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OC beer lovers, there's a new craft brewery in town! On February 9, Valiant Brewing Company in Orange opened their doors, offering the public the opportunity to taste their unique lineup of brews. Behind this exciting endeavor is the husband and wife team of Brian and Kelly Schroepfer, who are channeling their former drag racing … Continue reading
Filed under Beer Styles …
Perfect summertime brew: Windansea Wheat
Summer is here, which means it's officially time to ditch the hoodies and long pants in favor of flip-flops, bathing suits, and lighter beers! Although we are spoiled here in Cali with sunny skies most of the year, the onset of June still brings with it the magic of summertime fun. And this is great … Continue reading
Celebrating fall brews: Backstreet Brewery's Märzen and Karl Strauss' Oktoberfest
With each new season comes a new brew to celebrate, and around this time of year, beer lovers tend to shift their focus away from the light, crisp summer lagers to the darker, heavier ales of winter. Somewhere right in the middle of the spectrum (in taste, color and seasonality) are the Oktoberfest-style beers. These … Continue reading
Unique beer flavors: chocolate brews, part 1
Bring Back The Dirty German! It's that time again… crisp fall air, diluted sunshine, football, and dark beer. The light, refreshing beers of summer no longer seem as desirable as they were just a few weeks ago when the thermometer was still pushing triple-digits. Now my cravings turn towards the heartier brews, with full-bodied tastes … Continue reading
Unique beer flavors: chocolate brews, part 2
Another chocolate brew… sort of. Although Ernest's Silky Smooth is not technically a chocolate beer, for all intents and purposes it's close enough. The brew in question comes from Pizza Port in San Clemente, which is just a short (and worthy) drive to the south end of the Orange County border. Many beer lovers automatically associate the … Continue reading
Unique beer flavors: chocolate brews, part 3
The "Chocolate Truffle" Beer Cocktail The next chocolate brew in our series was inspired by last Friday's weekly beer tasting at BevMo Ladera Ranch, where Mike coincidentally was pouring Young's Double Chocolate Stout as part of the flight. According to many beer lovers, if you're searching for the gold-standard of chocolate brews, Young's is it. After sampling … Continue reading
The search for the perfect red ale
The red ale was actually one of the first craft brew styles in the US, and it allowed brewers to try something different without being too difficult to master. Red can encompass a broad spectrum of hues in everyday life, but in the beer world the term refers to countless varieties of flavors and colors … Continue reading


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Check out our October edition of our Data Matters.
Every month we will keep you updated on developments and the latest news on Data Protection and HR.
In October's edition you will find information about:
- Recap on the Data Changes – 5 Months on
- Data Protection, What is occurring?
- Employers Responsibilities
- Who are the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
- Activity carried out by the ICO
- Enforcement Action
click the link below to access the newsletter……….

subset: commoncrawl


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All sources consider ubldirect.com trustworthy and family friendly. Website ubldirect.com has a credible reputation.
Last full test run on: 2017-07-17
Family Friendly Filter add-on is a content filter to block sites containing pornography and any other kind of inappropriate material for your child (sexual and adult content, gambling, recreational drugs and drug-related content, violent, weapon-related content, hacking and cracking, content that enables dishonest behavior, illegal content, etc...). Our goal is to protect children and world wide society from unworthy and inappropriate websites content. In case you have any questions or suggestions in this matter, please contact our developers team.
ALLOWS access to ubldirect.com
Norton ConnectSafe evaluates ubldirect.com for any unsafe and insecure content. The results are critical for families with young children.
ALLOWS ubldirect.com search results on Google.
SafeSearch is used as a parental control tool to filter out any inappropriate for your children search results on your devices: phones, tablets or personal computers.
SAFE: Very low or no risk issues.
McAfee assesses ubldirect.com for a meaningful set of security threats. Featured dangers from annoying pop-ups to hidden Trojans, that can steal your identity, will be revealed. McAfee does not analyze ubldirect.com for mature or inappropriate content, only security checks are evaluated. McAfee SiteAdvisor results for ubldirect.com can be consulted here.
GOOD Child Safety reputation.
The WOT calculates reputation of the ubldirect.com. This reputation system receives ratings from users and information from third-party sources, assesses the ubldirect.com for safety features and confirms, whether ubldirect.com is suitable for children. WOT results for ubldirect.com can be consulted here.
Still concerned with ubldirect.com? Please, contact our team. We will carry our full audit of the ubldirect.com of your interest and update the information of the analysis.


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Yamanien Sencha
About Us
Online Store
Premium Sencha
Yamanien Teas
Matcha Iri Genmaicha
Sencha Tea Powder
Contact Us
Yamanien Blog
Yamanien Guestbook
Sencha Basics
Brewing Instructions
About Us
Our Philosophy
Shizen Shitate
The Yamanien Way
Shizen Shitate
Yamanien Sencha Green Tea
is known for its incredibly rich umami character, natural sweetness, and deep complexity in both taste and aroma.
What we have discovered
, to no surprise, is that our technique of
Shizen Shitate
, or
Natural Finishing
, on all of our plants allows for the overall health and vitality of the buds and leaves, and gives our finished tea its remarkably intense, award-winning flavor.
Yamanien Shizen Shitate Green Tea Fields
Natural Finishing
allows the Camellia sinensis
tea plants to mature and grow in their natural form, sending their branches and leaves high into their environment to seek optimal positioning of leaves to acquire life-giving sunlight. The more photosynthetic centers available to the plant, the more readily they can then convert organic compounds and carbon dioxide into sugars for energy. Our role is then harness this natural energy into the production of the newest tea buds and supple new leaves for our finest
Premium Sencha.
In short
an abundance of rich
, brilliant-green tea leaves available to the plant results in a richer, more flavorful, and satisfying green tea experience!
Here in Shizuoka
we are proud of our Green Tea heritage
, producing over 45% of Japan's national production. You may be familiar with the well-known image of beautifully rounded tea plants nestled quietly against the awesome backdrop of a snow-capped Fuji-san. Truly a spectacular sight to behold and a quintessential part of this glorious region.
Shizen Shitate, Shade-grown Green Tea
Shizen Shitate
does not have this uniform, rounded appearance. Our plants grow in a free-form, natural manner which allows the tea plant to do what it does best... producing the world's finest Sencha Green Tea.
The Yamanien Way
Yamanien Premium Green Tea 349-1 Nakasawada, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Japan 410-0006
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Compare Electricity Plans and Prices to find the Best Deal
Both residential and business users can save money by comparing electricity plans to find a cheaper retailer. If you are looking for a new connection or just hoping to find a better deal on your existing power prices, Electricity Wizard is happy to offer you a free, no-obligation electricity comparison.
We'll talk with you about your electricity needs, compare your current electricity bill with a range of other electricity companies, see if there's government rebates or concessions that you're eligible for, and let you know what discounted electricity prices are available in your area.
With the rising cost of electricity, comparing available plans to find the best deal or lowest kilowatt hour rate is the easiest way to reduce your power bills. If you need help comparing the price of electricity and gas in your area, contact us. In one quick, 5 minute phone call we'll find you the cheapest electricity prices.
Electricity Wizard has access to the range of discount market prices in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. For specific information on comparing electricity prices in your state, contact Electricity Wizard on 1300 359 779 or click the links below.
How does an electricity comparison work?
Electricity Wizard is an energy broker that works with leading electricity and gas companies to get the latest information on discounted rates and special offers. We stay up to date with changes in the electricity industry so we always know who has the cheapest prices or best overall energy plans.
Because the wholesale price of electricity is constantly changing, retail prices also fluctuate. Electricity Wizard can help you find out which retailers offer fixed-price contracts, or keep their prices low. The Australian Energy Regulator's quarterly average spot prices show how much the cost of electricity varies according to season, and the recent price increases in each state.
As well as comparing plans to find the lowest usage rate and daily supply charge, Electricity Wizard will also compare payment options, billing methods, tariff options, bonus discounts, and any other terms and conditions. Our skilled customer service representatives will walk you step-by-step through the comparison process to find lower rates available on the market to see if you can save money on annual power bills.
An Electricity Wizard energy expert will discuss your current and seasonal electricity and gas usage by comparing your current bill with discounted offers to let you know how much you would save by switching to a different supplier or updating to a new plan.
We compare electricity plans to match a range of criteria from the lowest price for electricity, to the plans with the best green rating for sustainable electricity generation. If you like the sound of a bonus pay on time discount, or want to find a plan with flexible payment options, Electricity Wizard can help.
If you place a premium on environmentally sustainable energy choices and would like to find an electricity plan from a company whose values match your own, Electricity Wizard can provide details on the environmental performance of electricity retailers in your state.
In 2018, electricity companies with stand-out environmental achievements according to the Green Electricity Guide include AGL for 'most improved' following their move away from fossil fuels, and Powershop, who ranked #1 overall their Green Energy ranking.
To take advantage of discount electricity prices, call us directly at 1300 359 779 or fill in the form below to compare electricity plans near you!
Reduce your Yearly Power Bills and Benefit the Environment
Once you've taken advantage of an electricity price comparison and have switched to the best deal or cheapest rate, then it's time to take a few extra steps to reduce your bill and save money.
Reducing your yearly electricity costs doesn't have to stop at finding the cheapest price. Many homeowners who have compared electricity prices to get the lowest price have also benefitted by making simple lifestyle changes to reduce energy use around the house.
Electricity Wizard is committed to helping you pay less for your energy. While the first step in saving money is switching energy plans, we also have some practical advice to help you reduce your energy consumption as well as power saving tips for homeowners.
Simple ways to reduce your electricity usage includes turning appliances off at the wall, using smart powerboards, replacing outdated appliances with energy-efficient alternatives, installing a solar hot water heater, and insulating your home.
Compare Rates Quickly and Accurately!
Once you've switched to the cheapest electricity plan and reduced your energy usage, the next step to keeping your electricity costs as low as possible is keeping an eye on the energy market to make sure you continue to get the best rate. Comparing rates and plans every 12 months will ensure you always get the best price for your energy.
Electricity Wizard has a free call back service that will advise you if there is a better electricity plan released at any time. This service will keep you constantly updated with new discounts and the best rates in your area so you never have to worry about wasting money on your electricity bill.
Electricity Wizard is based 100% in Australia and will get you the latest, most up-to-date comparison of which electricity suppliers are better suited to meet your needs. To compare your home or business electricity rates, call Electricity Wizard on 1300 359 779 today!


