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On the weekend of May 10th-12th Maestro Ayauasqueros Jim (@Syncwinnipeg) and Sara came to New York for a set of 3 Ceremonies. The first two in Brooklyn and Jersey, with Jennifer (@True) and the final with myself(@indradhanush42) and a Synchronicity Documentary crew in my current home base of New Paltz (New/Now Pulse) New York.
The infamous "Ridge" and Tower of the Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz. The indigenous people of this area have said this ridge is a Rift between our world and the spirit world. The mountains are said to have been the Jerusalem or holy land of the native people here.
I got the call from the StArmy that they would be arriving in New Paltz, after a stroll on the trail with some friends we were told to meet the team at a local Mediterranian food place "Moonlight Cafe". I laughed as soon as I heard the Sync Documentary crew chose this location for lunch, knowing that the sidewalk in front of this particular cafe holds a mysterious engraved 42 in the cement. 42 is a mega sync number that both @syncwinnipeg and I had been writing about simultaneously before knowing about eachothers work and experience. Jim bringing out the Jupiterian resonation and myself the Egyptian/Rainbow connection.
I knew we were off to a great start when we all met for the first time at the 42.
I knew we were off to a great start when we all met for the first time at the 42.
As the StArmy moved through town we immediately began entraining with the Holyday upon which we all happened to link up. All were preparing to meet with Grandma Ayauasca as the Vines spirit is often referred to. The Inner Jack is inside every one of us, waiting to wake up to the infinite potential of total love and joy.
We began our journey from New Paltz into the City of Poughkeepsie just over the Hudson River. Our initial plan was to have Ceremony at a friends place in Kingston, but as the StArmy numbers grew we had to relocate to a very special place.
The Rainbow Mid-Hudson Bridge
We had gotten a reminder from Jake(@Seallion) that in the film "The River Kwai" there is a scene where they say "My orders are to complete the Bridge by May 12th". Here we are at the Rainbow Bridge between New Paltz and Poughkeepsie, Bridging Mayantuyacu Peru, Winnipeg Canada, and New Paltz New York.
@Seallion also points out that May 12th is when the Terminator goes Back to the Future. This connects us to the film Time Travel from 2002 which was filmed in Poughkeepsie NY.
To see why the Rainbow Bridge in Poughkeepsie on May the 12th syncs with River rides, boats into the underworld and Rainbow Bridges. see my video below.
I just had a touching live Holy Moment while writing this blog post about our time in the Mountains of New Paltz and beside the Hudson River of Poughkeepsie. My girlfriend is watching Rosanne on Television. A beautiful song/icaro.
"There's a river high in the mountains
That's been flowin' since who knows when.
No one's sure just how it started,
But it's never gonna end.
Our love is like that river,
Flowin' through all time.
Heaven knows I need you,
And I'll never change my mind.
Heaven knows how I love you, and I'll never change my mind."
The Hudson River is not only a trademark of the Mountain region, it also connects to a very peculiar river known as the Wallkill River, flowing South to North, just like the River Nile (which is connected to the mysteries of the Duat/Rainbw Bridge/Underworld/Rabbithole). Of course the Wallkill river is estimated by Wikipedia as 142km long. This river flows through New Paltz and connects to the Hudson River.
"The Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta,New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly 88.3 miles (142.1 km) to Rondout Creek in New York, near Rosendale, with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at Kingston.
The river is unusual because it flows north between two major south-flowing rivers, the Hudson and the Delaware River. It also has the unusual distinction of being a river that drains into a creek, due to being impounded shortly before the Rondout confluence into a small body of water called Sturgeon Pool near Rifton, and what reaches the Rondout from there is the lesser flow." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallkill_River
A friend of mine knows a fellow who has compiled information that leads him to believe the Wallkill River and Nile River, both South to North flowing rivers, share characteristics and context, I hope to find this article soon. They do look quite similiar by comparison. This adds interesting egyptian rainbow bridge/42 connections from the video above.
So back to Poughkeepsie where we were preparing for our Mothers Day Ceremony with Grandma Ayauasca. It's Syncy that Time Machine was filmed in Poughkeepsie, and shares castmember Guy Pearce with the film Promethius. I went to Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie where there are numerous statues of Promethius.
from Wikipedia
Poughkeepsie (pron.: /pəˈkɪpsiː/) is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City andAlbany. The name derives from a word in the Wappinger language, roughly U-puku-ipi-sing, meaning "the reed covered lodge by the little-water place," referring to a spring or stream feeding into the Hudson River, south of the present downtown area.
Poughkeepsie is known as "The Queen City of the Hudson." Poughkeepsie is the principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. It was originally settled in the 17th century by the Dutch, and became New York's second capital shortly after the American Revolution. It was chartered as a city in 1854. Major bridges in the city include the Poughkeepsie Bridge, a former railroad bridge now serving as a public walkway, and the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a major thoroughfare built in 1930 that carries U.S. Route 44 (concurrent withState Route 55) over the Hudson.
Through ceremony we completed the Mothers Day Bridge at the Queen City Lodge of Poughkeepsie, laying the foundation for our future journeys in the lands of New Paltz.
It was a Real A-Saucy-Aha kind of night at the Pizzaria. Ayauasca is an anagram for A Saucy Aha. Perfect because the brew can be quite saucy and leads to all kinds of Aha moments. Funny enough Occultist Aleister Crowley wrote a piece called Liber 242 or Liber Aha, the first chapter contains Rabbit Constellation and Rainbow synchronicity.
"Fashion thyself by austere craftInto a single azure shaft
Loosed from the string of Will; behold
The Rainbow! Thou art shot, pure flame,
Past the reverberated Name
Into the Hall of Death. Therein
The Rosy Cross is subtly seen." - Liber Aha - 242
Following the Saucy Pizzauasca ceremony, we all treated ourselves to some Organic Vegan breakfast eats at the Lovely Karma Road cafe, a fitting name and logo after our evenings journey. I like how the Road to the Heart looks like and Eye upon a pyramid, such as the all seeing eye of Horus, this is the all loving heart of your-us.
Karma Road is next door to Wine and Spirits, let it pour, let it pour, let it pour. The 27 sync winks.
Our lovely Mountain Guide and new addition to the StArmy took us to Owasting Falls at Minnewaska state park. Minnewasqueros bringing the Love to the Land.
The flying MinnewOzca Monkey in front of our car at the overlook. Reaffirming the Rainbow/Oz/Rift connection with the Shawangunk Ridge.
The Minnewaska Preserve is on Mohonk Mountain, which is topped with a Lake called Skytop Lake. The Mohonk Mountain House also tops the mountain, and it has been rumored that it was part of Stephen Kings Inspiration in "The Shining".
This connnection made our New Paltz Jack connect interesting as well.
Atop the Shawangunk Ridge and Mohonk property is the infamous Watchtower that crowns the Ridge/Rift.
Bob Dylan crashed his Motorcycle in this area on July 29th 1966, it is rumored that he wrote all along the watchtower while he recovered from the accident, Dylan called this crash a spiritual awakening and divides his career into pre and post crash. "All along the watchtower, princes kept the view".
We continued our Mountain Journey to the Owasting Waterfall where Jim greeted the trees with Peruvian Mapacho, building the bridge.
The Owasting Falls Sink/Sync whole.
The whole ridge is composed of Quartz Crystal, making it basically a spiritual transmitter. There is definitely a special energy here, and the StArmy knows it will return soon.
We were also informed by @seallion via Twitter that a massive Solar Flare eruption occured just an hour into our A Saucy Aha evening in Poughkeepsie. This has happened before with the StArmy as well.
"the sun unleashed a colossal Mother's Day solar flare on Sunday May 12 in what has become the most powerful solar eruption of the year.
The giant solar flare, which registered as one of the largest eruptions the sun can unleash, peaked Sunday night at 10:17 p.m. EDT (0217 GMT) and was captured on camera by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. It sparked an hour-long high-frequency radio blackout, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/05/13/major-solar-flare-erupts-from-sun-strongest-2013/#ixzz2THmj6wtb
With the Ridge being a giant Quartz charm it is no wonder that this region is no stranger to UFO sightings and rich with folklore.
The nearby town of Pinebush is called the Roswell of the East Coast for its history of documented cases of UFOs. Pinebush has been a hotspot for researches and new agers. The town itself holds a UFO parade every year.
Also interesting is the connection between UFOS and Contact via Communion written by local author Whitely Streiber. This was written about his experience just miles from New Paltz in the town of Stone Ridge.
The Hudson Valley Region is also home of the Rip Van Winkle myth, the story of the man who went off into the woods and drank the mystical wine of the fairy elves, putting him into a prolonged sleepy trance, he woke up many years later to find he outlived all of his friends and family.
It's also very magical that New Paltz is just miles from the town of Woodstock, famous for the Woodstock Festival of 1969, a massive convergence of people in the name of love and unity.
The "Aquarian Exposition" of Woodstock, 3 days of Peace and Music. So much about this area is charged with people power and the power of mother nature. With the massive city just 60 miles south of the region, the area is something of a retreat for many people. DB David Bowie owns a Mountain in Woodstock these days.
New Paltz was founded by French Hughenots, religous refugees looking for Spiritual Liberty in the new world, just like the indigenous Esopus tribes they were attracted to the Land surrounding the Shawangunk Ridge.
"The mountains hem us in. Beyond the mountains lies the world-a turbulent world of storm and struggle and opportunity. But the sturdy Shawangunks lift up their blue barrier and hold it back so that we in little old New Paltz can sleep on beside the drowsy Wallkill almost as we slept two hundred years ago."- "The Story of the Paltz" by Cornelia E. Dubois & Elizabeth LeFevre 1915
My band wrote the song "Magus in the Valley" well before we had heard of this true Magus' visit to our Valley. Super cool.
The New Pulse and the Road toe Wellville.
New Paltzs Mohonk Mountain House was the location where scenes for the film "Road to Wellville" were shot. This film focuses on medicine and healing, and the main characters name is "William Lightbody". This sync bomb features Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Broderick, and John Cusack.
Interesting that theres a seethrough framed pyramid behind his character on the cover of Road to Wellville, because New Paltz Campus houses a giant glass pyramid that is said to be inspired by the Shawangunk Ridge.
Road toWellness also stars Dana Carvey, who is the Master of Disguise, member of the Infamous secret society the Turtle club.
Interesting that theres a seethrough framed pyramid behind his character on the cover of Road to Wellville, because New Paltz Campus houses a giant glass pyramid that is said to be inspired by the Shawangunk Ridge.
Road toWellness also stars Dana Carvey, who is the Master of Disguise, member of the Infamous secret society the Turtle club.
"that cigar is from the private collection of Develen Bowman" DB=42 "can you give me the address for Mr. Bowman?"
Fly hummingbird fly < 3
The Day after writing this post a Full Circular Rainbow was around the Sun over the Hudson Valley and New York. A sure sign for the StArmy that the bridge mission is complete. Holy wow. < 3
While surfing old tunes to dig on today I happened across "on the silent wings of freedom" by YES. I had a feeling this song would connect with our weekend well. It's lyrics are highly in sync with our Ceremony, especially in that it was in a Pizzaria and this song is off the YES album TORMATO.
"On the silent wings of Freedom
Where I offer myself midst the balancing of the Sun
On the winds of Celestial Seasons
That would carry me on, midst the balance of being one
On the dream of our love Eternal
That will eventually bring our living once more with you
Where we are coming from
Or where we go
We only know we come with sound
Where we are coming from
Or where we go
We only know we go around and round
On the back of your forty-second screamdown (42nd)
Do you choose to be lost midst the challenge of being one
On the flight of regardless feelings
As you hurtle to fear midst the challenge of everyone
On the darkest night so painful
Do you hunger for love midst the torture of being one
On the passing light of Easing
Have you seen you inside midst the being of Everyone
To the common goal of Freedom
Where we offer ourselves midst the balancing of the Sun
Where we are coming from
Or where we go
We only know we come with sound
Where we are coming from
Or where we go
We only know we go around and round"
- On the silent wings of freedom by Yes from the album Tormato
Tormatos are a main ingredient in Pizza
On Thursday May 16th just 4 days after Ceremony my band played at the GUTTER in Brooklyn, a bowling ally/bar/venue. The Ninja Turtles are born of the GUTTER. Divinity and magick in all things low and high. TMNT
Our show was on the same night as Jake Kotzes first StArmy Webcast where he highlights the connection between sync, 42, and Tin Men. Our Poster for that very evening actually features a Tin Man.
Jake (@Seallion) and Jennifer (@True) did a beautiful webcast about Synchronicty, 42, Tin Men, and more on Thursday May 16th, click the image to check it out!


