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Obvious Man being obvious, the Big 12 (as we've known it these past 15 years, at least) is dead. That being said, I don't believe that this means the Big 12 won't rise again, in one form or another. The following scenario is based upon a few assumptions, which I will outline briefly, before digging in on how this could happen.
- Texas is very interested in somehow maintaining the Big 12;
- Oklahoma is gone, taking Oklahoma State with them;
- Missouri has very little interest (not none, but very little) in slumming academically in the SEC;
- Kansas State and Kansas would prefer staying in a geographical contiguous conference;
- Baylor and Iowa State have very limited options otherwise;
- BYU would prefer membership in an AQ conference to independence. After all, it's not like "Independence" is going anywhere should the new-look Big 12 fail.
We begin this discussion with seven schools in what remains of the Big 12: Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Iowa State. First, let me state that I think that those 7 schools alone are not untenable as the core of a BCS conference. Compare them with the current Big East football configuration: West Virginia, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Rutgers, and Connecticut. Is anyone really going to argue that the latter group is head-and-shoulders better than the former? Or any better at all? So, it is from that base of 7 that we begin to rebuild. It does not take a lot of work build back to a football conference that is tenable.
The first step is to add a school that would jump at the chance to join an AQ conference: Houston. They would become the 8th member of this conference, and would do it gladly. They offer above-average football, serviceable basketball, and easy travel for non-revenue sports. Rating the level of difficulty of getting this step accomplished on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd put it at a 1. The Cougars would be at yes quicker than the new commissioner (Beebe must go, as a kind of "Step 0", if you will) got the question out of his mouth. The time horizon for this step is immediately upon receipt of OU's withdrawal letter.
The second step could possibly be a longer time-horizon, and so is more fluid in nature. What happens is that the "New Big 12" would approach BYU with a membership invitation, offering them a spot as the 9th member of the conference. In my view, BYU accepting this invite would be a no-lose proposition for them. If the Big 12 eventually implodes, they go back to independent status, no harm done. Honestly, I don't see the level of difficulty of this step being terribly high, though it's significantly higher than getting to yes with Houston. I'd rate it at maybe a 6. If we got to yes with them, we'd need to bundle them with a school in their regional footprint as travel buddies. They could be easily paired with either Boise State (not my preference, but they'd be a pretty easy "get") or Air Force. Nevada might be another option that no one's really talking about, but that wouldn't suck in either of the major sports.
The other option would be exploring how to extricate TCU from their Big East obligation. This would be significantly more difficult, however, and would put the Big 12 squarely in "black hat" territory in the conference realignment game. Not that I care so much about the whole black hat/white hat thing, but the above moves I contemplate do not do any harm to a fellow BCS conference, so that's something to at least consider.
So, after the second step, we would be at the following schools: Texas, BYU, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State, and Boise State/Air Force/Nevada/Some other school (perhaps TCU). Is anyone really going to argue that the current Big East is a better football conference than those ten schools? And if we get to ten, and prove stability, then I think that schools in our conference "footprint", like Cincinnati and Louisville, would be more likely to take our calls, and a (current) pipe dream like Notre Dame might become less of a pipe dream. In other words, getting back to 12 (or more) would become quite a bit easier at that point.
So, tell me why this wouldn't work. The more I look at it, the more feasible it seems, and the less I feel like it's inevitable that we end up in a conference like the Big East. What say you?


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Singh Saab The Great Movie Review
Singh Saab The Great (Hindi)
Release Date:November 22, 2013
Singh Sahab The Great is a story about a common man, who takes pride in his honesty. He leads a simple life and believes in honestly and true values.
Sunny Deol Plays a Collector of a small city of UP, who fights corruption, injustice. The story driven by love and its strength. It is a story about change not Revenge
This would've been a wonderful story if it had been more subtly told. Singh Saab the Great is anything butRead more
It's fun albeit a bit jadedRead more
Singh Saab The Great is a complete single screen film for Sunny Deol fans who are yearning to see him back in action. For the others it's just another masala entertainerRead more
Fists of fury fly; a crass item song is sung, a sting operation is conducted and good triumphs over evilRead more
Atypical Sunny Deol film that a section of the audience still enjoysRead more

