's only 39 inches wide. Great for parking, not so good for not rolling over. Of course the Tango people claim it's perfectly stable, and they've put the batteries under the floor to help stability. But Scotty was pretty damn clear with us; "Ye canna change the laws of physics," and 3000 pounds plus 39-inch track equals not very stable.
3000 pounds? Yes, and 1000 of those pounds are batteries. Which means without batteries the Tango weighs as much as a Lotus Elise with an engine. In other words, you could pack an Elise with an electric motor and batteries and it would probably weigh less than the Tango. And potentially cost less as well. And you would actually look cool. Best of luck to Mr. Woodbury — but we won't be lining up to dance with the Tango any time soon — Clooney be damned.
[Hat tip to Jerry]
Video - Zero Emission Entertainment [Streetfire.net]
Commuter Cars Corporation [commutercars.com]
Clooney Tangos Through Hollywood [internal]
George Clooney's Tiny Ride, Part II: Chicks Don't Care About Size [Defamer]


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Find Carpenters in Northwich
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Carpenters in Northwich ready to help
REM THE BUILDERCertificate of Excellence 2019
REM THE BUILDER is a well-established company working in Walton;Liverpool and the surrounding area. Having completed many successful projects, we have the experience and the expertise needed to realise the construction or renovation project of your dreams! We're a general contractor, and we work closely with projects' owners to ensure their wishes are taken into account. We can also advise on alternative solutions that could be less costly and take less time to complete without compromising quality. REM THE BUILDER is not just about bricks and mortar. We're very much aware that we're building our customers' future. REM THE BUILDER has experience in a wide range of construction projects. Want to build a conservatory, remodel your bathroom or have solar panels installed? Contact us to get an estimate today.
ACM Laminate Floors
CDS Flooring Studio
We are fast growing business, who provides all aspects of flooring including: Carpet, Laminate, solid wood flooring, vinyl, LVT (camero, Karndean and LG) and artificial grass. We will come out to the area that will need measuring so we can have a look at the area and make sure the measurements are accurate (we can also bring samples to you for you to look at when requested), once we have the measurements and you have chosen your floor we can then get the quote written up. Once the quote has been agreed we will then book you in to get your flooring started. When you get booked in to have your fooring fitted we ask for a 50 percent deposit and the rest on completion.
Removal King Property Support Services
As your dedicated property support services team we provide many aspects of property maintenance, designed to make your property ownership experience as simple and stress free as possible. We cover a range of services to a professional standard, aimed at local businesses and our number one priority is our clients' needs and preferences. We work with clients' of all sizes and no matter how minor the problem may seem, we can ensure a hassle free experience from start to finish. From internal and external repair work, to waste removals and clearances, we guarantee full customer satisfaction at affordable prices and flexibility. We work in close partnership with local estate agents and landlords, providing a professional service that covers all aspects of property support services. We aim to remove the stress and worry of owning a property, so you, as a home owner can focus on making a profit. We provide the following services: Waste Removals & Clearances We are fully licensed to remove all forms of waste, which means it is all removed and disposed of in a safe and legal manner. 60% of the waste we remove is recycled, which means it avoids ending up in landfill sites. Also, our prices are far more cost effective than hiring a skip and all the work is done for you! Construction & Joinery We cover many aspects of construction and joinery work. From bricklaying and fencing, to plumbing and electrics. All work is undergone by our professional team, who, combined, have over 10 years experience in the construction industry. Cleaning We offer end and start of tenancy cleans as well as weekly and bi-weekly cleans. We also offer deep cleans, oven cleans and after build cleans. We as a team are dedicated to ensuring the cleanliness of your property, at an affordable price, whilst removing the potential stress. And much, much more.
ZanCertificate of Excellence 2019
For a high level of quality services,carpenter/joiner with 20 years experience,providing a professional and reliable services in bespoke furniture,fitted kitchens and bathrooms,wood and laminate flooring,doors, windows and gates
Level Best Building Services
Ciarán Ó Braonáin Cheshire Woodworking
D K JOINERY - Wirral
SSiReact is the sister company of the successful SSiFM Total Facilities Management Solutions and therefore has a strong pedigree of delivering a service which is both innovative and trusted. SSiReact was born from the idea that smaller businesses require a commercial property maintenance service just like many larger organisations. Although the jobs may be smaller doesn't mean they are any less critical. From carpentry to plastering and from brickwork to electrical upgrades, we have a fully comprehensive service delivery model. Plus those little jobs like changing light bulbs and building shelves… we're happy to help with these too!
Ashwood joinery &a building services
FP Group
FP group National building and maintenance contractors T: 0845 862 0985 W: www.francoproperties.co.uk E: firstname.lastname@example.com Fully qualified and insured tradesmen Here at the fp group we cover all aspects of building and maintenance wether it be commercial or domestic, no job is too big or too small. Below is a full list of our services - full refurbishments - Conversions and extensions - New builds - Carpentry contracting - Electrical contracting - Plumbing and central heating - Tiling and decorating - Plastering - Bricklaying - Emergency call outs for plumbing and heating ,electrics and break ins - Installers of UPVC windows and doors - Suppliers and installers for kitchens and bathrooms - Firestone rubber roof specialists with high warranty - Ground works, driveways and patios Safety testing for gas and electrics For your free survey, contact us today with any questions, our friendly advice is free 0845 862 0985 Visit our Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/Franco-property-group-245969309088105/
Harvey joinery servicesCertificate of Excellence 2019
Created in 2015, Harvey Joinery Services is a family business between two brothers. With over 15 years of experience working on site for some the UKs leading house builders as sub-contractors, Harvey Joinery Services are specialists in providing high quality and professional carpentry and joinery, both private and commercial. Over the last three years of trading as a partnership Harvey Joinery Services are gaining an established footprint in the construction industry, recently securing contracts with well known local construction companies. Harvey Joinery Services are also acredited with CHAS & in the process of joining Construction line with the help of Staffordshire safety solutions. Our services include: Kitchens, roofs (truss and traditional), fascias, uPVC, doors, 1st and 2nd fix, stairs, floors and joists, stud walls, canopies, frame work and loft conversions, garage conversions. Chris Harvey Aged 36 NVQ level 3 in carpentry and joinery Frazer Harvey Aged 27 NVQ level 3 in carpentry and joinery FdSc Construction degree Level-two first aid
Harvey Joinery Services
Harvey Joinery Services are specialists in providing high quality and professional joinery, both private and commercial, within Staffordshire and Cheshire. All aspects of joinery undertaken: -Kitchens -Stairs -Roofs -Floors & Joists (truss & traditional) -Canopies -Facias & uPVC -Frame work -Doors -Decking -First & Second fix -Loft conversions Chris Harvey: age 35 NVQ level 3 in carpentry and joinery started apprenticeship at 16 and has been doing joinery ever since. Frazer Harvey: age 26 NVQ level 3 in carpentry and joinery. doing joinery since leaving school, started apprenticeship at 19. degree in construction management
Trade Frame North West
Floorstore Stoke-on-Trent(Leek Road)
CB Building & Joinery Ltd
Used Conservatories A.K ltd
Davenham Decorating
The Sheds at Pacific Road
Acara Joinery Ltd
Acara Joiney offer a wide range of joinery services carried out by qaulified tradesmen and to the highest of standards. We are a local company based in Chorley Lancashire we cover joinery from roof work, 1st fixing, 2nd fixing, finale fixing and everything in-between such as kitchen fit out's, timber framing, decking plus bespoke joinery on request.
Windsor Bathrooms & Showers
J Watson Joinery
K B servicesCertificate of Excellence 2019
We specialise in Bathroom and Kitchen refurbishment, however we also carry out most household construction and property repairs, including brickwork, plastering and joinery services.
Handyman services,indoor and outdoor,wallpapering painting
Defender Plumbing and Joinery ServicesCertificate of Excellence 2019
We offer a range of maintenance services throughout Merseyside anything that needs maintaining we pretty much cover. We are able to look after day to day maintenance jobs as well as taking care of the bigger projects as well. Kitchens, bathrooms taps basins vaths showers are just some of the services we offer. We can sort out the small jobs around your home and do so on a regular basis working our way through your list of jobs is no problem
Complete Building SolutionsCertificate of Excellence 2019
All aspects of the building trade we cover . From a simple 10 minute job right through to a full new build .
Runcorn Joinery
Joiner and Conservatory builder in Runcorn | Windows | Glazing | Kitchens | Flooring
HOMEBRITE Building & Garden Services
Our company is based on the belief that our customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals. We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry. HOMEBRITE Building & Garden Services is a friendly, family ran business operating throughout the North West & beyond. We pride ourselves on the quality of professional services that we provide for all our customers as this is what they deserve. HOMEBRITE provides a range of services from minor repairs to full refurbishments. The services we provide include: upvc windows, doors, fascias, soffits & gutters, plastering, tiling, pointing, kitchens, flooring, decorating, and painting. Our Outdoor services include: landscaping, garden maintenance, paving, fencing, turfing, patios, driveways, block paving, existing driveways repaired, cleaned & sealed, patios & paving repaired, cleaned and sealed. Qualified time served professionals will complete the job from start to finish providing a reliable service no matter how big, or small, the job may be. We never falter on quality. We provide free quotations that you will find very competitive and affordable. Only good quality materials are used with a wide range that meet all budgets. Our goal is to provide all home and gardening services at realistic prices while still ensuring the continuous quality of all services provided. ONE CALL DOES IT ALL!
Fresh Coat Decorators
David Warburton Limited
Queen Street Kitchens and Bathrooms
BG Builders (Runcorn)
O'Brien Property ServicesCertificate of Excellence 2019
All aspects of building work undertaken We here at O'Brien Property Services take pride in our high quality workmanship and because of this, we have been trusted to work in some of the most prestigious homes in the North West, including Arley Hall and Gardens and Ex Gary Barlow House. O'Brien Property Services is headed up by a father and son team, with over 30 years' of experience in the industry. Nothing is ever too much trouble for us: we aim for 100% customer satisfaction. We have built our reputation as reliable, affordable, quality builders in Cheshire mainly through word of mouth, which speaks volumes about the quality of our work.
E.Beech Joinery Ltd
Shelving Store
Shelving store is the UK's leading supplier of storage products. You can find here a variety of lockers online such as school lockers, bike lockers, plastic lockers, wire mesh lockers as well as mobile phone storage, shelving, educational furniture, cabinets and more at discounted rates. So, you can buy lockers online at a reasonable price. You also get free delivery service when you buy products from here. To know more about us visit our website: www.shelvingstore.co.uk or call us on 0800 0282884 / 01244 660839 Our Office Address: Herons Way, Chester Business Park, Chester, Cheshire, UK
Apf laminates
Flooring and joinery ..all aspects of joinery
SHS 4u Building & RenovatingCertificate of Excellence 2015
SHS 4u is a family-owned business with years of experience in the building industry. Whether you're looking for a handyman or tradesman, we can deliver our services at competitive prices. We operate a NO HARD SELL policy providing a completely transparent service from beginning to end, investing heavily in training our staff and developing our products, to ensure that all our customers receive the best possible service and you don't just have to take our word for it. We never make needless mistakes due to misunderstandings, but when things do occasionally go wrong you can rely on our team to put them right, fast. We are proud of our work, and you will see this once we've finished, our teams will always leave your place clean and tidy too as you should expect from a good tradesman. Our handymen and tradesmen are all very polite, friendly and great communicators. A SHS 4u handyman is a very competent tradesman. Our team are all experienced working on small to medium building projects before coming to us. This gives them a valuable knowledge of how your home is constructed.
Oph joinery
Dunc-it marble and granite worktops
Carpenters on Bark
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Within hours, sometimes minutes, they'll contact you on Bark.
Professionals value their reputation on Bark and strive to do a great job for customers they find on our platform.
Example General Carpentry Barks
What carpentry services do you need?
What kind of carpentry do you need?
Shelves, Tv wall surround
Do you need materials purchasing?
Yes - I will need the professional to provide materials and parts
Will you need any painting or staining?
Want white high gloss
Any additional details?
I would like a tv wall surround like a picture frame. I want my tv quite high up and the surround to make a feature.
What carpentry services do you need?
What kind of carpentry do you need?
Do you need materials purchasing?
No - I will provide the materials and parts
Will you need any painting or staining?
Flat pack wardrobes
Any additional details?
Ikea wardrobes. X3
What carpentry services do you need?
What kind of carpentry do you need?
Do you need materials purchasing?
Yes - I will need the professional to provide materials and parts
Will you need any painting or staining?
I don't know
Any additional details?


text:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is struggling to realize the vision that civil rights leader Martin Luther King described in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech 50 years ago, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday, citing economic security as a still elusive goal.
Obama, the first black U.S. president, spoke to thousands of marchers on Washington's National Mall to commemorate King's landmark address, which came to symbolize the struggle for equality among blacks and whites in America.
Joined by members of the King family and two former presidents, Obama and his fellow speakers urged Americans to continue the slain leader's quest for justice.
Obama said King's speech inspired millions of Americans to fight for a more equal society and rights that people now take for granted.
"To dismiss the magnitude of this progress, to suggest, as some sometimes do, that little has changed, that dishonors the courage, the sacrifice of those who paid the price to march in those years," Obama said.
"But we would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete," he said, calling economic justice the "unfinished business" of the civil rights battle.
Marchers, many wearing T-shirts with King's face on them, began their walk near the U.S. Capitol.
They were led by a line of military veterans and people who had been at the 1963 march, their arms linked. People sang "We Shall Overcome" and other civil rights anthems.
Fighting restrictive voting rights laws that Democrats say hurt minorities, combating joblessness and reducing gun violence among African Americans are among the issues that civil rights leaders have put at the forefront of their efforts in 2013.
"This march was supposed to be about jobs, but it's about a lot more," said marcher Ash Mobley, 27, of Washington, who said she was there to represent her grandmother, who had been at the 1963 event.
The marchers heard speeches from former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter and members of King's family on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the site of King's address on August 28, 1963.
A bell rang at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT), 50 years to the minute after King ended his clarion call of the civil rights movement with the words "Let freedom ring."
King's speech is credited with helping spur passage of sweeping civil rights laws. A white prison escapee assassinated him in 1968.
King's elderly sister, Christine King Farris, said her brother's dream was alive, if unfulfilled.
"Yes they can slay the dreamer, but no, they cannot destroy his immortal dream," she said.
Bernice King, the slain leader's youngest child, urged the crowd to stay true to the ideals enunciated by her father.
"If freedom is going to ring in Libya, in Syria, in Egypt, in Florida, then we must reach across the table, feed each other and let freedom ring," she said.
Obama's address commemorating King, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and advocate of non-violence, came as the White House edges closer to launching military strikes in Syria in response to what U.S. officials say they believe was a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government on civilians.
Obama made no mention of Syria in his address.
The president, whose mother was white and whose father was black, has sometimes seemed reluctant to weigh in on persistent racial divides in the United States, but he spoke forcefully about the issue last month after the man who killed black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was acquitted.
On Wednesday Obama said the 1960s civil rights movement led to greater freedoms for many different groups of U.S. society.
"Because they marched, city councils changed and state legislatures changed, and Congress changed, and, yes, eventually, the White House changed," he said to applause, a nod at his own historic election.
"Because they marched, America became more free and more fair - not just for African Americans, but for women and Latinos, Asians and Native Americans, for Catholics, Jews, and Muslims, for gays, for Americans with a disability," he said.
The "Let Freedom Ring and Call to Action" ceremony came as almost half of Americans say much more needs to be done before the color-blind society King envisioned is realized.
Wednesday's event capped a week-long celebration of King's historic call for racial and economic justice. They included a march on Saturday that drew thousands of people urging action on jobs, voting rights and gun violence.
Obama and Clinton also used their remarks to chide lawmakers in Washington for partisan battles that have prevented agreement on issues such as the budget and immigration reform.
"I would respectfully suggest that Martin Luther King did not live and die to hear his heirs whine about political gridlock," Clinton said. "It is time to stop complaining and put our shoulders against the stubborn gates holding the American people back."
Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal, Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; Editing by Karey Van Hall and Lisa Shumaker