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Sonnenstromfabrik Hotline
You have any questions or suggestions? Feel free to contact us!
+49 (0)3841-3049-0
Sonnenstromfabrik modules of the "Excellent" series are glass/foil modules, meeting the highest quality and aesthetic requirements,
Our CO2-optimized production processes ensure additionally highest sustainability.
Product facts
|Glass/Foil Laminate
|Front: 3,2 mm structured antireflective glass
Back: polymer
|No. of cells
|60 pc
|Type of cells
|Polycrystalline | Monocrystalline
|Power [Wp]
|270 - 330
|white [smart] | black [black]
|MC4 original
|black anodized aluminium
|Dimension [mm]
|1700 x 1000 x 35
|Weight [kg]
|19 ± 0.5 kg
|26 years of linear performance guarantee


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This page is assortment of photography work anywhere from fashion, portrait, glamour, boudoir to fitness. If you are looking for other work by Vicki Martin, click on these links. Weddings, Body-paint, Special FX, Fitness, and coming soon Prom!
Most products are HD quality and will withstand long hours under strong lighting. Durable and long wearing, this makeup can provide you and flawless look all evening long. One of the great achievements of Graftobian is to have high quality products free of fragrance, without lead and, more importantly, without being testing on animals. vegan cosmetics don't use any animal products, while natural cosmetics can include some animal ingredient such as beeswax, propolis or lanolin.
Everything for your special event. HD and Airbrush is also available. See prices in the Products and Services section. click here.


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In response to consumer demand following the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Banana Republic 'Mad Men' collections, Banana Republic launches its third collaboration with a line of mod-ready wear inspired by the AMC show, Spring of this year.
Designed by Banana Republic in collaboration with Emmy® Award-winning Costume Designer for "Mad Men," Janie Bryant, the collection takes its inspiration from costumes featured in the show, reflecting the mod vibe of the late '60s. The capsule moves away from the Camelot era's early '60s look and into the late '60s mod fashions. Spring's collection incorporates fresh bold prints, bright colors and new silhouettes, all demonstrated through the versatile and instantly wearable Banana Republic lens.
"With a new era of fashion inspiration, the design process was exciting for us and allowed for lots of creativity, which is completely visible in the end result," said Simon Kneen, Banana Republic Creative Director and Executive Vice President. "We took Janie's mod inspiration for the costumes on-screen and translated it in a way that today's Don or Megan will aspire to wear."
The Banana Republic design team, led by Kneen, worked closely with Bryant to ensure the capsule reflected key style elements from the series. Behind the scenes, Bryant kicked off the design process by sharing her favorite costumes. Key influences include Joan's form-fitting silhouette pieces, Megan's shift dresses in psychedelic prints and bold colors, Peggy's matching accessories, and Megan's youthful effect on Don's classically traditional wardrobe.
The menswear collection includes bold plaids and stripes, the emergence of the sport coat, and the sophisticated suit for the boardroom. The women's collection celebrates color, print and pattern in iconic items like the era's popular shift dress with shorter hemlines, keyhole details, and checked capris. Accessories include graphic scarves, and geometric jewelry for women along with skinny ties for men, which complete the look with a nod to the time period while relating to modern runway trends seen for spring 2013.
"In my work with Simon for the Banana Republic 'Mad Men' Spring 2013 collection, the spirit and fashion-forward thinking we see on-screen in Megan was really inspirational for the capsule," said Bryant. "I am excited about what we've done together, and I know that Banana Republic customers and 'Mad Men' fans are going to be thrilled with our new collection this spring."
Fashion Ate The Lawyer


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DEF Explained
What is DEF?
DEF or Diesel Exhaust Fluid is a mixture of automotive grade urea and water. Expressed chemically (NH2)2CO. It is a clear fluid, that is non-toxic, non-flammable and safe to handle. To be exact diesel exhaust fluid is a 32.5% solution of urea, and 67.5% distilled water. These ratios need to be very close to this for the mixture to work in the SCR systems on modern diesel trucks.
What is SCR? and Why DEF?
To meet EPA 2010 and Tier 4 final for off road, all diesel trucks and equipment are required to have SCR systems installed. Modern diesels can burn lean to keep soot emissions down. The only problem is, this raises NOX emission levels. NOX or nitrogen oxides is a gas that is harmful to our atmosphere. Because of EPA allowable emission levels, manufactures have developed systems that require DEF to reduce NOX output. This is done within a complicated exhaust system including an SCR catalyst. DEF is "dosed" or injected into the exhaust stream. A combination of the chemical makeup of diesel exhaust fluid and extreme heat, turn NOX into nitrogen. Nitrogen of course being a safe and inert gas.
So when you are filling up, you are also cleaning the air we breathe. Thank you!