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Fitness blog
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If you ask a man what is most attractive to a woman in his eyes, then it will probably be beautiful eyes, hair or even magnificent breasts? Not at all, according to sociologists, it is a beautiful...

subset: commoncrawl


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Tagged: Nathan Metroka
Fifteen Pitchers
It's pretty tough to get through a single conversation about the Astros that doesn't turn toward the team's lack of depth in the starting rotation. If you were to listen closely to many of the naysayers, you'd think that the Houston farm system may never produce another Roy Oswalt-type ace.
Surely, you the True Astro Fans® are wondering, our farm system must have someone in it to give us hope… if not this year, than at least for the future.
Well, the news is good, but maybe not great. The Astros actually do have some very promising pitchers in the system, but not very many at the top levels. Round Rock and Corpus Christi had fairly unimpressive staffs last year, and even the standouts didn't tend to have fantastic lines.
However, there are fifteen pitchers – not counting new free agent Chia-Jen Lo – that I think are worthy of note. This is a bit different from my last entry, because there I talked about players who might impact the big league roster this season. I didn't talk about 3B Ebert Rosario, LF Brian Pellegrini, 2B Albert Cartwright, or one of my favorite prospects, OF Nathan Metroka. Their time will come.
With the pitchers, however, I'm switching things up. It's a position where the Astros have such a razor-thin margin of error that some shocking things may come up. Or, at the very least, some depressed fans may simply start to wonder if we'll ever have any quality pitching coming from the farmhands.
Any talk of the Astros' pitching prospects has to begin with the three that excite me the most: One who will probably bear the Astros uniform this year, and two who almost certainly will not.
Two Men Named Trinidad
I've talked before about Polin Trinidad, who played for the World team in the 2008 Futures Game (he earned a hold by allowing 1 hit and striking 1 out in his single inning of work… the one hit was to MegaProspect Matt LaPorta, who Trinidad erased from the basepaths by forcing Dexter Fowler to ground into a double play). He's got the slim figures that I love to see in a prospect: 23-year-old lefty, 10-7, 3.14 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 109 strikeouts in 169 innings — with only 32 walks. It's hard not to get excited about his chances. His numbers budged a little bit with the move from Salem to Corpus, but his AA numbers were still stellar at 6-5, 3.61, 1.21, 75 K/21 BB in 107 IP. Projection: Polin got a Spring Training invitation this year, and I expect he should see some time in the majors during the regular season, as well. I'd still like to see him pitch a little deeper, and he may project more as a long reliever until he can do that, but this kid could be a future ace.
Have I got you pretty excited about the Trinidad kid? Not so fast, my friends, because as good as he is, he may not have been the best prospect named Trinidad in our system last year. That's because down in Greeneville, Jose Trinidad managed to string together one of the most mouth-watering seasons I've seen in a while: 3-2 in 10 starts (56.0 IP), 40 strikeouts, 2.73 ERA, 1.13 WHIP. That's very exciting, but just how many walks did Señor Trinidad give up to go with those 40 strikeouts? Six. That's right – he faced 241 professional hitters and walked just six of them. In the Appalachian League last year, 1,964 walks were issued. Six of them by Jose. And did I mention he didn't allow a single home run? I'm really excited to watch this 20-year-old righty develop. Projection: 2-3 years away from even pitching at Round Rock. He'll probably spend this year in Tri-City, though I wouldn't be overly surprised if he jumped straight to Lexington.
Jose wasn't alone in Greeneville last year. There was one other starter who really grabbed my attention: Second-round draft pick Jordan Lyles. Just seventeen years old, Jordan threw 49.2 innings as a starter in Greeneville, and warranted enough attention that he also was asked to start two games for Tri-City (though he went just 5.2 innings between them). His Greeneville line was astonishing for someone his age: 3-3, 3.99 ERA, 1.09 WHIP. And of the 208 batters he faced, only 10 reached base via walk. Of couse, that's more than Trinidad's six, but consider that he did it while striking out 68. That's exactly 4 strikeouts for every walk issued. He didn't fare quite as well when he moved to Tri-City, but this is a kid who had been throwing to high school sophomores a few months prior. Very impressive. Projection: You try not to read too much into Rookie ball statistics, especially when you're dealing with pitchers drafted out of high school. But Jordan showed he was at the very least worthy of the Astros' second round pick, and I'm looking forward to seeing him progress over the next 4-5 years.
The Big Leaguers
There are four young pitchers who are likely to find significant time on the major league roster this season that I'm really looking forward to seeing. These are the guys nearing (or, in one case, past) "major league age," where it's do-or-die time for a pitcher. And these four guys appear poised to do very well in the majors.
There are better indicators to pitching ability than ERA or Wins. In fact, these statistics, like RBI, have a box score-driven popularity among "casual fans" that drive sabermetricians crazy. You can completely fail as a pitcher and come up with a win, a save, or a low ERA. That said, when looking at a pitching prospect's stats line, I look for three things: Did he have a WHIP at or below 1.30? Did he strike out more than he walked, preferably by at least a 1.5:1 ratio? And how close were his strikeouts to his innings pitched? When I'm introducing people to prospect evaluation, and all they have is a stats line and no mathematical ability, these are the three things I tell them to look for. So it's no surprise that a left-handed 24-year-old Corpus Christi pitcher who went 4-4 as a reliever with a 4.52 ERA suddenly looks a lot better when you realize he did it with a 1.36 WHIP, 84 strikeouts, and 28 walks in 69.2 innings of work. That's why, though you may not have noticed Christopher Blazek before, you're likely to notice him in the future. Projection: Chris will probably start off at Round Rock, but may very well be called up during the season if there are injury woes in the bullpen. I suspect his numbers will take a hit in the Pacific Coast League
, as so many pitchers' numbers do, but I like his make-up. I think he'll be just fine.
Though not quite as dominant, Joshua Miller had a similar issue last season: PCL hitters lit him up to the tune of an 8-9 record in 21 starts with a 5.41 ERA. Looking deeper, though, you see that this 29-year-old righty may have had the worst statistical year of his career, but when that still means a 1.39 WHIP, that's not so bad. True, he only struck out 74 in his 148 IP, but he also only walked 19. And in 630 batters faced, he didn't drop a single wild pitch. Projection: Miller isn't our top prospect, but he'll be thirty years old this season, and I think he's got to get a chance somewhere along the way to play in the major leagues, where I think he can be a competent pitcher. I don't expect him to knock anybody out, but I think he's worthy of a legitimate shot.
When Astros fans hear about the Rule 5 draft this offseason, we think of Wesley Wright, or maybe Lou Palmisano. Well, we didn't even acquire Palmisano in the Rule 5 draft. The Orioles did, on our behalf, and traded him to us for cash money. Our Rule 5 selection? Why, Gilbert De la Vara. Gilbert and Wright share a lot of similarities – both 5'11", 160-pound lefties drafted in the Rule 5 by Ed Wade and tacked onto a roster with a bullpen pretty much already set. And I think De La Vara can have the kind of success that Wright had. He went 6-3 last year as a bullpen guy at Wilmington (A+) and Northwest Arkansas (AA) for the Royals' organization, and despite only 52 strikeouts to 27 walks in 77 innings, his WHIP was a razor-thin 1.08, including 1.16 at the AA level, with a pair of saves. Projection: I'd love to see Gilbert get some seasoning at the AAA level, but that won't be possible since he was a Rule 5 selection. As it is, I think he fits very nicely into the Astros' bullpen, perhaps even replacing Wright for 2009.
Sergio Perez didn't throw a lot in 2008 – just 27.1 innings at Corpus Christi – but his tidy 1.39 WHIP and 2.30 ERA showed that it didn't affect him that much. He went 2-3 in 5 starts with just 18 strikeouts and 8 walks, but when you look at his 2006 and 2007 lines in Salem and Lexington, respectively, a fuller picture begins to emerge: 9-13 in 30 starts, 171.2 IP, 3.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 123 K, 59 BB with 732 batters faced. Projection: Sergio will be just 24 this year, and I think he'll split time between Corpus Christi and Round Rock; maybe a cup of coffee with the big league club. His WHIP has eked up slightly with each promotion, and I think the PCL will be a bigger adjustment for him than anything else he's faced, but I suspect he'll continue to pitch very well.
Will They? Won't They?
Two pitchers in the Astros organization had such limited time played in 2008 that it's nearly impossible to gauge – from a purely-statistical basis – where they're at in their development. But that shouldn't lead anyone to think any less highly of these two studs:
The 2008 draft, as we know, was one of the better drafts the Astros have had in a while. Both Jason Castro and Jordan Lyles emerged as studs. When you look farther down the list, though, another name may jump out at you. Texas high schools are notorious for their fireballers, but the 2008 class didn't really have a reprsentative from that category. The closest was Ross Seaton from Second Baptist School. The 6'4″ righty was expected to go to Tulane unless his signing bonus was right, which is part of the reason he fell to the Astros with the 109th pick of the draft. Then, in completely-atypical Astros fashion, they managed to sign him. Ross started 3 games in 2008 for the Greeneville Astros, and his numbers weren't amazing. In fact, they were bad: 4 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 13.50 ERA, 2.50 WHIP. But that doesn't tell the entire story, as the simple fact that we were able to land him is a step in the right direction for the Astros as an organization. Projection: Put Seaton on the back burner. He'll probably play a full season in Greeneville, and may not impress anyone as he learns the professional game. But with a 94-mph fastball, a sinking two-seamer, 85-mph slider, and a big athletic frame (he swings a good bat, too), he could turn out to be very good. I'd love to see him improve his changeup, because at the moment he doesn't really have one. But he should be one to watch.
We've heard so much about Felipe Paulino Del Guidice already that it's almost hard to think of him as a prospect. He spent the 2008 season injured, throwing just two thirds of an inning for Round Rock (he gave up a hit, walked one, struck one out, and didn't give up a run, in case you're wondering.) He's still one of the team's top pitching prospects, though, as indicated by his invitation to Spring Training this season. Projections: I'm going to go against the grain and advocate Felipe spend a year in Round Rock. There will be opportunities this season for spot starts at the major league level, and he should be considered for that, but I think regular work is vital for him right now.
The Invitees
Four pitchers are left on my list of 15 who are currently with the Astros in Spring Training. They represent a nice little cross-section of the organization, and each has his own strengths and concerns.
Very few pitchers have the do-or-die feeling surrounding them this season quite the way Fernando Nieve does. He was supposed to be a back-end guy by now, if not actually the big league closer. And if he hadn't been derailed by Tommy John surgery, he may have been. The last two seasons have been a struggle for Fernando, and as he enters camp this season, it's time for him to prove that he's back on track. I think he'll do just fine. Projection: I don't know if there's room for Nieve right now at the major league level, but you can't risk losing him. His upside is just too great. For that reason, I suspect he'll stick around the bigs and actually get stronger as the season progresses. I really like this kid, and I think he'll win back quite a few Astros fans.
A lot of guys in the organization are high on Bud Norris right now, and fairly so. Last year at Corpus Christi, he went 3-8 in 19 starts, fanned 84 batters to just 31 walks, and clocked in with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. I'm not quite as impressed with him as I am with some other guys in our organization, but there's no doubt that someone who records 84 K in 80 innings has some upside. Projection: Bud will be a top-of-the-rotation starter at Round Rock, where he'll spend time with the older guys and lock his game down. Next year, he may be ready for steady big league service.
It's a little hard not to like what Samuel Gervacio brings to the table as a pitcher. He went 3-5 last season between Round Rock and Corpus Christi, with 96 strikeouts in 73.1 innings – in just 8 innings of work in AAA, he fanned 14 batters. That came at the expense of just 29 walks, with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He's the same age as Norris, and may not get quite the same buzz because he's not a starter. He's generally pitched at the backend, recording 5 saves (most on the team, who only won 55 games) in the Texas League last year with 31 games finished (also most on the team) and pitching in a total of 47 games (you guessed it… most on the team.) When did he have time to go to Round Rock? Projection: I'm not ready for Gervacio to pitch in the majors yet, because I think this is the kind of guy whose confidence you want to gradually build up, but there's little to no doubt that he will, at some point this year, if he performs well at Round Rock (which I expect him to do.)
Brad James started 18 games last season for the Hooks. He won exactly one-third of them, and he lost exactly one-third of them. In 93 innings, he struck out 45 and walked 35. He allowed 107 hits, which put his WHIP at 1.53. None of these stats is stellar, but what I do like is that, of the 406 batters he faced, only 9 of them put his pitches into the seats. Projection: I'm not huge on James, but I think he can be serviceable. I particularly don't like his ever-escalating WHIP: It climbed by 0.27 from A+ to AA ball. I would actually advocate he spend some more time in Corpus Christi before advancing to Round Rock.
But Wait, There's More!
There are two more guys on my list of fifteen Astros pitchers to watch, and they're at two different places in their careers, but both are capable of raising some eyebrows.
The first is Chance Douglass. Many expected him to have cracked
the big leagues by now, but a shaky couple of seasons have kept him
from that goal. He'll be 25 this year, and needs to step on the gas
pedal if he's going to to succeed within this organization. I do think
he'll eventually be a big league pitcher somewhere, so whether it's in
Houston or elsewhere is really the only question. Chance's AAA numbers
last season actually outshine his AA numbers, but there is also a
significantly smaller sample size. Still, a 1.16 WHIP in the PCL is
impressive. A 1.46 WHIP for the season, however, isn't. Projection: I
hope Douglass gets it figured out and performs well at Corpus Christi,
where I'm guessing he'll start the season. If not, I suspect he and
the Astros will part ways.
There's a thoroughbred in Lexington, Kentucky, and he was let out to run every fifth day. He was fifth in the South Atlantic League in strikeouts (137), led the Legends starters in strikeouts, Innings Pitched (130), and ERA (4.02), and was second in WHIP (1.41) to only Anthony Bello. What I like most about this racehorse, Leandro Cespedes, is that he was only 21 last year and should get even better this season. He's definitely one to watch. 574 batters faced, 137 strikeouts, 45 walks. Could be a keeper. Projection: I think Cespedes will spend most of the year in Lancaster, and we'll see how he does against better – and older – competition. If he continues to mow them down, look for a move to Corpus Christi by the end of the year.
So there you have it: Fifteen pitchers to watch.


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445 Items Tagged
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A LOCAL artist has been inspired to create his first solo exhibition and write a book about Napoleons' younger brother, Lucien, who lived in Worcestershire and Shropshire two hundred years ago.
Mark Hilsden, a Worcester architectural pen and ink portraitist, has his solo exhibition "A Home in the Country" at Number 8 Community Arts Centre, Pershore until September 24 featuring old houses and buildings across Worcestershire, Shropshire, France and Italy linked to Lucien Bonaparte.
He explained: "While looking for house portrait commissions some 15 years ago in Ludlow I noticed a blue plaque on one of the houses saying that Lucien Bonaparte had lived there. A few years later I visited the little church at Grimley outside Worcester and discovered that Lucien Bonaparte had lived in the parish at a large property called Thorngrove. I was intrigued.
"After six years of intensive research, using government papers, private letters and old newspaper articles I have pieced together a story that came to an end 200 years ago this September. Lucien Bonaparte became an international celebrity, who unlike his brothers and sisters, spurned the chance of becoming king, preferring to remain married to the woman he loved with his integrity intact.
"Lucien became increasingly critical of his brother's government and was exiled to Italy, his political career over, he was only twenty-four. Settling down as a private citizen improving his estates, creating a outstanding collection of old master paintings, while working on an epic historic poem Charlemagne. Safe under the protection of the Pope, with whom he became friends, purchasing property and land to help the impoverished church. Napoleon offered his brother the chance to become King if he divorced his wife, he refused.
"Absorbing Italy into the empire, Napoleon imprisoned the pope, Lucien fearing for his life and that of his family, deciding to escape to America. Captured by the British and brought to England as a Prisoner of War where he lived under light surveillance in Shropshire and Worcestershire. A controversial celebrity prisoner and famous; people would travel miles out of their way to see him. With the help of powerful friends they bullied the government into allowing him to break the law and purchase a house in Worcestershire. Here lords and ladies would be entertained."
The artists new book "A Home in the Country" features a number of the drawings that are on show at the exhibition. It tells the story behind the pictures of a man whose life was full of contradictions.