text:
Madison Quinn necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 696 diseños de 186 diseñadores freelance.
Logo needed for new company that does SEO and internet marketing, amongst other projects. Our site template is dark and clean, and are looking for logos that appear official, secretive, and edgy.
- We want a logo to communicate these keywords:
Expert, official, professional, proven, and to a lesser degree ominous and edgy. We don't want them thinking "white, bald retiree with suit and tie and a beer gut."
Also, we have noted that many designers have been taking the word "ROGUE" literally and drawing thieves and scoundrels, however the term "ROGUE DIVISION" would be a specialized branch of an Organization that is off-book and perhaps not commissioned officially to do operations, but gets the job done their way. Efficient, merciless and succinct.
Note: Besides our guaranteed $600 First Prize, we would like to offer a 2nd Prize as well. See comments area below for mention of 2nd prize opportunity.
There appears to be some confusion as to what we do. While we plan to cover a wide range of electronically deliverable products and services, our primary focus at the moment is that of Search Engine Optimization[1] (semantic page layout, content design, et. al. for the purpose of driving traffic, visitor retention, and repeat business) and Online Marketing through services like Google AdWords, referral systems, etc.
Rogue Division Concepts Inc.
We are a new startup with code knowledge, but not much design sense. We will know what we want when we see it - there is a consensus that we have a good idea of the final product but no idea how to output it!I think this will be a cool project for designers out there - most companies want simple, transparent designs. We want something that seals it that "We are the EXPERTS - and we will do ANYTHING to get your project done."- 1 Star: We won't keep anyone around worth one star. We will just eliminate. - 2 Stars: There are elements we like (we will leave that in the comments), but needs desperate revision.- 3 Stars: This logo has potential. It is staying in the Running. After about 4 days of competition (if it goes that long..) we will start awarding 4 stars and 5 stars.- 4 Stars: Look out for this one. We really like this design, but needs time to sink in before we decide.- 5 Stars: WOW! This is excellent. Simply excellent.
- PREFERRED FORMAT: .AI (Adobe Illustrator) or .SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)- Design Brief Revision 1.1.1: - What this company needs to project is clean, vector design. No web 2.0 glossy effects please!- Buzzwords: Dark, Stoic, Sleek, Mysterious, Ominous, Official, Professional, No-Nonesense, Creative, Unlimited and a little bit "Out-There" and Edginess.How do you bundle all that into a logo? We don't know. You are the designers. We have seen some really nice ones thus far and will continue to weed down the less favorable in quick order so other designers can see more of what we are looking for.
- What we were originally stating is that we wished for something fairly official looking but with an edge. We want you to think about what a "Rogue Division" is... This company has reach and determination and perhaps works outside the lines (figuratively). - The site that will be developed is obviously very dark - but it will be professional nonetheless. So ideas should be more SLEEK than evil. There is a fine line.- The logo will be used in print materials (business cards, invoice headers, maybe stationary). Not needed for a sign at present, but maybe in the future. Use for digital media a must (website). - Also, Logo - Can just say "ROGUE DIVISION" - does not need the full "ROGUE DIVISION concepts inc.", unless in your infinite graphical knowledge decide it looks best...
- Now we Do NOT want to have a) an eagle (too niche-market-american - although other flying creatures may be ok, it depends) or snakes or prairie dogs or beavers, etc.. you get the picture.- Do NOT want anything frilly, especially the font. But for plain fonts, AVOID Copperplate Gothic, Gill Sans, Cochin, TNRoman and Courier.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Traveling Entourage
September 7, 2010 by Judy Trull
This labor day weekend saw parking here at the Lindsay House a varied group of vehicles. We had a couple who had been boating, so they pulled in with their boat and asked if we had room that they could park it, and indeed we do have plenty of parking for boats and car trailers. 2 couples rolled up on some gorgeous motorcycles, Tim asked them if they would want to be able to park their motorcycles in some covered parking and they heartily said yes! We can accommodate motorcycle parking as well in our carriage house to keep them out of the weather. So if your traveling and need a place to stay that has lovely, comfortable accommodations, an awesome breakfast and ample parking, Lindsay House Bed & Breakfast is the place for you. See you next time!


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So keen are we to jump into autumn that I worry about forgetting the warmth of late summer as we dash towards the delights of tights and other such warmers that we can't wait to shake off at the first hint of spring.
This editorial for Shufti magazine, shot by Kalle Gustafsson, is a perfect portrait of late summer. The sun is lower in the sky, but the light is still warm; the leaves are becoming crisp, but are still green; and the atmosphere is of making the most of what is left. These photographs seem to capture all of that, particularly the light, and combine it with great vintage styling – I particularly (as ever) love the yellow polka-dotted dress, which just fuels my ill-advised addictions to yellow and to polka dots, neither of which suit me very well.
I always feel like I need to get away and go to the south coast of France or Italy around August and September; I think to try and make the best of the late summer last that little bit longer. The landscape images will have to satisfy me for this year; perhaps next time.
(Photographs via Skarp Agent and Dustjacket Attic)


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The votes are in!
Our minds were blown this year. From logos to books, packaging to products, you created some of the best designs we've seen yet. They were so good, we knew we had to create these awards.
We asked you to nominate your favorite designs from the past year and then vote on the best. Now it's our privilege to announce the winners of the first-ever 99awards!
1. Logo & Identity
And the winner is… ludibes' for his pirate-themed logo for Flytanium!
The Flytanium logo came about when a client reached out via 1-to-1 Projects for a logo rebrand. The company was already known on Instagram by the #deadflysociety hashtag and had a realistic image of a dead fly for their logo that needed reworking.
"I had seen a couple logos Branko had done, and loved his design sense and style," said Flytanium owner, Jacob Knudsen, "My experience from our first interaction until our last was great. He was more than accommodating when I asked for different concepts or changes. The end was result was a logo that we are both proud of."
After a few iterations ranging from realistic to abstract, this design was chosen – and the response from followers has been great!
Here's what Ludibes had to say about his win:
"I was blown away and – for sure – a happy dance was included. After 6 years on 99designs I still vividly remember my first days: insecurities, hopes, ups and downs – but I honestly never dreamed of getting this far. I guess persistence pays off and I'm proud of this achievement, as well as grateful to all the awesome designers whom I need to thank for guidance, inspiration and support."
2. Web & app design
Fernandos won for his bold and modern take on this landing page for Italian sneaker company, Primabase. The dual colors and playful details (like the dangling shoe laces) make this site especially eye-catching – and won the hearts of our community!
Here's what Fernandos had to say about his win:
"It's like a dream. I didn't expect it at all! I didn't even publish my designs to my online portfolio. I'm such a perfectionist that I forget about other people's perspectives. Thank you 99designs for teaching me how to respect my own work.
"To all of you: please don't give up on your passion. You have to work hard for it – and don't be disappointed with your work. I may be only 19 years old, don't own a Macbook and may not be considered a professional designer, but I work for passion.
"If you haven't won a contest, it doesn't mean you have bad designs, they just have not found an intelligent person like you. Every person has many stories of failure, myself included. Thank you!"
3. Business & Advertising
And the winner is… Awesome Designing for their compelling PowerPoint design for Hidden Hunger Global! The template was created for a great cause – providing clean water to those in need and where water is limited.
Here's what Awesome Designing had to say about their win:
"We all know a lot of presentations out there are boring and plain. This lack of design doesn't grab the attention of the viewer and doesn't allow them to connect with the message. By using creativity, we were able to present the message in a way that would engage and excite the viewer. It felt awesome to receive the email saying "Congrats!" I feel honored to know that my creative work has impacted people in some way and encouraged them to vote for the design.
I started my freelance career with the help of 99designs and now my business has blossomed astronomically due to the connections and clients I have made over the years. To receive this award from 99designs – the place where it all started – is awesome."
4. Clothing & merchandise
And the winner is… Ivona Kisić for her charming seamless bear pattern. We can't wait to see this design all over baby bibs and leggings!
Ivona is a mom herself, and often struggles to find clothes with cute patterns for her toddler boy (or unisex for that matter!). This contest was the perfect excuse to add the aesthetic she's been looking for to the market.
Here's what Ivona Kisić had to say about her win:
"I've read the email three times – the news was mind blowing! Being the nominee was a privilege for me, but winning an award was really unexpected and overwhelming. It is always an invigorating feeling when you have feedback about your work and some kind of clarification that the effort you put into the project is appreciated by someone.
"I want to give a big thank you to everyone who voted and even more a huge hug to you, 99 team! For me, working at 99designs is like running my own studio. This is my home, now even more than before."
5. Art & illustration
And the winner is… kuziola for their haunting fantasy novel illustration!
Here's what kuziola had to say about his win:
"The illustration is about a girl locked in a mental hospital. She suffers from sleep disorders. Every time she falls asleep, horrifying nightmares wake her up. She has hallucinations caused by the lack of sleep. Nightmares come to the real world and she can't differentiate between reality and dreams anymore.
There are so many great illustrators on the 99designs, so I felt really honored and happy that my artwork was awarded. This encourages me to create more.
I would like to thank the 99designs team for selecting my artwork and everyone who voted for the illustration. "
6. Packaging & label
And the winner is… vepar for their edgy take on Legs Up wine! This design was vepar's first entry to the contest.
Here's what vepar had to say about their win:
"[The client] wanted a retro design, but was also open to other suggestions. So I made this version, which doesn't have a typical retro layout. Rather I used an engraved type of illustration and also the grainy texture to get that vintage feeling.
I want to thank 99designs and everyone who voted for me and helped me win the award for the best design for 2015 in Packaging & Label category. This was an unexpected recognition of my work and it gives me the strength to redouble my efforts in designing.
I enjoy my work and I find a great satisfaction in pushing my own limits to make the best of my abilities. The last year working for 99designs has been a wonderful experience for me and I'm looking forward to do even more in 2016."
7. Books & magazine
And the winner is… ilustreishon for his illustrative book cover.
The book is set 150 years in the future – complete with space travel, FTL ships and planetary colonies. For this cover, ilustreishon crafted a wispy woman (evoking one of the book's protagonists) that dissolves into outer space. The style is perfect for a sequel!
Here's what ilustreishon had to say about his win:
"I love that design. It came out super quick. I had watched Jodorowski's Dune and wanted to create something beautiful, uplifting and with a broader sense of humanity and us as part of the universe. The client was super easy and we connected from the get-go.
It always feels nice to get some recognition based on one's work. There is a lot of good stuff in all the categories, good designers, good illustrators. I can recognize some names, old rivalries and new friendships on the list.
I also have some advice:
1) If you do what you love, sometimes clients will change their minds and see the real potential of their covers. I rarely limit myself to their brief.
2) Try not to do stuff you'd be embarrased to show. You can get the money, but your dignity and self-esteem will take a toll. Trust me.
3) Before doing anything, drop the client a message and discuss some ideas before starting. If they don't answer, you can tell it's gonna be a hard ride working with them. Weed them out and know when to withdraw.
Congrats to you all. Now I want my 99designs statuette to show off to my clients!
8. Most versatile designer
And the winner is… Martis Lupus!
Martis Lupus has been an all-star on 99designs for a while now. Her whimsical style translates perfectly across packaging, book covers, logos and more.
And here's what Martis Lupus had to say:
"Yay, I won! If you love what you do you can't go wrong. Thank you!"
9. Most improved designer
And the winner is… Ghitea_fd!
Here's what Ghitea had to say about their win:
"Some of the primary reasons I continued to rise on 99 in 2015 are the following: I tried to improve my skills continuously, I had more time to work as a freelance designer after I graduated in design, I set a goal to reach Platinum status on 99designs in 2015, and I worked constantly even when I had difficult moments.
"Overall, I'm not sure if there is a universal secret for how to improve yourself as a designer, but if you do what you love – and if you try to improve your abilities constantly – this will definitely give you a good chance to reach your goals.
When I found out that I won, the first thing that came to my mind was, "Wow, this is really cool." I was already happy when I was nominated for this category and to win, for me, was the cherry on top.
I want to thank 99designs for the efforts of building such a great community, and to congratulate everyone who was nominated for the 99awards. Special thanks for those who voted for me. Thank you very much!"
Thank you
And that concludes this year's 99awards! A big thanks to everyone that participated in this year's 99awards. We can't wait to do it again next year!