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Each year the NCAA tournament gives several college basketball teams the chance to test their mettle on a national stage, and most programs relish the opportunity to dash a higher seed's dreams of a deep tournament run.
Come March, many college basketball fans are busy trying to figure out who will be the double-digit seed(s) to play giant killer. In 2016, some of the more memorable moments came from the Round of 64, where eight teams managed to pull off an upset.
Getting back to the tournament is no small task, but what are the odds that last year's upstart squads are planning to make a trip to the dance a regular occurrence? Let's take stock.
Yale Bulldogs: 23-7 overall, 13-1 in Ivy League, lost to Duke in 2nd round
Key Departures: Brandon Sherrod, Justin Sears, Nick Victor
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding
Who doesn't remember the antics of the young, upstart Makai Mason as Yale ousted the Baylor Bears in the 2016 NCAA tournament?
Yale is losing three of its top five scorers from its NCAA tournament team a year ago, a trio also accounted for the bulk of the team's rebounding — not to mention its best singing voice (ehem, Mr. Sherrod).
The slog through the Ivy League is sure to be crowded as the Bulldogs only edged out Princeton by one game a year ago.
Despite the fact that Yale broke a seriously long NCAA tournament drought in 2016 — breaking Harvard's stranglehold on the league's top spot (champion or co-champion in each of the last five years) in the process — it may be too early to claim Yale has any real staying power.
Related: Teams aim to end extended NCAA tournament droughts
Wichita State Shockers: 26-9 overall, 16-2 in Missouri Valley, lost to Miami in 2nd round
Key Departures: Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet, Anton Grady, Evan Wessell
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding, Playmaking
For the first half of this decade Wichita State's place at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference — not to mention a reservation for a spot in the NCAA tournament — has been foregone conclusion.
It seems the Shockers have been the perennial thorn in the side of NCAA hopefuls for the better part of this decade. Just ask Gonzaga (2013), Ohio State ('13), Kansas ('15), or Arizona ('16), all who have tasted defeat at the hands of Gregg Marshall and his Wichita State squad.
The team will likely stay at or near the top of the conference on the strength of coaching and scheme alone, but the backcourt duo of Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet is no more.
Even the departure of Evan Wessell, a senior that boasted one of the best winning percentage in college basketball history, and Anton Grady will impact the winning culture that has been instilled at Wichita State.
Despite a little uncertainty being thrown into the mix, there is a silver lining for the Shockers. As the old adage goes: "Success breeds success."
Coach Marshall has made this program one with serious national repute. As a result, Wichita State is getting more attention from talented recruits.
Players like Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie will lead the new crop of Shockers into the future, leaning on the lessons they gleamed from their time alongside Baker and VanVleet. Unfortunately for the rest of the MVC that likely means Wichita State will maintain its perch at the top of the conference.
Northern Iowa Panthers: 23-13 overall, 11-7 in Missouri Valley, lost to Texas A&M in 2nd round
Key Departures: Wes Washpun, Matt Bohannon, Paul Jesperson
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding, Playmaking
One of the more intriguing storylines in last year's dance was the Northern Iowa Panthers. UNI's introduction to the tourney in 2016 was magical, but its finish was deplorable.
Some high-profile departures across the conference should work toward leveling the playing field in a crowded Missouri Valley Conference. Nonetheless, a repeat performance from UNI would be a tall task.
Sure, the Panthers have plenty of NCAA tournament magic to draw on (Ali Farokhmanesh's jumper is still likely to give Kansas fans indigestion), but this squad is coming off a season where lady luck played a significant role.
More: Six guys you want to take the last shot | Seven players who are one skill away from stardom
If not for a buzzer-beater in the MVC Championship game against Evansville, UNI would not have been selected among the field of 68 in the first place. No one is faulting them for that. The facts are the facts.
Replacing the scoring, rebounding and playmaking will be tough, but replacing the intangibles will be infinitely more difficult for head coach Ben Jacobson.
: 25-11 overall, 14-4 in Atlantic 10, lost to Oklahoma in 2nd roundVCU
Key Departures: Melvin Johnson, Korey Billbury
Need To Replace: Scoring
Much like Wichita State, VCU has long been a name that teams dread drawing in a first-round matchup. Shaka Smart is long gone, but the Rams still have the same fire that was instilled under his tutelage.
Though VCU will start the season looking up at Dayton (regular season champs) and Saint Joe's (conference tournament champs), another year of handling the offense for JeQuan Lewis will create a nightmare scenario for opposing teams in the Atlantic 10 conference
Lewis topped the 20-point mark five times in the 2015-16 campaign, doing so twice in the NCAA tournament.
In other words, big players show up when the spotlight is brightest.
With the losses of Melvin Johnson and Korey Billbury (17.4 and 11.2 pts per game, respectively), Lewis will be called on to shoulder more of the scoring load and additional distributing duties in 2017.
Rams fans are hoping Lewis will be up to the task.
Middle Tennessee: 25-10 overall, 13-5 in Conference USA, lost to Syracuse in 2nd round
Key Departures: Perrin Buford, Darnell Harris, Jaqawn Raymond
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding, Playmaking
No one needs to tell fans of the Blue Raiders how big the school's victory over Michigan State was, but just in case it's only the eighth time that a No 15 seed has taken out a No 2 seed.
The college basketball world was thrown for a loop with that result, but Middle Tennessee fans would like to see the team get another shot to run amuck in the Big Dance.
Things are looking up for this Conference USA squad, especially with the return of Giddy Potts (15 pts and 5 boards per contest) and Reggie Upshaw (14 pts and 8 boards per game). However, things are not all hunky-dory.
The trio of seniors that graduated this year, Perrin Buford, Darnell Harris and Jaqawn Raymond, all played in each of the team's 35 games last year. That level of durability is one that should not be lost on head coach Kermit Davis.
More to the point, UAB is still top dog as far as the pecking order goes especially with a sweep of the season series in 2016.
Middle Tennessee needs no further motivation as the team prepares for the season, but rest assured that any of the 13 other teams in the conference would be happy to take the automatic bid to the Dance. The last three years have seen three different champions punch their ticket, so the door is open for a team to take a seat at the helm.
Little Rock Trojans: 30-5 overall, 17-3 in Sun Belt, lost to Iowa State in 2nd round
Key Departures: Josh Hagins, Roger Woods, Jermaine Ruttley
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding, Playmaking
Herculean efforts have come to characterize the Sun Belt Conference in each of the past two seasons. Just ask Baylor about its defeat in 2015 at the hands of Georgia State.
Nonetheless, the magic from the 2016 season will be tough for the Trojans to recapture for a number of reasons.
Things could be worse for a team that returns six players that averaged double-digit minutes. As a result, the 2016-17 version of the Little Rock Trojans will have a veteran core of seniors to replace the void left by graduation.
But the departure of former head coach Chris Beard (for a job at Texas Tech) and the senior tandem of Roger Woods and Josh Hagins will all be tough blows to weather.
Hagins will not be leading this year's bunch — be it through conference play or back to the Dance — but many will recall his performance in the double OT upset over Purdue in the NCAA tournament (31 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals).
Luckily, the Trojans boast one of the stingiest defenses in college basketball (yielding just over 60 points a contest). Most signs point to the defense carrying over into the new year, but it remains to be seen who will take on the leadership roles and how the offense meshes under new head coach Wes Flanigan.
More: Best coach/point guard duos in the country
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks: 28-6 overall, 18-0 in Southland, lost to Notre Dame in 2nd round
Key Departures: Thomas Walkup, Demetrious Floyd
Need To Replace: Scoring, Rebounding, Playmaking
Losing your leading scorer, rebounder and playmaker is not the way most teams want to head into the offseason, but these are the facts of life in college basketball. More importantly, it's the scenario facing Stephen F. Austin following the graduation of senior Thomas Walkup.
Replacing veteran leadership is a tough job for any ball club to work back from, but when you take a look at the roster for the Lumberjacks a lot of underclassmen stick out.
Normally this would be a cause for concern, but in SFA's case youth can be a point of strength going forward.
Granted Walkup has been the engine that made this team go in recent years, SFA will see a number of players return from its NCAA tournament run, including combo guard Ty Charles and big man Clide Geffrard Jr.
That type of experience can prove invaluable for a team trying to get back to the postseason.
And considering that SFA is 69-3 in conference play over the last four years, there's not much of a reason to believe the Lumberjacks will be unseated anytime soon.


