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A few times a year we are treated to unique events that are as much product introductions as fanboy entertainment events. We are talking about Apple Keynotes of course. In a few more days we will be able to enjoy another one of these, and for those of you who want to get in the mood …
Authorities have charged Ruslan Sokolovsky with inciting hatred and offending religious sensibilities.
The social media company has joined other tech heavyweights including Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft as a member of the B
Almost two years after the Philae comet lander made the historic touchdown on a comet, the European Space Agency has now
Game like it's 1996 with 'Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary.'
Halloween is not exactly around the corner yet, but that doesn't mean it's not the perfect time for an old but familiar pumpkin to be resurrected.
This is your moment of zen.
For decades, scientists have tried to harness the unique properties of carbon nanotubes to create high-performance electronics that are faster or consume less power. Now, for the first time, University of Wisconsin–Madison materials engineers have created carbon nanotube transistors that outperform state-of-the-art silicon transistors.
Gearbox Software revealed that it's re-releasing the genre-defining first-person-shooter Duke Nukem 3D with new goodies, while staying true to the original.
A 'Nuka World' DLC character pays tribute to a good man who passed away too soon.
A little restless after retiring in 2008, at 54, he figured he'd be a great fit for a position at an Apple store Genius Bar, despite being twice as old as anyone else at the group interview. "On the way out, all three of the interviewers singled me out and said, 'We'll be in touch,' " he said. "I never heard back."
Softbank has said it will continue to operate ARM as a separate, independent company while doubling its headcount in the coming years to between 5,000 and 6,000 people. Based in Cambridge, U.K., ARM has become the popular choice for processors that run smartphones.
Edgar began hitting newsrooms at a young age, when his dad worked at a newspaper back in the 90s. Growing up, he had two passions: technology and football (soccer). If he wasn't on the pitch scoring hat-tricks, he could be found near his SNES or around the house taking things apart. Edgar's also deeply in love with tacos, sneakers and FIFA, in no particular order . He lives in New York City with his better half.
It's a bittersweet discovery when the agency can't change history. Philae won't come back to life, and even photos won't be available for much longer. The ESA is still happy, though. This gives it the "proper context" it was missing for Philae's fate, and lets the team shift its attention to photographing Rosetta's eventual crash site. Think of this as a form of closure. Researchers may never get Philae back, but they won't be left wondering what happened to their pride and joy.
Another week, another massive data leak. This time around, it's 800,000 accounts from iconic porn site Brazzers. Although the data originated from their forum, users who have never signed up may be caught up in the breach.
Despite the issues with the earlier layout, Apple Music has presented a formidable challenge to Spotify, just by its nature of being built into Apple's OS. The company revealed in June it has already reached 15 million paid subscribers. Spotify is still ahead with 30 million paying customers, and 100 million listeners, however. But a revamped Apple Music which comes with better music discovery features could pose a threat.
Less than a month before the end of the mission, Rosetta's high-resolution camera has revealed the Philae lander wedged into a dark crack on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Still missing Mythbusters ? It's not about to come back any time soon, but you might get the next best thing. Netflix (which has a habit of resurrecting fan favorite shows ) has greenlit White Rabbit Project , a series from Mythbusters Build Team veterans Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci. The premise is right up their alley. They'll investigate strange topics (such as exotic World War II weapons or seemingly impossible jailbreaks) and use science to determine the truth. You won't have to wait long to see how well the concept works, either -- Netflix premieres White Rabbit Project on December 9th, so you won't have to put up with the year-long waits that come with other streaming releases.
VR is quickly taking over video games, movies and all other media around us. The next frontier? Ballet.
Before I happened upon this video , I would've assumed that a crab would devour its meal haphazardly, primitively. Apologies for misjudging. Turns out crustaceans, much like stars, are just like us! Or at least they enjoy their food with the endearing precociousness of a human toddler.
Therefore, the inventors at Disney have followed a ground-up approach of building robots from the scratch based on kinematics of the cartoon character. Animation files describing the motion characteristics of a character are automatically analyzed to determine a skeleton that can mimic the movements in reality without being unstable. Based on this skeleton, legs and/or arms of the robots are constructed using 3D printing and suitable actuators are attached at movable joints. Further, the processors that control the actuators are programmed to cause motions at the joints that is a close approximation of the animated character's motion, while preserving physical stability. As a result, not only would such a robot look like the cartoon character but it would also possess its motion style, without tripping over itself.
It's unclear how much the Vision will actually be but we hear that it'll likely cost around $500 or $600. Seeing as you can get a Gear VR and a compatible smartphone for around that price, we're not sure if the Vision offers a compelling alternative, especially since the Samsung option appears to have a far wider content library. Plus, we've yet to see what Google has to offer in terms of Daydream-compatible handsets. Still, if you fancy a VR headset without the constraints of a phone or a PC, the Vision might be a good one to try out. It'll be available in China before the end of the year while the US should see it in early 2017.
The video is joined by a live chat box where viewers are left confused about how they ended up there. It's currently going crazy with people discussing the events and trying out commands like '/cam 3', even though they don't actually do anything.
It's worth emphasizing that like most of what we "know" about the iPhone 7, this is just a rumor, albeit one that comes from an incredibly reliable source – namely, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities.
Samsung looking to find a way around the self-driving car traffic jam http://bit.ly/2bRPbjs
#IoT #Tech #Samsung pic.twitter.com/bi1W6LMCHp
If anything reminds the plan-less of how fundamentally alone they are in the world, it's the long weekends of our country's lesser holidays. Labor Day can be the most melancholic of them all; not only do you get an extra day off to be alone with yourself, but it signifies the transition from summer to fall, a nasty reminder that everything eventually dies. Personally, if I'm not working over a long holiday weekend, I usually find myself hungover in bed, feeling too overwhelmed by all the things I could theoretically achieve on this special day off to even text that acquaintance to see if it's "cool" if you hit up their friend's barbecue. (No worries if it's not, just checking!)
With that being said, it's a well-known fact that full number iPhone releases create more excitement than their s-branded successors. It's something that Apple experiences year-on-year. And so, on paper, it makes sense for the company to increase its inventory to fulfill the wrath of orders it's expected to receive from iPhone owners looking to upgrade.
The shift shouldn't surprise anyone who's been paying attention, or even goes outside occasionally. People are looking at their phones more than ever before, and most of that time is spent inside apps. Mobile browsers keep getting better, but can't match dedicated apps in terms of performance or ease of use. And tablets and laptops can't match mobile apps for sheer convenience.
This stunt was part of their effort to introduce a condom emoji, which Durex (quite patronizingly) thinks will make it easier for young people to talk about safe sex. Because obviously people under the age of 18 are only able discuss complicated issues with little cartoon characters.
Following a failed satellite launch last week, Elon Musk's firm SpaceX might end up having to pay its client $50 million to cover damages or offer it a free flight beyond the stratosphere.
Over at iTunes you can pre-order hits like "Captain America: Civil War" and "The Conjuring 2," while at Amazon Woody Allen's first-ever TV show, "Crisis in Six Scenes," premieres on September 16.
ICYMI! Why Apple's 'boring' iPhone 7 is good news for millions of upgraders http://www.computerworld.com/article/3115525/apple-ios/why-apples-boring-iphone-7-is-good-news-for-millions-of-upgraders.html … via @computerworld
"We obviously have this gate to another dimension, which is still very much open in the town of Hawkins," Ross Duffer told EW. "And a lot of questions there in terms of, if the Monster is dead, was it a singular monster? What else could be out there? We really don't go in there much until they go in to find Will at the end. So we've opened up this doorway, and to us it's exciting to talk about, like, what else is behind there? There's a lot more mystery there to be solved."
Google should absolutely not "choose to cut them a break".
This is one of the biggest problems of the takedown system: the big boys get their own special set of rules and are insulated from the fallout of the horrible systems they put into use, while everyone else has to deal with the massive collateral damage of these out-of-control takedown bots. The only way it will stop is if Google stops shielding these companies from their own stupid decisions.
Of course, those are just 3 of the games featured at this year's event. There's Final Fantasy 15, Telltale's The Walking Dead, new info on Gears of War 4, and indies like Jotun on Wii U. We want you to tell us what your favorite game or moment from PAX West has been.
Freddie Mercury, frontman of Queen and transcendent being of pure performative joy and vitality, would have been 70 years old this Monday, September 5. To celebrate the occasion and honor Mercury's enormous impact on pop culture, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially changed the name of Asteroid 17473, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, to "Freddiemercury." It's a fitting tribute to the man who exuberantly sang that he was "a shooting star leaping through the sky" in the heart-thumping rock rager "Don't Stop Me Now." Queen's lead guitarist Brian May, who also happens to be an astrophysicist with a namesake asteroid of his own, announced the news to the band's fans via YouTube on Sunday. Mercury's asteroid is about three and a half kilometers across, and has an albedo of about 0.3, which means it reflects only about 30 percent of the Sun's light. "It's a dark object, like a cinder in space, as many of these asteroids are," May said. "It's just a dot of light, but it's a very special dot of light."
According to The Verge , each 'Blockbuster Box' even comes with a separate movie download via QR code. The four different boxes each have a code for a free movie, with can't-miss titles such as: 'Slice Night' (horror), 'Anchovy Armageddon' (sci-fi), 'Hot & Ready' (romance) and 'Fully Loaded' (action).
Xerox copies fading as firm pursues new retail beacon tech http://bit.ly/2ckvuw1
#IoT #News pic.twitter.com/YgSws232nS
ASP.NET is an open source web framework for building modern web applications and services. With ASP.NET you can quickly create web sites based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, scale them to millions of users and easily add more complex capabilities like Web APIs, forms over data or real time communications.
The big pitch for the Access watches, which otherwise share the same functionality as many other Android Wear watches, are their customizable watch faces. The various faces are designed to mimic the analog designs on other Michael Kors watches, and can be customized with a variety of colors right on the watch itself. It's even possible to have the watch switch to a different face at a set time of day, so you can easily match your day and night outfits. The company says there are hundreds of possible combinations between the display face, color, and sub dials.
Sharing generic content that doesn't connect to your brand is a missed opportunity on Instagram. Many marketers opt for generic content because their product or service isn't inherently visual. How many photos can you really share of your team sitting around a conference table? Not many.
The Land Rover Discovery ( sold as the LR4 in the U.S. ) is next in line for a full redesign. A new Discovery will debut September 28 at an event ahead of the 2016 Paris Motor Show with what is expected to be a significantly different design from the current model. The new Discovery will test Land Rover's ability to expand its appeal, while still keeping traditionalists happy.
Our first Fitbit tip is the most important: the device is not going to magically get you to your goal weight in 10,000 steps. I don't say that flippantly, but rather as someone who has tried and failed at that sort of method, and then learned that keeping track of calories and staying on top of activity are the keys to weight loss.
Ask anyone who gets their news from local TV: Pokémon Go is dangerous. You can't let your kids play that game, because they might get hurt. It's like stranger-danger, but with adorable creatures to catch.
It looks like Daimler's plans to fight Tesla are even more ambitious than first thought. Reuters sources understand that the German automaker is working on "at least" six electric cars, and might introduce as many as nine. The exact roster isn't public, but Daimler's central Mercedes-Benz brand had previously talked about making two sedans and two SUVs. Automobilwoche tipsters claim that the focus will be on crossovers and SUVs, although there would also be compact cars and sedans.
Apple is now selling 12-month Apple Music gift cards for $99 in the U.S., allowing people willing to commit for that span to save a significant amount on their subscription.
Better camera quality : Apple's iPhone cameras are consistently top-notch, but that doesn't mean they're the absolute best in every scenario. More and more Android phone makers employ hardware and software to increase manual control, add effects as well as filters and dominate low-light photography. Samsung's 2016 Galaxy phones are as good or better than the iPhone 6S/6S Plus, by most accounts . Apple needs to bring it.
A new study suggests global warming is an even bigger threat to Earth's most divine creature than we previously thought. A 2010 study conducted at the University of Santa Cruz predicted 40% of our precious lizard population will be dead by 2080, meaning about 20% of all lizard species will go extinct. Lizards are disproportionately affected by global warming because they're cold-blooded, which means they regulate their body temperature using their external environment.
Amazon , Apple , Google and Mozilla have all filed an amicus brief to support Microsoft in its battle against the US government over the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). The document, also known as a friend-of-the-court brief is designed to act as a legal show of support in Microsoft's ongoing battle against government officials over wording in the ECPA that lets officials determine when (or if) companies should notify customers of government information requests.
To access the feature, open the menu in Maps and head to 'Your timeline'. If you haven't used Timeline until now, you'll have to activate it before you can start tagging your Pokémon Go adventures.
When you tweet with a location, Twitter stores that location.
You can switch location on/off before each Tweet and always have the option to delete your location history.
Learn more
The company is back with a second headphone that it simply calls The Headphone. It, too, is completely wireless and consists of two wireless earbuds and a charging case. It's much more affordable than The Dash, carrying a list price of $149 (converting roughly to £110 in the UK and AU$195 in Australia), but will be available for $119 until November 1 in a preorder sale. That preorder price is roughly £90 and AU$155.
"We are excited for the first consumer release of the AMD AM4 socket and the first integration of our 7th Generation AMD A-Series processors into desktop devices," said Kevin Lensing, corporate vice president and general manager of Computing and Graphics at AMD. "At AMD, we are continually working to drive innovation that our customers want, including superior energy efficiency and the best streaming and graphics capabilities available."
Disrupt SF starts a week from today. There's still time to get on board, and here are a few reasons why you might be sad if you don't. You can still get a ticket here .
11 millennial money-saving ideas so teeny-tiny they might actually work
Apple recently increased parts orders for the "iPhone 7" — expected to be announced on Wednesday — in what may be a sign that it doesn't think iPhone sales will decline as harshly year-over-year as originally forecast, a report claimed on Monday.
Orders from suppliers were raised 10 percent , Taiwanese supply chain sources told DigiTimes . Apple allegedly predicted that iPhone shipments in the second half of 2016 would only be 60 percent of those a year ago, which averaged roughly 30 million units per month.
Even with a temporary improvement, parts orders are likely to diminish over the December quarter. While Apple needs a large quantity of components to meet launch and holiday demand for iPhones, sales inevitably shrink in the beginning of the following year, even if a product is a runaway success. The "iPhone 7" is mostly expected to be an interim update, with features like a faster processor, better camera technology, better waterproofing, a pressure-sensitive home button with haptic feedback, and more storage space — 32 gigabytes on the bottom end, 256 gigabytes at the top.
Heart-thumping action is Yoshida's specialty, but he's eager to talk about the potential beyond first-person shooters and simulated racing. The headsets could be used for virtual education, where students unable to physically attend can see their teacher and classmates as if they were in the same room. They may be rolled out in the music industry to let fans on stage with U2 or AKB48. By the time the Olympics come to Tokyo in four years, they could offer a glimpse off the 10-meter diving board or the goalkeeper's perspective during the soccer finals. "By 2020, everyone will already be using VR in some way or another," said Yoshida.
These won't be paid reviews – I purchase these products myself and use them for at least a month to bring you a real-world perspective. Because the only thing worse than feeling bad about not working out is buying some shitty product or app that doesn't actually work.
[NEW POST] Want to be a farmer? Motorleaf knows there's an app for that. http://bit.ly/2bZRZWe
#Tech #News #IoT pic.twitter.com/XgklFy3pWw
In a complaint to the New York District Court, MGT and McAfee argue that "at no point in the Agreement did McAfee assign the rights to his personal name [...] or agree to restrict his right to do business using his own name" and that the agreement with Intel "did not contain any non-compete provisions of any kind."


