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When it comes to ratings, people often judge a restaurant or hotel or movie by how high or low it ranks. And you could say parents might do the same thing if there were a rating system applied to preschools. In California a state advisory board hopes to have a rating system for preschools in place by mid 2011.
If you think budget cuts are atrocious for grades kindergarten and higher, it's even worse for early childhood education. But hopefully to the rescue is First 5 California, created to improve the quality of education during the first 5 years of life. And if you ever wanted to know where the money was coming from for this -- it's Prop. 10, the very same proposition that slapped a 50-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes that's sold.
The funds are distributed throughout the state's 58 counties. The counties getting the most money are among the largest -- Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego because it's based on the number of lives births in the area.
But the whole point of the rating system is to improve early childhood education altogether. Studies show that the earlier you invest, the less intervention, special education will be needed later on, says Claire Norwood of the San Diego County Office of Education. "Our mission is to work along to improve the quality and access to preschool, including those most at risk", she adds.
The San Diego model is based on a three tier system. Tier 3 is the highest and at that level the teacher would have a bachelor's degree at the very least. Right now evaluators are judging preschools on a huge list of criteria. It includes for example improving the environment of the class which includes more interaction between teacher and children, more supplies -- from rugs to tricycles to classroom furniture.
A preschool would get a piece of the Prop 10 money as an incentive to improve the way it's run to make it to the top tier or improve its present standing. Advocates tell the VoiceofSanDiego.org that it appears to be working: 80 percent of preschool classes improved their rating last school year and more than 200 teachers also sought a college degree or extra training in early childhood education with the extra money.
Norwood says it's a nationwide trend. "This would have a tremendous impact on outcomes for children as they move through the K-16 world, " says Nancy Remley, of the California Department of Education.
In the L.A. area, a similar system is already in place and appears to be getting good results. Joyce Bettes, who runs Bettes Family Child Care Center from her home in north Redondo Beach told the Daily Breeze newspaper that she is studying her bachelor's degree, which could allow her to achieve the top rating, including the funding that comes with it - up to $50 per child a day.
In an ideal world it would level the playing field for children no matter where they lived, the goal of this rating system in a world of cutbacks and layoffs is to turn it as much into reality as possible.


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We were disappointed by the title change, and we hate the poster, but man, this "Hugo" trailer is a stunner.
Director Martin Scorsese has finally made the leap the 3D with "Hugo," based on Brian Selznick's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." It's the story of the orphaned son of a robot builder living in the walls of the Paris subway system in the 1930s, who meets a young girl who improbably owns the key that winds up his father's greatest invention.
Even watching it on a 2D computer screen, the camerawork possesses remarkable depth, the images are amazing, and it's easy to imagine how it would all look on a giant 3D screen.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
And the cast is amazing: Asa Butterfield ("The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas"), Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg.
We still don't understand why they changed the title from "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" to "Hugo Cabret" to the wildly generic "Hugo" (could it be they lack faith in Americans being able to pronounce "Cabret"?), but if that's the worst part of the film, we can live with it.
"Hugo" opens Nov. 23.