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by Elise Seyfried
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."——-Alice Kahn
Working from home today, writing this on our shared home computer. The laptop is in for repairs, because — I'll try not to get too technical on you here — when you plug the thingy in, it (the laptop) doesn't think you did, and the battery runs down. Or something like that. Toshiba will just have to figure it out.
And having no laptop for two whole weeks is driving me insane!! It's almost as bad as getting halfway to the supermarket and realizing I left my cell phone at home! What will happen if I can't call the kids in Aisle 9 to see if we need bread? I don't think I want to find out.
We are not a super-techno family by many standards. Our TV is rather small and gimmick-free. Yes, we have no Blackberries. We have only just recently become part of the iPod universe. But I have discovered that, once a new electronic device enters our lives, it shows us who's boss pretty rapidly. And the boss ain't us.
Was it really only eight years ago that I didn't know how to send an email? Now, when I am away from the Internet for even a day, I fret and pace like an addict, fantasizing about the messages that are piling up in my inbox — even the "fw:fw:fw: pass this one on!" The cell phone has also quickly become a necessity of life. God forbid if I have something in my purse that rings during a concert because I thought I'd put it on vibrate. I am a busy and important lady, and people need to know they can reach me 24/7!
My family and friends have heard me rail against the short attention spans and rudeness of many kids today — kids who walk through life with a constant soundtrack of music piped into ears, kids who see nothing wrong with texting each other in church. But I am being a hypocrite. I have clearly developed an equal (and equally annoying) reliance on machines — to feel connected, to feel better about, or at least more in control of, my world.
I have often heard people say that if Jesus' ministry on earth was happening now, He would avail Himself of every possible modern device in order to get His message to us. And that may well be true. But it is all too easy for the medium to BE the message, and to lull us into thinking we really ARE connecting with one another. Do emails and pagers and cell phones make us closer? Or just make it easier for us to think we are? Are we hooked on instant communication — or instant gratification?
Growing a friendship, a deep, true friendship, takes time. It takes focus. It isn't a process well served by constant interruption, by easy distractions. In this world of the Next Big Thing, maybe we're losing a sense of the Real Big Thing: a grace-filled life, where there is room and time for a few deep, true friendships. Including friendship with the One who loves us the most.
I am so afraid we're losing that, with our ever-jangling cell phones and our red-hot computer keyboards. Though the wall-to-wall music in our ears can make this feel like a movie about life sometimes, this actually is life. Right now. And we can make our own choices, or let our machines shape our days for us.
Maybe it'd be a good idea for me to remember that. To go unplugged once in awhile and just see what happens next.
Elise Seyfried is Director of Spiritual Formation at Christ's Lutheran Church in Oreland. She is also an actress, wife, mother of five and co-author (with husband, Steve) of 15 plays for children. This piece is taken, with permission, from her recently self-published book, "Unhaling: On God, Grace and a Perfectly Imperfect Life," a collection of essays, humorous but with a spiritual focus, based on her life as a mom and church worker. The book can be purchased for $15 plus shipping through www.eliseseyfried.com. (Also from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble bn.com, although they add an extra charge.)


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We're not so sure how we feel about grass-covered cars. Sure you can make the argument that they're eco-friendly or whatever, but it just seems like so much upkeep. We would much rather have to wash and wax our car than fertilize and mow it. But what if you covered your ride with grass-like astroturf? And what if your ride was an old Lada Niva?
Examining the fuzzy surface, we can't help but think of those crappy mats you hit from at the cheap driving range. It makes us want to get up on the roof and smack a bucket of golf balls off into a giant parking lot. Imagine that, it's like a mobile driving range of destruction!


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Sidebar to the article Cost, Performance Studies Look at Prison Privatization by Gerry Gaes, Ph.D.
Due to the sheer expense of conducting evaluation studies, it is a rare occurrence to have competing research analyses like
those discussed in this article. To understand how this happened, some historical perspective is in order.
In 1996, the U.S. House of Representatives directed the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to perform a 5-year prison privatization
demonstration project of the low- and minimum-security prisons in Taft, California. BOP awarded a 10-year contract to the
Geo Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corporation), which operated the facilities from 1997 to 2007. The contract was
then recompeted, and a new contract to run the Taft prisons was awarded to Management and Training Corporation.
Although the U.S. Congress did not request a formal evaluation of the Taft facilities, BOP leadership decided that an evaluation
of cost and quality would help them make better decisions regarding privatization. BOP funded the National Institute of Justice
to secure proposals for an evaluation of Taft and similar BOP facilities. Abt Associates won that competition and conducted
the study. BOP's Office of Research conducted its own independent study in order to understand how to conduct this new type
of research.
Back to: Cost, Performance Studies Look at Prison Privatization
National Institute of Justice, 810 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20531