subset: commoncrawl


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- Knowing what is in stock or physically located in your tool crib can be difficult
- Manually following up who has which piece of equipment can be time consuming
- Re-purchasing equipment you already own is expensive and unnecessary
- Using pen and paper instead of a digital solution to keep track of the status of the equipment and supplies in your tool crib is outdated
Keeping track of tools and equipment for a selected location or area by allowing users to digitally check out and return items using RFID or QR codes is quick, accurate and cost effective.
Onix Tool Store is a software program that must be locally installed and can be used staffed or unstaffed. Onix Tool Store electronically keeps track of who your equipment is checked out to and that they have returned it to your tool crib. Always have an up-to-date equipment inventory list with quantities, service dates, and other information available.
Customizable reports give you an overview of what equipment is available, what is checked out and who has it before you need to use it again. Use reports and email notifications to help ensure equipment is available when you need it.
Onix Tool store is an add-on to Onix Work, our easy-to-use software platform. Onix Tool Store makes keeping track of who has checked in/out a piece of equipment or a tool, simple and quick. You can also use Onix Tool Store to track quantities of supplies, so you don't run out at the last minute.
Store serial numbers and other useful details making it easier to report them as lost or stolen if needed.
Onix Tool Store can send out a reminder when equipment is not returned on time. By requiring items to be checked in, you can easily notice that an item is missing before it is needed again.
Don't just take our word for it, see what our customers say about Onix Tool Store
Stein Roger Hopmark,


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As promised, here's a sneak peak from tomorrow's shows -
here. There are no dies on the show which meant that I have been able to use lots of different dies for the samples.
For the background I inked d through the Floral Vines Mask with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink using Cut n Dry Foam. I moved the mask around so that the whole area was covered.
I stamped the Tatty's Sunflower Stamp using Jet Black Archival and embossed with Cosmic Shimmer Clear Embossing Powder. I coloured in using Cosmic Shimmer Matt Drawing Inks. I used Sunflower from the Summer Fayre Set, Meadow Lime and Sea View from the Garden Twist Set and Cosmic Tone from the Skin Tones Set. I cut out using Spellbinders Labels 8 and inked through the die with Tumbled Glass. I cut a Spellbinders Decorative Labels 8 out of blue card.
White Pearls and some dots of Cosmic Shimmer Pearlescent PVA in Spring Green around the edges.
Please scroll down to the previous post for details of new items in my Amazon Store and how to order Justrite Christmas Stamps.
Thanks for stopping by.


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Poetry -- Translations into English
Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Edith Farnsworth papers
Identifier: Midwest-MS-Farnsworth
Correspondence, memoirs, photographs, and Italian poetry translations of Edith Farnsworth, a Chicago physician and owner of a Plano, Illinois, home designed by Mies van der Rohe. Farnsworth retired to Italy in the late 1960s.
Dates: 1900-1977


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A few weeks ago, I told you about iTrack Studio from Focusrite, a "studio in a box" package that includes a microphone, an audio input for Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and a set of studio headphones. On Monday Focusrite shipped Tape, a free recording app designed to work with iTrack Studio, though it is iPad-only. Tape uses a reel-to-reel metaphor to allow you to record one or two inputs at a time, or combine them into a stereo recording. While the app is focused on two-track recording, it has several advanced features, such as support for Core Audio-compliant interfaces, low-latency monitoring, mastering effects, a metronome (not advanced, per se, but handy), and support for Soundcloud custom tiles. As noted above, it's free.
Check It Out: Focusrite Ships Free 'Tape' Recording App for iPad


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Vol. 17 – Why Johnny and Jenny Can't Write: Disorders of Written Expression and Children With Bipolar Disorder
How many times have we all jotted down a list to take with us to the supermarket? Even a simple vertical column of ordinary household items requires more than we realize. We scan areas of the house and pull from memory different food stuffs or supplies that need to be replenished or replaced: refrigerator (need…Details