subset: commoncrawl


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BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer | 216d M Sport 5dr
BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer Overview
I would like all maintenance and service costs included
Initial Rental (Personal)
£2,979.29 inc VAT
Initial Rental (Business)
£2,482.74 ex VAT
Contract Length
48 Months
Processing fee
£199.99 ex VAT
Standard Options
- Electric front/rear windows with one touch/anti pinch
- Green tinted heat protection glazing glass
- Heated windscreen washer jets
- Rain sensor including auto headlights activation
- Rear window wiper with wash/wipe function
- Brake assist function
- Brake drying
- Brake energy regeneration
- Braking readiness
- Collision mitigation braking system
- Dynamic stability control (DSC )
- Dynamic Traction Control - DTC
- Electrically operated parking brake with automatic drive release
- Front ventilated brake disc
- Hill start assist
- Rear brake discs
- Anthracite Velour floor mats
- Drive Performance Control
- M sport suspension
- Twin tube gas filled shock absorbers with degressive characteristic curve
- Bluetooth hands free telephone connection with USB audio interface
- Active Guard incl speed limiting and lane departure functions with auto steering, and front collision warning with brake intervention
- Attentiveness assist
- BMW remote services
- Cruise control with brake function
- Forward collision warning
- Rear parking distance control
- Servotronic Power Assisted Steering
- Speed limiter
- Automatic tailgate operation
- Eco pro mode
- Stop/start button
- BMW emergency call
- BMW Online services
- BMW Teleservices
- Check control system
- Door/boot open warning light
- Front and rear Brake pad wear indicator
- Instrument cluster with speedometer with miles per hour read out, tachometer and fuel gauge
- Lights on warning
- Oil temperature gauge
- On board computer
- Optimum shift indicator
- Outside temperature display
- Personal Profile
- Real time traffic information
- Service interval indicator
- Automatic dimming rear view mirror
- Body colour door mirrors
- Door mirror integrated indicators
- Electric adjustable heated door mirrors
- Aluminium hexagon trim with pearl chrome finish
- Contrast stitching on instrument panel
- 12V compressor with integrated sealant injection bottle and hose
- 51 Litre fuel tank
- Diesel particulate filter
- Incorrect fuelling protection
- Lightweight engineering
- 6 speakers
- Bluetooth audio streaming
- BMW professional radio/CD/MP3
- DAB Digital radio
- Rear twin USB sockets in centre console
- Aero curtain
- Black roof rails
- Body colour bumpers
- Body colour door handles
- Body colour roof mouldings
- Chrome 'M' logo side designation
- Chrome exhaust tailpipe
- Chrome kidney grille with extra wide black, high gloss black vertical slats
- Front and rear bumper system
- High gloss shadow line
- M aerodynamic body styling
- Model designation
- Rear window aerial
- Shark fin antenna
- Solid paint
- Visible VIN plate
- Clear lenses direction indicator lights
- Dynamic brake lights
- Follow me home headlights
- Halogen headlights
- High beam assistant
- High level third brake light
- LED daytime running lights
- LED front fog lights
- Rear fog lights
- Reverse light in rear light cluster
- Two zone automatic air conditioning
- 3 spoke M sport leather sports steering wheel
- 4 grab handles
- Anthracite headlining
- Dakota leather upholstery with perforation and contrast stitching
- Front armrest
- Front/rear armrests within door panels
- Gearshift lever with M designation
- Glovebox with light
- Luggage compartment underfloor storage
- M door sill finishers with M badging
- Multi-function controls for steering wheel
- Reach rake adjustable steering column
- Rear centre armrest
- Ambiance lighting - switchable
- Interior lighting, front centre over interior mirror and rear centre automatic interior light activation when door is opened
- Luggage compartment lighting
- Welcome lighting
- BMW Navigation pack - 2 Series
- Extended lights package - 2 Series Gran Tourer
- Extended storage pack - 2 Series Active/Gran Tourer
- No smoker package
- 3 point seatbelts on all seats
- Battery safety cut-off
- Childproof rear door locks
- Crash Sensor - activates hazard/interior lighting unlocks doors
- Driver/Front Passenger airbags
- Front and rear curtain airbags
- Front passenger airbag deactivation
- Front seatbelt force limiters
- Front seatbelt pretensioner
- Front side airbags
- Seatbelt warning
- Side impact protection
- Twin horns
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Warning triangle and first aid kit
- 40:20:40 split folding rear seat
- Child seat ISOFIX attachment for two outer rear seats and front passenger seat with anchorage points
- Front head restraints
- Front sports seats with electric side bolster adjustment
- Height adjustable drivers seat
- Rear seat headrests, three (second row), two (third row)
- Sliding rear seat bench
- Standard seat for driver and passenger with manual adjustment
- Third-row seating
- Electronic immobiliser
- Locking wheel bolts
- Remote control Thatcham category 1 alarm
- Remote control with integrated key with silver highlight and M designation
- Electronic differential lock
- Sunvisors with vanity mirrors and ticket pocket
- 18" M Double spoke alloy wheels style 486 with run flat tyres
Technical Options
- HC+NOx: 0.055
- Noise Level dB(A): 68
- NOx: 0.028
- Particles: 0.0001
- Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6
- Bore: 84
- Catalytic Convertor: True
- Compression Ratio: 16.5:1
- Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE
- Cylinders: 3
- Engine Codes: B37C15U1
- Engine Layout: FRONT TRANSVERSE
- Fuel Type: COMMON RAIL
- Gears: 6 SPEED
- Number of Valves: 12
- Stroke: 90
- Valve gear: DOHC
- EC: True
- EC Combined: 67.3
- EC Extra Urban: 72.4
- EC Urban: 58.9
- WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Medium - Max: 6.2
- WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Medium - Min: 5.2
- WLTP - MPG - Comb: 4.6
- WLTP - MPG - Comb - Max: 5.4
- WLTP - MPG - Comb - Min: 5.2
- WLTP - MPG - Extra High: 6.2
- WLTP - MPG - Extra High - Max: 6.4
- WLTP - MPG - Extra High - Min: 5.2
- WLTP - MPG - High: 5.4
- WLTP - MPG - High - Max: 4.6
- WLTP - MPG - High - Min: 4.7
- WLTP - MPG - Low: 5.4
- WLTP - MPG - Low - Max: 5.5
- WLTP - MPG - Low - Min: 5.2
- WLTP - MPG - Medium: 5.4
- Any aspect of the vehicles safety cause concern?: Data Not Available
- Based On ID: N
- Coin Description: d
- Coin Series: M Sport
- NCAP Adult Occupant Protection %: N
- NCAP Child Occupant Protection %: N
- NCAP Overall Rating - Effective February 09: 116
- NCAP Pedestrian Protection %: 1.5
- NCAP Safety Assist %: M1
- Service Interval Frequency - Months: N
- Special Edition: Data Not Available
- Special Order: Data Not Available
- This vehicle is classed as a car for VED purposes: 24
- Timing Belt Interval Frequency - Months: N
- Timing Belt Interval Mileage: N
- 0 to 60: Data Not Available
- 0 to 62: 11.8
- Engine Power KW: 85
- Engine Power RPM: 4000
- Engine Torque LBS.FT: 199
- Engine Torque MKG: 27.5
- Engine Torque NM: 270
- Engine Torque RPM: 1750
- PS: True
- Top Speed: 119
- Alloys?: True
- Space Saver?: Data Not Available
- Tyre Size Front: 225/45 R18
- Tyre Size Rear: 225/45 R18
- Tyre Size Spare: RUN FLAT TYRES
- Wheel Style: M DOUBLE SPOKE STYLE 486
- Wheel Type: 18" ALLOY
- Height: 1612
- Height (including roof rails): N
- Length: 4568
- Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 11.7
- Wheelbase: 2780
- Width (excluding mirrors): 1800
- Width (including mirrors): 2038
- Boot Capacity Saloons: 560
- Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 51
- Gross Vehicle Weight: 2220
- Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 1820
- Max. Roof Load: 75
- Max. Towing Weight - Braked: 1500
- Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked: 750
- Minimum Kerbweight: 1530
- No. of Seats: 7
- Payload: 690
BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer LEADING FROM THE FRONT? (73/100)
The 2 Series Active Tourer will be remembered as the first front-wheel drive BMW. Here's the revised version. Jonathan Crouch looks at what's on offer.
Ten Second Review
Front wheel drive and BMW. It's not often you see those words in the same sentence. Equally unusual is the idea of any kind of BMW MPV. We're here though, to look at a car that brings all of these things together, the Munich maker's 2 Series Active Tourer, a five-seat people carrier that's here been usefully updated.
In 2006, BMW ran an advertisement in many popular magazines. It featured a rabbit with puny back legs and outlandishly big front legs which looked plain wrong, underlined with the caption "That's why we don't have front wheel drives." The message was clear. Cars that sent their power to the front wheels were inherently second rate, an exercise in cost-cutting. Fast forward to today. One of BMW's best selling models is their 2 Series Active Tourer. And it's front-driven. Some may call that hypocrisy, while others recognise that BMW needs to adapt to a changing marketplace. It's also true that BMW has been building and selling front-wheel drive cars for years, albeit with MINI badges rather than BMW roundels on their noses. Almost 20,000 2 Series Active Tourer models have been sold in the UK since the original launch in 2014 and the UK is this model's third best selling market. So it's important for BMW to get this revised model right.
Driving Experience
Just because this vehicle drives the front wheels doesn't mean that BMW has decided to go on a manic cost-cutting frenzy. Where you might expect to find a compact torsion beam rear suspension, BMW has instead fitted a much more complex and expensive multi-link rear end. It's almost as if the Bavarians are overcompensating for something. The 2 Series Active Tourer also benefits from a chassis where weight has been taken out where possible with the use of ultra-high strength steels in key stress points. As before, a broad selection of three and four cylinder engines are on offer, plus there's a petrol Plug-in hybrid variant if you want it. For petrol people, there's the three cylinder 218i with 140hp and the four cylinder 220i with 192hp. Beyond that's, there's the 225xe iPerformance Plug-in hybrid, which mates the 218i engine with an 88hp electric motor and puts out a combined 224hp. Diesel buyers are offered three options; the three cylinder 216d with 116hp, plus a couple of four cylinder options, the 150hp 218d and the top 190hp 220d (also available with xDrive 4WD). The mainstream powerplants team up with three transmission types, including a new seven-speed dual-clutch Steptronic unit. BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive is also available. Turbocharging for all four-cylinder units is now a two-stage arrangement involving twin turbos. This enables even quicker engine response with increased efficiency.
Design and Build
This is a compact MPV and as such, it's fairly inevitable that the basic shape is going to be somewhat generic. Cover the badges and grille and most would probably identify this as a Mercedes. The details are nicely executed, but this remains one of the more conservative designs, though BMW has tried to liven up the look of this revised version a little with a larger front kidney grille, redesigned front fog lamps, smarter wheel designs and twin tail pipes on all four cylinder variants. As before, this Active Tourer runs on a lengthened version of the MK3 generation MINI chassis, with the wheelbase extended to 2,670mm. Here, we're looking at the five-seat Active Tourer, but there's also a mechanically-identical 7-seat Gran Tourer body shape available. For a company with no real track record in MPVs, the Munich maker has clearly been studying what works in rival cars. There are sliding and reclining rear seats that allow you to prioritise space for passengers or luggage. Maximum boot space is a respectable 468-litres - which is 20-litres less than the Mercedes B-Class. The rear bench is a versatile thing that can split 40:20:40 and when fully folded there's access to up to 1,510-litres. The front passenger seat also folds to accommodate items up to 2.4m long. Interior changes to this revised model include redesigned seats and a smarter auto gear lever.
Market and Model
Inevitably, this Active Tourer model sits at the premium end of the mid-sized five-seat MPV segment. Prices start at around £26,000 and rise to around £35,000. A 7-speed Steptronic auto 'box is optional with the three cylinder engines, while an 8-speed Steptronic auto is offered either as an option or as standard on the high-torque powerplants, depending on the variant you're looking at. If safety's a priority, you'll want to look at the optional 'Driving Assistant Plus' package. This includes 'Active Cruise Control' and a 'Traffic Jam Assistant' that, in heavy traffic, is able to control the car's speed, steer automatically and keep it in its lane. Also available is Lane Departure Warning and the City Braking function, which applies the brakes automatically at speeds up to 37mph in response to an imminent collision with a car, motorcycle or pedestrian, for instance. The Parking Assistant takes care of manoeuvring into parking spots that are either parallel or perpendicular to the road, while its ultrasonic sensors also help to search for suitable spaces up to a speed of 22mph.
Cost of Ownership
The 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that many customers will inevitably gravitate to in the 218i variant makes some extremely good numbers, recording 48.7mpg on the combined fuel economy cycle and 132g/km. Economy figures that good make you wonder why you'd pay extra for the diesel but the additional torque of the 216d will prove a draw for many and 65.7mpg combined cycle economy (113g/km of CO2) isn't going to put too huge a dent in the family budget. The usual suite of BMW EfficientDynamics energy-saving features is responsible for making those vaguely implausible looking figures, including Auto Start Stop and ECO PRO. When in ECO PRO mode, the throttle response is adjusted to encourage a more economical driving style. The extra economy created in that ECO PRO setting is fed back to the driver, with the in-car displays showing the additional number of miles achieved. The ideal choice for eco-minded buyers will of course be the iPerformance 225xe Plug-in hybrid version. BMW claims this derivative when fully charged can offer you a 28 mile all-electric driving range. Combined fuel consumption is 122.8mpg, which equates to CO2 emissions of 52g/km. Owners will need around two-and-a-half hours to fully recharge the lithium-ion cells from a standard domestic power socket using the standard charging cable. Faster charging is possible from a BMW i Wallbox, which can top up the battery in around one-and-a-half hours.
Did you ever expect to see a BMW model range built around front wheel drive with an MPV body shape and offering the option of a three cylinder engine? We're not sure we ever did. Of course the front-driven layout gives this 2 Series Active Tourer a less driver-orientated feel than you'd find in other BMW models. The brand's traditional buyers may not like that, so it's just as well that this car isn't aimed at them. No, you'll be interested in a 2 Series Active Tourer if your need for practicality is greater than your need for a BMW. But you'd still rather like one. If that makes sense to you, then this car will too. Its closest rival, the Mercedes B-Class, doesn't have the same kind of spark and the only other alternative is a much frumpier more conventional mainstream brand MPV. All of which means that BMW's appealing spin on ordinary family motoring will probably continue to attract a ready audience. People who probably never thought they'd be buying from this Munich maker. They won't be getting 'the ultimate driving machine' because that's not what they need. Getting instead what may very well be 'the ultimate small people carrier' will suit them very well indeed.
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Lil Flippers v1.4 Apk | 23 MB | Mediafire
Requires Android:2.1 and up
Race through sea and sky in the action-packed adventure, Lil Flippers! Dive, Jump, Surf, and Swim as you seek treasure, evade enemies, and build a school of friends to protect you.
•6 beautifully themed worlds with randomized level generation means you never play the same game twice. Enjoy the Sargasso Sea, an old Ships Graveyard, weedy Kelp fields, the beautiful blue Pacific, and the lost world of Atlantis! More coming soon!
•Complete challenging quests and earn Stars so you can unlock each new amazing world.
• Race 5 different dolphin characters, each one is packed with special powers!
•Clamshell Mini-Game! Collect golden keys to unlock untold treasures!
•Highly interactive and simple touch screen functionality . . . Easy to learn, fun to master!
•Multiple Modes! Play as a carefree dolphin or enter super-speedy star mode to move through sea & sky like lightning!
•Sparkling Retina Display!
•14 customizable dolphin skins!
•So many enemies to 'School!' Snarky Sharks, Jumping Jellyfish, Pouty Puffer-fish, Feisty Fishermen's Nets, Stingy Storm Clouds, and Sticky Seaweed!