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Quote:I just wondered if anyone could tell me how to perform an energy pull?
Quote:besides...what possible application could this have? annoying someone in front of you standing in a bank line?
Quote:an actual 'energy pull' would be redirecting an attacker's momentum in a way that they lose balance - if even only for a split second advantage. Timing could be refined to the point of not even having to touch them, or just lightly, to have this effect. so, it's not so much an actual pull as it is just capitalizing on using their own momentum against them. the effect may look like they were 'pulled' a bit.
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Collecting for Charities
For the past decade, Kate Carpluk of Town and Country Real Estate has been collecting donations of coats, hats, gloves, blankets, food, and toys to give to three local charities: Maureen's Haven, the Bread and More soup kitchen, and Little Flower Children's Services.
This year all eight Town and Country offices will open their doors to anyone who may wish to donate. Ms. Carpluk can be reached at 838-7608 for pickup.
Contractor of the Year
Plum Builders of East Hampton has received a Silver Contractor of the Year Award in the category "residential interior, $100,000 and over" from the Long Island chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. The awards are judged by members of another N.A.R.I. chapter. The Long Island competition is known for recognizing exceptional achievement, and the competition is fierce.
More information about Plum Builders can be found on the company's Web site, plumbuilders.com.
Holiday Shop
Snake Hollow Studio will host a holiday shop on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring the hand-crafted wooden works of Keith Barker. The items include custom mirrors, sconces, art tables and chairs, and birdhouses. Equestrian and bird drawings and paintings by Lynn Matsuoka are also available, and portraits of people and pets can be commissioned.
The studio is at 221 Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton. A sneak peek can be had at hamptonsartist.com.
Second Skate Shop
Marley and Lennon Ficalora, who are brothers from Montauk, are opening a second Wampum Skate Shop at 5 Cleveland Place in New York's SoHo neighborhood, and they have invited the public to the opening party on Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m.
The flagship shop is on Main Street in Bridgehampton behind a jewelry store owned by their mother, Helen Ficalora. It sells skateboards and other skating-related items such as clothing and shoes.


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There are 3 possibilities for why she experiences paranormal activity:
1. She's lying.
2. She's telling the truth and everything she claims is indeed real.
3. She's prone to hallucinate. (She sincerely thinks it's real, but it isn't).
This is a rather defective hypothesis tree that needs to be extended.
4. She has experienced mirages, both visual and auditory exist.
5. She has misperceived what she saw or been helped to misperceive – as a hunter we help our prey to misperceive us all the time so that we can kill them. We can see cold readers doing the same thing and preachers with "words of knowledge", than there's Derren Brown creating misperception by suggestion.
6. She's been hypnotized and subject to a fraud campaign. She has that phot of herself OBE she did not take it and the person who did is a prime suspect for the fraud campaign.
7. A demon has been haunting her and causing her to experience these things (yeah this is a Christian view and I'm not a Christian...still I'm not sure demons are not real, though I hope they're not )
8. She's been a test subject in government mind experiments. This is a bit unlikely as she's an Australian; but if an American we would certainly have to keep it on the list just from what we know the CIA and our government have done that's part of the historical record.
... I call them dreams. Only I can see them, so although they are very real to me, they can't be seen by anyone else. I've heard of people seeing auras around people and I don't think they are lying either. It perhaps is a synethesia of some sort. Again, a hallucination because nobody else can measure it or detect it with an instrument. It's not physical. It's an hallucination.
You're ignorant of the technologies that have been invented Haggart. They can both detect your dreams with instruments and partially recreate what you're seeing -it will be fun to see in the next 20-30 years whether of not they perfect it and we'll be able to watch other peoples dreams.
Also the aura may be able to be seen right now with instruments.
I haven't seen the proof however, so it's just anecdotal. Her word against all others...Let's say that she is telling the truth and everything she claims is indeed real. Since I am not born with psychic abilities and am unable to view the spirit realm interacting with this one, for me, it is not now, and never will be a part of my reality. There is so much in the expansive oceans that I will never see, and only hear stories about. If I never see a mermaid or a megalodon, even if they are indeed real, I will live my whole life on land and die without one ever being a part of my reality, so I have to assume they don't exist until proven otherwise.
However giant squids use to be folklore until one washed up on land and was proven. So I will remain open-minded, but skeptical until my beliefs are proven wrong.
Despite Summerland's insistence on absolute proof, proof of anything is abnormal. It's an ideal rather than anything of actual value. What you have before you is anecdotal evidence and like all evidence it needs to be evaluated and in so far as possible tested. It's not her word against all others it's those who dismiss her claims without any valid reason because it disagrees with their own values – they're not rational and so their own claims get dismissed as non-evidence, as their claims are grounded in prejudice not experience or reason.
If there is a spirit realm interacting with this one it's part of everyone's life whether they acknowledge it or not. The proper attitude is not to dismiss evidence; but just to suspend judgement. We need to suspend judgement on anecdotal evidence because it usually can't be tested – the world is always full of mysteries some of which are true however far fetched they are.
Many of her claims are far fetched and the photo of an astral body contradicts normal experience – people die all the time under observation and no one sees and films their spirits leaving – this is the only claim of hers which really is her word against all others. She obviously did not take her own photo and this is a case where she may be being hoaxed by someone else.


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If there's one thing we all thought we knew about The Queen it was her passion for horses, though the BBC's 'The Queen: A Passion For Horses' shows this passion in quite a different light.
The programme starts with the birth of a new foal in The Queen's stables. We get to see how these foals are trained up into world class race horses and how The Queen's intimate involvement in the breeding contributes to the success of the horses.
Even from the small snippets of conversation between The Queen and her race manager, it is clear that the level of knowledge Her Majesty has of her horses is second to none. As Clare Balding mentions at the beginning of the programme, the first thing The Queen reads every day along with the day's newspapers is her specially delivered copy of the Racing Post.
It is apparent that the love for horses is something that has passed down through the family. Princess Anne talks with Clare Balding about her success in riding professionally and how The Queen's attitude in not culling the amount of horse racing she did (despite an accident during the Olympics, which the Princess recalls as almost like she was watching it happen to someone else) contributed to her success and that this removal of restraint is something that Princess Anne has employed on her own daughter, which has also led to great professional success.
She describes how her love of horses stems from a constant, saying "We were never introduced, they [horses] were always there".
Zara, Princess Anne's daughter, said, "they're very special animals, you get friendships from them… It's definitely a love that's been passed down."
We're also shown exclusive and lesser seen clips (audio and video) of The Queen as a child with her first pony, Peggy, which was given to her by her grandfather, King George V, when she was just four years old. The Queen's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, recalls how she and the then Princess Elizabeth would often play horses together, which she remarked that Princess Elizabeth 'enjoyed enormously', though she eventually found boring.
We hear commentary from one of the few interview style recordings The Queen has ever made, from earlier in her reign, where she explains her love for racing and how her father took her to see horses during the war, which developed her love for all horses.
It is also something that binds the family nowadays and something that all the family can share an interest in. Zara Phillips disclosed that the first person she calls after a horse event is her granny; The Queen. Zara sums up how the Royal Family have come to be so fond of horses: "because of her [The Queen's] love and passion for horses, we've all grown up sitting on a horse."
Clare Balding closes with, "From the first contact with a new born foal… to the uncertainties and the thrills of the race course, the horse world has shown us a more intimate side of The Queen"
Photo Credits: © BBC – Photographer: Grab & Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, © 2013


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Welcome to DataDirector
Data-Driven Decision Making
With DataDirector, educators are offered more than just access to data. DataDirector provides all the tools you need to analyze state and local assessment data, teacher created tests, and demographic information together in one location. DataDirector facilitates secure access and interaction with student data so you can identify students' areas of need and develop a plan for improving achievement. DataDirector's friendly, web-based tools make it all possible.
Empowering Instruction
With DataDirector, you can easily create your own items, answer sheets for paper-based assessments, and item bank assessments for use within your district. You can also analyze your state, district, and classroom assessment data against demographic and administrative data to create effective instructional programs for your students. Educators from the classroom to the district level are provided the resources they need to identify areas requiring additional attention. Many users utilize this information to facilitate collaboration and discussion among local data teams to determine best practices in assessment and instruction. DataDirector empowers instruction by putting a fast, powerful, and easy-to-use decision-support solution directly into your hands!