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The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition by an NGO seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in the purchase of an AgustaWestland chopper by the Chhattisgarh government for VIP use in 2006-07.
A bench of justices A K Goel and U U Lalit dismissed the plea by non-governmental organisation Swaraj Abhiyan and others seeking probe into the purchase of the helicopter.
"We do not find any grounds to accept the prayer for probe. The petition is dismissed," the bench said.
The apex court had on January 31 posed searching questions to the Chhattisgarh government on the purchase of an AgustaWestland helicopter for VIP use in 2006-07 and asked what was the "interest" of Chief Minister Raman Singh's son, Abhishek Singh, in this.
The petitioners have alleged that in July 2008, a bank account in the name of Abhishek Singh was opened in the British Virgin Islands, and on August 1, 2008, one of the firms purportedly involved in the deal wound up operations.
They have alleged that there's a "strong possibility" that money paid as commission in the deal ultimately reached the bank account.
The NGO had said that a proposal of the state in December 2006 said that helicopters firms should be invited to make their representations, but later, no company was called and a tender was issued only for one AgustaWestland chopper.
The court had said it was only concerned as to whether any "fraud or hanky-panky" was committed in securing the deal, and made it clear that it was not questioning the choice of the helicopter.


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Slutsk Cheese Factory Director General Anatoly Stetsko said at a business cooperation forum in Slutsk
Slutsk Cheese Factory is considering the possibility of launching direct supplies to Russia and Estonia, Slutsk Cheese Factory Director General Anatoly Stetsko said at a business cooperation forum in Slutsk on 30 September, BelTA has learned.
He invited Russian and Estonian businessmen to discuss the prospects for launching direct supplies of products, from the manufacturer to the consumer. "I think this will be beneficial for the enterprises, as well as for any manufacturer. The fewer intermediaries, the lower the markup," Anatoly Stetsko explained.
Slutsk Cheese Factory is one of the largest dairy enterprises in Belarus. Together with its subsidiaries, it processes some 1,600 – 1,700 tonnes of milk per day. Some 65% of the output is exported.
Slutsk hosted a business cooperation forum on 30 September. The event marked the 900th anniversary of the city. It aimed to strengthen interregional cooperation, trade and economic ties. The forum brought together representatives of Russian and Estonian enterprises. It was organized by the Minsk Office of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Slutsk District Executive Committee.


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The FDA has cleared the first test of brain function to help nail down the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and teens suspected of having the disorder.
The device -- called the Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) System -- uses electroencephalogram technology to calculate the ratio of the theta and beta brain waves, a process that takes 15 to 20 minutes, according to the FDA. Studies have shown that the ratio is increased in youth with ADHD compared with their unaffected counterparts.
The results of the test -- which is approved for use in individuals ages 6 to 17 -- are meant to supplement information gleaned from medical and psychological examinations to either confirm an ADHD diagnosis or guide the decision to perform further diagnostic testing.
"The FDA reviewed the NEBA System through the de novo classification process, a regulatory pathway for some low- to moderate-risk medical devices that are not substantially equivalent to an already legally marketed device," according to an FDA press release.
The agency said the approval was based on data from a study of 275 children and teens ages 6 to 17 who had concerning attention or behavioral symptoms and who underwent evaluations with both the NEBA System and standard diagnostic tests. The results were reviewed by an independent group of ADHD experts to determine the diagnosis.
According to the FDA, the study showed that the NEBA System enhanced the accuracy of diagnosis when combined with a clinical assessment, compared with a clinical assessment alone.