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subset: commoncrawl


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2 cups molasses 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cream or milk 1/4 pound unsweetened chocolate 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put all ingredients but vanilla into kettle. Boil until it hardens when tested in cold water; add vanilla and turn into large flat greased tins. When nearly cold, cut into small squares.
2 cups confectioners' sugar white of 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons cold water walnuts or other nuts
Mix sugar, unbeaten egg white, vanilla and cold water into a stiff paste. Shape into little balls, press between halved walnut or other nut meats.
Stoned dates and large seeded raisins may be filled with this cream, or it may be mixed with chopped nuts, shaped into bars and cut into squares.
1-1/2 cups sugar or maple syrup 1 tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons water 3 quarts popped corn
Boil sugar or syrup with butter and water until it spins a long thread; pour this on popcorn and if desired shape into balls. Candied nuts may be prepared in the same way.
1 cup molasses 2 cups brown sugar 1 cup water 3 tablespoons vinegar 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Put molasses, sugar, water and vinegar into saucepan and stir; when boiling add cream of tartar and boil until very brittle when tested in cold water; add butter and soda and pour on buttered platter. When cool enough to handle, butter hands and pull until light brown. Cut with scissors into small pieces.
3 cups sugar 1 cup milk or cream 1 tablespoon butter 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate or 6 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put sugar, milk and cocoa or chocolate into saucepan; stir and boil until it makes soft ball when tested in cold water; take from fire, add butter and vanilla, cool and stir until creamy. Pour on buttered plates and cut into squares.
2 cups light brown sugar 1/3 cup milk or cream 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 cup chopped nuts 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put sugar, milk, and butter into saucepan. Boil with as little stirring as possible until it makes a soft ball when tested in cold water. Take from fire; add nuts and vanilla; stir until creamy and pour into greased tins.
4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons boiling water 4 tablespoons cocoa 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix sugar and boiling water until smooth; add cocoa and vanilla; mix until creamy. Dust hands with sugar; take up 1/2 teaspoon of mixture and roll. Dust a plate with sugar, and roll balls in finely chopped nuts and allow to dry for about 2 hours.