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Untapped Fashion & Music - Coachella Edition sponsored by the Crescent Hotel Beverly Hills, took place at SUR Lounge with Ken & Lisa Vanderpump and was a tremendous success. The evening was held in honor of the inauguration to COACHELLA via a Red Carpet Fashion Gala, while raising awareness for F Cancer. The event was hosted by model/actor: Matias Desiderio.
Untapped Fashion & Music is a concept which was founded in 2008 and endorsed by world renowned fashion designer: Betsey Johnson, which helps emerging artists & brands get international recognition, while raising proceeds for various charities.
The evening was filled with celebrity guests, DJs and artists as we celebrated 12 fashion designers from all over the world - many whom are Project Runway and Project All Stars contestants. The following brands were previewed through a live installation showcase in the beautiful garden of SUR:
Gordana Gehlhausen of Shop Goga: Project Runway
Tess Johnson
DJ Euphoric, opened up festivities which was followed by Celebrity DJ Lindsay Luv. Celebrities & VIPs included: Tha Boogie, Cody Wise, the Sachika Twins, Matias Desiderio, cast members of Vanderpump Rules, cast members of Project Runway and more.
Gift bags were handed out to guests by the following sponsors: Nooka, iHome, PopChips, Vita Coco, KellyAnne Hair, Live Obligated, My Brigadeiro, 11 Creative Group, Crescent Hotel Beverly Hills, F Cancer and more.
With Untapped Fashion & Music coming to Miami Beach, FL next for Swim-Week 2013, this is all just the beginning.
For more information, please visit www.untappedprmovement.com


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Giant Texas bullfrog photo is real ... but don't be fooled by what you see
The South Texas Hunting Association shared a photo on Facebook this week of what looked like a mildly-monstrous bullfrog catch, but commenters aren't so sure it's real.
PREVIOUS: Nightmare-inducing Texas rattlesnake photo sending shivers across Facebook ... but it isn't what it seems
A man named Markcuz Rangel shared the photo with the website, stating that it was caught in a pond on a ranch near Batesville and weighed 13 pounds. It appears the creature had been shot and killed, judging by the rifle in the hand of Rangel.
Of course any photo on the internet should be viewed with suspicion. There are no videos of said bullfrog being caught or postmortem and the photos shown seem somewhat … off.
Steve Lightfoot, spokesman for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, confirmed to Chron.com that the photo IS real, but that doesn't necessarily mean monster frogs are taking over South Texas.
"It's not as bigly as it appears," Lightfoot said video." [It's an] optical illusion created by extending frog toward the camera -- similar to what you see with fishermen holding up fish to make them appear larger. Still a big bullfrog, though."
OOOF: Fecal bacteria levels at Gulf beaches ahead of Memorial Day weekend
Back in 2015 the folks at Snopes debunked a supposedly 42-pound bullfrog catch by studying the viral photo that had been going around.
Chron.com reached out to Rangel on Friday afternoon to get more detail on his frog catches. Apparently he's been quite adept at finding the biggest ones in South Texas.
For now we will just have to imagine the all the ways that our foodie friends would cook those frog legs, which look like turkey legs at the rodeo carnival.


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What are the differences between the Family Tree Maker and Ancestry.com trees when using TreeSync™?
- A story created on Ancestry.com will become a .htm file in Family Tree Maker, which can be viewed in a Web browser. You can edit the text in a word-processing program.
- Smart Stories created in Family Tree Maker will become .rtf text files in Ancestry. The story can't be viewed within your Ancestry tree but the document can be downloaded. (Smart Stories are uploaded only if they are attached to individuals.)


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National AAPD spokesperson Dr. Indru C. Punwani and AAPD members Drs. Kristin Elliot, Mira Albert and Mark Cabana are all included in a story on a child's first dental visit. The story appears in the Health and Wellness section of Hinsdale Magazine, which was posted on November 27.
"The AAPD recommends that the child be seen by a pediatric or general dentist at the time the first tooth comes into the mouth, and no later than the child's first birthday," AAPD national spokesperson Dr. Indru Punwani said.
While caries is declining among adults, Punwani said it is definitely an expanding problem among children—especially those at a young age, who suffer from what is termed early childhood caries, or ECC.
"Even though there has been a slowing down of tooth decay in adults due to fluoridation, dental caries in the young child—especially the pre-school child—continues to increase," he said. "ECC has been reported to be initiated within a few months after the teeth erupt, with the principal cause being putting the child to bed with a bottle containing sweetened milk, juices and other products. Parents need to know that tooth decay is a highly preventable disease if the preventive measures are initiated from the time the first baby teeth emerge into the mouth."
To read the story in its entirety, please visit: http://hinsdale60521magazine.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=6461111%3ABlogPost%3A15826&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post
Back to News


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Mr. Dingdong: "1 minute and 14.37 seconds."
Dr. Grumpy "That's pretty precise."
Mr. Dingdong: "I used a stopwatch".
A Blog detailing the insanity of my medical practice and the stupidity of everyday life.
why did he time it?
^^ I think the better question is, why did he know he was going to hit his head and be knocked unconscious and how did he push the button if he was unconscious?!? People are SO BIZARRE!
Did you sigh loudly at this point?
I did, reading it. So much stupid.
Let me guess--an engineer?
I'm calling bullshit on this one!
I can just see it, holding the stopwatch, "ok, and faint NOW!"
What, he's trying to achieve his personal best?
BAHAHA! I had a guy tell me he was hit by a truck and had been in a coma earlier that same day, then he decided he probably was still in said coma. Complete with a hillbilly accent (and I'm in California).
Word verification: Bangest. LOL.
I find that people that try and make themselves sound smart or know whats going on..make themselves sound like idiots.
Signed: Hospital and BIG clinic switchboard operator.
He gets a warning aura, has tonic seizures, and uses a stopwatch with a deadman switch.
my word is "verments." I think it means worm poop. Or breath fresheners.
It has to have been an engineer turned med student. In fact, I probably dated him. Dingdong doesn't even begin to describe the extent of it....
I'm wondering why the question is asked? Don't most people who are unconscious think it was only for a split second (of course unless it was witnessed and bystanders tell them how long they were out for)??? Not trying to second guess the Mongolian Yak herder, just perplexed.... :)
Dear Mommy-medic,
The correct answer to the question is "I'm not sure" or "whoever witnessed it told me x amount of time." It's really a screening question to weed out fakeurs. Shh. don't tell.
-whitecap nurse
Little Calf Creamery. Delicious homemade ice cream and food in Thousand Oaks!


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'Long Shot' illustrates Piazza's desire to prove himself
All-Star catcher writes about career, partying, and rumors of steroids and his sexuality
Here's what outsiders saw: Mike Piazza hit more home runs than any catcher in baseball history. He batted .308 for a career during which he made the All-Star team 12 times, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and finished in the top three of the NL Most Valuable Player Award balloting three times. In short, Piazza was one of the best catchers in history.
Here's what Piazza saw: a world that questioned whether he was good enough from the first time he picked up a bat until this very day. "I've been the object of so much controversy, resentment, skepticism, scrutiny, rumor and doubt," he writes.
It's that conflict that provides the backbone for this unusually candid book. "Long Shot" by Piazza with Lonnie Wheeler, provides an unvarnished glimpse behind the cardboard-cutout image that most fans have of baseball stars.
Piazza makes a convincing case that he used a burning desire to prove the world wrong as his motivation to excel. In the process, he seems to chronicle every perceived insult he ever encountered. Being drafted in the 62nd round by the Dodgers. The fact that he wasn't immediately offered a contract because it was seen as a courtesy pick, a favor to family friend and then-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.
Not being heavily recruited out of high school. Being asked to bunt with two strikes in the Minors. Missing out on the MVP when he thought he deserved it. Shots at the media, including verbatim citations from articles when he believed he wasn't given his due.
All that could have made for a grim read. Instead, it's a fascinating page-turner because Piazza turns the same critical eye on himself as he does on others.
Piazza talks about partying. He talks about dating. He talks about faith. Piazza talks about his privileged upbringing. He faults himself for briefly jumping the Minor League team out of frustration. Piazza admits that he was hurt when the Dodgers traded him, even though he was in a contentious contract negotiation at the time. He frankly says he was miffed more than once when he didn't win the MVP.
Piazza recognizes that his teammates sometimes saw him as selfish. He's the first to say he didn't have the most accurate arm, although he makes a strong argument that he was a better defensive catcher than he's generally given credit for. Piazza allows that for all Lasorda did for him, they aren't as close as they once were because of a comment his former manager said after the deal. In short, he reveals normal human vulnerabilities and insecurities that most players prefer to keep to themselves.
Throughout, Piazza makes it clear that this is just his perspective and that at times it might even be skewed.
"Some might say that the slights were imagined on my part, or at least exaggerated," he writes at one point. "Maybe so. Maybe I needed to feel disrespected because that was what fed the beast inside me."
And that candor ultimately lends authority to Piazza's denial of two rumors that dogged him throughout his career: That he is gay and that he used steroids.
The former Piazza attributes to the fact that he didn't take advantage of every sexual opportunity that presented itself. Girls followed him home. He felt pressure to be the off-the-field player that society seemed to expect, yet it conflicted with his Catholic upbringing. Now married with two children, that no longer seems to be an issue.
The latter leads into a gray area. Piazza states categorically that he never used illegal performance-enhancing substances. He also talks frankly about his use of supplements and how interested he became in muscle-building. Piazza was always on the lookout for the next big thing that would make him bigger and stronger. He looked into human growth hormone -- "Like a lot of players I was trying to sort all this stuff out" -- but backed off when he found out it was considered a controlled substance.
"At the time ... so little was known about supplements and such, and the scene was changing so fast, and baseball's policies were so ambiguous, that players often found themselves on unmarked trails, trying to navigate a hazardous -- but promising -- new frontier ... It could be disorienting," he writes.
Piazza swung hard at the plate and approached this book with the same mindset. And by the end, he's given those outsiders an intriguing inside glimpse at how he views himself.