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Sturdy Girl Sports - Las Vegas Sports Bra - Product Spotlight - Mountain Matron
|Posted on January 28, 2016 at 11:50 AM
Sturdy Girl Sports - Las Vegas Sports Bra – Product Spotlight
Women's Sports Bra - Topaz/Leopard $64.00
Sturdy Girl Sports patented sports bra, designed for extreme comfort for active women with a bust of 34C-38DD. Sturdy Girl Sports are a Runner's World Sports Bra top pick four-years in a row.
*Style *Function *Comfort *Durability *Design
*Difficult sizing *Not locally available for proper first fitting
Sturdy Girl Sports Las Vegas Bra carefully designed for women participating in high impact sports keeping comfort, function and coverage as top priority. Equally expending style with various color options. Sturdy Girl Sports of Colorado, founded in 2012, by mastermind, Hilary. Hilary partnered with Leanne in 2013. Together, these two ladies are keeping active women everywhere confidently covered, secure with comfort, stacked with style and support all 'ladies' deserve. Sturdy Girl Sports Las Vegas Bra with racerback design was rigorously tested for several months challenging its function, fit, comfort and durability.
Sturdy Girl Sports designed for women, by a woman, and their customer service truly puts you first. Sizing may be difficult upon first fitting due to the unique design and fit of Sturdy Girl Sports bras. Whether organic or enhanced, boobs are complicated and I believe the women behind the brand can truly relate. These ladies won't be happy until you're happy.
The Las Vegas Bra no-chafe fit, works phenomenally for high impact comfort while delivering durability and design any athlete can truly appreciate. Sturdy Girl Sports offers women maximum support, coverage and fashion for high impact athletic performance in bust sizes 34C-38DD.
Sturdy Girl Sports are the ONLY sports bra currently in my line-up.
Sturdy Girl Sports is a sponsored supporter and sent the Las Vegas Bra free of charge for field-test review purposes. Thank you Sturdy Girl Sports for allowing us to field-test your product and introduce your brand to our audience. We appreciate and value your enthusiasm to spotlight your Las Vegas Bra with an honest and free-spoken review.
*Another Mountain Matron favorite from Sturdy Girl Sports is the Las Vegas Tank Bra. They come in several colors and you simply won't take yours off.
Check them out at www.sturdygirlsports.com
Categories: Product Spotlight, Fitness
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Most QLHS members will be aware by now of the aerial battle in the skies over Quinton, early on the 10th April 1941. Flight Lt. E C Deansley in his Boulton Paul Defiant intercepted a German raid on Birmingham and a Heinkel III bomber was shot down. It careered away to the south, snagged a barrage balloon wire over Wythall and finally crashed near the "Two Brewers" public house in Smethwick, killing several civilians and two of the four crew.
Peter Kennedy (once of the Smethwick History Society) and I have spent many years trying to trace the surviving combatants. Peter, who did most of the groundwork, eventually found Deansley, retired and living in Edgbaston. Before Deansley died, in February 1998, Peter was able to record an interview with him. His gunner, a man named Scott, has yet to be traced. Just as elusive were the surviving members of the Luftwaffe crew. Earlier this year, we tried one last throw of the dice and recruited Gisela Stuart, MP to the cause. In turn, the German Embassy got involved and the Air Attaché, Colonel Hasso Kortge traced the pilot, Feldwebel Rudolf Muller, now in his eighties and asked if he would accept a letter from us. He responded warmly to the suggestion and we received his reply, written in German, on 8th June 2001.
Needless to say, we were extremely elated to receive this letter (the first of several we hope) and its fascinating contents. As it includes nuggets of information as yet unpublished, here is a passage from the letter for you to read:
Thank you for your letter dated 24-6-2001. Your details about my crash in Birmingham are true.
The manoeuvre and the bombardment from Birmingham were on 10-4-2001 in the early morning hours. The British fighter, which came as real surprise, and the machine gunfire, damaged our plane so much that both engines failed. In addition, we also hit the cable of a balloon and had to abandon the plane.
My observer, Werner Straecker, was wounded through a gunshot in his leg, but he got out. Egon Grolig and Helmut Haecke were hit in the plane and did not survive.
After many different stages of interrogation, I got into the prison camp in Manchester. End of 1941 all prisoners were transported to Canada. Werner Straecker and I were together there.
Due to circumstances at the end of the war, the separation of Germany and the abolishment of the "Streitkraefte" (German Army) made it quite impossible to go on with the soldier's friendship.
Waerner Straeker lived in Ohlau/Schlesien, which is now in Poland. No one could so far find him.
I hope you can use my descriptions in anyway and will be happy to stay in contact. I would also like you to get in contact with the Local History Society and to thank them in my name for their letter and photos of 17-7-2001.
If you have any further questions would be very happy to help you.
Yours sincerely,
Rudolf Müller
Click here to return to the Reminiscences menu.


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The greatest thing Nicole Polizzi, aka "Snooki," ever did was by accident. But her son, Lorenzo, was never a mistake. When she and her boyfriend, Jionni, found out she was knocked up, they weren't married or engaged. She was only twenty-four and living with her parents—and she had zero baby experience. With a reckless, party girl TV persona to deal…Read More
Tag: author
Library eBooks on the Go
There's a new Sheriff in town and he's about to take you to a new level of reading books. I remember the days of driving to the local library to check out my favorite book. Then along came this thing called, "books on tape," where there is an actual prerecorded person that will read books to you. Books on tape probably made your drive to work…Read More


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Dine. Dance. Dare.
Everyone's heard of cabaret, and although it can often come across as cheesy if not executed probably, this is far from the case of The London Cabaret Club located close to Holborn in the beautiful ballroom at Victoria house. We headed down at the weekend to see their latest venture, London Never Dies and it really was a great night, it's great to experience something completely different from your usual Saturday night out in the centre of the city. And what's more, with Valentine's Day coming up they're putting on a romantic version of the show called Love Never Dies!
I've been to The London Cabaret Club previously, a few months ago to see their 'Best of British Pop' show with a few friends which was also a great evening with lots of incredible performances to some of my favourite shows. I wasn't sure if the James Bond inspired 'Love Never Dies' show could top my first experience but it was an absolute delight.
The London Cabaret Club hosts a live entertainment show paired with a gourmet dining experience, the finest champagnes, wines and theatrical cocktails to enable you to have a truly sophisticated and memorable evening.
The ballroom itself is beautiful. It's been the backdrop to many film and television shows, including the most recent Wonderwoman, Made in Chelsea and The Crown. It features a stage in the centre of the room which is then lined with seating and tables, where you can drink and dine until your heart's content. The good thing is that that due to levelled seating, wherever you're sat you're still bound to have a great view of the show!
The show itself is a feast for the eyes. So many beautiful outfits, outstanding and synchronised choreography…not to mention the singing. Those people have some insane talent. My friend was transfixed during the Skyfall number. And as if it couldn't get any better, THE SHOW HAS A DANCING DOG! As well as some heart racing acts including a roller skating duo which had us all on the edge of our seats.
The London Cabaret Club website and see what takes your fancy!


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Gary Morrow
- Mobile: +353 871416742
- Website: http://www.garymorrowart.com/
- Click here to email
Gary Morrow grew up in Glasgow but now lives and works in scenic County Wexford, Ireland. His academic studies were in the area of Computer Science and he worked at Strathclyde University for many years before pursuing a painting career in 2008. He is inspired by the representational art of the late 19th century particularly that of the Glasgow boys, John Singer Sargent and Jules Bastien Le Page. He prefers painting naturalistic subjects from flowers in a still life to people in the environment. Careful observation and draughtsmanship form the foundations of his work. His goal is to capture the essence of his subjects as revealed in the subtleties of light, shade and colour but without a slavish attention to detail. His work has been used in advertising for television and print and can be found in galleries throughout the UK and America.


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Margaret-Belle de Jour II
In 2002, I created the first Belle de Jour series, which is a photographic portraiture project depicting women in various states of undress, masquerading different roles. In continuity with my longstanding interest in the human portrait and the female figure, Belle de Jour II once again focuses on women as my primary subjects and explores ideas concerned with age, beauty, sexuality and female empowerment. My aim is to emphasize plurality and difference by photographing an array of women from various walks of life and age groups.
Women existing in a state of psychological and physical individuality are presented to invite the viewer to contemplate and consider the underlying tensions between vulnerability and strength, awkwardness and grace, and naturalness and self-possession. The images I chose to work with aim at capturing the body in all its shifting beauty and portray my subjects in bucolic landscapes, lush gardens, studio settings and intimate environments. The portraits are studiously staged from lighting, sartorial choices, to backdrops and mise-en-scene.
Belle de Jour II is an extension of the original series and a more in-depth study of contemporary representations of the feminine.