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- Authors:
- 10.1002/chem.200501429
- Abstract:
- The stereocontrolled synthesis of (+)-7-deoxypancratistatin is described. The convergent synthesis has been achieved by two different strategies, both of which commence from a pentose and piperonal. The latter is converted into allylic bromide 7, which is then coupled with a protected methyl 5-deoxy-5-iodo-D-ribofuranoside in the presence of zinc metal. The first strategy involves a total of only 13 steps from D-ribose and piperonal, but suffers from a low yield in the zinc-mediated reaction between ribofuranoside 9, benzylamine, and bromide 7. The second strategy involves a total of 18 steps from D-xylose and piperonal. The former is converted into ribofuranoside 28, which is coupled with bromide 7 in the presence of zinc, and this is followed by ring-closing olefin metathesis. Subsequent Overman rearrangement, dihydroxylation, and deprotection then affords the natural product.
- Type:
- Journal article
- Language:
- English
- Published in:
- Chemistry-a European Journal, 2006, Vol 12, Issue 12, p. 3243-3253
- Keywords:
- Zinc; Carbohydrates; Natural products; Antitumour agents; Olefin metathesis; Total synthesis
- Main Research Area:
- Science/technology
- Submission year:
- 2006
- 8618093


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Sweet potato & pumpkin fritters
Easy to make, delicious sweet potato & pumpkin fritters. Fall recipe.
This recipe is suitable for IBS sufferers after few alterations. Please, read text in green (below the ingredients list).
1 tablespoon of spicy mustard, 2 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes, , 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon of: salt, warm paprika and ground pepper, 1 egg, flour or gluten free flour ( two small cups), olive oil for frying.
IBS sufferers, please:
– skip the mustard or swap spicy mustard for mild one; use one teaspoon instead of one tablespoon
– use plain white gluten free flour
– you can mix sweet potatoes with plain white potatoes to further limit risk of gut irritation (70 grams of sweet potatoes is a recommended dose on a low fodmap diet, you may be able to eat more though).
Cook potatoes, mash them, add rest of the ingredients (except flour) and stir them in. Add flour and stir ( till mix gets thicker; two times thicker than pancake mix). Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Spoon mixture into the pan (one tablespoon at a time) and form flat, round-shaped fritters. Fry for a few minutes on each side till golden brown.
Serve & ENJOY!
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Directed By: Dean DeBlois
Written By: Dean DeBlois, Cressida Cowell ("How to Train Your Dragon" book series)
Music Composed By: John Powell
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou, Kit Harington
Marge and I just got back from seeing How to Train Your Dragon 2 and this movie wowed us. So, even though I have some E3 stuff to catch up on (o.O), both Marge and I will be co-writing our Honest Review of How to Train Your Dragon 2. Let's dig in shall we!
Now, for those who aren't familiar with the first movie…why are you reading? It's a sequel! Get out of here!
…just kidding.
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is based on a series of (currently) 12 children's books, the first in the series falling under the exact same name. The first book has quite a few differences from the first film (which you can see by following the link above), but the books' author Cressida Cowell has said that she likes the films, and understands that changes must be made in adaptation.
The first movie's plot (spoilers, by the way) is centered on dragon prejudice, as the creatures repeatedly terrorized Berk, the home of the Viking characters. All of the humans have gross or unpleasant names to make them tough, we think, and they only kept dragons to train their young to fight them. They catalogued information about them in a book as well, noting that dragons breeds and abilities are about as varied as pokemon.
Hiccup, who is the son of the chief but weaker, skinnier, and more tender-hearted compared to other kids, struggles to fight the dragons like everyone else.
Not because he really wants to, but because he wants to please his village and his father. He finds the latter particularly difficult, because his father regards him as kind of an embarrassment, and doesn't listen to him much. Figuratively and literally, Hiccup has some big shoes to fill.
Trying to kill a dragon his own way (that being the brain over brawn, inventive way), he manages to wound a particularly elusive terror called the Night Fury, which no one has ever really seen. But instead of killing the thing, he befriends and learns from it, even inventing a way that it can fly again, with him in the saddle.
Together, he and his new buddy, Toothless, work to bridge the gap between humans and dragons, culminating in a grand misunderstanding with the village and his dad, and, eventually, a climactic fight with a large "queen" dragon that has been intimidating the other, smaller dragons and demanding food sacrifices. The Vikings realize they were wrong, and they wrangle and ride the dragons to victory.
Hiccup nearly loses his life in the battle, but he makes it out with a brief fakeout moment (as you do with movies aimed at kids), and the loss of one leg.
Quite a bold move for a family movie, too. But he and his blacksmith friend put together a neat, tricked-out peg leg for him, and he is back in the saddle in no time flat, finally accepted by his father and the rest of the village.
That, we believe, is Dreamwork's niche. They seem to love making stories about underdogs, as well as genre homages that end up becoming franchises of their own.
Another cool thing about this movie is that the loss of an important limb, for both Hiccup and Toothless, doesn't ostracize or weaken them in any way from either dragons or the rest of Berk. The two primarily depend on each other, and become the strongest dragon/rider combo of the whole bunch.
But yeah. Happily ever afters all around! Everything is better than before!
…Or is it?
This article contains not just some spoilers, but all the spoilers. So if you haven't seen the movie and you want to see it for yourself, stop reading here!
Five years from the first film, the teens are now all young adults. The Vikings have reformed and the dragons are now fully integrated, contributing members of society. The other kids in the last movie, who initially thought Hiccup had some awesome dragon taming/slaying ability and only gradually figured out that he was befriending them in secret, have now become skilled dragon riders and racers.
Hiccup is being set up to be the next village chief, a responsibility he does not want. Though he, with his trusty pet dragon Toothless, has discovered many unexplored lands and territories, he has not discovered what he truly wants because he has not fully discovered himself.
While investigating a wildfire, Hiccup and Astrid discover the remains of a fort encased in a massive ice formation. They encounter a young dragon trapper named Eret, who blames them for the destruction of his fort.
Plus, Hiccup has a f***ing lightsaber!
….Okay so it's not a lightsaber. It's called a Dragon's Blade, nicknamed Inferno. But still, it's freaking awesome and badass.
Eret then attempts to capture Hiccup and Astrid's dragons for a conqueror called Drago Bludvist, from whom Eret has received a scar for failing to capture enough dragons.
Hiccup and Astrid are able to escape this encounter and return to Berk to warn Stoick about the dragon army that Drago is amassing. Stoick, who has decided to "protect his own", orders the villagers to fortify the entire island and prepare for battle instead of attempting to reason with Drago, as Hiccup suggested. Hiccup then flies off with Astrid as they are closing the gates and they heroically…surrender themselves and their dragons to Eret, so as to be taken to Drago.
However, Stoick, Gobber and Berk's other dragon riders pursue and find them before Eret takes him to Drago. Stoick explains to Hiccup that he once met Drago before. Drago wanted to convince the whole Viking console that he knew how to kill all the dragons and all they had to do for that would be to bow down to him. They laughed it off, as did most of the group listening to this story, but when Drago stormed out, an armored dragon crashed through the roof and burned the place. Only Stocik escaped with his life, and the event has clearly shaken him to this day.
Hiccup refuses to believe that war is inevitable and again, flies off with Toothless. They are captured by a dragon rider named Valka. Inferno can be used not only for the use of combat, but also to allow him to bond with wild dragons and show them that he is "one of their own."
Valka is revealed to be Hiccup's long lost mother. She explains that she spent twenty years rescuing dragons from Drago's traps and bringing them to an island haven created out of ice by a colossal Alpha dragon called a Bewilderbeast, to whom all dragons answer. The two of them then make up for lost time, bonding as mother and son over their mutual love of dragons.
As it turns out, Valka was once like Hiccup. She believed that dragons were good, and tried to persuade others to no avail. She realized she was right when, during one "dragon attack," one of the creatures snuck into Hiccup's room. Instead of hurting or eating him, it played with him, but Stoick muscled his way onto the scene and, mistaking the situation, engaged the dragon in combat. It burned the room and fled, taking Valka with it.
This explains most of Stoick's dislike and distrust of dragons in the previous film, fixed only when he sees Toothless loyally defend and fight with his son, against all odds.
Stoick and Gobber track Hiccup to the island, where he discovers that his wife is still alive. Simultaneously, Astrid and the other riders kidnap Eret, thinking Hiccup has gone after Drago, but they are also captured and Drago learns of Berk's dragons and the nest with the alpha, leading him to drop everything and hightail-it there.
His army lays siege to Valka's sanctuary, where he reveals that he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the Alpha. A titanic battle erupts between the two Bewilderbeasts in a fight for control over all of the dragons. Drago's Bewilderbeast emerges victorious (by killing the other one, albeit bloodlessly) and seizes control of all the dragons.
Hiccup tries to persuade Drago to end the violence, but Drago has a vendetta against dragons, and has grown increasingly unreasonable and power-hungry. With control of the new alpha, and by extension, the dragon army, he can wipe out dragons with other dragons, and subjugate the humans who come to him for protection.
He can't see the potential to befriend the dragons and gain their respect.
Toothless, under the influence of the new Alpha (which Drago directly and verbally commands), approaches Hiccup and fires a plasma blast at him. At the last instant, Stoick pushes Hiccup out of the way, and is hit instead, killing him instantly. When Toothless regains his senses, a heart-broken and angry Hiccup drives him off. Drago leaves Hiccup and the others, riding the re-bewitched Toothless, and leads his now larger army to destroy/enslave Berk.
Stoick is given a neat "Epcot Viking funeral"; a cool image, complete with a ship set ablaze by flaming arrows. Hiccup, filled with regret at the loss of his father, but also new determination, decides that he will fly back to Berk to "protect his own," as both Stoick and Valka advised him previously.