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ALEC-Related Contributions
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit membership organization of state legislators. It produces model legislation that, according to articles in The Nation, Bloomberg, and elsewhere, is heavily influenced by industry groups. Each year, according to ALEC, almost 1,000 bills based on this model legislation are introduced in state legislatures. Use this database to find campaign contributions from some ALEC-affiliated groups to some ALEC-member state legislators. | Related story: Our Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding ALEC's Influence On Your State Laws
The ALEC membership data was compiled by the Center for Media and Democracy and the campaign contribution data is from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
Specific citations for each ALEC affiliate are available on the Center for Media and Democracy's 'ALEC Exposed' website. However, because ALEC's membership list is private, it's difficult to confirm when each of the groups listed were ALEC members, and it is likely that there are other groups not in this database that are members of ALEC.
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Dec. 7, 2007
Dec. 8, 2007
Tip-off: 8 p.m.
Memorial Gym
TV: Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast
The game: The Bisons make the short trip to Vanderbilt for the second year in a row. Last season the Bisons lost 59-50 after leading 27-21 at the half.
The Commodores are the first nationally-ranked team the Bisons have played this season.
The Bisons have won their last three games heading into the Commodores game.
They are 3-0 at home, 0-2 on the road and 1-3 on neutral courts.
The series: This is the 25th time the Bisons and Commodore have met. It is only the fourth time the two teams have played in men's basketball since 1952. The last three games have been played at Memorial Gym (Dec. 8, 1952, Jan. 24, 1955 and Dec. 7, 2006).
The Bisons are 0-3 at Memorial Gym and 4-20 overall against the Commodores.
Doubling the fun: Freshman forward Brandon Brown has already posted three double-doubles this season. He had 10 points and 13 rebounds at MTSU Nov. 16, 17 points and 16 rebounds vs. Samford (Nov. 26) and 19 points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas Tech Dec. 3.
Center Thomas Pfaff posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds against Centenary.
Ard hits the spot: Forward Eddie Ard is ranked 18th in the conference in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game.
He has led the Bisons in scoring three times with 12 points against Winston-Salem State, 19 against San Jose State and 19 at Purdue. He tied for the scoring lead against Samford with 17.
His 19 points tie him with Brandon Brown for the team-high this season in scoring in an individual game.
Golden Brown: Freshman forward Brandon Brown has been the gold standard for the Bisons so far this season , especially on the boards. He has averaged in double figures on the boards four times.
He has led the team in rebounding five times this season. He has also led the team in scoring once this season with 19 against Arkansas Tech. He has tied for the scoring lead once with 17 against Samford.
Brown is third in the A-Sun in rebounding with 9.1 per game. He is third in the conference in defensive rebounds with 6.33 per game and is fifth in offensive rebounding with 2.78.
Brown's 19 points against Arkansas Tech is a career high.
He is sixth in the A-Sun in 3-point field goal percentage (47.6), hitting 10-of-21 attempts.
His 16 rebounds against Samford leads the league in individual game performances on the boards.
Lusk's luck: Guard Michael Lusk has stepped up this season to be one of the more consistent players for the Bisons.
He has twice led the Bisons in scoring with 16 at MTSU and 16 against McNeese State.
Lusk is 14th in the conference in assists with an average of three per game. He is also 14th in steals with 1.67 per game.
He is 10th in the A-Sun with a 1.17 assist/turnover ratio.
He is seventh in 3-point field goal percentage 46.2), hitting 12-of-26 attempts.
At the Hop: Center Jason Hopkins is among the A-Sun leaders in several categories.
He is sixth in rebounding with 7.2 per game.
Hopkins is fourth in blocked shots with an average of 1.33 per game.
He has led the Bisons in scoring once with 14 in the regular season opener against Centenary.
Hopkins has led the team in rebounding three times with 12 against Winston-Salem State, 10 against Appalachian State and 11 against Arkansas State.
Bisons on the defensive: As a team the Bisons lead the A-Sun in scoring defense (66.3 points per game). They are first in rebound defense (32.9) and are also first in rebound margin (plus 3.9).
They are second in field goal percentage defense (40.9).


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As the one generation looks to retire while the other is soon to be at its peak earning potential, the opinions and approaches to the property market differ markedly between Gen Y and Baby Boomers.
The two generations prefer different types of property and have different reasons for entering the property market.
Baby Boomers, unlike their Gen X and Y proponents, tend to have married in their early 20s and subsequently became home owners early.
Born between 1946 and 1965, boomers are the richest generation, having cashed in on several property booms. They hold over half Australia's housing and financial assets.
Gen Y, which encompasses those born between 1981 and 1995, are nowhere near as asset rich.
As travel is now more affordable and desirable, this demographic is often choosing to spend their money on seeing the world rather than being tied down to a mortgage.
While this generation is often referred to as 'Generation Rent', this isn't necessarily to do with affordability… they like the flexibility that comes with renting.
Gen Y's favor apartments.
Many Gen Y's who choose to buy into property are using it as an investment vehicle. Data shows that 52% of Gen Y buyers surveyed are planning to buy an investment property instead of a home to live in during the next 12 months.
In contrast, Baby Boomers are generally looking for a home. They may also be increasingly trending towards apartments, but want larger units with quality fittings and finishes.
With more disposable income due to their children having moved out of home, Baby Boomers are looking to buy apartments within close proximity of entertainment and dining precincts.
They want the three A's – action, accessibility and amenity – rather than the three traditional P's – product, price and position.
For more information on renting apartments in Blacksburg, VA contact Foxridge Apartments.
Your Investment Property


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Report from Women's E-News - a link to the story is here, and the story is pasted in below.
By Hajer Naili
By Hajer Naili
WeNews correspondent - Wednesday, March 5, 2014
"I want to feel like I am a Saudi citizen, now I just feel like I am a follower of a man," says a Saudi woman who sympathizes with the petition to abolish male guardianship. Two female members of the Shura Council told a signatory that the petition has been sent to a human rights committee.
(WOMENSENEWS)-- Khuloud Saleh Alfahad runs her own real estate business in the eastern Saudi city of Al Khobar.
But because of male guardianship laws requiring women to have a male escort and consent in almost all aspects of life, she says she feels like a non-person. "I don't have any identity here in Saudi Arabia," she said in a Skype interview. Every woman, even the most conservative, would be happy to see an end to male guardianship, she added. "I want to feel like I am a Saudi citizen, now I just feel like I am a follower of a man."
Alfahad is a Saudi activist who is encouraging women to stand up and speak for themselves. She sympathizes with a petition recently delivered to the 150-member Saudi Shura Council--the formal advisory body of the kingdom--calling for an end of the "absolute male guardianship" over women.
Aziza El-Yousef, one of the authors of the petition, said in a recent Skype interview that the text was sent to 50 members--30 women and 20 men--of the 150-person council. El-Yousef said the only response so far has come from two female members of the Saudi Shura Council, who said in an email that the petition was being transferred to the committee of human rights. "Saudi women cannot get their own official documents such as their passports or birth certificate for their children," said El-Yousef, a mother of five children. "They cannot travel without the authorization of a male guardian, cannot go to work or school without a male approval."
Although press reports have said that the petition is signed by 10 women, El-Yousef said in fact it is signed by 25 women.
Pushing for Other ChangesIn addition to seeking the abolition of male guardianship, the petition asks also for changes in the family law in regards to the custody of children and the right of divorce.
Saudi Arabia imposes a strict interpretation of Islamic law, but El-Yousef said all the restrictions imposed on women are "not part of Islam."
The petition also calls for an end of the notorious female driving ban. El-Yousef has been driving in defiance of the ban since 2011. She was arrested in January and detained for four hours at the police station until her husband came and signed her out. Although she was required to sign an agreement not to drive, El-Yousef said she continues to drive in the streets of Riyadh, where she lives.
Three female members of the Shura Council presented a recommendation that women be given the right to drive in October, but the male-dominated assembly blocked the proposal, the Associated Press reported.
The Shura Council is appointed by the king and advises the monarch on policy, but cannot legislate.
Alfahad, the real estate executive in Al Khobar, talks of a "revolution" when asked to comment on the women's movement in Saudi Arabia. "I think there is a revolution now from many women who are not necessarily activists. I am happy with what's happening now and I also have hopes, very strong hopes."
'Mini Revolution' in FamiliesAlfahad said a "mini revolution" is also taking place inside families. "Even inside some families, girls are being encouraged to ask for their rights."
She sees more and more women behind the wheel in her town as more women take new jobs in the wake of changes in the monarchy that, for instance, allow women to work as sellers and lawyers.
Alfahad criticizes what she calls the "legal violence" institutionalized through the laws in Saudi Arabia.
"This is a violence that doesn't come from my family or the society, it comes from our laws here against women," she said.
Those who support the system of guardianship say it protects women but Alfahad rejects that. "It's to put a woman in a jail so she cannot do anything without a man."
Recently, two cases exposing the dangers to women of the guardianship system made headlines. In February, a female university student died when a crew of male paramedics was prevented from entering her campus by the kingdom's strict rules on sex segregation. More recently, a pregnant student had to give birth on campus after a women-only university in Riyadh denied access to paramedics.
Hajer Naili is a New York-based reporter for Women's eNews. She has worked for several radio stations and publications in France and North Africa and specializes in Middle East and North Africa women in Islam.