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Matthew B. Gilmore
Published: December 17th, 2015
BY: Matthew B. Gilmore
According to a recent Congressional report, "Notably, D.C. Code felons are unique in that they are routinely housed hundreds of miles away from their homes. In addition to placement in the District of Columbia, nearly 5,700 D.C. Code felons are housed in 33 States in facilities owned or leased by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. While the majority of these individuals reside in facilities located in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and West Virginia, some D.C. Code felons receive placement in States as far away as Florida, Texas, and California."[1]
In August 1864, Amos Pilsbury, superintendent of the Albany Penitentiary, wrote to President Lincoln about prisoner William N. Chester, asking Lincoln to approve his pardon. Chester had been convicted in Washington DC on December 29, 1862 of grand larceny. Pilsbury wrote, "his conduct here has been unexceptionable, and believing, as I do, that if now pardoned, he will be restored to his friends a reformed man."
Why was Pilsbury in Albany writing to Lincoln in Washington requesting a pardon for a DC man?
FULL TEXT HERE: http://intowner.com/2015/12/17/dc-prisoners-on-the-hudson-abraham-lincoln-amos-pilsbury-and-the-albany-penitentiary-2/
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What in the hell is "thrash grass"? If you guessed a blend of thrash metal and bluegrass, you're almost there. The Native Howl created the genre in 2015, though they have been playing music together since their high school days. This Leonard, Mich. foursome labeled themselves as traditional metal fans until they attended Wheatland Music Festival. After soaking in some high-octane folk vibes at the fest, they penned the track "Thunderhead" — and thrash grass was born. Though they are in the middle of a national tour, the boys are stopping close to home to release their new record Out of the Garden and Into the Darkness.
Tags: The Native Howl, Detroit band, Detroit music, thrash grass, metal, bluegrass, magic bag, Ferndale, Video
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Summer is the most popular season in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and for good reason! With warm summer temperatures, clear blue skies, crystal clear waters, and green everywhere, there are very few places that pack so much beauty and fun all in the same place!
Summer in the Blue Ridge Mountains offers SO much to see and do:
See the sections below for more detail on each one these fun summer activities!
Who needs hotel pools and waterparks, when you have natural Swimming holes, waterslides and waterfalls, all surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains??
The Blue Ridge Mountains are full of swimming holes, with many of them being at the base of waterfalls.
Here are some resources and guides to help you find the perfect spot, to relax, cool off, and have a super fun day with friends and family:
One of the best ways to see the beauty of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains is to get out there in them! Hiking is not only a great way to explore and see the mountains close-up, but in many cases, it's the only way to see some of the great waterfalls, and scenic views.
Here at Blue Ridge Mountain Life, we're avid hikers, and enjoy getting out on the trail as often as we can. We have write-ups for every single trail we've hike, on our Hiking Trails Page. We have guides for waterfall trails, scenic views, and easy to hard difficulty. So pack up the essentials, and pick the perfect hike for you!
There are rivers, lakes, creeks and streams everywhere here in the Blue Ridge Mountains! As a result, there is plenty of water activity, including rafting and of course tubing! Popular locations include:
If you prefer to keep things a less risky, or if you have kids, tubing here in the Blue Ridge is super-fun for all ages! Popular Tubing destinations include:
Whether you're a Motorcycle enthusiast, or just prefer a nice relaxing scenic drive, the Blue Ridge Mountains have the perfect roads for you. One of the most popular drives in the World, goes from Virginia to Cherokee NC, the famous Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway offers everything you could ever want in a drive. Hundreds of scenic overlooks, waterfalls, points of interest, and wildlife. The Parkway always you to drive along the tops of some of the largest mountains and peaks in the Blue Ridge.
There are also numerous other scenic drives all through the states of Virgina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee that offer exciting motorcycle rides and relaxing drives.
The creeks, streams and rivers of the Blue Ridge Mountains are world famous for fishing, especially for Trout.
Many of the popular waterfalls and swimming holes along water full of native and stocked Trout. Whether you enjoy traditional fishing or fly fishing, you'll find more places to fish than you have time!


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Blowing moulding machine is a kind of equipment for mak […]
Blowing moulding machine is a kind of equipment for making plastic granules into hollow containers through blow molding process. At present, the more common models include one-shot hollow extruding machine using PP and PE, and two moldings using PET, PC or PP. The injection stretch blowing molding machine, as well as the newly developed multi-layer hollow extrusion blow and stretch blow molding.
At present, most blowing moulding machines are still two-step blow molding machines, that is, plastic raw materials must be made into preforms before blowing. Nowadays, PET plastic material is generally used. Blowing Molding Machine: After the liquid plastic is sprayed out, the wind blown by the machine is used to blow the plastic body into a cavity of a certain shape to make a product. Such a machine is called a blow molding machine. It is also a kind of blower, namely hydraulic blower.
Plastic hollow containers are widely used in the beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, and chemical industries due to their characteristics of light weight and high safety. They also attract more manufacturers to replace plastic containers with plastic containers. Nowadays, the most advanced equipment, molds, and raw materials in the plastics industry are all displayed in front of us. New technologies and new applications are emerging in an endless stream. Throughout the field of plastic hollow molding, we have also made great achievements. With the soaring world oil prices, the price of plastic raw materials is also high, and the development of low energy consumption and alternative raw materials provinces is also one of the market trends.
A tubular plastic parison obtained by extrusion or injection molding of a thermoplastic resin is heated (or heated to a softened state) and placed in a split mold. Immediately after closing the mold, compressed air is blown into the parison to blow the plastic parison. Swelling and close to the inner wall of the mold, after cooling off the mold, that is, all kinds of hollow products.
Taizhou Huangyan Jilian Plastic Mould Co.,Ltd is located in Huangyan ,Taizhou ,Zhejiang,China. we are one of the biggest and professional factory in China to make different kinds of pet preforms, pet bottles, moulds. We have advanced technology, sophisticated equipment,the entire process of product quality in full control,so our products complete accord with international standard.Our main product is pet preform.
© Taizhou Jilian Plastic Mould Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Web support by :HWAQ SITEMAP Pet Preform
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Did you finish your last book? Don't know what to read next? I have suggestions for you.
The following is a list of books that I 've read over the years, and which I think has told a good story, been exciting, well-written or otherwise separated out and stored in my memory as readable.
The list will be in a continuous process – including the adding of relevant links – so drop by from time to time to check out for new books.
Don't forget the old books
This is also an invitation to you, the reader, not only to read the latest books on the top 10 list in the supermarket but occasionally also return to earlier releases. A book that no one reads is a dead book, and there are lots of amazing stories that are still worth reading, even if they were written many years ago.
What should your time reading be spent on?
I like a good adventure (broadly defined and a good thriller, you will probably quickly spot when you look through the list, but I have read everything over the years ranging from comic books, classics, all too sweet romance stories, humorous books, satire, science fiction, suspense, epic stories, historical novels, autobiographies to non-fiction. I have not been critical (do you, for instance, remember Barbara Cartland and the Bill & Ben books from the 1980s?), if only I was entertained, but with age, I must admit that I have become more careful with what my precious reading time should be spent on.
Holiday reading
A good holiday package (which I usually borrow at the library ) typically contains a biography, a historical book, a love story, a thriller and one or two crime books.
But it was the list we came from …
The book list (fiction )
Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhikers' guide to the Galaxy
Adams, Richard: Watership Down
Allende, Isabel: The house of the spirits
Anonymous: The Book With No Name
Asimov, Isaac: I, robot
Austen, Jane: Pride and prejudice
Bach, Richard: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Brown, Dan: Angels & Demons
Brown, Dan: The Da Vinci Code
Christie, Agatha: Murder on the Orient Express
Dahl, Roald: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Defoe, Daniel: Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles: David Copperfield
Dickens, Charles: The Adventures of Oliver Twist
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan: The complete illustrated short stories of Sherlock Holmes
Dumas, Alexandre: The Three Musketeers
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 1 – Hidden Errors
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 2 – Own Risk
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 3 – Personal Damage
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 4 – Next of Kin
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 5 – Life and Limb
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 6 – Vold og magt (translation: Violence and Power)
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 7 – Eget ansvar (translation: Personal Responsibility)
Egholm, Elsebeth: Dicte 8 – Kød og blod (translation: Flesh and Blood)
Egholm, Elsebeth: Peter Boutrup 1 – Three Dog Night
Egholm, Elsebeth: Peter Boutrup 2 – Dead Souls
Ende, Michael: The Neverending Story
Galbraith, Robert: The Cuckoo's Calling
Galbraith, Robert: Silkworm
Galbraith, Robert: Career of Evil
Green, John: The Fault in Our Stars
Hammett, Dashiell: The Maltese Falcon
Hansen, Georg Sønderlund: De Voerslev ulve (translation: The wolves of Voerslev)
Hornby, Nick: High Fidelity
Hugo, Victor: Les Misérables
Hugo, Victor: The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World
Høeg, Peter: Smilla's sense of snow
Høeg, Peter: Borderliners
Høeg, Peter: The Effect of Susan
Irving, John: The World According to Garp
Irving, John: Hotel New Hamshire
Keneally, Thomas: Schindler's list
King, Stephen: The Green Mile
Kipling, Rudyard: Kim
Kirkegaard, Ole Lund: Orla Frogsnapper
Kurakami, Haruki: Wind-up Bird Chronicle
Laclos, Pierre Choderlos de: Dangerous Liaisons
Larsson, Stieg: Millenium series – The Girl with the Dragon Tatto
Larsson, Stieg: Millenium series – The Girl Who Played with Wire
Larsson, Stieg: Millenium series – The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Lee, Harper: To kill a mockingbird
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Silver Chair
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Horse and His Boy
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Magician's Nephew
Lewis, C.S.: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Last Battle
Lindgren, Astrid: The Brothers Lionheart
Lindgren, Astrid: Pippi Longstocking
London, Jack: White Fang
Orczy, Emmuska: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Orwell, George: Animal farm
Orwell, George: 1984
Palmer, Lilli: A Time to Embrace
Poe, Edgar Allan: The Gold-Bug and Other Tales
Reuter, Bjarne: Løgnhalsen fra Umbrien (translation: The Liar from Umbria)
Reuter, Bjarne: Den iranske gartner (translation: The Iranian Gardener)
Rice, Anne: Interview with the Vampire
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Goblets of Fire
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Rowling, J.K.: Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows
Saint, H.F.: Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de: The Little Prince
Scherfig, Hans: Stolen Spring
Scott, Walter: Ivanhoe
Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö og Maj: The Story of a Crime series
Stevenson, Robert Louis: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll og Mr Hyde
Stevenson, Robert Louis: Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Becher: Uncle Tom's cabin
Swift, Jonathan: Gulliver's Travels
Sølvsten, Malene: Ravnenes hvisken (translation: The Ravens Whisper)
Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring
Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers
Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King
Tyler, Anne: The Accidental Tourist
Verne, Jules: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Verne, Jules: Around the World in Eighty Days
Walker, Alice: The Color Purple
Wells, H.G.: The Time Machine
Wilder, Laura Ingalls: The Little House on the Prairie series
What is the best book you have read? Please share your best books in the comments below.