The dragon riders ride baby dragons, which are immune to the Bewilderbeast's control (as they don't listen to anyone. Haha, sure the parents got a good snort out of that one), and arrive at Berk after the Alpha has already attacked on the village and taken control of the dragons there. Drago destroys things and generally terrifies the village.
Hiccup confronts Drago and a brainwashed Toothless in the air, while the other riders work to distract the Bewilderbeast by catapulting sheep, among other things. Drago again orders Toothless to kill Hiccup, but Hiccup succeeds in disenchanting Toothless. He knew his friend never meant to hurt him, or his father, and his courage and unyielding trust in the dragon break through to him, and he fights the alpha's control from there on out.
Drago then orders the Alpha to shoot the pair, and the Bewilderbeast successfully encases them in a large blast of ice, seemingly killing them. His victory is short-lived however, as Toothless, now glowing with plasma, blasts away the ice, revealing that both he and Hiccup are unharmed. Toothless challenges the alpha, repeatedly fires plasma blasts at it. At this, the other dragons are freed from the Bewilderbeast's control and all fire at it, severely injuring the colossal dragon until Toothless fires a final massive blast, breaking its left tusk.
Defeated, Drago and his Bewilderbeast retreat into the ocean as the villagers celebrate their victory. All the dragons acknowledge Toothless as the new alpha dragon, and Hiccup is made chief of Berk by the village elder. The film ends with Berk being rebuilt with a statue erected in Stoick's likeness, and Hiccup living up to his duties as chief.
In the last film, the dialogue from the beginning is turned on its head in the end. Now, it reaffirms the convictions of the beginning, that dragons are their friends and worthy of their respect, with an extra quip that playfully warns away anyone who would rise against them. Hiccup proudly declares that while others may have armies and armadas, Berk has dragons. So good luck with that.
Hiccup is the main human character. He is a bit scrawny and wimpy, although now a bit less so, but makes up for it with his resourcefulness, intelligence, and his desire to keep the peace and negotiate. He hesitates a bit, unsure of himself and uncomfortable living in his father's shadow, but both this and the previous film do a great job showing him coming into his own, finding his own strength as the next leader of his village. He can build traps, equipment for dragons and riders, and a glider that allows him to fly alongside Toothless, at times. He spends a lot of time exploring the land around Berk, naming and mapping it.
Toothless is Hiccup's dragon companion. While he is silent (aside from gurgles and various sound effects), his face and body are very fluid and expressive, giving him almost as much personality as Hiccup. He is covered in black scales, has black and yellow eyes and a large mouth. The left side of his tail fin is missing, replaced by an artificial one that Hiccup put in place. He is a fast and agile flier, and rumored to be the last of his kind, the Night Fury, which is known as one of the most, if not the most, intelligent breed of dragons.
Stoick is the head of Berk, father of Hiccup, and best friend to Gobber, the blacksmith. While he is accepting of dragons now, he can still be stubborn and not listen to Hiccup, who frequently mumbles and beats around the bush anyway. He is large, strong, and extremely loyal, to the point that he does not appear at all angry with his wife, even though she essentially hid from him for 20 years.
Drago Bludvist is a new character, and the resident "bad guy." His unnamed village was attacked when he was a kid, and his arm was either chewed or blasted off. His only real character trait is ruthlessness. He shows no mercy to dragons, or people, if they cross him.
He could have been more interesting, given more motivation, personality, or even less vagueness in his backstory. He isn't forgettable, necessarily, but he comes across as very standard. By the books baddie.
Valka is a new character, wife of Stoick and mother of Hiccup. She has essentially gone Tarzan, living in harmony with the dragons and learning all of their secrets. She did not go back to Stoick and Hiccup (even after she learned to ride dragons) because she was convinced that nothing in Berk would ever change, and she couldn't compromise what she felt was the right thing. As with Drago, it might have been interesting to learn more about her, but que sera sera…
Astrid is (now officially) Hiccup's fiancé. In the last film, she was stubborn, proud, and violent, but now she is a bit more reserved emotionally. She still has her fun, snarky, ass-kicking moments, and moments where she mouths off at the bad guys, too. She is the best fighter of the group, and has become almost as good a dragon rider as Hiccup, despite getting pushed to the background frequently.
The rest of the group are Fishlegs, the large, clumsy, nerdy one; Snoutlout, the bro-y guy who thinks he's cooler than he is; and Ruffnut and Tuffnut, fraternal twins that like to prank, bicker, and generally be vulgar with themselves and others. Ruffnut, the girl twin, crushes on Eret after she meets him, constantly flirting and making creepy faces.
<Marge note: 50% of the time, she is funny, and the other 50% is "Do. Not. Want!">
For a while, she also has Fishlegs and Snoutlout at her beck and call. I guess that is because she is the only single girl left in the group, but she uses them, then acts disgusted and annoyed by them, repeatedly.
These characters (other than Astrid) mostly make up different flavors of comic relief, usually relating to slapstick and clumsiness. Gobber is the dry-wit comic relief. He, Astrid, and Hiccup get most of the one-liners.
Eret is a new character, a dragon trapper that works for Drago. He seems cocky, only interested in money and saving his own skin, but he turns around when Astrid's dragon saves him from being murdered by Drago.
Since music is my speciality, this part is strictly from me.
John Powell returned from the first movie, which he won his first Academy Award from, to score the sequel. Powell recorded his music in London with a 120 piece orchestra and a 100-voice choir. The music was conducted by the composer's usual collaborator, Gavin Greenaway. Powell called the project "a maturation story", stating that he also hoped to achieve maturation in the structure of his music, by further developing and pushing every aspect of his compositions from the original film. Even with such a good foundation, it can be a challenge building off of the old and making outstanding new.
<Marge note: At times in the score, I could swear I heard notes and chords from "Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal)," from Disney/Pixar's Brave. Just a few, and I couldn't be totally sure, but still. But I like that song, so no issue there 🙂 Also, all of the adults have Scottish accents (despite the kids sounding distinctly American) anyway.>
Also on the project were pipers from the Scottish group, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers (not to be confused with the "Peppers"), and Sigur Rós lead vocalist, Jónsi, who wrote the songs in collaboration with the composer.
A soundtrack album for the film will be released on June 17, 2014 by Relativity Music Group. The album will feature over an hour of score by Powell, along with two original songs by Jónsi. Powell is expected to come back for the next film as well, which is currently planned for sometime in 2016. Interestingly enough, Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak, who provides the Norwegian voice for Hiccup, also provides the song, "Into a Fantasy" in the European version of the film.
The songs and score combine some of the traditional and modern, which works nicely and fits the more modern characters dwelling in an old world" theme. "Where No One Goes" takes one of the main musical themes from the last movie, and adds lyrics and different instrumentation to it. This song is both of our favorites of the whole soundtrack.
Comedy/Drama/Things Parents Might Want to Know
We've already sort of brought up the comedy in the character section. It's funny, if a little overdone sometimes (particularly Ruffnut). So let's move on to the drama, shall we?
Oh, the drama. Be warned, for once you reach the second half of the film, the feels get pretty intense. There are aerial battles (of course), but also…
Hiccup's dad dies instantly, seemingly painlessly, leaving no room for spluttering breaths or a death speech. Hiccup momentarily lashes out at Toothless for killing him (albeit unintentionally), but while Hiccup realizes it too late, as you would expect, it's pretty quick by the standards of movie run time. Some emotions are short, but well played, making good use of what time they are allowed.
We heard a few kids cry in the theatre during the funeral scene, but at least it didn't linger on the body so much, like with some other notable characters.
The original alpha dragon dies, but as we've mentioned, it's bloodless and very quick. Marge almost didn't realize it at first, so it might fly over plenty of people's heads. At least at first.
We give Dreamworks credit: they certainly don't pull punches. Maybe everything turns out alright in a Disney movie (except for the parents, because screw having parents!), but Dreamworks seems to like to mess with the typical idea of a "happy ending." Just like they really like making the main characters of their movies losers, outcasts, or grotesque in some way (probably in an effort to make them more realistic, or at least relatable).
A happy ending in the last movie meant dealing with the loss of Hiccup's leg. This movie's happy ending is moving on from the loss of his father and becoming head of the village. Sometimes, the happiest ending of all is just making it through the day. That can be a worthwhile lesson, even if it isn't the cheeriest.
To quote the mighty, all-knowing, and infallible Wikipedia:
"How to Train Your Dragon 2 was the first DreamWorks Animation film that used 'scalable multi-core processing', developed together with Hewlett-Packard. Called by Katzenberg as 'the next revolution in filmmaking,' it enabled artists for the first time to work on rich complex images in real time, instead of waiting eight hours to see the results next day. The film was also the studio's first film to use its new animation and lighting software through the entire production. Programs, named Premo and Torch, allowed much more subtlety, improving facial animation and enabling 'the sense of fat, jiggle, loose skin, the sensation of skin moving over muscle instead of masses moving together.'"
Just as with How to Train Your Dragon, the highlights of the film are any given flying seen. Whether just flying to fly, or flying into battle, the characters and their dragons practically leap off of the screen.
If visuals alone could carry a film, this would definitely qualify as a good, strong one. Thankfully, it also has engaging characters and story.
But animation and graphics are crucial, for without them, we would not be able to buy the illusion, no matter how good the story was. That is the simultaneous goal and challenge of film as a medium, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 laughs at such a challenge, daring the audience not to be enthralled and enraptured by the world it has created. Look at the gif above again, and just stare in awe at the detail put into every wave on that CG sea.
Overall (and from both of us)
9 out of 10. Definitely a must see for kids of all ages, especially those at heart.