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The Bureau this week issued a public service announcement regarding cybercrime opportunities posed by the connecting of all sorts of data-enabled devices, from medical gear to entertainment gadgets, to the Internet.
MORE: Beware the ticking Internet of Things security time bomb
"As more businesses and homeowners use web-connected devices to enhance company efficiency or lifestyle conveniences, their connection to the Internet also increases the target space for malicious cyber actors," the FBI warns. "Similar to other computing devices, like computers or Smartphones, IoT devices also pose security risks to consumers."
The FBI cites "deficient security capabilities and difficulties for patching vulnerabilities in these devices, as well as a lack of consumer security awareness," with giving cybercrooks an opening to plot attack and steal information.
The Universal Plug and Play protocol (UPnP) is particularly vulnernable, as are devces with default passwords and open Wi-Fi connections, the FBI states.
FBI recommendations for protection include:
- Isolating IoT devices on their own protected networks;
- Disabling UPnP on routers;
- Considering whether IoT devices are ideal for their intended purpose;
- Purchasing IoT devices from manufacturers with a track record of providing secure devices;
- When available, updating IoT devices with security patches;
- Being aware of the capabilities of the devices and appliances installed in your homes and businesses.
- Using strong passwords.
This story, "Even the FBI is worried about Internet of Things security" was originally published by Network World.


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Call overturned as Ausmus wins challenge
Dozier out at second on stolen base attempt in third inning
Patrick Donnelly is a contributor to MLB.com.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus successfully challenged a call in the third inning of Saturday's game against the Twins at Target Field.
With Detroit leading, 2-0, Twins second baseman Brian Dozier drew a two-out walk. With Joe Mauer at the plate, Dozier tried to steal second base, but the Tigers called a pitchout on the play. Dozier originally was ruled safe on catcher Bryan Holaday's throw, but after Ausmus requested a review, the umpires ruled that shortstop Andrew Romine tagged Dozier on the hip before the baserunner's hand reached the bag.
The time of Saturday's review was one minute, 28 seconds. Ausmus is 4-for-7 on challenges this season.
Read More: Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Bryan Holaday, Brian Dozier


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KITTERY, Maine -- A Jazz Tap Holiday will be presented for two shows only on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. at The Dance Hall.
The joyful dance and music celebration features legendary tap dancer Brenda Bufalino (shown here); notable locals Drika Overton and Gay Nardone; and young lions Ryan Casey and Ayan Imai-Hall, both dancers in NY based touring tap dance companies.
The distinguished musicians include Mark Shilansky-piano, Nate Therrien-bass, Charlie Tokarz-reeds and Jonny Peiffer-percussion.
Surprise guests will be making cameo performances! More information and tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/286097!


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Guidelines which creates trust
Corporate governance is the system, through which owners, direct or indirect, controls the company. Within Axis, governance, management and control is divided between shareholders, the board and the CEO, in accordance with laws, regulations and instructions.
Axis is a public Swedish limited company based in Lund, Sweden. Axis was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2000 and de-listed 2018.
Axis is governed by the Swedish Companies Act. Axis has not been guilty of any breaches of good conduct on the stock exchange market.
Even as an unlisted company Axis applies the Swedish code for corporate governance ("the Code"). Axis does not diverge from the Code, other than in the regard specifically stated below. Information about the Code is available at www.bolagsstyrning.se.
Deviations from the Code
In light of the ownership structure in Axis where Canon Inc. for some time owns 99,3 percent of the shares and votes, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) did not appoint a nomination committee. The company thus deviates from the Code's rules with regard to a nomination committee. The duties of the nomination committee under the Code will be performed instead, where appropriate, by Axis' largest shareholder Canon Inc. or by the company's board of directors. As far as election and remuneration of auditors is concerned, the board has appointed a special group that prepares the procurement process. This group has special experience in questions relating to appointment and remuneration of auditors, which is considered to be of benefit to Axis and raises the quality level.
Compulsory acquisition
Canon Inc. holds 99.26 percent of the shares in Axis AB, which were delisted from Nasdaq Stockholm in November 2018. Under the Swedish Companies Act, a majority shareholder holding 90 percent or more of the shares is entitled to initiate a compulsory acquisition procedure of the minority's shares. Canon has chosen to exercise that right.
The Swedish Companies Registration Office has appointed Magnus Nedström as trustee. The trustee represents the minority shareholders during the compulsory acquisition procedure unless they choose to represent themselves.
An arbitration tribunal has been formed. The tribunal's task, inter alia, is to determine the redemption share price. The arbitration tribunal is composed of
- One arbitrator appointed by the majority shareholder (Robert Ohlsson)
- One arbitrator appointed by the trustee (Lars Milberg)
- A chairman of the tribunal, appointed jointly by the two arbitrators (Lars Edlund)
Axis as a company has no role in the compulsory acquisition procedure and it is difficult to say when the procedure will be completed. Shareholders may refer to the trustee with any questions: attorney-at-law Magnus Nedström, Advokatbyrån Sigeman & Co, Anna Lindhs plats 4, SE-211 19 Malmö, Sweden, by telephone +46 (0)40-665 55 00, email@example.com.


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The following cases are contained on the criminal pre-trial calendar in Lamar superior court October 9.
Trials will begin October 22. Are you starting to see the same names over and over again?
Judge Bill Fears will preside.
Debra Jean Carter, deposit account fraud.
Clemon Eddie Pinyon, theft by taking.
Michael Jones, four counts child molestation.
[Full Story »]


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Surgery(redirected from experimental surgery)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia.
SURGERY, med. jur. That part of the healing art which relates to external
diseases; their treatment; and, specially, to the manual operations adopted
for their cure.
2. Every lawyer should have some acquaintance with surgery; his knowledge on this subject will be found useful in cases of homicide and wounds.


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- Population: 278,480
- Median income: $82,944
- Unemployment rate: 3.7%
- Median home listing price: $320,000
- Median monthly rent: $1,895
- Average gas price: $1.678
- Average cost of groceries: $32.28
- Sales tax: 8.25%
Plano is a better city for savers than some of the better-known Texas cities on this list. Although Plano has the second-highest median home list price and highest median rent among the top 15 best cities for savers, it also has the highest median income, which means its residents have more to set aside in savings. With several major corporations headquartered in Plano, it's been named America's No. 1 city to find a job and the third hardest working city in America by Money Magazine.
Photo credit: iStock.com/olddays


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Legend Taken My Choice
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Drug overdoses killing Ohioans at record rate
Prescriptions, heroin blamed for increases
Ohioans are dying from drug overdoses at record-high rates, the state Department of Health said Friday as it released 2011 figures that place the blame on prescription painkillers and also show a worsening heroin problem.
The number of people who died of accidental overdoses jumped 14 percent to 1,765 from 2010. Such overdoses remain the leading cause of accidental deaths in the state, ahead of car crashes and falls, a trend that began in 2007.
The data means nearly five Ohioans died every day in 2011 from accidental drug overdoses, or about one every five hours.
The Health Department says multiple drug use is a major contributing factor, with more than two of every three deaths involving more than one drug.
The dire statistics come at a time when Ohio has launched numerous efforts to crack down on illegal prescription painkiller use and distribution. Midway through 2011, Ohio enacted a law meant to reduce the number of pills-on-demand clinics where many addicts were receiving pain pills under questionable circumstances.
The state has also tightened prescribing rules for painkillers, while changes in Medicaid rules are making it easier for doctors to prescribe medication that helps addicts beat the craving for drugs like heroin and painkillers.
The increasing deaths are part of a decade-long trend of an overabundance of painkillers in the state, and it's going to take a while to reverse that trend, said Christy Beeghly, the Health Department's Violence and Injury Prevention Program administrator.
"It's like when we put more cars on the road, we're going to see more car crashes," Beeghley said Friday. "So we put more pills out there, we have more addiction and ultimately more overdoses."
In 2011, an average of 59 painkillers was dispensed for every Ohio resident, according to Ohio Board of Pharmacy data reported by the Health Department.
Scioto County in southern Ohio led the state in the per capita overdose death rate from 2007 through 2011, followed by Brown, Jefferson, Pike and Adams counties, all in southern or eastern Ohio.
Cuyahoga County had the highest number of total overdose deaths in 2011 with 211, followed by Franklin County with 209 and Montgomery County with 121.
In addition to increases in prescription painkiller and heroin overdoses, a growing number of Ohioans are dying from overdosing with anti-anxiety medications, the state data shows.
The number of heroin overdose deaths jumped to 426 in 2011, up from 338 the previous year, part of a trend that police and counseling agencies have been warning about for several years. As addicts' supply of painkiller dries up, they turn to the cheaper and, in some cases, more dangerous street drug.
Beeghly said it's wrong to blame the crackdown on painkillers for the increase in heroin use.
Heroin deaths are "a consequence of just the sheer exposure to these highly addictive drugs in the first place," she said.


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LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) Ameen Tanksley scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half and pulled down 12 rebounds to lift Niagara over Marist 94-72 Thursday night in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
Juan'ya Green had 21 points, five assists and four rebounds, Antoine Mason added 17 points and Malcolm Lemmons scored 11 for the Purple Eagles (6-7, 2-1), who hit a season-high 52 percent (35 of 67) of their shots.
Niagara, playing in its first game since Dec. 21, scored 16 of the first 18 points to open the first half. Marist (4-10, 1-2) cut the deficit to 38-26 behind a Chavaughn Lewis three-point play with 3:22 left, but Niagara closed the half on a 23-4 run to take a 51-30 lead into intermission.
The Purple Eagles got scoring contributions from all but one player.
Lewis led Marist with 17 points but had seven of the Red Foxes' 20 turnovers.