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2 free films tackle evolution from different directions
Human Zoos (1 hour)
Are we made in the very Image of God? Evolutionists say no, and Human Zoos explores some of the implications of their beastly thinking.
The Programming of Life 2: Earth (1/2 hour)
Our planet is incredibly fine-tuned for life, and yet amazingly robust in its provision for that life. This film explores how unlikely it is that the Earth would just happen to have everything that we need in exactly the proportions we need. This is a fantastic sequel to Programming for Life which explored just how impossible it would have been for life to have come about by chance. You can watch that one for free too, right here.
The cautions I would add are that the scientists consulted run the gamut from six-day creationist to intelligent design proponent to theistic evolutionist, and there seems a sort of "scientism" at work here (Science as the sole arbitrator of truth). That said, the overall argument they make – that the evidence shows that the Earth is uniquely and clearly designed for life – is one we can endorse wholeheartedly.
Why haven't we heard from ET?
Some 70 years ago physicist Enrico Fermi looked up at the stars and wondered where everyone was at. With billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars, it seemed inconceivable to him that ours would be the only planet to evolve life. So where was everyone?
His query is now called Fermi's Paradox, and on March 18 a group of about 60 scientists met in Paris to share their latest theories as to why we haven't heard from any of our galactic neighbors. Live Science's Mindy Weisberger shared some of their creative ideas:
- The "zoo hypothesis" – Earth is like a galactic animal reserve where aliens are leaving us alone to be observed in our natural habitat.
- We've been quarantined – aliens know about us, but don't like us.
- Aliens are trapped by their superplanets' intense gravity and they can't come out to meet us.
- Aliens have come and gone, dying off before we had a chance to connect with them.
Three days after the Paris conference Cosmos dug deeper into Fermi's Paradox with an even more vexing question: where are all the "von Newmann probes"?
What's a von Newmann probe, you ask? Well, back in the 1960s, mathematician John von Newmann argued that a sufficiently advanced civilization would be able to build a space probe that could mine raw materials on other planets and use those to make replicas of itself. These replicas would, in turn, build other copies. And as the process repeated, the number and spread of these self-replicating "von Newmann probes" would expand exponentially until, as Cosmos' Lauren Fuge put it, "in a relatively short space of time – perhaps as little as 10 million years – the galaxy would be teeming with these exploratory machines."
But there are no hordes, teeming or otherwise. So, again, where is everyone?
The Cosmos article offered, as a possible explanation, astrophysicist Duncan Forgan's "predator-prey hypothesis," soon to be published in an upcoming issue of the International Journal of Astrobiology. Forgan argues that "self-replication could result in encoding errors" and that maybe some of these coding errors could lead to some of these probes taking a predatory turn. If they did, then perhaps the reason we don't see these teeming hordes is because the predatory probes are hunting down and destroying the other probes.
While these various hypotheses make for incredibly creative speculation, they all share one thing in common: there are no facts to back them up. In fact, the only "evidence" for any of these theories is that aliens haven't contacted us.
So why did scientists bother meeting to swap what amounts to untestable, unverifiable, just-so stories? Why did Live Science and other media outlets bother covering the Paris event? And why did Cosmos think Forgan's theory worth sharing?
They covered them because these stories – to the undiscerning – seem to offer an explanation to Fermi's Paradox and the problem it presents to evolutionary theory. But they're just stories. And what does it say about the theory if its defenders are willing to hype stories that the public will mistake for scientific, factual, or evidence-based?
Here's a different sort of hypothesis to consider: what if ET just isn't out there? What if life, instead of being easy to come by, only happens via miraculous means? And God only did so here on Earth?
It's worth noting that there is nothing in the Bible that speaks against the possibility of life being on other planets. But while the Bible allows for life on other planets, evolution would seem to demand it – if life can just happen, then someone else should be out there. It's only when life is miraculous that it becomes understandable that it might be rare.
Now here's a question for our evolutionary friends: if we suppose that dumb, unplanned, undirected luck can create life, why can't the world's most brilliant minds, using available blueprints (from living creatures), and working with quadrillions-of-calculations-per-second supercomputers, in laboratories staffed with every device and chemical they could possibly want, manage to make even a single living cell? If living things can come about by chance, why hasn't anyone created them on purpose?
Looking at evolutionists' still-lifeless labs we can't help but ask again: where is everyone?
In 2013 cartoonist Zach Weinersmith crafted a cartoon and gave the talk below on his "Infantapaulting Hypothesis" in which he theorized that the reasons babies are so aerodynamic is because they used to be catapulted into neighboring villages, to increase their chances of finding a mate among a more genetically diverse population. He was satirizing the tendency among evolutionists to indulge in "just-so stories" – to indulge in creative hypotheses that might fit the available evidence but which are not testable. If a fellow who still believes in Darwin's theory can be this brilliant, insightful, and hilarious in exposing evolutionary flaws, can creationists take this further and be even funnier?
The limits of the "two-books" metaphor
There is an idea, common among Christians, that God has revealed Himself to us via "two books": Scripture and the book of Nature. The Belgic Confession, Article 2 puts it this way:
"We know [God] by two means:
- "First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most beautiful book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many letters leading us to perceive clearly God's invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature, as the apostle Paul says in Rom 1:20. All these things are sufficient to convict men and leave them without excuse.
- "Second, He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word as far as is necessary for us in this life, to His glory and our salvation."
But what happens when these two "books" seem to conflict? This happens in the Creation/Evolution debate, where the plain reading of Genesis 1 and 2 conflicts with the evolutionary account of our origins. So, as Jason Lisle notes, that has some Christians thinking that since:
"…the book of Nature clearly reveals that all life has evolved from a common ancestor….we must take Genesis as a metaphor…. we must interpret the days of Genesis as long ages, not ordinary days."
But that's getting things backwards. While the Belgic Confession does speak of Creation as being like a book, metaphors and analogies have their limits. For example, In Matt. 23:37 God is compared to a hen who "gathers her chicks under her wings" – this analogy applies to the loving, protective nature of a hen, and should not be understood to reveal that God is feminine. That's not what it is about.
Clearly Nature is not a book – the universe is not made up of pages and text, and it's not enclosed in a cover or held together by a spine. The Belgic Confession is making a specific, very limited, point of comparison when it likens God's creation to a book. How exactly is it like a book? In how it proclaims "God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature." It does so with book-like clarity, "so that people are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).
But in the Creation/Evolution debate some Christians extend this book analogy in a completely different, and entirely inaccurate, direction. It has been taken to mean that Creation can teach us about our origins with book-like clarity. This misunderstanding then presents us with a dilemma: if we have one book saying we were created in just six days, and another saying it took millions of years, and both are equally clear on this matter, then what should we believe?
We need to understand that this dilemma is entirely of our own making. Creation is not like a book when it comes to teaching us about our origins. As Dr. Lisle has noted, it does not speak with that kind of clarity on this topic.
In contrast, the Bible is not merely like a book, it actually is one! It is there, and only there, that we get bookish clarity on how we, and the world around us, came to be.
So, yes, the two-book analogy remains helpful when it is used to illustrate the clarity with which God shows "his eternal power and divine nature" to everyone on the planet. But when it comes to the Creation/Evolution debate, the way the two-book analogy is being used is indeed fallacious. God's creation simply does not speak with book-like clarity regarding our origins.
We can be thankful, then, that his Word does!
Jon Dykstra also blogs on at www.ReformedPerspective.ca
If Evolution is True, What are You? (Noel Weeks)
In the past three weeks, we've featured two scholarly essays by Dr. Noel Weeks, as well as a video lecture in which he highlights the arguments of his essay from 2016.
If you have more time, and if you caught on to Dr. Weeks's very endearing lecture style from the last video, you will no doubt find very helpful this online lecture by Dr. Weeks, given at the Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Tampa, Florida. He spoke on the topic, "If Evolution is True, What are You?"
Weeks opens with a cute story—and did I mention that he also has a charming style of lecturing : )—about a zoologist improving the lives of zoo animals. Gibbons at the Santiago Zoo had to learn to press levers to get their food. After learning this, the gibbons were given the choice to have their food for nothing or by working for it. Surprisingly, they chose the latter, and the zoologist suggested that the gibbons were "enjoying" themselves. But, says Weeks, she "caught herself," for she realized that she was looking at animals from our perspective, which is no longer permitted in the animal sciences. Instead, we ought to think of ourselves in terms of animals. He asks: Which way should we look at ourselves? Who are we? If evolution is true, who are we?
As Christians we must think from the top down, from God to us. Evolutionists think from the bottom up, from atoms to life to animals to humans to, perhaps, the gods.
The lecture then seeks to explain how we in the West came to these two ways of thinking. Whereas the top down account is from Christianity, its the bottom up account that needs to be explained.
Explaining the Bottom Up View
Weeks begins with the Enlightenment and its scientific discoveries and the idea of a regular world ordered by laws. Next he mentions the European Wars of Religion of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Seeking to get away from this, European thinkers moved towards Deism in their thinking. By this they could get rid of fanaticism. They also reflected on the regularity of the universe, its laws. God drifts further and further back, creating just the simplest atoms which slowly arrange themselves. The more God is considered to be distant, the more the system drifts to atheism.
Coming to the late eighteenth century Weeks introduces the Scottish economist Adam Smith and his views of economics, competition, and efficiency. A law of competition came to be seen as something good. Greed is okay because everyone benefits.