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First line: God shall arise and by His might
Tune name: GENEVAN 68
stanzas: 1, 2, 3
Genre: Renaissance
Source: Cantus Christi p100
Composer: Anon, harm. Claude Goudimel, 1564 PD
Author: William W. J. VanOene, 1972 ©
Singer: Michael E. Owens
Quality: 2 too slow
Comments: Same tune as GENEVAN 36. Taken from www.genevanpsalter.com. Alto and Tenor may vary.


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Enter Gorbachev
When Gorbachev assumed the Party leadership, the analytic questions targeted by the CIA were not whether Gorbachev faced a deteriorating economy and major societal problems. They were: what would be his plan for dealing with them? What would be the repercussions on political stability in the USSR? What would be the implications for US security interests?
CIA products and a National Intelligence Estimate produced within a few months of Gorbachev's accession, (Appendix A, references 14-16) described the enormous tasks he faced but concluded (in CIA's case) that he was indeed a new kind of leader with an agenda to confront the maladies in the Soviet economy and society. These early assessments, however, also presented CIA's judgment that if Gorbachev's vision really went no further than trying to ``fix'' the existing system, his prospects of achieving his aims were low. (This judgment was also presented to the JEC at the end of Gorbachev's first year in office. See Appendix A, reference 20.)
Within the first year of Gorbachev's tenure, CIA's Office of Soviet Analysis (SOVA) also raised the prospect that his agenda could have major implications for defense outlays (Appendix A, references 17 and 18). It judged that, for a while, he could postpone confronting this issue, given the military-industrial infrastructure already in place. SOVA believed, however, that if he was serious in his objectives, he would ultimately have to deal with the defense burden. On the basis of this analysis, the office attempted to record a dissent from a 1986 NIE's projections of Soviet strategic force deployments over the coming decade (Appendix A, reference 19) on the grounds that the level of expenditure needed to acquire those forces was directly contradictory to Gorbachev's economic revitalization goals.
At the end of Gorbachev's first year, CIA disseminated a lengthy analysis (Appendix A, reference 21) that previewed the dynamic that would ultimately shape his tenure. It provided an in-depth look at the sources of the endemic societal problems he was confronting and highlighted his principal dilemma-that the very steps needed to deal with these problems would threaten the preservation of the nomenklatura's power and thus put at risk his ability to maintain the political strength he needed to bring about change.
CIA analyses during the period 1987-88 (Appendix A, references 22-27) described the increasingly evident flaws in Gorbachev's approach to restructuring the existing system. These papers pointed to the evidence that his half measures at reform were generating political resistance among the bureaucracy while failing to produce the economic results necessary to sustain popular support for his revitalization program. They also described the intensifying nationality fissures and the coalescing of threatened establishment factions into an opposing political force.
In a CIA assessment in the fall of 1989, the prospect that Gorbachev would be able to control the events he had turned loose were described as ``doubtful at best.''
These same products included SOVA analysts' views that, to contain pressures for defense outlays that would be counter-productive to his economic objectives, Gorbachev would seek arms control agreements and other measures to ratchet down the East-West confrontation. In June 1988, SOVA also disseminated a study (Appendix A, reference 28) concluding that Gorbachev was finally going to confront the military burden issue and that there was a good chance of a significant unilateral cut in Soviet defense spending.
By this time, CIA analysts had concluded that Gorbachev himself recognized the failure of his flawed approach and saw the need for and was prepared to undertake more radical approaches. The CIA's expectations of a ``watershed'' were described in a paper disseminated in June 1988 (Appendix A, reference 29). The timing it postulated for Gorbachev's action was a bit premature, but he did make his move a few months later, at the end of September, when he sought to circumscribe the power of the party and bureaucracy. The CIA forecast this event shortly before it happened (Appendix A, reference 30).


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It's Halloween so why not darken the mood with heavier music and horror movie tones. Otherwise it's business as usual with video game talk first and then a music segment thereafter.
Video Games
GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, The Walking Dead, Madden 25, Diablo III, Spelunky
and Music
Misfits- Skulls (Walk Among Us), The Loved Ones- Jane (Keep Your Heart), Red Fang- Blood Like Cream (Whales and Leeches), Bill Callahan- The Sing (Dream River)
Extra Life 11/2/2013