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This afterschool curriculum includes six lessons plus supplementary materials (e.g., videos, PowerPoint presentations, and images) that explore how light from the electromagnetic spectrum is used as a tool for learning about the Sun. The curriculum... (View More) is designed to be flexible to meet the needs of afterschool programs and includes recommendations for partial implementation based on time constraints. It was specifically designed to engage girls in science. (View Less)
The 9-session NASA Family Science Night program emables middle school children and their families to discover the wide variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics being performed at NASA and in everyday life. Family Science Night... (View More) programs explore various themes on the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the Universe through fun, hands-on activities, including at-home experiments. Instructions for obtaining the facilitator's guide are available on the Family Science Night site. (View Less)


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The Way Things Used To Be :: Reset Components and Unity 3D
One of the very interesting aspects of Unity 3D and its architecture is the fact that it is component based. This one factor makes it very easy to implement some very interesting behavior in your games that separates concerns rather nicely. One such interesting notion is that of a Reset component.
When the Horseman created Hug Monster he realized quickly that he'd need to store the initial positions of the game's objects somehow. Re-loading the Scene every time the player dies is simply unacceptable given the time Unity takes to perform loads, so somehow there must be a way to easily store initialization data. In other langauges such as AS3 the most tempting way to do this would be to implement something like :
HugMonsterGameObject public function getInitialValuesFromScene():void{ /*collect initial values*/ } public function reset():void{ /*reset to initial values*/ }
As a consequence, all game objects would carry this baggage around, and they all must remember to subclass HugMonsterGameObject whether they needed the functionality or not. This doesn't sound bad on its face, but it can bloat the number of responsibilities of a given class, such that it simply has to concern itself with "too much." On the bright side, Unity's component-based architecture allows us to split this behavior out completely! I do have a Player class, and a Hugmonster class, but neither of them knows a thing about how to grab initial coordinates or restore to an "initial" state. Instead, the gameObjects that have Player and Hugmonster components (as well as everything that can be moved or altered) have a ResetBehaviour object sitting alongside their "main" component.
How it works is as such.
// In the file ResetBehaviour.cs // This is merely an abstract class, to give // us a typed Component that is responsible // for Resetting things. using UnityEngine; using System.Collections; public class ResetBehaviour : MonoBehaviour { virtual public void RecordStartingVariables(){} virtual public void ResetGO(){} } // In the file GenericResetBehaviour.cs // Our most basic implementation of ResetBehaviour. // This is ideal for things like the blocks that // the Hug Monster can shove around, or for // other miscelaneous objects that only move // with position / rotation and have a // changing velocity. using UnityEngine; using System.Collections; public class GenericResetBehaviour : ResetBehaviour { public Vector3 resetToPosition; public Quaternion resetToRotation; public Vector3 resetRigidBodyToVelocity; public Vector3 resetAngularVelocity; // Use this for initialization void Start () { // Unity's default Start method // is an ideal spot to initialize // since this is where the object // was placed in the editor. RecordStartingVariables(); } override public void RecordStartingVariables(){ resetToPosition = transform.position; resetToRotation = transform.rotation; if(rigidbody != null){ resetRigidBodyToVelocity = rigidbody.velocity; resetAngularVelocity = rigidbody.angularVelocity; } } override public void ResetGO(){ Debug.Log("Default ResetBehavoiur"); transform.position = resetToPosition; transform.rotation = resetToRotation; if(rigidbody){ rigidbody.velocity = resetRigidBodyToVelocity; rigidbody.angularVelocity = resetAngularVelocity; } } }
If an object needs a more specialized form of ResetBehaviour, I can simply derive from GenericResetBehaviour without necessarily overriding anything in the Player, Hugmonster, Switch, Wall, Camera, or any other class definition. This makes content creation and behavioral scripting ridiculously flexible.
But Mr. Horseman, why make Reset components for all these objects? Don't you have to then grab that component from each game object, by specific type, and call ResetGO() on it?
Aaaah, I'm glad you asked. You do NOT have to do any such thing! The reset level code, which lives inside the GameManager class looks something like this…
public void RestartLevel(){ ResetBehaviour[] rbs = Component.FindObjectsOfType(typeof(ResetBehaviour)) as ResetBehaviour[]; foreach(ResetBehaviour rb in rbs){ rb.ResetGO(); } // a few more lines of code for displaying the Game Over text go here. }
Because the ResetBehaviour class is virtual, and because all the Reset components derive from it in some manner, all I have to do is find every component derived from ResetBehaviour using the handy function shown above and then iterate through the resulting array an call ResetGO() on each. Every item in the scene will reset to its initial position as specified by the component without any further work on the developer's part.
I have to say that I first looked at the component system and saw the potential for chaos, but in fact the philosophy underpinning the Unity Editor gives you ways to funnel that chaos into pure elegance.
I dare you! I Ludum Dare you!
The Horseman recently gave a presentation on the 2DToolKit sprite animation library and toolchain at his local Unity 3D Users Group. As it happens, one of the attendees asked The Horseman if he'd ever heard of Ludum Dare and its 48 hour game competition. I had to admit that I was not familiar with it, which might be somewhat surprising given its connection to Minecraft. However, upon reading about what Ludum Dare is and upon hearing that the next competition was starting the very next night, The Horseman did a quick check on his calender to make sure he wasn't about to blow off any engagements and then declared his intention to enter the competition. It was high time to determine whether he could create a game from the ground up using Unity 3D and the 2D Toolkit in 48 hours. What follows is a summary of the experience.
(The tl;dr version : "Yes, The Horseman can do such a thing and the resulting entry is here under the name dr_soda. There also exists a post-competition build with some improved jumping controls, new levels, and new features that is playable at www.hug-monster.com.)
– Ideation –
When you have 48 hours to create a game you don't have a lot of time to waste coming up with the perfect idea. Coming into the competition completely blind, I did not have any idea what the theme could be (and indeed nobody really knew what it would be until it was announced) so I did not prepare in any way for what might come. As it turns out the theme for this competition was simply Alone. That was my sole guidance for the direction of the resulting game. After about an hour spent thinking of ideas that were at best "maybe" in terms of fun and at worst "too ambitious" in terms of scope, I came across the idea of the player wishing to be left alone by a lovable, excitable, and adorable emoticon named "Hug Monster" and rendered as such : (-o^_^)-o. Considering this to be both the most interesting take on the theme, and also the most achievable concept in the remaining 47 hours, I sat down to refine the elevator pitch version of the game.
The Hug-Monster (-o^_^)-o can never get enough love or hugs, and is always happy to see you. Unfortunately, it's a little too excitable and at times doesn't seem to know its own strength.
You on the other hand are small and fragile, and most definitely want nothing more than to be left alone, especially from the big, scary Hug-monster!
How long can you avoid its warm, snuggly, and loving arms of death? Find out in this classic platformer!
– Artistry –
Since I wanted to keep the mood of the game upbeat in the face of the otherwise bleak theme of "Alone" I decided to make the graphics consist of cute emoticons that would be relatively easy to animate with 3 – 5 frame walk cycles. The Hugmonster flails its arms joyfully as it slides across the stage in perpetual persuit of the player. The player itself is merely a "letter" from the Wingdings font set, the skull and crossbones, rendered at 12px size such that it looks more like a little man than what it actually is. Both of these concepts took very little time to render once I'd settled on the proper font sets on which to base them. Once I had my sprite sheets, it was a quick trip into Unity3D and the 2DToolKit and I had (almost) all the sprite animations I would need. Later, once I decided that the levels needed more interactivity, I went back to Photoshop to create a set of switches, again using glyphs from the standard font set available with any Photoshop install.
– Development –
Being no stranger to side-scrolling mechanics from years of writing ActionScript for Flash games, and even a few little experiments on the subject in C# for Unity in the month prior, writing my own implementation of the walk/run mechanics was no large task. I decided that I would let Unity handle the physics for me this time, rather than write my own physics engine. I'd learned some valuable lessons on what works and what really doesn't work when using Unity's physics and felt confident that I could get what I wanted out of it. Rather than use Unity's built-in CharacterController module, I chose to write my own Ambulator class with its own movement logic and use that for both the player and the Hug Monster. Partly this was because I'd forgotten that CharacterController exists, but also even if I'd remembered I may still have opted to create my own Ambulator simply because I wanted to minimize the amount of Unity-isms that I'd have to remember how to work with, and I already know very well how to write the kind of code I was aiming for without relying on Unity's help to do it.