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If ever there ever was a way to perfectly sum up the Giants 2014 preseason, Friday night's 16-13 victory over the New England Patriots was it.
The starting offense looked anemic, the defense sporadic. Eli Manning resembled something far similar to a first-round bust than a two-time Super Bowl MVP. There were three-and-outs, muffed punts, sacks and near turnovers.
But some how, some way, the Giants escaped with a victory to improve their preseason record to a meaningless 5-0.
Were there bright spots? Sure. Were there pitch black ones, too? Oh yeah.
In the final tune-up before the Giants travel to Detroit to take on the Lions, Manning completed just 1-of-4 passes against the Patriots backups for zero yards. Victor Cruz went catchless and there was another miscommunication between Manning and receiver Rueben Randle.
"It was the right route," Randle said. "It just wasn't timed right. I guess (Manning) was expecting me to run it quicker since it was press."
In two drives, the Giants managed one first down, one three-and-out and two punts.
Oh, and that rebuilt, injury-riddled offensive line? It continued to allow pressure. Despite playing an extra preseason game, the Giants looked like they needed four more.
"I'm ready to move on," Cruz said. "I'm ready to move on to Week 1. I'm ready to get a good week of practice in come next week and get our focus onto Week 1 and starting the season off on the right foot. I'm excited for that opportunity."
While the Manning and the starters continue to struggle, New York's reserves continue to show McAdoo's offense does, you know, work.
Building off of two strong performances versus the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, second-year pro Ryan Nassib again found success versus a preseason opponent's reserves. The quarterback completed 6-of-14 passes for 107 yards and led the Giants two scoring drives including a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive which was capped by a Peyton Hillis diving touchdown on 4th-and-goal.
Rookie Andre Williams again displayed strong running, gaining 44 yards on five carries, including a 38-yard scamper on 4th-and-1. Tight end Larry Donnell caught four passes for 60 yards. Even Jerrel Jernigan made a play on a 22-yard catch-and-run.
But it won't be Nassib under center in Detroit. It won't be Williams as the team's starting running back.
It'll be Manning, who enters the Monday Night season opener having completed 20-of-41 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown.
"Well, I thought we had a good week of practice," Manning said. "We didn't get much going tonight, but we're getting ready for Detroit, that first game. We got the starters out healthy so that's always the most important thing.
"We have to get ready for Detroit on Monday night. It should be fun."
Yes, but unless the Giants improve dramatically, in 10 days, the team won't be having much "fun" at all.
Video highlights/lowlights from the game are available at NFL.com.
Head Coach Tom Coughlin Post-Game Press Conference: The transcript and video of Head Coach Tom Coughlin's post-game press conference on Thursday night are available at Giants.com.
New York Giants Post-Game Player Media Sessions: Transcripts and video clips of the post-game media Q&As on Thursday night with the following players are available at Giants.com:
- QB Eli Manning (Video)
- RB Peyton Hillis (Video)
- WR Victor Cruz (Video)
- WR Rueben Randle (Video)
- OG Weston Richburg (Video)
- OG John Jerry (Video)
- CB Zack Bowman (Video)
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Four Warning Signs of Financial Elder Abuse
The elder law attorneys at Bodie Law in Maryland discuss indications of elder abuse and how to handle them.
The term "elder abuse" often brings to mind physical abuse at the hands of a caregiver, but abuse also may come in the form of someone attempting to illicitly control someone's finances. It is important to be aware of the warning signs of financial elder abuse before it is too late. Knowing these simple red flags could mean the difference between abuse and avoidance.
- Changes in the checking account. You should not wait until there is money missing from the elder's bank account. Be proactive and keep an eye out for warning signs that may indicate a problem. Perhaps there is a stack of unpaid bills piling up, or maybe the elder has gone without necessary items or provisions. Look for suspicious activity such as numerous checks written out to "cash." Be on the lookout also for transactions that involve unfamiliar entities or that don't seem to fit the account holder's lifestyle or needs.
- A peer or family member has a private "emergency." According to the National Council on Aging, callers will often play on a victim's familial emotions by pretending to be a friend or family member in distress. It is important to warn consumers never to send money for an emergency without confirming with other family members and others that the cause and recipient are legitimate.
- Unsolicited telephone offers are made to the elder. Many telemarketing schemers dangle promises of cheap health products, vacation deals and other offers to unsuspecting seniors. The deals don't exist and the caller's true purpose is to obtain the victim's credit card information. In some cases, the schemer will send a "prize check" to the victim after collecting bank account information for payment of a processing fee. By the time the prize check bounces, the thief has been on a spending spree with the victim's money and it's too late. Warn elders of these schemes, and remind them to never give credit card or bank account information over the phone unless they have initiated the transaction themselves.
- Someone is isolating the elder. Financial abuse is executed by those who have become close to their victims and gained their trust. The threat can be anyone from a relative, caregiver, friend or someone else closely involved in the victim's life. Look for signs of a person gaining access to the elder's bills and checking account information. In some extreme cases, financial abusers manage to move in with their victims or even marry them, alienating them from caring family members and friends.
Being aware of these red flags may help you to avoid a costly and heartbreaking elder abuse situation. Knowing the signs of abuse is vital for the care of the elder. For more information on elder abuse and warning signals, contact an elder law attorney from Bodie Law today.