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I have been trying to find the best way to use all the medical resources available to me here in Costa Rica. This country is blessed with many talented, affordable medical practitioners and several options from public to private doctors, as well as pharmacists, and independent labs. My challenge has been to piece all these parts together in the best, most affordable solution.
I first laid out my initial healthcare plan in this article. The summary is: get healthy, use the pharmacist first for burns, rashes, bites, etc., followed by a public /private doctor followed by a public / private hospital. Some folks feel you are "cheating" on the CAJA if you use private doctors or labs, but really each person has to make choices on what is right for them, which might include using a combination of the best of all options.
The problem I had with my initial plan was I am not keen on searching for the best doctors, gynecologists, dermatologists, nutritionists, ultrasound, etc. when I need one. There are not many resources for finding medical resources in Costa Rica. A question on Facebook might result in plenty of doctor recommendations all over Costa Rica, many of whom would be difficult to reach without a car. One resource I found useful and would recommend is Hulihealth which lists many doctors (not all) with their bio, charges and customer ratings. You can even set up an appointment electronically if calling on the phone intimidates you. But even using Huliheath can involve running all around Costa Rica from doctor to specialist to lab to pharmacist trying to address a medical issue. Since we do not have a car, working with doctors spread across Costa Rica is problematic, and I was hoping for a more centralized solution.
I first heard about about Medismart from "The Real Costa Rica Blog" in which the author recounted his cancer treatment in Costa Rica Post. I was drawn to Medismart because the program appeared to have all the doctors, tests, and specialists I might need in one place under one plan that offered a discount for using them. For folks not familiar with Costa Rica currency, here is the trick. In round numbers, the exchange rate is 500 colones to $1. So, below, a gynecologist's normal price in Costa Rica of c45,000 is about $90, but through the Medismart plan you pay c9,000 or $18 and save c36,000 or $72. The same appointment could cost $150 in the US (for reference).
Note, Medismart is NOT an insurance program. MediSmart is a Prepaid Medical Plan that offers a wide range of medical services through the Metropolitan Hospital with discounts that will save up to 80% of your bill. Here is an example of the specialties and the discount offered for each. Again, using the conversion trick, General Medicine c6,940 is about $13.88.
MediSmart is a company of Grupo Montecristo. I noticed similar programs in Nicaragua and Panama where you affiliate with a specific hospital, pay a monthly fee and get discounted services. Think of Medismart like a Costco membership. The deal is UNLIMITED usage, $12 plus $3 per dependent per month with NO restrictions, age limits, etc. I notice they offer optometrist exams, dental and veterinary service too. Since I do not have any pets, I cannot vouch for the veterinary services. The discount by speciality is listed here.
I started my journey by sending an email to the contact address on their website. It took a week to get back to me. I figured they were searching for someone who spoke English to respond. Nancy Solis sent me an email answering my questions. We corresponded back and forth until I decided to just call her. Unfortunately, I discovered Nancy could read and write English but not speak it, so I was happy to stay with the email. After feeling satisfied that my questions had been answered, I went online and registered. Medismart charges your credit card monthly. If you want to cancel, you have to give them two months' notice. My monthly cost is $15 ($12+3) for my wife and me.
I emailed Nancy to make my first appointment and she told me I had to call the appointment phone number. My heart was beating fast thinking, will anyone speak English? I called the appointment number and said hello in English, which caused a long silence and lots of commotion until Jeffery came on the line. Jeffery speaks great English. He noticed my wife's details were not correct and fixed them.
One thing I like about the Medismart program is they use Hulihealth's medical appointment software which sends me an email with the appointment details that can easily be added to my calendar so there is no confusion over dates and times.
Of course, when you join any group plan, they assign you a number and give you a membership card. Medismart's process to is "mail" your card. I put quotes around mail because I had never seen mail delivered in Costa Rica. I provided my "Tico address" which is based on landmarks. My address is "across from the electric company substation, 300 meters north and 50 meters east in an apartment with #1." As fortune would have it, the motorcycle messenger came to my house while I was outside and we connected. That was a good sign.
I started our Medismart journey with an easy test of having my wife see a general doctor about some concerns she had. Jeffery set up the appointment for Thursday at 2pm. Normally, because of the rain, I prefer to do things in the morning, but I sucked it up and accepted the time slot. We headed over at 1pm to give ourselves plenty of time since we had never been in that part of town before. Hospital Metropolitano is a little south of Parque de La Merced and not hard to find.
The Hospital has two buildings across the street from each other. The smaller building on the east side appears to be an ER and is open 7×24. We also went there for the ultrasound. There appears to be plenty of parking around the hospital, though we take the bus and walk so cannot comment on the cost. We went through the parking lot of the west side building for our appointment. So entering the building might not be obvious to folks from the States since you go through the parking lot and then through the cafeteria to get to the receptionist's desk. The receptionist directed us to the cashier.
The casher took our information and charged my credit card BEFORE the appointment. The discount (descuento) was clearly shown.
We sat in the comfortable and uncrowded waiting room until the doctor came.
The appointment was at 2pm and the doctor called my wife in at 1:57, so right on time. After the appointment, the doctor came out to the clerks and helped set up appointments for some tests she wanted done. Thank God I didn't have to call the appointment number and hope Jeffery was in the office.
We came back the next week, again pre-paid at the main building and took the appointment and receipt across the street and presented them to the receptionist. I thought it would be pretty clear what we were having done using the appointment document and the receipt, but there was slight confusion and luckily one person spoke English and got us set up. We accidentally walked into the ultrasound area. I think we were supposed to wait for our name to be called, but they took my wife anyway 20 minutes early.
The specialists and technicians were professional and friendly and spoke English. The one technician who did not still was able to give clear instructions. Unlike in the US, they gave immediate feedback and gave Jeni her x-rays and ultrasound photos before we left.
After receiving the test results, we walked back across the street to review them with the doctor. I think we should have made an appointment beforehand. The doctor saw us waiting and scheduled a follow-up appointment. We waited an hour for that time slot and the doctor reviewed all the results, gave my wife some options and a prescription. I was prepared to pay for another visit; this visit did not cost anything. We decided to use the convenient hospital pharmacy, which had all the medications the doctor prescribed, and the 7% Medismart discount was applied. Again, I am not a fan of running around town trying to fill a prescription, so I liked that convenience, though I cannot say whether or not it was a deal. Another thing I like about the comprehensive arrangement is when the pharmacist has a question, he can walk down the hall and ask the doctor.
Having accomplished test #1, we took another baby step and scheduled a dermatology appointment. I called the appointment line and got Jeffery again. He set up the appointment with the dermatologist the following week. He was very helpful and made sure we got an English-speaking doctor. In addition, he gave me his email so I would not need to call in and could handle appointments electronically.
When I went in for the dermatology appointments and tried to prepay like previous times, the cashier directed me to the dermatologist's office which is on the first floor directly behind the cashiers. The dermatologist's receptionist spoke great English. We had our appointment, had our questions answered, were examined, paid our bill and left. So, very easy and inexpensive. If you are a stickler for details and predictability, the only "glitch" was that we got the discount for the consultation as listed above, but burning off the suspect spots was extra. Also, if you want any plastic surgery, botox, or tummy tucks, those procedures are not discounted under the Medismart plan.
So, here is what I have spent so far. For $15 first month's fee, I have saved $160.
I am happy with this solution so far. Medismart offers me all the doctors, specialists, tests, and drugs I need in one location. The plan is a low $15 a month for my wife and I, conveniently charged to my credit card each month. The two-month cancelation policy seems low risk. The prices and discounts are available on their website, and making an appointment is very easy by phone or email. And email confirmation makes adding appointments to my calendar easy.
I think this is a good plan for anyone who wants to take control of their healthcare where convenience (location, specialists, appointments and payment) is important. Remember my initial plan was to get healthy and be proactive, which this plan allows me to do. Since we do not have a car, going to one location to get everything done is perfect for us.
Here is another article on the company link
A final note. Since we are typically at the hospital for our appointments around lunch we have been happy to find this place to get a meal and would recommend it to anyone doing the same.


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"Strangers by Accident combine sweet, harmonized vocals with rootsy guitars for a sound that is both modern and a throwback." - NBC10 Boston
"10 Boston Musicians Slaying the Scene" - Pat On Pop
"Strangers by Accident deserve the attention that equals their incredible songwriting and performing talent." - EarToTheGround Music
"The band creates a tapestry that sits somewhere between the canyons of rock n' roll and American folk/roots." - Red Line Roots
"Interview with Strangers By Accident – Reckless" - Middle Tennessee Music
"['Seattle'] is a stunning, beautiful track that is unrelenting in its mission to bring unheralded emotion to the forefront with melodic guitar blasts, incredible vocals, and a sonic mission like no other" - Music Box Pete
"Strangers is a beautifully minimalist take on modern indie-folk. It's the kind of sound you can carry around in a suitcase, intimate and earnest." - The Deli Magazine
"Strangers By Accident's self-titled first EP debuted earlier this year, with five songs of forlorn, post-breakup folk full of the heartbreak and uncertainty that colored Sousa's move to Massachusetts." - Scout Cambridge
"Strangers by Accident's 5 song EP establishes the male/female duo as somewhere between the wistful, major key acoustic pop of the Weepies and the spartan acoustic delicacy of Joshua Radin's early work." - Independent Clauses
"A tremendously gifted and talented group that is most certainly worthy of your listening time." - MusicBoxPete
Copyright 2016 - Strangers by Accident


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Token by Xuan En
We last featured Xuan En's work on the site back in 2016, when we picked out her 'clay' animation. Xuan En's latest project is a VFX short film titled Token.
"A young boy from a monochromatic space follows a game token and enters another dimension, where one is given the ability to interact with murals. Being lost in a different world, he finds a second boy who challenges him to a race to retrieve his lost coin."
Click here to read more about the film.


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Don Cherry Trolled All Of Canada By Wearing A Bruins Tie On Hockey Night In Canada Last Night. I Shit You Not.
And people bash Jack Edwards for being a homer. This is Don Cherry, co-host of the nationally televised Hockey Night in Canada, wearing a Bruins tie and a gold jacket last night. I like his balls.
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Cycling Safety!
A prime goal of the Harpeth Bike Club is to promote safety on the road. Dr. Michael has examined the topic and provides these very useful tips:
There have been a few people injured in cycling accidents recently. Some of us recently had a discussion of what to do if there is a wheel overlap and rubbing of wheels. What is the best way to avoid a fall?
Touching wheels is the major cause of crashes in a peloton or group, so it is important to know what to do to avoid falling if your front wheel gets hit. This is a composite of advice from a number of sources to avoid wheel overlap and falls.
1. Paceline riding to avoid wheel overlap: Match gearing and cadence with the rider next to you. If you pull, maintain a steady speed or cadence (on hills). Stay away from surges at the front.
2. If the paceline slows or yo-yo's: Feather the rear brake. Coast a pedal stroke or two. Don't swerve, the rider behind you is depending on your line. Someone stated it well "If a guy at the front moves over 4 inches, then at the back it is amplified to 4 feet"
3. If someone falls in front of you: Don't get caught watching as the first rider goes down. Focus on an exit strategy. Find a way around or through the trouble ahead. Point the bike straight, level the pedals, and flex your knees and elbows. You will absorb an impact better and allow yourself a chance to ride out of the accident.
4. What to do if there is Wheel Contact: The key to recovering from a wheel contact is to turn your front wheel into the other bicycle's rear wheel. This allows you to regain balance and then turn away without crashing.
When an overlapped wheel is bumped, turn into the direction of contact. Turn your wheel slightly into the other rider's back wheel and stop pedaling until the other bike pulls away. Do not overreact. You bike wants to go straight. Keep it straight and then you will pull away slightly. So, if your front wheel taps a rear wheel on your left side, turn the handlebar left into the other bike and lean that way. It is exactly opposite of what you want to do. This provides a counterforce that pushes you and your bike away, together, from the rear wheel without losing your center of gravity. In this technique, your entire body and bike will act as one solid unit and be more likely to bounce off rather than jackknife into a crash. This is the why the Pro's lean on each other during contact in a sprint.
Here is the reason why.
When the wheels touch from overlap, his rear wheel pushes my front wheel to the left as if I'm starting to turn left. However, the bicycle itself continues going forward, resulting in an immediate fall because the wheel was turned to the left without a corresponding lean to the left by the bicycle.
This explanation can be tested by walking a bike in a straight line, then turning the wheel right or left without leaning the bike in the same direction. The bike will immediately become unbalanced and want to fall. This is the same reason why it is important to leaning into a corner when making a turn on a bike.
Instinctively when wheels touch, the trailing rider (front wheel touch) will want to separate immediately and will jerk the handlebar away from the other rider's back wheel. But that turn of the wheel without the bicycle leaning in the same direction (while the bicycle continues to go forward) will cause a fall.
I am hoping this explanation, taken from various sources, will help in being able to recover safely from contact of a wheel overlap.
Michael DeRoche