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Hello everyone, this is Vivek Govil. We set up this blog site because it seemed like a good idea, and we had just seen Penguin India put one up. And then we realised that we didn't really have an objective for it! So to start with, I am going to use it to give you some random musings of my experiences and thoughts about working at Pearson. This is the first time I have done this, so forgive me if it sounds pompous. I'm going to try to post at least weekly, so I'll probably hit my stride after a few weeks.
If you have anything that you want to say about life at Pearson Education, mail your writing to Manav at email@example.com and he will post it.
I have now been a part of Pearson for 125 days. That's well over the 100 day mark that most companies give their CEO's to establish their stamp on an organisation. I would welcome feedback from any of you on the changes that you have noticed.
My own energies have been to try and create a healthy workplace atmosphere, where people work together across functions to move the company forward. In my view, we do work in our narrow silos. This is something that will take time and effort, and yet I think we can get better at this quickly.
We need to be more customer focused, to our external customers as well as internal. We have made some improvements in how we deal with our distributors. I think we can still be far more author friendly, and our internal customer focus still has a long way to go!
And I'm glad that we are finally taking some concrete steps on our website and on our content plus initiatives.
This last month has seen the launch of three major titles: the 13th edition if Kotler, Macroeconomics by Errol D'Sousa
and Upinder Singh's Ancient India. Each of them is a landmark for our company in India. I'm fortunate to be a part of this.
A number of new initiatives are under way to move us forward, but I had better not talk of those in a public forum. Oh, and talking of forums, I thoroughly enjoyed the Open House that we held. I hope you found it useful as well, at least in terms of getting to know how the company was faring.
The dream of every CEO is to make a difference to his company's fortunes and that of its employees. Subroto gave me a great launching pad, I hope you feel that we are now taking this company to the next level of growth.
Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel


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Tied side and rolled sleeves are for display purposes only. This is a Bella Canvas brand flowy muscle tank.
White,Black,Light Pink,Maroon
(please leave a note at checkout with desired wording color. If no note is left, I will choose for you).
Care Instructions:
Turn garment inside out.
Machine wash cold.
Lay flat to dry.
Do not bleach/dry-clean
Turn inside out to iron (DO NOT iron directly on print)
All items are shipped via USPS. Normally, it takes anywhere from 2-5 business days (weekends are not business days) for me to make and get your package shipped. Shipping is usually 2-4 days (depending on USPS). I suggest orderings at least 2 weeks before your order is needed. If you have a specific need by date, message us!
* International Orders ONLY - All orders are shipped USPS first class with tracking and insurance. Please allow up to four weeks for delivery (depending on USPS and customs). If you want to upgrade to priority or express mail, please message me prior to purchasing and I can get a quote for you!


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WASHINGTON (CNN) — The percentage of Americans 30 and younger who harbor some doubts about God's existence appears to be growing quickly, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. While most young Americans, 68%, told Pew they never doubt God's existence, that's a 15-point drop in just five years.
In 2007, 83% of American millennials said they never doubted God's existence.
More young people are expressing doubts about God now than at any time since Pew started asking the question a decade ago. Thirty-one percent disagreed with the statement "I never doubt the existence of God," double the number who disagreed with it in 2007.
When asked about doubts of God, no other generation showed a change of more than 2% in the past five years.
The survey found that the percentage of millennials who identify with a religion is remaining constant, while most other generations have seen religious identification increase in the past 10 years.
The findings about millennials and religion were part of a 168-page report that Pew released June 4 but were largely overlooked.
"Notably, people younger than 30 are substantially less likely than older people to say prayer is an important part of their lives," the report said.
"Research on generational patterns shows that this is not merely a lifecycle effect," it continued. "The Millennial generation is far less religious than were other preceding generations when they were the same age years ago."
The findings are part of Pew's 2012 American Values Survey, which touches on issues including political partisanship, gay marriage and abortion.
Despite the findings on millennials, the survey shows that the United States continues to be a highly religious nation, with most Americans identifying with a particular faith.
Seventy-six percent of all respondents said prayer is an important part of their lives and agreed that "we all will be called before god at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins." About 80% said they have never doubted the existence of God.
The report points to a growing divide between the youngest and oldest Americans on belief, religion and social issues.
According to Jesse Galef, communications director for the Secular Student Alliance, the growth in "doubting" youths has led to a surge in secular student groups.
"For a lot of millennial atheists, they are expecting to find a group, they are coming to campus, and if they don't find one, they are starting one," Galef said. "This is completely different than what other generations grew up with."
The Secular Student Alliance has affiliates on 357 American campuses, Galef said, up from 81 such affiliates in 2007.
Galef says the Internet has created a place for young people to discuss religious doubts.
"It enables anybody to have open discussions without fearing if their parents would find out or what their communities would say," he said. "The more safe places we create for young people to discuss their doubts, the more they can inspire questions in others."


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Finding Real Estate Marketing Ideas That Work For
The most difficult aspect around real estate in this day and age is getting people to come look at your properties and possibly buy. It can be difficult to make a profit if people are not aware of you and your business. It will benefit you greatly to take some time and develop a marketing strategy to help your business. It may take some time to figure out what real estate marketing strategies will work for you but you will benefit greatly from it.
When it comes to making a name for yourself in the real estate industry it is important that you have a good client base that is interested in the properties that you buy and sell. If people are unaware of you and what you do than that is no good. That is where an effective marketing strategy can help you greatly.
The amount of people who are aware of you and your business is directly related to how well you do as a real estate professional. When more people are aware of you and your work, it becomes more likely that they will remember your name in the future when they need the aide of a real estate professional.
When it comes to cost effective ways to manage your marketing, the Internet is a fantastic place to start. With the Internet you have the ability to connect with potential clients in a way that lets you share all relevant information with them in order to maybe sign with them.
The business that a social media website can bring you can be very helpful at times. It has the ability to network you with many people that you would have never met out in the real world. When it comes to cheap ways to market, a social media presence can be very useful.
When a previous client of yours is extremely happy with the work that you did for them, they may want to recommend you to their family and friends for further business. Making sure to thank them for their business can go a long way in ensuring that they will send more business your way.
To have a good marketing plan does not mean that you will have to spend a whole lot of money. There are many cheap ways that you can follow to increase your visibility and make people aware of the work that you do. Just know that spending money on marketing plans is wise because you will more than likely make back much more than you spent.
If you are looking to bring more business your way, you should invest in a solid marketing plan. There are many real estate marketing ideas available that will certainly benefit you in the long run, bringing you business and money, ensuring that you stay in the business for time to come.


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Claire Chase, a 2012 MacArthur Fellow, is a soloist, collaborative artist and arts entrepreneur. Over the past decade Claire has given the world premieres of over 100 new works for flute, many of them tailor-made for her. First Prize Winner of the 2008 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Chase has given critically acclaimed solo recitals recently at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Walter Reade Theater as part of the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center. Highlights of the current season include solo performances at the Guangzhou Triennial (Guangzhou, China), Museu Pinacoteca (São Paolo, Brazil), debuts in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, and the release of her second solo album, Terrestre.
Terrestre, released in January 2012 on New Focus Recordings (distributed by Naxos of America), features 20th and 21st century flute masterworks by Saariaho, Boulez, Carter, Donatoni and Fujikura, and was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as "a full-throated affirmation of chamber music as human drama." Chase's debut solo album, Aliento, which featured six world premiere recordings by emerging composers, was released in 2009 to instant acclaim, having been described as "stunning" by the American Record Guide and named one of the Top Ten Releases of the Year by Time Out Chicago. Forthcoming recording projects include a third solo album titled Density (works by Varese, Xenakis, Reich, Glass, Zorn), and a fourth featuring Bach transcriptions.
In addition to her tireless work commissioning, curating and performing works by artists in her generation, Chase enjoys close collaborative relationships with composers Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, David Lang, Kaija Saariaho, Georges Aperghis, Olga Neuwirth, and Julio Estrada, and with conductors Ludovic Morlot, Susanna Malkki, Matthias Pintscher and Steven Schick. Chase is also working on several large-scale solo performance projects designed for non-traditional spaces in collaboration with stage directors, filmmakers, visual artists and choreographers.
In 2001, Chase founded the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), which has been described by the New York Times as "one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music." Under Chase's leadership, ICE was awarded the 2010 Trailblazer Award from the American Music Center, as well as two ASCAP/Chamber Music America Awards for Adventurous Programming, in 2005 and 2010. As artistic director of ICE, Chase has overseen the premieres of more than 650 new works since 2001, ten album releases, and a thriving education program for public school children called The Listening Room, as well as a position as Artists-in-Residence at Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival through 2013.
Download bios and high-resolution photos by visiting the Press Room.
Oberlin Contemporary
Music Ensemble
with ICE
DiMenna Center
Mary Flagler Cary Hall
Friday, January 18th, 2013
Oberlin Orchestra
with Jeremy Denk '90, piano
Carnegie Hall
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Saturday, January 19th, 2013
7:00pm Lecture
8:00pm Concert
Oberlin College & Conservatory | 77 W College Street, Oberlin, Ohio 44074 | 440-775-8200 | Contact | Directories | Search


text: Giving back to the environment doesn't have to be a sacrifice. This sun-blasting lip balm guards against the worst Mother Nature has to offer, but its eco-friendly mission casts doubt on its true allegiance. Its formula is cruelty-free, its packaging is fully recyclable, and 1% of all company profits help fund community gardens. And here you thought it was just a great lip balm.