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Salmon & ginger fish cakes
Nutrition and extra info
- Healthy
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal463
- fat24g
- saturates4g
- carbs33g
- sugars10g
- fibre4g
- protein31g
- salt0.32g
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into chips
Sweet potatosweet po-tate-toe
Sweet potatoes have a creamy texture and a sweet-spicy flavour that makes them ideal for savoury…
- 4 tsp olive oil
Olive oilol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…
- 2 x 140g/5oz skinless salmon fillets
- thumbnail-size piece ginger, grated
Mainly grown in Jamaica, Africa, India, China and Australia, ginger is the root of the plant. It…
- zest 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
The same shape, but smaller than…
- ½ bunch spring onions, finely chopped
Spring onionsp-ring un-yun
Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise mixed with wasabi (optional)
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the chips in a roasting tin with 1 tsp oil. Season and bake for 20-25 mins.
Chop the salmon as finely as you can and place in a bowl with the ginger, lime zest and seasoning. Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan and soften the spring onions for 2 mins. Stir into the salmon, mix well and shape into 4 patties.
Heat remaining oil in the pan and cook the patties for 3-4 mins each side until golden and cooked through. Cover with a lid and leave to rest for a few mins. Serve 2 patties each with the chips, mayo and lime wedges for squeezing.


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I have a GUI window that allocates a console using AllocConsole and then executes a child console process which should write to the console window I allocated. When I execute the program from the Start/Run menu or from a command prompt window,it works as expected. If I execute the program via the Windows Explorer or a desktop shortcut, the console window appears but nothing is written to it. I am using Windows 7 64bit. This problem did not occur under Windows XP.
I am setting the bInheritHandles to TRUE, setting STARTF_USESTDHANDLES flag in the startupifno dwFlags, and am setting hStdOutput to GetStdHandle (STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE).


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Graham Artist's Oil Color
Color: Titanium White
Size: 150ml
Oil Color made with walnut oil has been preferred by artists for centuries. It provides rich, vibrant color that is naturally more alive and brilliant. Free flowing and slower drying, our oil color enables delicate passages of finely blended color that will retain its brilliance over time.


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24 smart uses for sugar
From battling microscopic parasites to fighting grass stains, plain old sugar can be your ally in a number of clever applications.
By Melissa Breyer (Mother Nature Network)
LIP SERVICE: Sugar can be used to soften the kisser and to keep lipstick fresh. (Photo: s-dmit/iStockphoto)
The history of sugar is not a simple one. From ancient China to the colonies to Candy Land, sugar has been making its mark throughout time in myriad ways. The "white gold," as British colonists called it, has now reached mundane staple status for much of the western world, sitting in a five-pound bag in the pantry patiently waiting to be spooned into a cup of coffee or employed in a batch of cookie dough.
But that doesn't mean the coruscating carbohydrate can't be put to other uses. In a bind, regular table sugar can pinch-hit for a number of other concoctions, often times taking the place of more costly or possibly toxic solutions. Whether for health or beauty, in the kitchen or in the garden, here are a number of ways you can put this versatile ingredient to work.
1. Soothe your babe
According to a study in Pediatrics, babies who were given a one-to-four sugar-water solution (directly into the mouth or administered on a pacifier) before immunizations handled the pain of the shots better than children who received only water.
2. Treat a wound
You can treat wounds with a sprinkle of sugar: Wives' tale or wise truth? This study showed that pouring granulated sugar on bedsores, leg ulcers or amputations before dressing killed the bacteria that prevents healing and causes chronic pain.
** Reposter's Comment ( We raised Bison and had a cow with a prolapsed uterus. The vet corrected the problem and packed the uterus with sugar. He told us that the sugar would stop infection and help our young cow heal more quickly. It definitely worked.)**
3. Soothe a singed tongue
For too-quick-a-gulp of too-hot coffee, sizzling pizza — whatever your tongue-burner may be — sugar can ease the sting. Suck on a sprinkle of sugar or a sugar cube and the pain should quickly dissipate.
4. Ease a spicy burn
Acidic foods and dairy can lessen the pain of too much spiciness in the mouth, but a dash of sugar works well too.
5. Make a body scrub
Sugar makes a splendid exfoliating agent for body scrubs. You can make a super simple one by mixing sugar with oil (canola, almond, jojoba or olive all work well) to create a loose paste. Add some essential oil or vanilla extract if you like fragrance. Gently rub on your skin and then rinse off in the shower.
6. Make a banana sugar scrub
When bananas have reached the point of no (edible) return, they can be appointed to your beauty routine. Banana is moisturizing and works perfectly as a vehicle for sugar in a body scrub. Mash a ripe banana with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. (Don't over mix.) Gently rub on your skin and then rinse off in the shower.
7. Smooth your kisser
Blend a little jojoba or olive oil with caster sugar (also called superfine sugar; you can also make this by putting regular granulated sugar in the food processor for a minute) and a touch of peppermint or vanilla extract, if you like. Place some of the paste on your lips, massage and lick off.
8. Extend lipstick
Sprinkle a bit of sugar atop freshly applied lipstick, let it sit, then lick it off. This works to set the lipstick and will extend the application.
9. Clean cruddy hands
For extra mucky hands (think paint, grease, grime) add sugar to your soap lather to act as an abrasive. You can also use equal parts sugar and olive oil, which acts to soothe and moisturize over-worked hands.
10. Feed your flowers
Add three teaspoons of sugar and two tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of warm water for fresh-cut flowers. The sugar feeds the stems and the vinegar restricts the growth of bacteria.
11. Battle nematode worms in garden
Have you nematodes? If the plants in your garden have unsightly knots at the roots, they may have fallen prey to the microscopic parasites. To combat them naturally, apply 5 pounds of sugar for every 250 square feet of garden. The sugar will feed microorganisms which will increase the organic matter in the soil, making it a hostile environment for the nematodes.
12. Trap wasps
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water, fill a jar with it and set it outside to attract wasps. They will fly in and become trapped. What you do with them next is up to you.
13. Make a natural fly strip
Fly strips can be unsightly, but flies on dinner can be even more so. If you can't scoot them out the window and you require relief, you can make all-natural fly strips by combining equal parts sugar, honey and water in a saucepan. Boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Let cool. Cut pieces of brown packing tape, punch a hole on the end and make a loop with string through the hole. Dip the strips in the mix, hang to let excess drips drop (with a pan beneath to catch drips) until sticky, then hang where the flies are most active.
14. Make a roach motel
Well, more like a roach last supper. Mix equal parts sugar and baking powder and sprinkle over areas of infestation. Sugar attracts the buggers, the baking powder exterminates them. Replace frequently.
15. Feed the butterflies
Matthew Tekulsky, author of "The Butterfly Garden" (Harvard Common Press, 1985), recommends this formula for feeding butterflies.
1 pound sugar
1 or 2 cans stale beer
3 mashed overripe banana
1 cup of molasses or syrup
1 cup of fruit juice
1 shot of rum
Mix all the ingredients well and paint the mixture on trees, fence posts, rocks, or stumps — or simply soak a sponge in the mixture and hang it from a tree limb.
16. Clean your grinders
Coffee bean and spice grinders can collect oils that are strong in flavor, but sugar can clean them by absorbing the offending elements. Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the grinder and run it for 2 -3 minutes. Dump out and wipe well.
17. Attack grass stains
Make a paste of warm water and sugar and apply to grass-stained clothing, let sit for an hour (or longer for tougher stains) and then wash as usual.
18. Keep cakes fresh
If you store cake in an airtight container with a few sugar cubes, it will stay fresh longer.
19. Keep cookies fresh
See above!
20. Prevent cheese from molding?
Some swear that storing cheese with sugar cubes will prevent cheese from molding.
21. Transform berries
Nothing beats fresh berries as they are, but you can also make a quick no-cook dessert topping that is as simple as it is versatile. To make "macerated berries," stir in a teaspoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon for every cup of sliced berries. Let sit for 30 minutes. Serve alone, with ice cream or whipped cream, on top of cakes, bread pudding, etc.
22. Vanilla your sugar
Split a vanilla bean in half and sink it in a jar full of sugar, let it sit for a week, and voilà, vanilla-perfumed sugar.
23. Sweeten iced drinks
Iced coffee season! Cocktail season! Make simple syrup for easy mixing of sugar into cold beverages. Mix one cup sugar with one cup water in a small saucepan. Bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer about 3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.
24. Make rock candy
Old-fashioned rock candy is nothing more than sugar and water, and a kick to make with kids. Stir 2.5 cups sugar into 1 cup hot water until sugar is dissolved. Pour the syrup into open containers and add a grain of sugar to each dish. Store in a cool, dry place and check after a few days for crystals. As they form, scoop them out and let dry on a paper towel. A simpler candy does not exist.