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Directed by: Olivier Megaton
When a film franchise becomes absurdly popular there is almost no point trying to form a critical opinion. 'Taken 3' is absolutely obliterating Oscar nominated films and making a heck of a lot of cash at the box office. As far as the movie business goes, that's all that matters. Whenever a new 'Taken; movie is at the cinemas, your average man and woman on the street aren't going to take a quick look at the Rotten Tomatoes score and decided to stay at home and spend a night flicking through Netflix, they are going to go along and enjoy it for what it is. They go on the roller coaster because they want to taste the vomit in the back of their throat.
The studio behind 'Taken 3' is aware they have a sure-fire box office hit, and they want to keep bringing home the bacon. But how to better this? Make even more dollar dollar. This involves compromising a little by cutting out some of the blood, tapping into the family market. In a similar move to the release of 'Expendables 3', 'Taken 3' is packaged as an accessible action movie, fun for all the family. It is the kind of movie where a Dad raised on 'Die Hard', 'Terminator' and 'Rambo' can take along his ten year old son and not expect an ear bashing from Mum for exposing their precious boy to bloody ultra-violence. Certainly it is interesting to see how director Olivier Megaton has presented a woman with her throat cut in the most tasteful way possible and even a bit of playful water boarding.
At the beginning of 'Taken 3' Liam Neeson's Bryan Mills' seems to be going through a period of relative calm. He is able to play golf with his veteran CIA colleagues, is on good terms with his ex-wife Lenore and happy that his daughter Kim is attending college and in a stable relationship. This quickly changes when Lenore is murdered. Don't worry folks, I am not spoiling anything. Her murder was revealed in the trailers. I'm still scratching my head at that the reason for that blatant giveaway.
The sad thing for Neeson is that once again he plays a man whose wife has died. It is almost like this is written in all of his acting contracts, and somehow helps him cope with his unimaginable real life loss. I don't want to labour too much on this point, because I'm uneasy with encroaching too much into an actors private lives.
'Taken 3' takes a long while to get going; when Lenore is murdered the film finally gathers pace and essentially becomes 'The Fugitive'. Mills is pursued by Inspector Franck Dotzler (Forest Whitaker), an inspector who will happily eat pieces of evidence, and at the end of the film claim he figured it all out, despite always being off the pace and effectively chasing shadows through the whole movie. Mills runs from the inept LAPD whilst at the same time trying to figure out who killed his wife.
What makes the movie a mess is the botches, whenever Mills is on the run, either on foot, or in a car chase, the camera work is all over the place. It is difficult to see what actually is happening. At one stage during a car chase a shipping container rolls off the back of a lorry, and what should be an absolutely terrifying action sequence is thrown away by shoddy camera work.
When 'Taken 4' is no doubt released in a couple of years' time, people will still flock to see it. But who knows, maybe the 'Taken' franchise will get better, in a similar way to how the 'Fast and the Furious' franchise has been revived. A new director and a few new characters could give Bryan Mills a second wind. As for now all I can say is that 'Taken 3' is a flaccid action movie and the worst in the franchise by far.


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Click on the Sub pages Flora & Fauna or Land & Seascapes to view a snapshot of the many images available.
Unless specifically stated all my images have been taken in the open natural environment – so not in wildlife parks or zoos.
As such, my photos portray a true and original glimpse of the unique
characters of these amazing animals along with their diverse habitats.
A list with print options and pricing will be uploaded soon.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive, therefore it is best to contact me to discuss your personal wishes.