Here, like a good detective, he drops a clue. You'll have to listen (21:40).
At around the 20 minute mark Dr. Weeks explains in very clear and helpful terms the development of racial theory in the 19th century. People sought to approach the problem from a "rational" and "scientific" mindset, and combined Adam Smith's theory of competition with this. Decimation of natives was considered to be a "law of nature." One race is simply "pushed out of business." Weeks thinks this is appalling. What happens when some powerful culture considers a certain race to be "inherently evil"? The "Final Solution," presented as scientific and rational. It makes us shudder to think of it.
At around the 25 minute mark he shifts from questions of race to questions of social class, alluding to how Marx and Engels depended upon evolutionary theory. They argued that history shows an unstoppable progress of one class overcoming and destroying another. This, they said, is normal and good. It must not be stopped, and if you try to stop you must be destroyed.
Getting back to whether religion causes all the violence in the world, he asks, "Is the cause religious? Is that what we have to deal with, or is there another cause? If non-religious theories, racial theory, Nazism, Communism, can lead to people being murdered in the millions, is the problem religion or is it something else?" (around 27:30).
Weeks teaches us how Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin took the theory of competition and applied it to the development of animal and human species. This is where the earlier clue comes back (34:30). Again, you'll have to listen.
The Bottom Up View Forgotten
Weeks points out a fundamental problem connected to his opening story: "According to evolutionists] we're not supposed to think of animals in human terms. [But ] isn't that how we think of them in the theory of evolution? Some are more successful, some are more entrepreneurial than others" (around 35:30).
Using the example of photocopiers not handling paper clips very well, Weeks introduces "the problem of intelligent design," which is that chance does not work well in an extremely ordered, complex system. It doesn't make sense. One cannot maintain the well-ordered system of the universe by introducing chance changes.
In order to explain the lack of evidence for these "chance moments" by which change was introduced, Stephen Gould argues that evolution involves long stable periods without change and then moments of "terror" when change occurs so suddenly that no evidence for the change remains. A handy explanation for a theory lacking evidence!
Why did evolution have to resort to such explanations? Fundamentally, because Adam Smith's theories about human entrepreneurial ways were applied to animals, whereas in fact animals are not human and do not have such innovative and entrepreneurial ways (around 41:00).
If evolutionists would embrace the consequences of their theories, and view our ethics coming up from animals, we would have a world like Nietzche's, Marx's, and Hitler's.
The Top Down View Restored
Weeks then properly surprises us by stating that the problem of people killing each other is not a problem of world religions or of biological theories. Ultimately it is a human problem. We are all inclined to sin. We can only understand the problems in our world if we accept the truth that we are the children of God and we rebelled against him. That's the problem that we need to grapple with.
The speech ends here, at the 45 minute mark. Following this was about 30 minutes of discussion, also recorded.
And, by the way, we are open to donations to fly Dr. Weeks over here to North America to deliver for more of his high quality speeches, given in his very endearing style.
2016 Gaffin Lecture (Noel Weeks)
We've pointed out this video already, but thought it should receive a post of its own. Dr. Weeks's lecturing style is so winsome that we think you should watch just to praise God for his ability to deliver his lecture with such clarity and yet without any notes.
The lecture was delivered in 2016 and serves as an excellent summary of a scholarly article written by Dr. Weeks that appeared in the Spring of 2016 in the Westminster Theological Journal and reviewed by us in our most recent blog post.
You can get to the video by following this link.
Critique of John Walton (Noel Weeks)
This blog post provides a simpler account of a scholarly essay by Noel Weeks called, "The Bible and the 'Universal' Ancient World: A Critique of John Walton," Westminster Theological Journal 78 (2016): 1–28.
But first an introduction.
The titles of several of John Walton's books make clear his view that the Bible comes from an ancient world that we no longer understand . . . unless we accept Walton's explanations of how these ancient cultures worked and thought, and then apply Walton's reconstruction to re-intrepret the Old Testament.
Apparently the books are selling well, for IVP has turned this into a "Lost World" series with one more volume per year, for 2017, 2018, and 2019. In every case the premise of the volume is that Western readings of the Old Testament have grossly misunderstood the meaning of the text by ignoring the Ancient Near Eastern context. For example, The Lost World of the Torah (i.e., of Gen–Deut), due to come out in Feb 2019, argues that "The Ancient Israelites Would Not Have Understood the Torah as Providing Divine Moral Instruction," and "We Cannot Gain Moral Knowledge or Build a System of Ethics Based on Reading the Torah in Context and Deriving Principles from It" (the book's theses have been announced online). Presumably the Ten Commandments, part of the Torah, do not provide moral instruction? We shall find out when the book is published.
As with all of Walton's books, this raises questions about how much we can assume that there was such a thing as an Ancient Near Eastern mindset that was shared across very diverse cultures and several millennia. Weeks's article from 2010 pointed out enormous problems with this assumption (we reviewed this in a previous blog post).
Enter a second essay by Weeks, directly challenging Walton.
Weeks begins by pointing out that the crucial weakness in Walton's method is the belief that the ancient world and our modern world are so vastly different that the Bible's conformity to thought patterns of the ancient world—as reconstructed by Walton, we hasten to add—and its differences from our world, can be taken for granted. As a result of this assumption, Walton doesn't need to make careful distinctions in his evidence from the ancient world. Weeks, however, shows how important it is to evaluate the evidence much more closely than Walton does.
First, he points out biases in the textual evidence (mostly clay tablets) from Mesopotamia, that is, the land of the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians:
- 100s of 1000s of Mesopotamian texts versus a few dozen from Israel (besides OT)
- 90% of Mesopotamian texts are economic or administrative records but the biblical text of the OT is not of that sort
- the 10% of the Mesopotamian texts remaining are mostly for divination & exorcism
- next, it's unclear whether the few Mesopotamian texts that could compare to the Old Testament represent matters central to Mesopotamian thought
- also unclear whether Mesopotamian scribes recorded views of their own culture & time or simply repeated past stories for other reasons
- further unknown whether the average person in Mesopotamia thought in the way of these few texts or whether such views belonged only to the elite
Weeks concludes, "When all these reservation and qualifications are taken into consideration, the simple quoting of a Mesopotamian text as the background to the OT is implausible" (6).
Weeks next reviews the evidence from Egypt, then from Hittite sources, and then from the Transjordan area. The only site that provides texts of ancient myths is Ugarit, on the Syrian coast (7). But Ugarit has no creation account, nor do the Hittite myths (8). The only creation account, from the Enuma elish, is actually about the superiority of the Babylonian god Marduk. The dating of the document's origin is likely late second millennium B.C., too late to have been consulted by Moses (9).
Weeks asks whether even ten references over two thousand years and two cultures can establish a common view, and then adds that "on some crucial points Walton is more likely to have two than ten" (10).
Walton's key arguments next receive scrutiny.
- First, about creation in Genesis not being about the origin of things, but only their functions, Weeks provides two counter examples from Babylonia (11).
- Second, the particular functions that Walton ascribes to each day of creation are rather out of line with his claim to convey the ancient mindset, for he chooses very abstract functions, such as time, the architectural design of cosmic geography, fecundity, etc. (12).
- Third, the idea of creation as temple where God came to rest just like all other ancient gods lived in temples is challenged by the fact that these gods were often described as living in other gods' temples or even reposing outside a temple, and especially, having their more permanent residence in a heaven (13–14, 18).
- Fourth, the assumed "scientific naiveté of the ancient people in apparently thinking of the universe as a three-tiered structure is false. While such texts exist, other, different texts from the same cultures also exist (14–17).
- Fifth, the importance of the seven-day period in general does not need to be questioned, but its purported tie to the length of time for building a temple fails (19).
Interestingly, Weeks concludes that Walton has not only made the Bible more like the surrounding cultures, but he has also made the surrounding cultures more like the Bible (18). And, we might add, both as unlike today as possible.
In a major section of his paper, Weeks also critiques Walton's application of his method to Scripture more broadly, but for our purposes we will not describe this (21–6).
He concludes,
In summary I am not impressed by the whole approach outlined here. There is no recognition of the difficulty of discerning a uniform mind of the ANE. Individual extra-biblical texts are turned into representations of the whole huge chronological and cultural span. Even more striking are claims that are simply false (26, bold here and in following paragraphs added).
The tendency of [Walton & Sandy's] system is to push any real impact of God on the world further into a grey area . . . They reject Deism . . . but their system has the same tendency . . . The points of interaction between the deity and the physical world are postulates of faith without tangible physical evidence. [However], the biblical text is clear that when God interacts with the physical, the physical world is actually, visibly changed (26).
Structurally this approach is very similar to the neo-orthodox thesis of a Word of God within the Scriptures but not synonymous with the Scriptures (27).
In other words they make no attempt to set forward a method by means of which we might climb out of the language of an ancient time into the message for us. I suspect that they do not tell us because they already know what parts of the text are objectionable. Whether is it the parts that do not fit Kantianism or the parts that make the modern unbeliever scoff, it is modern problems that really drive them. I fear they have fallen into the trap they wished to avoid (27).
We need to see that the Bible stands over against both the ancient world and the modern world. It does so because God is distinct from the creation he made and yet he impacts upon it (28).
For those who prefer to get the gist of this article in video format, you can watch Weeks's lecture at Westminster Theological Seminary, posted online. I'm sure they'll be happy for the added web traffic 🙂 and you will be happy to listen to his very winsome style of lecturing. A pdf of the article can also be obtained.