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At the center of the glamorous and fast-paced Hollywood dance underworld, Wyatt, an aspiring dancer who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and has been in and out of trouble with the law, is forced by the DEA to work undercover in a nightclub known for their illegal activities. Everything changes when he falls in love with the wealthy club owner's daughter and the twists and turns his life takes threaten to tear their romance apart.
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As the top St Andrews aerial installers, we ensure that our services are of the finest standard so that you can use our services with complete confidence. We offer a local one hour service to all private and commercial clients in the area.
We offer you television aerial installations, repairs and aerial fittings. We also supply and install alternative digital television systems, including Sky TV, Freeview, Sky +, European Satellite and Freesat, to name a few. We also provide dish realignment, moving of the dish to another site, CCTV installations, home cinema installations, multi room installations, door entry systems, TV wall hanging solutions and so much more.
Great pictures at a great price.Miss Davies


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Officials: Deputies fatally shot pilot deputized to have gun
Aug 10, 2022, 2:18 PM | Updated: 4:23 pm
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Deputies in the Florida Keys on Wednesday fatally shot a pilot who was deputized to carry guns on planes in what appears to be a "suicide by cop," officials said.
Lane Morgan Caviness, 48, was killed at a Key Largo home following reports of an intoxicated, armed suicidal man, a Monroe County Sheriff's Office news release said.
The sheriff's office had initially identified Caviness as an "off-duty federal law enforcement officer." The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a state agency investigating the shooting, later clarified that Caviness was part of the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Flight Deck Officer Program. The program allows armed pilots and flight crewmembers of passenger and cargo aircraft to defend against acts of criminal violence or air piracy.
Multiple deputies had responded and observed an armed man at the home, officials said. Deputies were able to reach Caviness by phone after he disappeared from view. He told deputies he was intoxicated and was prepared to confront law enforcement, officials said.
Caviness reappeared and pointed a gun at deputies, who responded by firing at him, officials said. Deputies began first-aid, but the man was pronounced dead.
In a news release, Sheriff Rick Ramsay said that "although this appears to be a suicide by cop situation," state law enforcement officials will conduct an independent investigation of the shooting.
Officials did not immediately disclose who the pilot worked for.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Marvel vs. Capcom Has Returned to a New World of Gaming
Ever since the start of the next gen consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), new installments from franchises that haven't had new releases in years have become commonplace. With the gaming community being more demanding and meticulous than ever, the task of bringing a classic title to the new generation of hardware is surely a daunting one. That's why Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite looks to bring us everything we loved about the legendary arcade game with just a little bit more. The teaser trailer features a classic Marvel and Capcom match up where Mega Man and Ryu square off against Iron Man and Captain Marvel. The nostalgic trailer confirms that MVC's patented duo-based combat system will make a triumphant return in the next installment.
If you ever played this or other legendary fighting arcade games as a kid, you know just how competitive and intense matches can get. Both combatants using strategy and reaction have milliseconds to get their opponents life bar down to zero. This culture has spawned Major League Gaming, but what's special about the 2010's is just how far the MLG's reach has come. There's surely a fundamental shift in the popularity of competitive gaming. While Twitch remained the sole outlet for gaming streams for a few years, we're now seeing sports channels like ESPN cover the competitive circuit for fellow Capcom title, Street Fighter 5. It's also no secret that some of the players on these professional teams can score big bucks between their sponsorships and pot wins from international tournaments (some of which reach millions of dollars USD). Is Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite the next title to bring competitive gaming to a new level of popularity? See if you'll have what it takes to be the next gamer phenom by watching the extended gameplay trailer, below!


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Within the scope of the CD Propeller JIP, a modern, systematic series of controllable pitch propellers (CPP) was developed and tested in open water. The 'McdSeries' software tool allows you to design CPP on the basis of these results.
In the CD Propeller JIP, MARIN has developed the WAGENINGEN CD Series of CPP (4 and 5 bladed) and ducted CPP (4 bladed in duct 19A and 37). Thrust, torque and blade spindle torque in open water conditions were measured at model scale in all the positive and negative inflow conditions. As each propeller with a specific design pitch can be operated over a wide operational pitch range, an extensive test programme was carried out. The results of these tests are represented by a database of polynomials and Fourier series for each combination of propeller type, blade area ratio, design pitch and pitch setting.