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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer gets all the glory — but what about the rest of the team?!? After all, it's not like that crimson-schnozzed galloot pulls the sleigh all by himself! It's time the others got their due! So, in the days leading up to Christmas, we'll be honoring the unsung heroes on Santa's team. Keep checking back!
Writer: Jeff Kruse


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Pagan Community Notes is a series focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. Reinforcing the idea that what happens to and within our organizations, groups, and events is news, and news-worthy. My hope is that more individuals, especially those working within Pagan organizations, get into the habit of sharing their news with the world. So let's get started!
Yesterday was the funeral for slain teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Throughout the country, vigils were held in solidarity with Brown's family. Among them was #HandsUpDC in Washington DC. Quote: "Join us for a candlelight vigil as Michael Brown's family lays him to peaceful rest. We'd like to stand in solidarity with #Ferguson and demand the de-escalation of the police and military." A group of local Pagans took part in the event, carrying signs that said "Justice for the beloved dead." Pagan author and activist David Salisbury, who lives and works in Washington DC, also organized an informal ritual at the vigil which "will invoke the justice goddesses: Libertas, Justica, Columbia, and Themis." For more on Pagan responses to Ferguson, please see Crystal Blanton's Wild Hunt post from this past Sunday.
There's been a huge viral outpouring of support on the Internet for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in which participants in the challenge are doused with ice water to help raise money and awareness for those living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. At this point in the campaign an immense assortment of prominent individuals (including an assortment of non-human individuals) have participated, so it stands to reason that there have been Pagan who've accepted the challenge as well. Notable Pagans who've taken part include author and Pagan Unity Festival co-founder Tish Owen, Pagan children's book author Kyrja Withers, Llewellyn Worldwide authors Deborah Blake and Melanie Marquis, and ADF Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas. Those are just the ones I could easily produce links for, I know there are more out there, so feel free to share them in the comments. As for myself, I prefer Patrick Stewart's utterly sensible response. I've embedded the video featuring Archdruid Kirk Thomas below.
This past weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, the Covenant of the Goddess (COG) one of the largest Witchcraft and Wiccan organizations in the United States, held their annual business meeting, known as the Grand Council. Our own Heather Greene will have more about the Grand Council and the accompanying public event Merry Meet on Wednesday, but I can report on one piece of news today: the organization has adopted a formal policy on environmental issues. Quote: "The CoG environmental statement was originally proposed and developed by longtime member and national CoG interfaith representative M. Macha NightMare (Aline O'Brien.) She said, 'It gives me a great sense of accomplishment that we, the Witches of the Covenant of the Goddess, have crafted a statement about our beloved Mother Earth that reflects our shared values and expresses our mutual concern for our planet, as well as our responsibilities for its current state and our hope for the future. Having this official statement on behalf of the entire membership will be immensely helpful to those of us who work in interfaith arenas. I am proud to have it to share.'" You can read the entire policy statement, which includes a section on climate change, here.
In Other Pagan Community News:
- The Pagan band Tuatha Dea, who recently crowdfunded a new album, has released the first video from that album, "Long Black Curl." The new album, "Tufa Tales: Appalachian Fae," can be purchased at their official website.
- Yesterday we mentioned Maya White Sparks and her quest to get an old fortune telling ordinance in Front Royal, Virginia removed from the books. It seems that vandals, unhappy with local Catholic activists, have defaced a Catholic gift shop in the town. This prompted Sparks to issues a statement condemning the action, saying "it would be more effective, I think, for people to stand with signs or walk with signs bearing their message rather than to deface property."
- German Pagan-folk band Faun has a new album coming out in September, "Luna," and you can catch a preview of the songs at their official Facebook page. You can also check out the official video for the song "Walpurgisnacht" there too.
- We are happy to pass on the news that Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the publishing arm of Neos Alexandria, has been awarded 501(c)3 status. This means there are now a federally recognized nonprofit charitable organization. Our congratulations go out to them! You may also want to take a gander at their current titles.
- Pagan singer-songwriter SJ Tucker and illustrator Elizabeth Leggett have launched a Kickstarter campaign to offer song-art collaborations so that Leggett can send her daughter to Europe to play in a select statewide-chosen orchestra. Quote: "Artists supporting artists is something I believe in very deeply. Sharing ideas, inspiration, time and encouragement can sometimes be the crucial difference that is needed to make a good work great. It is a privilege for the veterans in these fields to get the chance to help the younger generation express their talents."
That's all I have for now, have a great day!


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OF ALL the hardships imposed by the federal shutdown, none may be more tragic than its impact on a field that had already sustained devastating budget cuts: biomedical research. That is an impact measured in human terms. The National Institutes of Health, for example, is turning away patients seeking to enroll in clinical trials. The impact will ripple outward from them to other patients who might have benefited from what researchers would have learned from those studies.
They are not alone. Even as 35 million new patients stand to be enrolled in health exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act, policy makers have been unwittingly but systematically undermining the quality of the next generation of care that awaits them by gutting biomedical research.
Consider one example: The Framingham Heart Study, a 65-year, multigenerational study of the residents of one Massachusetts town, revolutionized medical science's understanding of cardiovascular illness by establishing links between cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease. These important findings have extended and even saved lives worldwide. Now, armed with the genetic data of 15,000 patients in the study's third generation, researchers are hot on the trail of the causes of Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and other maladies, but the promise of breakthroughs in these areas is in serious jeopardy.
Instead of flooring the accelerator to unlock the mysteries of these debilitating diseases, policy makers are slamming on the brakes. Sequestration is forcing the National Institutes of Health to slash a staggering 40 percent from the Framingham Heart Study's resources, potentially crippling it and certainly preventing any expansion into new frontiers of medical science.
The impact of sequestration on one of the most successful and important studies in the history of medicine is just one example of a crisis that is bringing some of the nation's most promising biomedical research nearly to a halt.
Even before sequestration was enacted, the federal research and development budget had declined 10 percent in constant dollars since 2010. The onset of sequestration forced the NIH to slash its budget by $1.7 billion. If Congress chooses the path of a continuing resolution this year, then under the Budget Control Act, 2013 research funding levels — deemed the "darkest ever" by NIH Director Francis Collins — will be cut even more.
In the Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where important work is being done to understand cognitive impairments in aging, funding from the NIH has been reduced to one-third of the original amount, which may result in this study being abandoned.
The impact of sequestration on biomedical research is not only medically devastating; it is also fiscally and economically shortsighted. Boston is home to a thriving life-sciences sector that creates jobs and wealth, saves and improves lives, and reaps returns on taxpayer investments. Yet the slash-and-burn approach to budget-cutting means the United States now stands at risk of ceding its longstanding preeminence in biomedical research.
In the meantime, we understand that research dollars are limited, so here at the Brigham we are seeking to create new and innovative funding mechanisms to sustain our commitment to life-giving breakthroughs. We have sent a loud and strong message to industry and to the venture capital community that the Brigham is open to new ways of partnering. We are creating new collaborations with companies for sponsored research as well as licensing with biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and health care technology companies. We are also actively exploring "impact investment" models that combine philanthropy with venture capital investment. If successful, the Brigham, in partnership with Partners Healthcare, will be the first academic medical center to create a venture capital fund that both private and public foundations can contribute to as required to maintain their federal nonprofit tax status.
These new vehicles are indeed promising, but government support remains an essential mainstay to enable us to conduct research on the scale necessary to confront the major challenges of Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease.
Medical research is at an important crossroad. This ought to — and still can — be a thrilling era for medical research in the United States. Cures for diseases that have devastated families for generations are within our reach, and researchers are in hot pursuit. This is no time to turn our backs on patients and on the potential for life-giving breakthroughs.
Dr. Betsy Nabel is president of Brigham and Women's Hospital.


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Stars Athletics Scholarship Society Fund Selection
A Program to Make You Proud
Thank you for your interest in joining the Stars Athletics Scholarship Society. Simply choose which fund below you would like to support. When you click on the Donate button for that fund, you'll be taken to a secure online giving page where you can make your gift.
- UIS Athletics Unrestricted Fund
- Men's Basketball
- Men's Golf
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- Men's Tennis
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- Baseball
- Women's Basketball
- Women's Golf
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- Women's Tennis
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Rhyming slag perhaps...
Posted by Smokey Stover on February 12, 2004
In Reply to: Rhyming slag perhaps... posted by Word Camel on February 11, 2004
: : : : : : This isn't new (see the Urban Dictionary) but it's funny.
: : : : : : POP TART -- "LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- In the aftermath of Janet Jackson's controversial Super Bowl breast exposure, MTV has decided that pop tart Britney Spears may be a bit too "Toxic" for daytime tastes..."
: : : : : : A Pop-Tart is a "toastable" breakfast pastry produced by Kellogg's.
: : : : : : I also think it's funny that someone has produced "The history of Pop-Tarts." http://www.geocities.com/conspiracyprime/e2_poptarts.htm
: : : : : I thought of the breakfast "pastry" too but then it occured to me that pop might be short for "popular" and in Pop music and "tart" is well, "tart" in the British sense of a promiscuous woman (with a connotation of cheapness or unpleasantness). Just a thought.
: : : : : Camel
: : : : I see. A pop tart is a kind of crumpet!
: : : : or maybe a strumpet crumpet?
: : Which leads me to ask... why IS crumpet called crumpet (in the sense it's being used here). I actually called one of my cats 'crumpet' and she had queues of suitors from the Hartley Vale tip (no class, she's just a tart) line up for her. Still they were all very handsome, big tomcats, so maybe a girl can't blame her.
: : I figured it was my fault for calling her Crumpet.
: Crumpet, strumpet?
A British historian was comparing the old style of historiography, with its emphasis on great men and their wars, with the newer style emphasizing economic and social trends. "It used to be all drums and trumpets, now it's all rum and strumpets!" SS