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Silvertone Child's Bracelet - Cuff Style
It is silvertone in color and it is all metal. In the back of the cuff is a spring so you can spread it open to put it on the wrist. The design is a heart that sits between two bands. The inside width is 1 6/8" and the outside is 2". The design measures 6/8" x 6/8".


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Photographs by Mario Sorrenti, Styled by Edward Enninful
For a full year now, since Riccardo Tisci announced that he was leaving his role as chief designer at Givenchy after a 12-year tenure that saw him turn the house into a Beyoncé and Kardashian favorite, there's been speculation about where he'd head next. At last, the rumors can be put to rest: Just over a week after Christopher Bailey showed his last collection for Burberry—a tribute to LGBTQ youth that saw Cara Delevingne make a triumphant runway return in a rainbow cape—it's been announced that Tisci is headed for London to pick up where Bailey left off.
As the longest-serving creative director at Givenchy aside from Hubert de Givenchy himself, over the course of 93 collections, Tisci honed a style of his own over the last 12 years that'll no doubt make its way into British houses standard tartans and trench coats—which will definitely take a turn once Tisci's given them his usual gothic touch. (As well as a sense of humor, if his tweet after the announcement, "That's all, Folks!" is any indication.)
Givenchy is now in the hands of Clare Waight Keller, whereas before Thursday's news, things for Burberry were starting to look a little uncertain: Bailey, who spent 17 years at the house, announced he'd be stepping down all the way back in October, and until now there's been no news of potentials for his replacement as the brand's head of design. He's still on hand at Burberry, meaning he'll be around to help Tisci make the transition, which shouldn't be too hard, given that the pair already share an appreciation for red carpet pageantry.
Still, Bailey's forward-looking see-now, buy-now approach was a far cry from looks like the Kim Kardashian's infamous floral Met Gala gown, as well as the sporty gear he's lately been working on with one of his biggest fans, Bella Hadid. With Tisci at the helm, it looks like Burberry's set to transform even further than it had under Bailey—given Tisci's track record, to the point of designing tour costumes for Rihanna, Madonna, and Beyoncé. No matter which direction he heads in, though, Hadid and the Kardashians are bound to be paying attention.
Reformed Goth Kid Riccardo Tisci Has Always Had Strong Opinions:
Related: Bella Hadid on Fashion Week, Riccardo Tisci, and Why She Hates Burpees


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