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What is strong legal writing?Posted: May 23rd, 2011 | Author: mariebuckley | Filed under: Musings on Writing (and Life) | Tags: legal writing | No Comments »
So what is strong legal writing? Strong legal writing speaks a modern language–plain English. It respects our readers' time and intelligence by being concise but thorough. It takes complex ideas and makes them clear. It leads from the top. It builds on the mind's innate love of pattern and it tells our readers what to do next. The best legal writing earns both the readers' trust and the right to the readers' time. Above all, strong writing leads to easy reading.


text: To save his declining business, Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the U.S. military. Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin (Walton Goggins), hired by a precocious 12-year-old after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. 'Tis the season for Fatman to get even, in the action-comedy that keeps on giving.


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Lobster Cooked Canadian Atlantic "Chix" (1.11 lb avg. @ $20.99/lb)
Fully cooked, wild-caught, a product of Canada (NS). Prices are based on the average weight of 1.1 lb.
Suggested Additions:
Lobster Essentials Pack
This pack offers everything required to have a lobster dinner at home. Including the bibs and wet naps. Two kits are available; a single and a deluxe. Enjoy your special dinner! Caudle's bag not included. Single Kit Includes: 1 Die-cast lobster shell cracker 1 Caudle's stainless steel seafood fork 1 Lobster wet nap 1 Lobster bib Deluxe Kit Includes: 2 Die-cast lobster shell crackers 2 Caudle's stainless steel seafood forks 2 Lobster wet naps 2 Lobster bibs 1 kg Fine sea salt 100g Clarified butte ...