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Scientists Lose Instruments, Gain First Look at Seafloor FormationUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
James Cowen, (808) 956-7124
SOEST Researcher
Tolstoy and Lamont-Doherty colleague Felix Waldhauser set an array of ocean bottom seismometers along a section of the East Pacific Rise off the coast of Mexico in 2003 to study the little-understood process of seafloor spreading—a process that is responsible for the formation of nearly three-quarters of the Earth's crust. When a team went back in April 2006 to retrieve the instruments, however, only four out of 12 responded to the coded release signal and bobbed to the surface; three more responded to the signal, but did not come up. The rest remained silent.
Tests of the water temperature and light-scattering near the sea floor revealed signs of a recent volcanic eruption. A second expedition, led by James Cowen of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii, on the research vessel R/V New Horizon in early May lowered a camera that confirmed what the scientists suspected: Their instruments had been directly on top of a section of the East Pacific Rise that erupted and were trapped in fresh lava flows.
Instead of bemoaning their fate, the group celebrated their fortune—no one has ever closely recorded the series of micro-earthquakes associated with the formation of new seafloor. Preliminary analysis of their data appears in an upcoming issue of the journal Science and was released on the Science Express Web site November 23.
"It's amazing that we know so little about something so fundamental to the planet," said Tolstoy. "Even if we don't get the rest of the instruments back we'll have learned quite a bit."
The East Pacific Rise is one of three active seafloor spreading centers targeted by the National Science Foundation's Ridge 2000 program to document the process of crustal formation as it is happening. Ridge 2000 was formed in 2001 as an interdisciplinary effort to study the geology, chemistry and biology of the poorly understood process by which the Earth's crust is formed.
"Discovering new lava so soon after a seafloor eruption is a unique opportunity," said Donna Blackman, current chair of the Ridge 2000 program. "It allows Ridge researchers a rare chance to see how geologic processes affect the deep-sea ecosystems that thrive near hydrothermal vents."
The first underwater eruption was not documented until 1990, even though many probably occur each year, and seismometers on land still cannot detect the many small, distant earthquakes that scientists believe precede a submarine eruption for many months. By comparison, earthquakes often occur only a few days or hours before a land-based volcanic eruption.
"Arguably the most important scientific aspect of the paper is the fact that Maya Tolstoy was able to predict the likelihood of this eruption on the basis of her previous couple of years worth of seismic data of the same type and from same location," said Cowen. ""In other words, Tolstoy had anticipated this seafloor eruption, and seismic patterns similar to those observed in this exciting data set may be used to predict future eruptions!"
Tolstoy found that seismic activity at the site gradually built up for at least two years leading up to the brief, January 2006 eruption that entombed her instruments, raising the possibility that future eruptions may be forecast a year or more in advance.
"Our success emphasizes the importance of real-time monitoring on the seafloor so that next time we'll be collecting many different types of data the moment an eruption starts," said Tolstoy. "That way we can really begin to understand this fundamental building block of our planet, from the mantle to the microbe."
Subsequent to the successful R/V New Horizon rapid response cruise, a follow-up expedition was mounted on board the R/V Atlantis with the manned submersible ALVIN, in order to collect some of these recently erupted volcanic samples. Geochemist Ken Rubin, also from SOEST, was one of the senior scientists on this cruise, and is now back in Hawaii analyzing the collected rock samples.
"We are working with various colleagues around the country to make this by far the best studied submarine eruption in history" says Rubin. Part of Rubin's role in the published and ongoing study has been to determine when the new lava flows erupted using the short-lived radioactive isotope 210Po. "The sea floor seismometers provided crucial information that an eruption occurred, but they only tell us about the eruption timing in places near where the instruments were located; the new lava flows are quite extensive and may have not all erupted at once". Rubin's University of Hawaii lab is the only one in the world that does this specific type of dating, which can yield extremely high resolution ages.
About the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) was established by the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii in 1988. SOEST brings together in a single focused ocean, earth sciences and technology group, some of the nation's highest quality academic departments, research institutes, federal cooperative programs, and support facilities to meet challenges in the ocean and earth sciences. Scientists at SOEST are supported by both state and federal funds as they endeavor to understand the subtle and complex interrelations of the seas, the atmosphere, and the earth. http://www.soest.hawaii.edu
About the Earth Institute at Columbia University
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world's leading academic center for the integrated study of the Earth, its environment and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines—earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences—and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through research, training and global partnerships, The Earth Institute mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world's poor. For more information, visit www.earth.columbia.edu.
The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a member of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is one of the world's leading research centers seeking fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world. More than 300 research scientists study the planet from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean. From global climate change to earthquakes, volcanoes, nonrenewable resources, environmental hazards and beyond, Observatory scientists provide a rational basis for the difficult choices facing humankind in the planet's stewardship. For more information, visit www.ldeo.columbia.edu. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Media contacts:Ken Kostel, email@example.com, (646) 514-0393 Maya Tolstoy, email@example.com, (845) 365-8791
Original press release by Ken Kostel, The Earth Institute at Columbia UniversityScience Express http://www.sciencemag.org/sciencexpress/recent.dtl Images are available, http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news/2006/11_23_06.htm and http://www.ridge2000.org/science/tcs/epr_2006_science_supp_material.php
For more information, visit: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu


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I have a LaTeX document that contains proprietary information. I need to print a version of the document that has a box around the text with a disclaimer (something to the effect of "Proprietary information of company XYZ, do not redistribute without express consent'). How can I do this?
If it matters, I'm using MacTex.


text:
When I first heard about a famous fried pan mee stall at Jalan Sepadu, I knew I had to give it a try. Pan mee or flat flour noodle are commonly prepared with soup or 'kon lou' (dry) style version. So how does fried pan mee taste like?
A small plate of fried pan mee costs RM 5.00 each while a slightly larger service costs RM 1 extra.
The fried pan mee looks a lot like hokkien mee and taste almost the same too.
The only exception is the texture of the noodle which is flatter and springy.
To be honest, I enjoyed eating it a lot. It was moist, has the right amount of dark soya sauce taste.
If you fancy pan mee with a twist in its style of cooking, then give this place a try. I was told that the stall is actually more famous for its loh mee. Well, there is always a next time….
Jalan Sepadu (Off Jalan Old Klang Road and near to Pearl International Hotel)
58200 Kuala Lumpur
Location Map


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Study in china(www.admissions.cn), an international website, specializes in providing educational information for foreign students who want to study in China. Entering the information age, internet has become the main way and channel to recruit students by more and more educational organizations because it is beyond time and space and offers optional choices. So is it in China.
Study in China (www.admissions.cn) always ranks in the first class in more than 100 countries if you search websites by inputting keywords "study in china" through big search engines, either world renowned yahoo(yahoo.com), Google(www.google.com) or widely-used Bing (www.bing.com), which guarantees enormous visitors and effective search.
Since launched, Study in China (www.admissions.cn) has succeeded in using its website to recruit students for more than 300 universities, colleges and schools with its matured operation of internet advertising and plenty of experiences. From this point, we would like to recommend you to join our online recruiting advertising. You are welcomed to make queries and orders. More please find the details below.
language training school
Chinese language courses, lessons, and websites
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search icon white png
You can get acquainted with the presented collection of search icon white png to choose suitable ideas for your business or design interface.
Today we have 10 cliparts and vectors for this category.
Advice on how to make a good presentation
Highlight important text with a different color
Highlighting is good but you need to be aware of a few "dos and don'ts" before you starting to get lost in colors. Follow these few basics to properly highlight your texts.
- Not all the colors are good for highlighting
- Always test the colors: are they visible from more than 2-3 meters? Are they legible? Does the highlighting really call attention?
- Don't necessarily stick with red. This color is way overused as a highlighting color.
- Does the highlighting color harmonize with the rest of the colors you are using, in case you do?
- Test your method: would you like to highlight the letters or would you rather do a bracket and highlight the background?
Remember, PowerPoint is all about testing what goes better. Be patient and explore tons of options before sticking with one.