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It's time to highlight some of the young entrepreneurs in the uk, that we believe you should all keep your eyes on for 2011, we've tried our best to come up those entrepreneurs we think are going to hit the big time success or get lots of mainstream media attention, if it hasnt started already.
You might feel i've missed a few entrepreneurs of the list, feel free to let me know about them and why you feel they should be in the list or what entrepreneur/startup you have your eyes on in 2011 in the comments section.
I am only human, which means i might not know every startups or entrepreneur in the UK.
Suleman Sacranie - 99PSHOPPER
He sold his first company after applying and getting through the bbc dragon den online.
He started his second company 99pshopper in his 1st year at university, he later decided to drop out of university and focus on company full-time. His company is already showing huge potential, its profitable and it continues to grow.
99pshopper.com is an online shopping website where users can buy items for 99p or under, normal high street products are sold for 99p, products are also delivered to household around Europe.
Jamal Edwards - SBTV
Jamal started his own film company at the age of 16, just casually filming grime artists locally, and since then has grown to film most of the biggest artists in the music industry. Now at 20 years, he is on the verge of pushing SB.TV Further globally.
He is certainly changing the direction of the platform, from just a hobby to a business. Jamal has grown SB.TV into a company with 7 employees, more than over 25,000 subscribers and over 30 million hits on its youtube channel.
SB.TV is a new, innovative and exciting, 'music and lifestyle' media platform with a 'Global' reach.
Jess Ratcliffe - Gaboom
A gamer from an early age, although she came up with her first idea of gaboom at age 15, until she started university. She founded gaboom (aged 19) whilst studying Management (BSc) at Royal Holloway, University of London. Jessica Ratcliffe is a founding committee member of Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs.
She appeared on BBC TV show, Dragons Den. she has raised up to £50,000 for her business so far. She is currently taking time from university to focus on gaboom full-time.
GaBoom is a user-to-user video game exchange, where you can get the games you want using the games you own, by swapping them with other users.
Sabirul islam
Sabirul got his first taste of business at 13, working for cousin, he got fired within 2 weeks. Got into the entrepreneurial life at 14, designing calendars for teachers in schools. Became an investor at 16.
Sold 42,500 copies of his book "World at your feet" in 9 months, speaking at 379 events, 333 secondary schools.
Now 20, he looking to speak in 20 countries in 12 months. In November, preparing for the launch of his Teen-Trepreneur Board Game which will be selling globally.
James King - Find Invest, Grow (F.I.G)
Upon graduation from the univeristy, after being frustrated with the lack of options he had trying to raise funds for his startup, james decided to start FIG(Find, Invest, Grow) in sept of 09.
FIG (Find, Invest, Grow), a new start-up company launched to help young entrepreneurs fund their business projects in the form of investors and outsourcing. FIG helps students and business graduates alike, create their projects in earlier stages by finding them investors as it is hard to obtain the resources with such little experience.
Jessica Grosvenor (Freelance Training & Consultancy)
Prior to starting her business, The 25yr old entrepreneur from Wolverhampton was a Freelance teacher for 5 years. Within six months of starting the business - Freelance Training & Consultancy, it turned over £1.46 million.
She won the Shell LIveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2010, walking away with £10,000 in cash prize and valuable business contacts and press.
Her company offers bespoke training across Health and Social Care and Leadership and Management using NHS qualified nurses and assessors who have been made redundant due to the reduction in NHS facilities.
Emma jaynes parkes and Viviane jaeger - Squid London
Emma-Jayne Parkes and Viviane Jaeger launched their product design business, SquidLondon, while studying at the London College of Fashion.
The early days at Squidlondon saw them sell all their 100 limited umbrella in just 11 days after they were featured on the sunday times. Since the pair graduated in 2008 the business has taken off. They sold 10,000 umbrellas in the first year and are on track to sell 20,000 this year.
Christian owens - Branchr
He started his first business aged 14- website mac box bundle using his pocket money, the website has taken £700,000 since its launch in 2008. He then launched advertising pay-per-click company 'Branchr' a year later and worked on the business after school and at weekends.
His company Branchr made £500,000 in its first year - aged just 16, the site counts william hill and myspace as its client. Christian, from Corby, Northamptonshire, currently employs eight staff – all adults – around the UK and America as sales and technical assistants, and plans to open two Branchr offices in the next year.
He has vowed that he will not stop building branchr until it is worth £100million.
Starting your own tech business? IncuBus London can help you build a solid foundation on the way to raising your first round of funding. Learn more about the startup incubator.
Gerard jones - The Gérard School of Football
Gerard decided to launch the Gérard School of Football at the age of 19 after getting released from his club.
He decide to pursue a career as a professional football coach rather than continuing as a footballer although he had offers to play in USA on scholarship and some local pro clubs, he knew he would be a better manager.
He was later featured on BBC with bookmakers ranking me at 1000/1 to become the next England Manager.
Gérard School of Football (GSF) provides specialist football coaching to boys and girls of all abilities aged from 5-14, now regarded as the North of England Premier Football School having reached Top 7 in the UK for Best Local Activity for Children Aged 5-12.
Joel Gascoigne - Founder of onepage
Graduated from university of warwick - Master of Engineering in Computing Systems. Joel decided to start the company towards the end of his degree.
OnePage is like your business card, but online. you can access this card with your mobile phone. When you meet someone, instead of handing over a printed business card, you send the person your OnePage. That way, you save the person you are giving your contact card , having to type out your details when he/she gets home.
Artur Majsterek - 1eat
Artur started his first big venture at 16 which was supposed to find employment for all the poles wanting to work in UK in the catering business. He decided to try banking, interning with citi. After starting university, he decided to go back into the entrepreneurial world, starting a speed dating agency which he broke evem with.
He is the former President of the London School of Economics Entrepreneurs. Currently studying management at LSE University, Artur is putting most of his focus on 1eat, he has visited 42 countries and he hopes to visit 100 countries. 1eat is a service that offers discounts in hundreds of restaurants across London.
Creative nerds - DIRUJAN SABESAN and SAM THORNTON
The company that started as a little online venture in 2009, and as grown into a powerhouse in the UK. Now recognised as a household name in the web design & development industry, doing web, print design for some of the top music artists in the UK.
With partners such as universal music group to their list, Creative nerds are definitely a company to keep your eyes glued to.
Edwin Broni-Mensah - GiveMeTap
Edwin is currently a student at Manchester university studying for an Applied Maths PhD. Edwin's first-class degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, which led to him being awarded a straight scholarship to study his PhD. He was named the most outstanding black student in Britian!
An award organised by the Future Leaders magazine, sponsored by Barclays Capital, Deloitte and the University of Cambridge.
GiveMeTap is the eco-logical way for people to stay hydrated on the go. Restaurant or café owners sign up as 'Provider' to supply free access to clean tap water to those who carry our branded life-time aluminium bottles.
Edwin said he hopes to work full-time on his company, with the aim of offering his bottle's services at the 2012 Olympics.
Josh Magidson and Ed Green - Eatstudent.co.uk
Josh and his business partner started the business back in 2006, studying at the university in Nottingham.
After graduating in 2008 they decided to take the business and website up a notch, developing the website into a genuine business, completely redeveloping the site, radically changing our business model and revenue streams, and expanding to new locations. They've just sold the website to the e-commerce giant Just Eat for £500,000.
The website, eatstudent.co.uk, allows students to view local takeaway menus and order food to be delivered straight to their halls of residence.
Jessica Rose - London jewellery school
Jessica Rose is the 23 years old founder/director of the London Jewellery School, the largest independent jewellery-training provider in the UK. The Jewellery School runs 100's of jewellery making classes throughout the year, which includes everything from beading and wire-work.
She decided to take the leap and leave her job at 20 to set up making and selling jewellery full-time without a degree. The business that started as a community hall in Dulwich, South London only ran one class every month and now runs over 50 classes every month throughout the year. In January 2010, the business changed location moving to London's famous jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden.
Starting your own tech business? IncuBus London can help you build a solid foundation on the way to raising your first round of funding. Learn more about the startup incubator.


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Selecting Baby Car Seats that Will Keep Your Baby SafeMost people today drive, which is one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in. While you may not be able to avoid driving, you can help to keep your baby as safe as possible by choosing the right baby car seats. Reducing the chances of your child being injured is something you can do if you have a proper baby car seat installed. If you want to buy an effective baby car seat, let's find out how to do that right now.
There are some car seats that double as strollers. You can transfer your baby from car to stroller quickly and easily. The Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat is something you should check out. Baby car seats made by Graco are trusted around the world by parents that have little children. The Snugride's base is easily installed once, and then stays in your car permanently. Adequate for babies measuring the more than 32 inches in height and weighing no more than 35 pounds, this car seat will work just fine. Even better is that Graco car seats are tested to meet government standards for crash safety. The 5-point harness is adjustable to ensure the proper fit for your child. Some baby car seats are sold as part of larger travel system packages. These systems come with a car seat that's also designed to fit securely into a stroller. Many leading brands make both strollers and car seats that are designed to work together. When looking at such packages, though, make sure you focus primarily on the baby car seat. While the other things can be important as well, the baby car seat is what really protects your child the most. Other items, such as strollers, can also be convenient, but the main thing is to find a car seat that's the right size for your child and vehicle. This is more important than the appearance of the stroller or other elements that are mainly a matter of style rather than safety.
There are different car seats with built in visit here . Some of these features may place it in a better light, but may actually pose a danger in some cases. Some of the special accessories that are produced to go with car seats may be detrimental rather that helpful or secure. You should just forget about all of the frivolous features that would likely just be a hindrance. While car seats themselves have been researched and manufactured for maximum safety; some of the extra features have not been and may even cause the warranty to be null and void.
If you are looking for a baby car seat, make sure that you already have in mind the features that you want when looking at a wide selection. Make sure that the material is strong, yet soft. Also check out the harness to make sure it's easy to use and secure. Baby car seats need to be made with high-quality material, and with safety in mind. Hopefully this article help you make the right choice.


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Do you have any pets?
I have 3 amazing dogs and 3 adorable cats
Btw, if you love animals you must see these pictures, they're stunning: http://dapalan.com/5bKj
Do you have any pets?
General chat. Got a question that's baffling you?
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We launched the book The Zig Zag Principle and within a day it hit #1 in every applicable category on Amazon. And then we hit #3 on Amazon's Bestseller List. What fun this is seeing the results of the last several months of hard work.
I appreciate the positive comments and reviews from everyone. I'm enjoying this fun ride. And now it's time to celebrate!
Please join us at our launch party this weekend. We're going to celebrate The Zig Zag Principle with a party and a set of fun workshops designed for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, and anyone else who is interested in business and goal setting.
If you have tickets, please make sure you are registered for the event. We have incredible content to share, amazing food to devour, and a whole lot of celebrating to do.
If you'd like to attend, please contact our office today. Someone from back East purchased a large number of books and donated some of his launch event tickets, and we'd love to make sure they get used. Please contact us at 1-801-375-7900. First come, first serve.
– Workshops, Speakers, Fun & Games, and Networking.
– Learn how other kids, teens, and stay-at-home moms have zigzagged to build businesses.
– Lunch is provided.
Saturday, October 15th
For more info, to register, or for tickets, please click or call: 1-801-375-7900


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Haas strengthens Ferrari ties with Formula 1 team sponsorship deal
|By Jonathan Noble
|Thursday, July 3rd 2014, 14:53 GMT
Gene Haas has edged closer a technical partnership with Ferrari for his team's Formula 1 debut in 2016, after announcing his company will be sponsoring the Italian team
You have viewed over 15 free stories this month. Why stop there? Click here to find out how to continue reading.


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Harrowing high seas rescue saved 42 fishermen off Alaska
When Capt. Craig Lloyd of the Coast Guard cutter Munro first heard the mayday call from the sinking ship 100 miles away in the early hours of Sunday morning, he directed his crew to get to the scene fast. Forty-seven lives were at stake on the foundering fishing boat. The water was 35 degrees. Seas were 20 feet. Snow squalls wailed around them. The wind chill factor made the air temperature minus 24 degrees.
As details became available Monday about the sinking of the 203-foot Seattle-based Alaska Ranger as it was on its way to mackerel fishing grounds in the Bering Sea of Alaska, what emerged was a story of a harrowing rescue effort involving some of the worst conditions on the high seas.
When the first rescuers arrived by helicopter about three hours after the mayday call, they found a grim scene. They saw three strobe lights and figured those were the life rafts. As they got a little closer, there was a fourth light, a fifth, then a sixth, and the numbers kept growing. Then they did a quick big-picture scan and saw flashes over a mile-long stretch, with no sign of the vessel. Each light was a person, floating in the water and fighting for life.
Read the full story at adn.com.