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Leica Camera is once again an official partner of Photo London 2018, which runs from 17th – 20th May. This year Leica is presenting an exclusive exhibition of Bruce Gilden's "Farm Boys & Farm Girls" in the Leica Collector's Lounge in Somerset House.
The Magnum photographer and street photography legend, Bruce Gilden, was born in Brooklyn in 1946. Having achieved a defining influence on street photography over the past six decades, Gilden, a self-proclaimed "city boy", traveled to numerous State Fairs throughout the American Mid-West to capture a series of portraits in his own inimitable way. Despite maintaining his iconic style of close-up, flash photography, this series represents a departure of sorts, seeing Gilden turn his focus to children for the first time. They are members of the next generation within America's agricultural community, who exhibit and sell their prized animals at these bustling events. As such, the series sees Gilden immerse himself in a fascinating world hitherto unknown to him and far removed from the confines of his comfort zone. Now 71 years old, we spoke with the ever-irreverent, enfant terrible of street photography about shooting with the Leica S, what he looks for in his subjects and what he learnt from the kids he photographed.
What was it that made you buy your first camera in 1967?
I was in school and there was nothing that I wanted to do. I went to acting school and one night in the class a guy got up and started to do Shakespeare in a big baritone voice and I just thought, with my Brooklyn accent I'll never be able to do that. Photography was very popular back then. You had the movie Blow-Up about a photographer that photographs a killing and it was set in trendy London. Photography was en vogue, it was in the air, so I said, let me go get a camera and let me try that. I started a developing and printing course and I wasn't a very good developer or printer but it was all the basics of photography. When I first saw that image come up, I said, "Holy crow! I did that" and then I was hooked.
Your style has been described by others as unforgiving, intrusive and even grotesque. How do you respond to that? And how would you describe your style of photography?
My style is a result of who I am. I was a very good athlete and very coordinated, so I matched my style with my athletic ability. Before I had any conception of what I wanted to do or how to make a good photograph, Robert Capa's comment "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." really stuck with me. I also saw that as I get closer the pictures get stronger and I'm about strength in my pictures. I wanted the power of the images to come from me and the subject I was photographing. I feel that if I'm coming in and trying to capture your soul, if I'm close, you'll feel the power of that, the energy.
But it's not just about how close you are but it's about how you act in the street. I know people who've been punched in the face for taking photos and they shoot ten feet away without a flash in the same areas I've worked my whole life. All these critics that want to be the judge and the jury of things they don't understand, like how you act in the street, they have no conception of it. It's like me talking about brain surgery. I'm an honest, blunt person. It's who I am.
A lot of your photography focuses on the poor, the ill, the ugly or the disenfranchised. What is it that draws you to these people?
That's who I am. I like characters. My father was a character. I'm a character. I photograph who I am and what interests me. I have a good rapport with the people on the street and what a lot of people don't realize is that nobody normally pays attention to the people I photograph, but I do. I'm interested in the disenfranchised, the people no one pays attention to and when the picture is good, that's a collaboration between me and them. As Robert Frank says, "The artist sees what's invisible to others". These people, there's nothing wrong with them. They're human but if I don't show people this, they are not going to look at it because they don't want to. They think that by not looking at it, that makes something go away, but things don't go away. The way the world is going these people are getting left further and further behind and becoming even more disenfranchised. It's in my guts. It's a passion and I'm a lifer. I'll do photography until I die.
The portraits of the "Farm Boys & Farm Girls" from the State Fairs series represents a new direction in a couple of ways. Having grown up in the city it must have been a foreign kind of feeling to find yourself in the heart of Middle America. What was it that drew you to these State Fairs in the first place?
I had a Guggenheim fellowship in 2013 and my assistant and I decided to use the money to photograph at State Fairs. The more people there are in a place, the more people you can find to photograph. In 2014 I went to 5 or 6 State Fairs and I tried to pick the ones that have the most people. In 2017 I went to the ones I liked, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. Since then I've also been to the "Future Farmers of America", which has 64,000 kids. It's a convention and amazing to see all these kids in one place all wearing blue jackets. They educate the kids about how to become successful members of the agricultural community. Their motto is "I can, we will". Put simply, I go to where there are the most people and all kinds of people.
When you live in New York you're not really part of the rest of America and I'm interested in my country. It's part of America that I don't know well so I learned about the people and I saw where they live and I talked to them. What I learned from being around the kids is that all of them work. From the time they get up they look after their animals, they go to school, they play sports, their day is filled with things to do, so they can't get in trouble and they can't get bored. They have a lot going on and they are so polite. It's nice being around them. I also learned from them how nice it is to grow up on a farm with animals because you learn about life and death. It prepares you for your own death. I'm afraid to die but I would say that when you have to kill your pig that you have cared for and lived with for 2 years, you learn about loving something and losing it. There are great life lessons there. I also learned a lot from observing. I know what Des Moines, Iowa looks like now, I know what Milwaukee, Wisconsin looks like now and the other places as well, I've learnt what these places are like and I've seen the differences in the people who live there.
This series is also the first time you're subjects are children. How was this different from shooting adults on the street?
I never photographed children before in my life. I felt that children should be children. My youth was taken from me because I had a very emotionally hard childhood. My parents didn't realize it but I knew and heard and saw things that no kid should see with their parents. That's not hyperbole. That's reality. Maybe that's why I never really photographed kids.
These kids are so different from me in their upbringing and it was interesting for me to photograph them. I like them. I don't photograph people I don't have a rapport with. For example, Nathen was crying, his cow was being disqualified from the state championship. I think he's 12 years old or something and he was crying forcefully. I asked his mother if she minds if I photograph him and she said, no. Obviously I needed him to keep crying but I couldn't tell him that. I told him, listen, it may be very hard for you now to see this but in actuality this is a great lesson for you in life. I know how it feels to work for years and then something falls apart that's out of your control, so I told him I empathize with him but at the end of the day I'm a photographer. I said to him that event should be a catalyst or a springboard that makes you stronger. I gave him a little life lesson. He probably didn't hear it but I empathized with him. I know what it's like to plan for something and then not get it.
How did you go about choosing, who to photograph? Were there certain characteristics you were looking for?
Someone wrote me and said you must take these photos in 5 minutes but I'm walking for miles and miles and there's a lot of concentration goes into it. In Minnesota they had 270,000 people and I took 3 pictures. Having said that, I'm an intuitive person and an intuitive photographer. There was Jenna, a 10-year-old or something like that, and I watched her with her cow. I saw how intense she was and I just said "WOW!". I need intensity in the eyes. I can't shoot someone who is vacuous. Then the picture doesn't say anything.
Unlike a lot of your street portraits, you're not jumping these kids with the flash. These are posed portraits, so you must have had a conversation with them. What did you say to them?
Of course, I told them where to stand and to look in the lens. Sometimes I tried to get a little intensity if they didn't have enough. I would ask them to think of something that made them upset or sad or, you just came in second, aren't you competitive?
What people often don't realize is that not only am I talented photographically but I'm also talented in dealing with people and that's something that a lot of people don't have. I'm good at that. I'm a street-wise person in that respect. I have more trouble with bankers because I have no interest in them. I couldn't care less about them. Each kid is just as different as each person out there and every person looks distinct in my portraits because I get the soul. It's like anything, some people have soul in their art and some people don't. My pictures are about getting the soul out of somebody. I want the viewer to feel the person.
When did you start shooting with the Leica S? Was this the switch from black and white to color?
I was doing a series called "Postcards From America", we were in Miami and I tried a Leica S. The quality was just unbelievable. With the M-System I shoot in black and white, with the Leica S I shoot in color. The S is my camera for the portraits. Without a digital camera I wouldn't be able to do this series. I'm seeing what I'm getting. I'm an advocate of film but if I was using film I wouldn't be able to see my crops. I work with an assistant who holds the flash. I'm still pretty mobile at 71 but the thing is, you have to make changes the older you get.
The faces from the State Fairs are going to be exhibited at Photo London 2018. Are you going to be speaking?
I'm going to be there doing a few interviews and signing some books and I have a lecture on the Friday night at 7pm. I'm going to be showing a little under 300 slides and talking about my career. I do it my way but it's not because I want to hound people. I just want to show my whole career, from how I went from A to wherever I am now.
What advice would you offer to anyone looking to get into street photography?
Be yourself. There are so many street photographers out there today who are imitating a certain style and I don't find that interesting. It's not just about being close. You can be 100 feet away and still do good street photography. It's more important to be yourself and if you're influenced by someone, try and build on that. I can't be the next Cartier-Bresson but I can be the best Gilden.
Get a deeper insight into Bruce's extensive work over the past 6 decades at his official website and follow him on Instagram.
For more information about the collaboration between Leica Camera and Bruce Gilden at Photo London 2018, please follow this link.