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GAO auditors found 36,000 possibly ineligible recipients, though SSA disputes methodology.
Roughly 36,000 individuals may have received Social Security disability payments for which they did not qualify, at a cost to the government of $1.29 billion, the Government Accountability Office reported.
In an audit released Friday to Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., GAO said that the "potential cash benefit overpayments" made by the Social Security Administration as of January 2013 may have gone to recipients who were already working.
A similar report in 2010 found a higher number of possible improper payments, totaling $1.62 billion, or 1.27 percent of total payouts under the Disability Insurance program.
Under the program established in 1956, applicants who claim they are unable to work due to a long-term disability are required to go through a five-month waiting period during which they may not earn more than $1,000 a month. There is a subsequent nine-month trial work period.
More than 10 million disability insurance beneficiaries received cash payments totaling more than $128 billion in fiscal 2011, not counting Medicare payments, "and the program is poised to grow further as the baby boom generation ages," the report said.
Auditors over a 15-month period compared SSA disability insurance data against the National Directory of New Hires and found discrepancies, though they could not pin down a precise number. "SSA uses its enforcement operation to generate alerts for potentially disqualifying earnings, but the agency's enforcement operation does not generate alerts for earnings that occur in all months of the waiting period, which allows potentially disqualifying work activity to remain undetected," GAO wrote. "SSA officials stated that modifying its enforcement operation could be costly, but the agency has not assessed the costs of doing so."
GAO recommended that SSA assess the costs and feasibility of establishing a mechanism to detect potentially disqualifying earnings during all months of the waiting period and implement the mechanism.
SSA concurred, but said, "GAO did not replicate the process with which" SSA makes determinations for eligibility, "and GAO made assumptions that may not be consistent with our policy." Hence SSA is seeking additional GAO data before fully responding.
GAO stood by its methods.
NEXT STORY: 6 Ways to Think Like a Wise Person


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and citizens
of Morgan County
Imagine a new, longer, wider main runway at the Fort Morgan Airport to replace a worn out runway, now in the 27th year of its 20-year life expectancy, that is too short, too narrow, and too close to Highway 52 to meet Federal Aviation Administration specifications.
Further, imagine that the estimated $6 million cost of the project will be funded 95 percent by federal and state grants and requires only 5% from the City of Fort Morgan.
As volunteer members of the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport Advisory Board, not all of whom are pilots, we urge the City Council to move forward with this project which has been in the planning stages for seven years. The new runway will prove to be a valuable economic asset for the City, County, and Region.
Harder to imagine is not building a new runway and allowing a facility serving the Morgan County Community since the 1930s to close for three reasons: first, the FAA regulations require the new runway to be constructed to rigorous specifications and in a new location; second, the City of Fort Morgan would be required to repay all federal grant monies received from the FAA for federally funded improvements at the Airport if it does not proceed with the construction project; and third, the City does not have the $6 million in funds available to reconstruct the current runway nor will the FAA allow it to be reconstructed in its current location.
Even harder to imagine is a progressive city of Fort Morgan's size without an airport.
In summary, imagine a new runway and an expanding economic contribution from the Airport to City, County, and Region. Or imagine allowing a major modern transportation facility to close thereby returning the area to pre-1930s transport. We may as well remove Interstate 76 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks too.
Members of the Airport Advisory Board strongly urge that the City proceed with the new runway construction project and pledge our willingness to be of help in every appropriate way.
Call to action: Citizens of Fort Morgan should contact your city council representatives to express your support for this project.
Please feel free to call any member of our Airport Advisory Board if you have questions or wish to learn more about this project.
Alan Dahms, Chairman
On behalf of:
Nancy Arnold, Bert
Kammerzell, Dave
Oldemeyer, John
Sneed, Phil Tarman
and Vernon Tryon


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There a few different types of games on FreeArcade.com, but many of them are Java based. So either you do not have Java installed on your machine or Java is disabled.
To get the lastest Java version head here and install: http://www.java.com/en/download/
If you already hava Java installed, then perhaps it is just
disabled. To find out in Internet Explorer do this:
Go to the Tools Menu then Internet Options
Then click on the Advanced Tab, scroll down until you see a section call Java.
Make sure the check box is checked for the boxes that are in that section.
Flash or Shockwave may not installed on your system.
To get the Flash Player simply download and install it from here: Get Flash Player
To get the Shockwave Player download and install it from here: Get Shockwave Player
NOTE: These games use Java and will not work with WebTV.
NOTE: IE has an option to enable the Java JIT compiler, make sure this is enabled also. This will speed up the game play.
The games on this site do run best with IE 4.0 or later, Netscape 4.0 or later, and Firefox 1.5 or later
You can download the lastest version of Java from Sun's site here: http://www.java.com/en/download/
You can download the lastest vesion of Flash from Macromedia's site here: Get Flash Player
You can download the lastest vesion of Shockwave from Macromedia's site here: Get Shockwave Player
Click on the Tools menu at the top, then 'Internet Options' from the dropdown. Click on the 'Security' tab, then at the bottom click the 'Custom Level' button. Scroll to the bottom of the dialog box to the section called 'Scripting' and make sure all of the options are set to 'Enable'.
Then after you click 'Ok' on all of the open dialogs simply refresh the page and JavaScript should now be working.
Click on the Tools menu at the top, then 'Internet Options' from the dropdown, and finally click on the 'Privacy' tab at the top. If it says your setting is higher then Medium then FreeArcade may not function properly. You can do one of two things: a) change the setting to Medium by moving the slider down until it reads Medium; b) click the 'Sites' button below the slider and enter http://www.freearcade.com in the 'Address of website' box then click the 'Allow' button to the right.
This will allow cookies from FreeArcade.com to be saved on your computer while using the site. Then after you click 'Ok' on all of the open dialogs, Cookies should now be enabled.
Click on the Tools menu at the top, then 'Options' from the dropdown. In the dialog box click the 'Privacy' tab at the top. On that screen you can either: a) make sure the 'Accept cookies from sites' box is checked; b) click the 'Exceptions' button, and enter http://www.freearcade.com in the 'Address of web site' box then click the 'Allow' button below.
This will allow cookies from FreeArcade.com to be saved on your computer while using the site. Then after you click 'Ok' on all of the open dialogs, Cookies should now be enabled.
Clearing your browser cache helps a lot when your having trouble with Java games. First, to clear cache in
Go to the 'Tools' menu at the top, then click on 'Internet Options'. A box will pop up, in there look for the 'Temporary Internet Files' section, in there click the button that says 'Delete Files'. Also click 'OK' on the box that will pop up confirming you want to delete your cache. That will clear all items in your cache. Simply click 'OK' to exit the 'Internet Options' box and close your browser and re-open it again.
Go to the 'Tools' menu at the top, then click on 'Options'. In the window that opens click 'Privacy' at the top.
For version 1: Then click on the 'Cache' tab in the middle of the window then click 'Clear Cache Now' to clear your cache.
For version 2: Go to the 'Private Data' section and click the 'Clear Now' button to clear your cache.
Then click 'OK' to exit the options screen, then close your browser and re-open it again.
If you are having trouble with the send score boxes in the way, Search your system for the class files (ie:Javanoid.class) If you find these files delete them and then go load the game again. If this does not help check our My problem is still not fixed, Help me! FAQ
In a recent update from Microsoft they changed the way that embedded objects are used in a webpageand so this only applies to users playing on the site with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
This update makes it so that all Flash, Java, and Shockwave games now require you the user to 'activate' the game by clicking on it once before you can play it. In some instances there may be a little pop up box that says "Click to run an Active X control on this webpage" don't worry its nothing harmful, its just caused from this update to Internet Explorer. You must click OK to play the game.
We have developed a work around for the problem for all the games on FreeArcade.com. We want your experience to be as fun as possible!
Well if you've got a fun game you can submit it to us for review. We will test it and let you know about putting it up on the site.
You can check out the details on our Game Sponsorship page.
Well if these lovely FAQ's have not helped you feel free to email us with the following information:
After you have signed up for a FreeArcade MyArcade account you just login to that account then at the top of the page click 'game description'. There you can edit the descriptions of all the games in your lists!
Well, no. At the moment we are only allowing the use of the icons we provide. If you would like a particular icon and we don't have it, let us know and we'll see what we can do.
Is the address your entering into the signup form in the correct format? ie) firstname.lastname@example.com Perhaps you already have an account using the email address. You may only use an email address for one account. If you aren't sure try going to the 'forgot password' page and entering your email there. You can do that here.
Sure can, just browse to the "Reset Password" page and enter your email in the box. Then just submit it and your nickname and password will be emailed to you shortly.
Well first, try closing your browser all the way down not just the tab. Then try logging in again. If that doesn't do it maybe you have some web accelerator running that is interrupting the process. If you are using Google Web Accelerator for instance, either turn it off or follow these instructions for adding www.freearcade.com to the exclude list.
Have you tried closing your browser and tried to revist http://www.freearcade.com/myarcade?
If it still doesn't work send us an email describing your problem. In your email please include the following information:
We hate to see ya go, but if you want too, here's how:
We welcome both positive and negative feedback from you! We rely on your feedback to better the site and make it fun for you!
Is there something wrong with MyArcade or do you just want to tell us your experience? Please go send us an email (don't forget to select MyArcade), and be as detailed as you can if you're experiencing problems and we will get back to you ASAP!