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We are delighted to welcome this post from Elizabeth Kamundia recipient of the Gold Medal for finishing top of her class on the LL.M in International and Comparative Disability Law at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy, NUI Galway.
In 2005, while I was studying for my law degree, I started learning Kenyan Sign language – just for fun. At that time, I knew little about human rights as they apply to people with disabilities – and certainly had no inkling that I would end up specialising in that very area.
Often, my family and friends would ask me what possible use sign language was to a lawyer. I'd say, "I might someday have a Deaf client" – since I assumed that I would become a practicing advocate and saw that as the only way that I would ever combine my sign language and legal skills. How wrong I was!
Six years later, I was working as the Human Rights Officer on Disability at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). I had found a way to merge my legal training with my growing interest in disability rights. But while I found the work at KNCHR thoroughly engaging, I also felt that I was only scratching the surface – that there was so much more to human rights as they apply to people with disabilities than I was aware of at the time.
I started wondering whether there were studies in disability within the realm of law that I could pursue. Google searches mainly yielded disability studies within education, health and social work. And so I was delighted to discover that the Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP) of the National University of Ireland, Galway was offering a Masters in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy.
And absolutely thrilled to be awarded a scholarship by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to undertake the course.
At that point, I had never lived apart from my family, and so a year away was both appealing and also a little frightening! But I need not have worried. The Centre is a wonderful place in which to study with a real student-centred approach and extremely supportive lecturers. And it's a real community. And so alive – with visiting researchers from other countries ensuring that it stays amazingly vibrant all year round.
The LL.M class drew together a diverse range of people – barristers, relatives of people with disabilities and service providers among others. The classes were so interactive and practical, including one memorable occasion when a parent of a child with autism came and shared stories about her struggle to ensure that her child received an education.
We also held debates on various topics, such as what the paradigm shift in Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on legal capacity means at a practical level. On other occasions, we had the opportunity to hold Skype conversations with various key actors on disability around the world including Shuaib Chalklen, the UN Special Rappoteur on Disability and Ron McCallum, the Chairperson of the CRPD Committee.
An interesting – and challenging – aspect of studying at the Centre was knowing that I (and the other two OSF-supported scholars from Africa) was expected to be the 'Voice of Africa'. And it kept me on my toes – and also encouraged me to filter the theories through the realities of life in Kenya as I know it, to begin to see how they could make a difference in people's lives thousands of miles away from Galway. And this was another reason why it was so wonderful to have other OSF scholars from Africa – so that we could sit together after class and wonder how we could make the concepts we were learning applicable back home. Indeed, some of the ideas such as personalised budgets as a way of actualising Article 19 of the CRPD on living independently in the community seemed way out there to us. Indeed, that was partly why I decided to write my dissertation on Article 19 since I wanted to understand how to make it practical in an African context.
It is also why I decided to conduct interviews for the dissertation even though this was not a requirement. I felt that I could benefit greatly from asking people on the ground in Kenya about their ideas on how persons with disabilities could be able to live independently in the community. It was the best decision I could have made. The interviews taught me so much – providing me with priceless information and insights.
And the key thing I learned is that open societies have to be inclusive societies. A society that has people living on the margins, concealed, or locked up cannot claim to be an open society.
I also learned that the CRPD is so much more than just an international treaty – it's a powerful tool for change. Persons with disabilities in Kenya are using this tool to change the way they look at themselves and to challenge the way society looks at them – and treats them.
The CRPD demands a comprehensive change across all sectors – education, health and governance – with a message that speaks to everyone: 'INCLUDE US!' And the values underlying the CRPD are truly transformative – dignity, equality, autonomy, participation, respect for difference and acceptance of human diversity.
And there was so much more. The Disability Legal Information Clinic opened while I was at the CDLP. The chance to volunteer at the clinic was fantastic. Dealing with real peoples' issues (some of which had legal solutions, and some of which did not) taught me so much. In particular, it showed me that the law is a powerful tool for change but that it cannot address all the diverse needs that people have.
The Centre also offers additional scholarly opportunities. If you write a good essay, you are encouraged to submit it either for presentation as a paper at a conference, or as a chapter in a book. Through the encouragement of the lecturers and the PhD students, I gave a paper on my preliminary thoughts on Article 19 in a conference on 'Key Contemporary Housing Issues in a Changing Europe' – a paper that will appear in a forthcoming book.
But the LL.M Programme is not just about individual work. Group essays are a key part of the course – and another way to get work published! But they are also are great way to hone one's negotiation skills ("lets meet on Wednesday afternoon to start the essay, shall we?" "No, on Wednesday afternoon I have an appointment with my hairdresser, how about Friday evening?" "No, on Friday evenings, I go drumming…" and so on) – and to transform classmates into friends.
The LL.M programme also involved participating in lots of conferences, which helped us to stay engaged with processes in the real world, such as the reform of the mental health laws in Ireland. Conferences also offered a great opportunity to travel within Europe – indeed it was during one such conference that I saw snow for the first time in my life!
We also had the opportunity to attend a seminar at Interights in London on strategic litigation, which got us thinking about the role that litigation could play in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in our respective countries. Of course, a stopover at the Emirates Stadium was mandatory during this trip!
We also had fruitful contact with other faculties, such as the Department of Women's Studies, where my African colleagues and I gave a presentation on the status of women's rights in our respective countries (Zambia, Ethiopia and Kenya). It was fun and fascinating. It also revealed how our different identities intersect – one is not just a woman, but also perhaps a woman with a disability, who comes from a minority community and belongs to a minority religion. The reality is that discrimination often arises from our multiple identities and is far more complex than it may appear at first glance.
Needless to say, this means that simple, narrow solutions are not the answer.
The facilities that the university offers never ceased to amaze me. If I needed a book that wasn't available in the library, the library would order it for me. It was also great to have free supplementary computer classes and advanced English writing classes. And you can pick up other vital skills in classes devoted to cooking, creative writing, yoga, meditation and assertiveness training. I wonder if my family and friends will know which extra classes I took?
But I wouldn't have achieved as much as I did at Galway without all the ongoing support from OSF – both the Disability Rights Initiative and the Open Society Initiative for southern Africa (OSISA). Many organisations fund scholars but do not necessarily support them along the way – but not OSF. Indeed, the supervisors for my dissertation were the LL.M Programme Director, Shivaun Quinlivan, and Tirza Leibowitz, who is the legal advisor for OSF's Disability Rights Initiative. Working with them was fantastic. They pushed me to read widely and to ask questions even when I could not answer them.
And the support from OSF stretched beyond the Masters course – funding me to present my dissertation at an international forum in Washington on 'Achieving inclusion across the Globe' – something I could never have dreamed of when I left Nairobi for somewhere called Galway all those months before.
When I jetted off, I knew that there would be some hard times ahead. But I was thinking about loneliness and homesickness and incomprehensible legal concepts – not that the temperature could ever sink so low or that the sun could set at 3pm! And apparently, I was lucky because so many people told me that 'we're having such a mild winter this year'!
But having said that – Galway is such a beautiful city and so vibrant in summer with its film festivals and art festivals and music festivals. You literally have to refuse to read all the posters to get anything done in the summer! And, I must admit, I also miss living a stone's throw from the (admittedly freezing!) sea.
Thanks to the Internet I was also able to regularly Skype and email my family and friends back home. This allowed me to keep in touch with the significant people in my life, which helped me to cope with the distance (if not the cold!) and has also made settling back home much easier than I'd imagined. I have no idea what I would have done without the World Wide Web!
It really was an absolutely incredible year. I learned far more about the law and life than I thought possible. And to win the gold medal in my class at the end was the most amazing icing on the cake. And when I got the email from Shivaun, I couldn't stop myself from crying – because it showed that if you work hard, and are adequately supported, anything is possible.


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- Solutions
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1 Getz, K. Changing Drug Development Landscape and its Anticipated Impact on R&D Operations. http://csdd.tufts.edu/files/uploads/Outlook-2014.pdf .


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The Vienna research team led by Anton Zeilinger has achieved a new milestone in the history of quantum physics: The scientists were able to generate and measure the entanglement of the largest quantum numbers to date. To this end, the researchers developed a new method for entangling single photons which gyrate in opposite directions. This result is a first step towards entangling and twisting even macroscopic, spatially separated objects in two different directions. The researchers at the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), situated at the University of Vienna, and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences have were able to get their pioneering results published in the current issue of the renowned scientific journal "Science".
Quantum physics is usually considered to be the theory of extremely lightweight objects, such as atoms or photons, or of exceptionally small units, namely very small quantum numbers. One of the most fascinating phenomena of quantum physics is that of entanglement. Entangled quanta of light behave as if able to influence each other - even as they are spatially separated. The question of whether or not entanglement is limited to tiny objects or very small quantum numbers came up already in the early days of quantum physics. Now, the Vienna group has taken the first step for testing quantum mechanical entanglement with rotating photons. To illustrate, a quantum mechanical figure skater would have the uncanny ability to pirouette both clockwise and counter-clockwise simultaneously. Moreover, the direction of her rotations would be correlated with the twirls of another, entangled, skater - even if the two ice dancers whirl far removed from each other, in ice rinks on different continents. The faster the two quantum skaters pirouette, the larger is the quantum number of their rotation direction, the so-called angular momentum. "In our experiment, we have entangled the largest quantum numbers of any kind of particle ever measured," declares Zeilinger with a wry smile.
Could quantum ice dancers exist in reality?
It has been common knowledge for about 20 years now that theoretically, there is no upper limit for the angular momentum of photons. Previous experiments, however, have been limited, due to physical restrictions, to very weak angular momentum and small quantum numbers. In the Vienna experiment, it is theoretically possible to create entanglement regardless of the strength of the angular momentum or the scale of its quantum number. "Only our limited technical means stop us from creating entanglement with twisted photons that could be sensed even with bare hands," states Robert Fickler, the main author of the current "Science" publication. And so, the researchers have demonstrated that it is possible in principle to twirl entangled ice skaters simultaneously both in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. In practice, a number of major challenges need to be addressed before such an experiment can be realized with macroscopic objects.
From fundamental research to technical applications
In addition to the fundamental issue of the limits of macroscopic entanglement, the physicists address possibilities of potential applications. They are, for example, able to use the created photons for very precise angular measurements already at low intensities of light. This feature is of advantage in particular when investigating light sensitive materials, as for example some biological substances. "The special features of entanglement provide the fantastic possibility to perform such measurements from arbitrary distances and without any contact whatsoever with the measured object, or even at a point in time that lies in the future!" Fickler explains.
This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Quantum Entanglement of High Angular Momenta
Robert Fickler, Radek Lapkiewicz, William N. Plick, Mario Krenn, Christoph Schaeff, Sven Ramelow, Anton Zeilinger
to be published in Science/2nd november issue