It turns out that this combination of decisions was simultaneously the best choice I could make and the worst choice. I liked (and still like) the simplicity of the Ambulator, and I feel it does exactly what it needs to with no overhead or extra API functionality to worry about. Then by letting Unity handle the physics of falling objects, there was a whole class of code I did not have to write in order to make the characters collide which saved valuable time. On the other hand, there are many idioms for working with the physics engine in Unity that aren't always the most conducive to the traditional 2D platformer physics that players expect, and this expressed itself in how the character handles jumping face-first into a wall or obstruction. The difficulties can be worked around, and to a large degree I did manage to work around them (though not to the degree I wanted to by the end of the 48 hours), and after the end of the competition I have discovered yet more ways to work around them. I think this was possibly one of the most valuable technical lessons I took away from the experience of making a Ludum Dare game. If I were to do it again, I would probably choose to implement more of the physics on my own rather than to use the CharacterController component, but I think there's a good case to be made for trying both approaches just to see where the limits are.
– Sound Design –
You'll notice that there are no sounds or music. I'll come out and say it, my history has not included much in the way of sound design. That isn't to say I didn't give it a shot, however. I followed the advice of fellow Ludum Dare entrants and traveled on over to BFXR to see if I could cobble together some nice sound effects, and maybe even the rudimentary beginnings of a music loop. After 3 hours of fiddling around with settings and sound generation I realized that I was getting nowhere. Nothing really sounded like I wanted it to and I was beginning to feel that I wouldn't have the time to really test out every combination of sounds such that I would know how to achieve the effect I was after. This being the case, I chalk it up to a lesson learned even though it ultimately did not advance the state of the final build. I won't make that mistake again. By the next Ludum Dare I will either know enough to make my own sounds to my satisfaction or I won't even make the effort and save the time for design or programming. Speaking of design…
– Level Design –
A consequence of my decision to make a game in which a little person flees from the loving embrace of an oversized monster is that level design is critical in selling the idea, because what you are creating amounts to an action-puzzle game. As you might expect then, all the time that was not spent generating art, music, programming, or concepts, was spent designing levels. By the time the competition ended, I had created seven of them. They all had been tested to make sure they were beatable, but also that they could not be cheated. This took time… lots of it. Inherent in creating all these levels was also the playtesting of them all. Any time I wanted to add a switch, a door, move the goal, move a platform, I had to test the entire level from the beginning. As such the levels are short. What they lack in length though, they tend to make up for in difficulty. I'm still finding the appropriate balance here. I think I could have done a better job easing the player into the rules and logic of the game world rather than throw them to the wolves immediately.
– Flair –
You can't have a game without a title screen or an ending, right? Well, this game had to have both. The most fun part about this was the the title screen and the ending movie both are programmatically animated using the same logic that the characters use in the game. They appear to be acting "intelligently" but in reality are simply doing nothing more than following the logical results of the input supplied as though they were doing their normal business. Astonishingly, I feel like this was possibly the most fun part of the process for me : taking the engine and assets I'd built for use in a game and re-purposing it all to make a set of little movies.
– In Conclusion –
The competition was easily one of the most fun and rewarding weekends The Horseman has spent in the past year. Creating a game under such tight constraints was exhilarating and the knowledge that there were hundreds of other people attempting the same thing was incredibly motivating. When taking breaks from the action, The Horseman would look back at the Ludum Dare blogs to see how other people were progressing, and take heart at the progress of others and admiration at their interpretations of the theme. Would he do it again? The Horseman says : "Verily."
As well, he says : Play Hug Monster! (-o^_^)-o
Further extending the Unity 3D editor
In our last entry, The Horseman revealed to you an incantation to transmute Unity's Editor itself. That entry merely skims the surface of what a practitioner of the arts may accomplish through Unity's editor scripting capabilities. In today's lesson, we build on top of the previous layers of sorcery such that we can overcome a pernicious problem with getters and setters in C# scripts. As before, project source for this tutorial is available.
Those of you who have spent even a small amount of time adding scripts to Unity's GameObjects stand a fair chance of having encountered a magnificent property of the editor. A public instance variable declared as a member of a class will be exposed in the inspector for that game object, so if we were to give the PunyPlane a property called health, that property would be editable within the editor on an instance-level basis.
public float health = 1000;
Yes, I hear your questions even before you ask: "But Mr. Horseman, what about encapsulation? What if I want to hide health behind a getter / setter pair? It would be great if the PunyPlane could notify listeners of a change in health, or possibly even alter its own size such that it shrinks as its health decreases."
Well, let's try it out!
protected float healthMax = 1000; protected float health = 1000; public float HealthMax{ get{return healthMax;} set{healthMax = value;} } public float Health{ get{return health;} set{ health = value; ResizeBasedOnHealth(); } } protected void ResizeBasedOnHealth(){ // As health approaches 0, scale should approach 0.5, // to make the object appear half its normal size // when health is depleted. float newScale = 0.5f; if(health > 0){ newScale += (health / healthMax) * 0.5f; } gameObject.transform.localScale = new Vector3(newScale,newScale,newScale); }
It appears that you can't encapsulate a variable if you want it to be editable in the Unity Editor. Of course, looks can be deceiving and two can play at deception in this grand illusion. There are in fact several ways to get past this difficulty, and the one you choose depends on what's most important for your purposes.
The most simple of these solutions is to set up your function to implement the PunyPlane.OnDrawGizmosSelected function, which is called approximately once every 10ms while an object is selected in the Editor.
// leave health exposed as public... public float health = 1000; void OnDrawGizmosSelected() { // and when in Editor mode, call ResizeBasedOnHealth on every update if(Application.isPlaying == false){ ResizeBasedOnHealth(); } }
This simple solution allows GameObjects to call functions that act on the publicly exposed values in your game. Here, you can set the health of any PunyPlane in the editor and watch as its scale changes on the fly while you edit the Health field.
But Mr. Horseman, what if I want ResizeBasedOnHealth to be called at runtime whenever health is changed? This only works in the editor!
It is at this point that we dig a bit deeper, and uncover the Editor class. You will create a new C# script located in "Assets/Editor" and rename it as PunyPlaneEditor. We'll start off with this code inside:
using UnityEngine; using UnityEditor; using System.Collections; // Remember to declare the Type of editor this should be! [CustomEditor (typeof(PunyPlane))] public class PunyPlaneEditor : Editor { /* * * This function is called repeatedly as the Inspector GUI is refreshed. * */ public override void OnInspectorGUI(){ // Our "target" is the particular PunyPlane // instance that is currently selected, and // whose properties this inspector panel // reveals. PunyPlane pp = target as PunyPlane; GUILayout.Label("PunyPlane Custom Controls"); pp.Health = EditorGUILayout.FloatField("Health",pp.Health); } }
Now, young seeker of arcane wisdom, behold what you should see :
Our custom Editor script has usurped control over Unity's default implementation and displays for us a field containing a floating point value that we have labeled "Health", which gets and sets from PunyPlane.Health, the getter / setter pair. The drawback to this method is that it takes work to make your custom inspector layouts look aesthetically pleasing, and if you have a large number of editable fields this can become an onerous task. This should only be undertaken in the event that you have a side effect that must be triggered both at runtime and in the editor, and you don't want to incur the overhead of performing the operation in the normal void Update() method belonging to all MonoBehaviour objects. The other limitation of the OnInspectorGUI method is that Screen.width and Screen.height will return the pixel dimensions of the inspector panel, not the game screen or the scene. If you need the pixel dimensions of the Scene editor, you can instead perform those actions in Editor.OnSceneGUI() and also from within the OnShowGizmosSelected handler. On the other hand, if you need the precise pixel dimensions of the Game window those are not available at all from within the editor scripts… but there is a way yet to reach them, in the event that you need those dimensions at runtime and you cannot, or do not wish to hard code them. I'll save that bit of prestidigitation for another time.
There are yet other ways to interact with and change the Editor's behavior. Virtually anything you see happen in the editor can be harnessed for your own purposes.
Download the source for this tutorial.


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