text:
This is an interesting article discussing how earlobe creases may be an indicator of heart health. It is one of the things that doctors may look at if they are into "face mapping".
Can you assess your heart disease risk by looking in the mirror and checking for a receding hairline, earlobe creases, and yellow lumps of fat around your eye? Will sprinkling flaxseed on your cereal reverse hypertension? What about popping a probiotic to lower cholesterol?
These are just some of the quirkier findings coming out of the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Los Angeles this week along with high-tech advances in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
Keep in mind that while scientific meetings of large medical societies allow for researchers and doctors to gather in one place to discuss hundreds, if not thousands, of new findings, what's often presented may not pass muster for publication in prestigious medical journals, where they first undergo rigorous peer review.
A Danish study drawing a lot of attention, but which has not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, suggested that common signs of aging can predict a person's heart disease risk. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 11,000 participants over age 40 in the Copenhagen Heart Study and found that those who had three to four aging signs at the beginning of the study — such as a receding hairline, baldness at the top of the head, creases in the earlobes, and fatty deposits around the eye — had a 57 percent increased risk of having a heart attack and a 39 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with heart disease during the 35-year study compared with those who had none of them.
"The visible signs of aging reflect physiologic or biological age, not chronological age," the study's senior author, Dr. Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement on the Heart Association's website. She went on to recommend that doctors check for these aging signs as a "routine part" of their physical exam.
I'm not sure what doctors should do if they find that their patient is balding or has an earlobe crease. Should they order an exercise stress test or heart imaging, which are already considered by many public health experts to be overused screening tests?
And the correlation may not even be real given that both heart disease and the four aging signs defined in the study are very common. More than half of the study participants had a receding hairline at the begining of the study, more than a quarter had the earlobe crease, and a similar percentage had balding at the top of their head. About 1 in 12 had fatty deposits around their eye, which is a sign of elevated cholesterol that probably does warrant a blood test to check levels.
With all these caveats, I'm guessing this study will wind up in the dustbin of forgotten, faulty findings.
Other researchers discussed their findings pinpointing particular foods or supplements to lower heart disease risks. One study found that patients with clogged arteries in their legs, or peripheral artery disease, were able to achieve better control of their high blood pressure by eating 30 grams of milled flaxseed every day compared with people who were given a different grain to eat. Another finding indicated that taking a twice-daily probiotic supplement, containing the beneficial bacteria L. reuteri NCIMB 30242, reduced total cholesterol levels by about 9 percent and "bad" LDL levels by nearly 12 percent after nine weeks compared with those who took placebos.
Both studies, however, were small — involving fewer than 130 patients — so they would need to be confirmed in larger studies and, again, go through the process of peer review for journal publication before doctors start recommending that their patients use flaxseed to reduce hypertension or take probiotics to lower cholesterol.
Interestingly, two other trials presented at the meeting that were published concurrently in the highly respected Journal of the American Medical Association found that supplements were useless against heart disease. One found that taking a daily multivitamin didn't help protect against heart disease, and another found that fish oil capsules didn't work better than placebos to prevent a heart-rhythm complication called atrial fibrillation after heart surgery.
The American Heart Association did, however, reiterate its position at the onset of its meeting on the need to limit sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams a day, citing new research that underscores the dangers of uncontrolled hypertension. High blood pressure, even in young adults, can cause damaging brain injury that leads to memory loss earlier in life, according to a study published online in the journal Lancet Neurology that came out just before the heart meeting. Anyone with hypertension, according to the heart association, should be cutting back on their salt intake.
Deborah Kotz can be reached at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @debkotz2.
Earlobe crease as a predictor of heart disease is certainly interesting. Dr. Oz had an episode that discussed face mapping and the ELC. Check his website for more on that topic.
The comment about reducing sodium intake is one that may also be disputed. Salt has been demonized but could it be that not all salt is created equal? Stay tuned for more on that topic – and where to buy Himalayan Rock Salt!
Earlobe creases linked to heart attacks, and other questionable study findings – Boston.com.


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War is imminent on The Walking Dead.
A new trailer for the second half of the AMC series' third season clearly draw the battle lines as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his followers prepare to do battle with The Governor (David Morrissey).
Returning Winter Shows: Where we left off
The clip shows Rick & Co. hunkering down in the prison where they've been taking shelter, and the Governor — who's now sporting his signature eye patch! — ominously vowing, as he prepares to storm the jail, that he "won't get caught sleeping again."
Check out the full trailer below:
The Walking Dead returns Sunday, Feb. 10 at 9/8c. Will you be tuning in?


text:
I made three different versions...
Buffaloman, Buffalo Rampage/Devil Buffaloman, and Terri-Bull
all with 4 costumes each at
EDIT: Properly credited University of Muscle and Nathan's Muscle Blog for preview pics used for Terri-Bull. No one said anything, but I thought I should.
Edited by Crunkenstein, 10 December 2017 - 05:33 PM.


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Withings Body+ Body Composition Wi-Fi Scales
Withings Body+ Wi-Fi scales use patented Position Control technology to deliver highly accurate body composition readings that include weight, body fat and water percentage, along with muscle and bone mass. They give you immediate on-screen feedback and automatically sync with the app on your iPhone or iPad to display trends and help you reach your goals.
Helpful weight loss companion
High-accuracy weight and full body composition is just the beginning. Withings Body+ coaches, rewards and records all data automatically. And with tools at hand such as trend screens and nutrition tracking, you can set goals — and more effectively achieve them.
Weigh smarter
Beyond a single focus on weight, full body composition helps you know what goes into that number, so you can pinpoint efforts. Body+ assesses weight, BMI, total body fat and water percentage, as well as bone and muscle mass.
See yourself in a better mirror
Every weigh-in appears in the Health Mate app automatically, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sync. With this history available 24/7, you can see what works, reinforce positive behaviours and stay focused.
Nutrition tracking — knowledge is power
What makes your numbers go up or down? Health Mate gives you perspective. It's a fact that users who set a goal, track nutrition and step on the scales regularly lose on average four times more weight.
For the whole family
Body+ automatically recognises and tracks up to eight users. And you can keep track of even the smallest members of your family with Baby mode and Pregnancy mode.
Howdy partner
Health Mate pairs with more than 100 health and fitness apps. Easily connect with favourite food tracking apps such as MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Weight Watchers. Or train for a race with Runkeeper, Runtastic and MapMyRun.
Apple compatible
Health Mate easily syncs with Apple Health and also comes with an Apple Watch app.
Monitors weight, body fat, water percentage, plus muscle and bone mass
Data from every weigh-in automatically appears in the Health Mate app via Wi-Fi
Nutrition tracking lets you set a weight goal and manage your daily calorie budget
Get a localised weather report when you step on the scales
Up to eight users can access their personal weight history
Scales automatically recognise who's using them
What's in the Box
Withings Body+ Body Composition Wi-Fi Scales
Four AAA batteries
Quick start guide
Tech Specs
Other Features: Batteries Required, Health App Compatible, Wireless
Internet Access: Internet Access Required
Connections: Wireless
Power Source: Battery
Batteries: AAA
Battery life: Up to 18 months
Height: 2.3 cm /0.9 in.
Length: 32.7 cm/12.8 in.
Width: 32.7 cm/12.8 in.
Weight: 2 kg/4.4 lb.
System Requirements
Operating System: iOS 8 or later
Manufacturer Information
Part Number
UPC or EAN No.: 3700546704918
Note: Apple's One-Year Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Non-Apple-branded products may have the benefit of a manufacturer's warranty provided by the product manufacturer — please see your product box and literature for details. Benefits under the manufacturer's warranty are in addition to rights provided by consumer law. For details, click here.
iPhone Models
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPad Models
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad (7th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
- iPad Pro 9.7-inch
- iPad Air 2
- iPad (6th generation)
- iPad (5th generation)
- iPad mini 4
iPod Models
Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.0 and watchOS 3.0 or later.
Withings Health Mate
Creating a healthy lifestyle starts with knowing where you stand.
Health Mate lets you view a complete history of your health data, including activity, sleep, weight, and more, so you can see trends, track progress, and improve over time.
Whether you're looking to lose weight, get more active, monitor blood pressure, or even sleep better, Health Mate is there to coach you every step of the way.
Our complete ecosystem of products can transform how you take care of yourself and your family. By seeing actionable health insights all in one app, plus coaching programs to help motivate you, Health Mate can empower anyone to take control of their wellness.
Activity & GPS tracking: Know where you stand and get inspired to move more. (data from your Apple Watch, your iPhone or our Withings / Nokia trackers)
Leaderboard motivation: Link friends and family and experience the definition of "healthy competition"
Badges: Get rewarded for your progress
-Heart rate: Monitor to improve strength or keep on top of known issues
-Blood pressure: Get a picture of your overall cardiovascular health
-Pulse wave velocity: Know more about the health of your arteries
Heart data comes via our Blood Pressure Monitors, heart rate and activity watch (Steel HR), and our Body Cardio scale
Sleep cycles: Know your light & deep sleep cycles, as well as sleep interruptions to feel rested and improve your long-term
Smart Wake-Up™: Wake up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle
Monitor your sleep via our range of activity & sleep tracking devices
Weight, BMI, and Full Body Composition, plus weight trends for insight.
Set goals and track progress
Get motivation with in-app rewards
Can log manually, or have information auto-sync via our connected scales range
Follow a variety of programs designed to help you achieve your health goals:
- Sleep smarter
See how getting more consistent sleep can improve health and support weight loss efforts.
- Better body
Learn all about body composition and discover new ways to lose fat — forever in this 6-week program.
- Pregnancy tracker
Get personalized obstetrician-reviewed advice, tips, and weight tracking throughout pregnancy.
- Healthier heart
This in-app purchase of Hy-Result software helps you follow a medical protocol and delivers an in-depth report of your blood pressure that can be easily shared with your doctor.
Health Mate links with 100+ top health and fitness apps including Apple Health, Nike, RunKeeper & MyFitnessPal.
GPS is used for GPS Assist feature during workout sessions, if you own a Withings Steel HR watch. It is activated only when you start a workout session and if you previously gave GPS permissions to Health Mate.
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. …
iPhone Screenshots
Watch Screenshots