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I want to know, what photo editing software you use. I've used both Photo Shop and Paint Shop Pro, but I have ended up to use Paint Shop. I've done almost all of my works with Jasc Paint Shop Pro, but now I have also to latest version; Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo x2, there is not much differences between those two.
I would like to make also some material for making your own blog backgrounds, headers and banners. And perhaps some tutorials, but I can do it only for Paint Shop, of course some of the tutorials would work with other photo editing software, but mainly my stuff would be for Paint Shop.
So is here anyone, who uses Paint Shop and wants to learn how to make own web design? Leave comments and answer to poll at sidebar.


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Property TypeLand – Homesite
SubdivisionCordillera F24 - Elk Rdg-bearden Mdws
Listing Date10/09/19
AreaCordillera - The Ranch
Lot Size2.76 Acres (120,226 SqFt)
Property Description
Chance to own one of the best lots in the Cordillera Ranch. Convenient access near the entry gate. Expansive views of the golf course and Gore Range. Large 2.76 acre lot provides the opportunity to create a truly special property!
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5 Beds 5 Baths
5 Beds 5 Baths
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Listing courtesy of Resort Concepts Real Estate


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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park hosted their Florida Sunshine Millions stakes on Saturday.
Over the course of the day, 11 races were held, six of which were stakes races worth a total of $1.3 million. Stakes attract some of the most competitive thoroughbreds in the business. The first post-time was 12:45 p.m.
"The sunshine millions has always been a very exciting event. It's great racing, we have some of the top world class horses here today," said Tim Ritvo, the President of Gulfstream Racecourse and Casino.
The most competitive of Saturday's stakes races is the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic.
The race is 1 1/8 mile and open to four-year-old thoroughbreds and older, all of whom must have been bred in the state of Florida. The purse is $400,000.
The race was planned to feature the third clash between Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's 5-year-old Mucho Macho Man and Brous Stable, Wachtel Stable and Jack Hammer's 6-year-old Ron the Greek.
In the 2012 Sunshine Millions Classic, Mucho Macho Man beat Ron the Greek by 1 1/2 lengths. The two did not meet again until the Breeders' Cup Classic in November. Mucho Macho Man finished second that day to Fort Larned. Ron the Greek came in fourth.


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About this blog
FLEFF Intern Voices
The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival from the interns' point of view
Friday, April 5, 2013
Blog posting by Kimberly Capehart, Documentary Studies and Production '16, FLEFF Intern, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
I'm sitting in at what is arguably the most exciting FLEFF event: FLEFF Lab Friday!
Directors, producers, distributors, and scholars have been sitting in Park 220 all day long, speaking with students and amongst themselves about a wide variety of topics.
Right now, Yong Ki Jeong (film director, Couples, Once Upon a Time) and translator, Changhee Chun (Cinema, Ithaca College), Peter Miller (film director, AKA Doc Pommus), Carlos Gutierrez (Cinema Tropical), Bo Wang, (director, China Concerto), Kevin Lee, (dGenerate Films), Dominica Dipio (film director and film scholar), and Vanessa Domico (Outcast Films) are sitting together at the front of the room, waiting to share their secrets of the industry and answer questions.
Moderator Steve Gordon (TVR, Ithaca College) has each guest introduce himself or herself by sharing his or her own personal story. Their backgrounds are all extremely different; some guests started in film, others started with Physics degrees, and still others began their careers as activists.
What did they do to end up where they are? What advice do they have to offer to other people looking to pursue similar careers?
Here are some quotes from the conversation:
Kevin Lee: "Whatever you do, do with a real sense of purpose. Don't do anything because you feel trapped or pressured into it."
Vanessa Domico: "I couldn't agree with Kevin more. Do what you're passionate about. This sounds like a cliche, but I really mean it: embrace the moment. You need to keep your eyes open to see all the opportunities."
Peter Miller: "I had many breaks along the way. I basically apprenticed for a very long time with a lot of different people. Now I make my own films, but working with people who have done this for a while, who really know what they're doing, is so important. It's something I really think we have to do to learn how to tell the stories we want to tell."
Kevin Lee: "A lot of students in the past have been really surprised that I had a day job for about ten years that was completely unrelated to film. If you're planning on going to Los Angeles or New York, looking for your big break, don't expect that things will just fall into place. You need to hustle and work hard."
"Pursue your passion any way you can and stay open to different things. Sometimes things just organically crystalize into opportunities that you never expected. Your life and your career are things that happen when you're busy working on other things."
The group discusses the power of social media, with Lee and Dipio referencing the Kony 2012 video as an example of a film that gained support through outlets like YouTube and Facebook.
Yong Ki Jeong:"Social networking allows films to reach larger, international audiences. Korean filmmakers get more support for international works than they do for domestic works."
Discussing activism, and film's ability to introduce activist notions in the minds of viewers, as well as playing off of Jeong's mentioning of Seoul, South Korea, Miller offers: "Go into a co-production with your soul, do something that means a lot to you."
Peter Miller: "It's especially important, since you're young and trying to change the world, to get inside yourself and realize what you're trying to do. Just because you're trying to make money, doesn't mean you should do something. The world needs your talent to make things better."
Vanessa Domico: "Know yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses. It's good to work with collaborators. A lot of the time you're going to have to assemble a team of people to work with who can fill in your gaps."
The panel is open to questions!
Q: Are there any outlets that are especially supportive of independent films?
Peter Miller: "There are some organizations that give money out to independent films, but the budgets are growing smaller and smaller. Sometimes individual people give money. When asking for money, you need to know two things:
1. Learn to write well. Being able to write about and explain your film is as important as your film itself.
2. Have a sample of your film to show."
Vanessa Domico: "There's also programs like Kickstarter and Indiegogo"
Carlos Gutierrez: "That's an open issue. Sometimes individual fundraising sites like that take away from a larger discussion of independent distribution and production. I think that we need to come together as a community of independent filmmakers to find more sources of funding."
The conversation continues about various sources of funding and questions about receiving and asking for grants. It opens up to a conversation about the need for a close film community with which to collaborate and on which to depend.
Q: If you have something you're very passionate about, but don't think that anyone would be interested in, do you still make it?
Kevin Lee: "That question is different in regards to Chinese film. In China, a lot of things can get banned or removed from the internet, but a lot of Chinese filmmakers are very persistent. Audience is very important, so filmmakers aren't making films just for themselves, they're making films on social issues that they want other people to see.
Carlos Gutierrez: "Thinking about the audience can be tricky, because you're just projecting your own ideas on how the audience will react. I think it's more about the relevance of the film: social and economical relevance is most important."
Dominica Dipio: "Personally, a lot of the filmmakers in my country are independent and self-motivated, and a lot of things that motivate them are relevant social issues and the potential for change. So when I feel passionately about something, I am the first judge of its relevance. But sometimes it turns out to be what people want to hear and what they would like to reflect on."
Q: Do you think having a graduate education is beneficial or necessary in establishing yourself in a film-related career?
Peter Miller: "If you want to teach, you probably need an advanced degree. Teaching is one way that people subsidize their filmmaking habits."
Kevin Lee: "I'm pursuing a higher degree because I'm based in Chicago, and a lot of the community there is academia-based. That's just me, though. Sometimes you can learn more from collaboration or apprenticeship than you can learn in school."
The conversation ends with the discussion of a need for a film community. Use FLEFF as your opportunity to start establishing YOUR own community of filmmakers, audience members, and professionals!


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Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter
You Want This Imperial Daughter to Call You Sister-in-Law?
Normally speaking, a newborn child would be a bit yellow, and it would be hard to tell if their skin was light or dark, but if the skin color was too dark, some clues could still be seen.
Feng Jin Yuan was currently staring at the newborn baby boy in the hands of the midwife. The more he looked, the more he frowned. When Feng Yu Heng came out, he was even more direct with asking her: "This is the child that Han shi gave birth to?"
Feng Yu Heng laughed, "What is it, do you not even recognize your own son?"
Feng Jin Yuan waved his hand, "That's not what I mean. I am saying, why is this child so dark?"
As for whether the child was light- or dark-skinned, Feng Yu Heng had already prepared herself mentally. In fact, she had prepared herself before this child was even born.
During the severe Winter, Han shi was extremely audacious and went to make use of a seed. It's easy to imagine that boss Yue usually uses a large amount of white makeup. Under that makeup, however, was darker skin. It was just that he usually applied a thick layer of makeup. Even when he got off the stage, he would not completely remove his makeup. Even in his daily life, he was accustomed to wearing a thick layer of makeup. Because he was an actor, people would not think that it was particularly odd. Because he always kept a mask on, Han shi had no clue what sort of person boss Yue was. Whether he was dark-skinned or light-skinned, or whether he was loyal or a traitor.
Of course, he was not too dark-skinned. He was just darker than the average person, but Feng Jin Yuan was a very light-skinned person. He was the typical light-skinned scholar. Han shi was also a beauty with white skin with some pink showing through. It had to be said that if the two combined, unless there was a genetic mutation, the chances of a dark-skinned baby were less than one in one million.
But the world was unpredictable, and an actor got in the middle.
Back when Xiang Rong had fallen into the water, Feng Yu Heng had sent people to investigate. That actor's original face could not escape Ban Zou's eyes. That was why she waited and gambled. She gambled on the 50 percent chance that the child looked likes its father. She wanted to deliver a blow at Feng Jin Yuan's foundation.
Currently, everything had gone as she had desired. The child was born with very dark skin. Although he was quite adorable, he did not resemble Feng Jin Yuan in the slightest. Feng Jin Yuan looked at this child with an extremely tangled feeling. After asking Feng Yu Heng for the reason, Feng Yu Heng did not reply properly. Instead, she also became puzzled with him: "That's right, it really is odd. Father and concubine mother are both light-skinned people. How is it that younger brother is so dark?" While saying this, she glanced at An shi then said: "This truly is odd. Daughter has studied medicine from a young age and has never heard of two light-skinned parents having a dark-skinned child."
An shi was ready to take the hint and understood that Feng Yu Heng was creating an opportunity for her. She immediately went to provide help: "It's not just dark. Look at the child's eyes. Why are they so small? Husband and younger sister both have large eyes, yet this child was born with proper phoenix eyes. It really is odd."
With An shi saying this, everyone turned to look at the child's eyes. Looking like this, the child really did have phoenix eyes. His eyes were long, and they slanted up at the outside extending from the outer corner of the eyes to the temple. It was indeed quite beautiful, but it did not resemble Feng Jin Yuan or Han shi.
Fen Dai was a little panicked and did not understand why she felt panicked. She basically subconsciously rushed forward and pushed aside the crowd, pulling the child into her own embrace and protecting him. At the same time, she loudly said: "Nobody is allowed to touch my younger brother! What sort of nonsense are you saying? This child is still so young. Can the color of its skin and appearance be seen? An shi, do not confuse people otherwise father will not forgive you!"
It seemed that An shi was a little afraid and took a couple steps back, looking at Feng Jin Yuan: "It was husband that said that the child was born with dark skin!"
Feng Jin Yuan snorted and looked at the child then at Fen Dai. Just as he was about to say something, Fen Dai said: "Daughter has already sent someone to inform the Li Palace. His Highness the fifth prince will most likely send the congratulatory gifts tomorrow morning."
Whether or not congratulatory gifts were sent was not something that Feng Jin Yuan cared too much about, but he understood what Fen Dai's words meant. They were reminding him that with the support of the fifth prince, as long as Feng Fen Dai acknowledged this child, the Feng family would need to acknowledge it. Right now, he was a person without any status. He could not compare to the future princess of a prince.
Feng Jin Yuan's heart turned cold, but he still said: "Fen Dai is right. This child has just been born. What can truly be seen."
Feng Yu Heng smiled and said: "Indeed, but there is still something that I want to ask father on how to handle."
"Hm?" Feng Jin Yuan furrowed his brow. Intuition told him that anything that Feng Yu Heng brought up would definitely not be anything good. But she had already said it in front of so many people, thus he had no choice but to ask, thus he could only ask: "What is it?"
Feng Yu Heng pointed at the child in Fen Dai's embrace and said: "Earlier, the midwife and doctor both mentioned it. Concubine mother Han did not give birth to this child after a full term, but if we count the months starting from the end of last year, it has indeed been a full term."
Feng Jin Yuan was stunned and finally recalled what the midwife had said about not being full term. At that time, he was only worried about whether or not the child could successfully be delivered. He had forgotten about this matter. Now that Feng Yu Heng mentioned it, and he thought about it, he quickly said: "What do you mean?"
Feng Yu Heng shrugged: "I do not have any personal meaning. It's just that when I arrived at the manor today, I saw a person sneaking looks inside. After catching and questioning him, that person admitted to being a doctor for Han shi. Not only was he responsible for looking after Han shi, but he also gave concubine mother Han a birth-inducing medicine a few days ago…"
"Shut your mouth!" Fen Dai suddenly screamed. She was even more emotional than before. If it was not for her holding a child, perhaps she would have dove at Feng Yu Heng. Even if she held a child, it was not enough to occupy her feet. In her anger, she raised her feet and began to kick at Feng Yu Heng.
This time, Feng Jin Yuan was smart and raised a hand to stop Fen Dai. Glaring at her, he angrily said: "What are you doing? Where is your decency!"
Fen Dai became angry and loudly said: "Father, did you not hear her make slanderous accusations? What's wrong with me kicking her? I am the official princess of a prince, and she is also the official princess of a prince. Thinking about it from the princes' side, in the future, she will need to call me elder sister-in-law. What's wrong with me kicking her?"
At this moment, Feng Jin Yuan wanted to go to the Li Palace to ask that fifth prince, what exactly did he see in this girl? And he insisted on taking her in. Not only did he get rid of all of the women in his palace, he was even willing to promise the position of official princess. Why exactly was this?
Everyone looked at Fen Dai as though they were looking at some sort of idiot. Cheng Jun Mei began to giggle for a while. She then suddenly stopped and coldly said: "Fourth young miss, don't forget that your so-called younger sister-in-law is a first-rank imperial daughter that was conferred by his Majesty. SHe has lands and a manor. That was something obtained from her own efforts and achievements. Where did you find the courage to kick her?"
Fen Dai's face turned white. Of course, she understood this reasoning, but understanding was just that. With the situation being forced down this path, if she did not become strong and say this, who knew how things would progress. With things as they were, no matter how dumb she was, she was also able to see the problems with Han shi's child, but she could not say anything. She absolutely could not say anything. She had to find a chance to ask Han shi before she could make her next plan.
Holding the child, Fen Dai began to tremble. Who knew if it was from anger or fear. She did not dare look at Feng Yu Heng, dodging and hiding. There seemed to be a bit of a guilty conscience that was noted by Feng Jin Yuan.
Feng Yu Heng licked her lips and had a look as though it was unrelated to her. She then spoke once more; however, it was to complain about Fen Dai not knowing what was good for her: "This imperial daughter simply wanted to vent a little for concubine mother Han. After all, someone dared to give a drug to a female in the Feng family. This is not something to mess around with. It must be investigated clearly. Otherwise, Han shi was harmed yesterday, and the one that ends up being harmed tomorrow will be the child that fourth sister is holding."
Cheng Jun Man immediately picked up on this topic: "That's right, this is something that the Feng family definitely cannot ignore." Saying this, she turned slightly and said to her maidservant: "Go and bring the person that the second young miss caught to the government office to file a report. Just say that this person poisoned a female in the Feng family."
That servant did not even look at Feng Jin Yuan. After complying, she left. Feng Jin Yuan did not want to make a scene of it, but Cheng Jun Man had spoken. He knew that he would not be able to stop them. Because he felt that there was most likely something wrong, and it was nothing good, he felt irritated. The more he looked at this child, the more annoyed he felt. He simply decided to leave. But just as he raised his foot, and before it could land, his left wrist was suddenly grabbed as though it had been put in a vice. It was ice-cold and emotionless, and it was so tight that he felt as though his wrist would fall off.
Feng Jin Yuan was given a fright and suddenly looked back. He saw Feng Yu Heng glaring at him and saying: "Father, I saved the child for you and saved your woman's life. Let's go to the study to speak. We need to clear up the bargaining chip that was used today."
Feng Jin Yuan recalled that matter from earlier. He wanted to refuse, but Feng Yu Heng had already begun dragging him out. With mid-Autumn approaching, the air was a little cool. A cold sweat appeared on his brow, and with the wind blowing, his head began to hurt.
The new manor was very small. Feng Jin Yuan's study was not as dignified as before. The area was now less than half as big, and there was only one room.
This was the first time that Feng Yu Heng had come but the guiding servant did not be slow in the slightest. Bringing them all the way over to the study, they reached out and pushed the door open, bringing Feng Yu Heng and Feng Jin Yuan inside. Only then did they close the door. Huang Quan had her arms crossed in front of her. The servant took one look at her then left the room with their head down.
Only after entering the room did Feng Yu Heng let go of Feng Jin Yuan's wrist. She then went to sit in a chair and said: "Since you will not provide me with an explanation, allow me to guess. Father, that elder princess of Qian Zhou, Kang Yi, deliberately planned to marry into the Feng manor. It was not something as simple as just conspiring secretly to place the third prince on the throne and regain the three northernmost provinces, right?"
Feng Jin Yuan trembled and did not speak.
Feng Yu Heng continued: "Kang Yi marrying on her own was not enough, and she also gave you another girl, and this girl was not raised in the manor. This is equivalent to Qian Zhou having some insurance. If anything happened to Kang Yi, at least there would still be Xiao Jing. If something happened to Xiao Jing, Kang Yi would also be able to know about it beforehand. Thinking like this, Xiao Jing is definitely not a normal maidservant. But let's not talk about her true background. Father, I will just ask you. Do you… have something that Qian Zhou wants?"