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New Mexico COVID-19 update: 2 deaths, 96 hospitalizations, 213 cases
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico Department of Health reported two additional COVID-19-related deaths and 213 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday.
There are currently 96 individuals hospitalized in New Mexico with COVID-19.
- 96 current hospitalizations The number of hospital beds currently occupied by individuals with COVID-19.
- 9 ventilated The number of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 who are using machines to help them breathe. This includes people in the ER who have been put on a breathing machine while waiting for a hospital bed.
- 2 new deaths The total number of people who have died of COVID-19 that the state learned about yesterday. Results reported following a weekend or holiday include all new cases since the last update.
- 9,128 cumulative The total number of people who have died with COVID-19 in New Mexico since the beginning of the pandemic.
- 213 new cases The total number of people with COVID-19 that the state learned about yesterday. Results reported following a weekend or holiday include all new cases since the last update.
- 675,728 cumulative This case count includes all COVID-19 cases reported to the state from the start of the pandemic through the latest update.
- 1,754 new tests The number of COVID-19 tests from a laboratory or medical facility that confirms current COVID-19 infection. All test results received by the state yesterday are counted. Home-based test results are not included.
For more information, click here.


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California Experienced 7,863 Lightning Strikes Over the Past Two Days
A wild weekend of weather dominated the conversation in Northern California, with a record heatwave sweeping through the area along with booming thunder, lightning strikes and a "firenado." As the photos of the incredible strikes of lightning have begun to surface online, so have the numbers from the rare storm, including nearly 8,000 lightning strikes over a 48-hour span.
The Bureau of Land Management released its maps of lightning strikes throughout the state showing an intense 2-day stretch of 7,863 bolts. Over the 24 hour stretch on Saturday, the strikes were mostly concentrated along the coast, hitting the Bay Area hard on Saturday night:
On Sunday, the thunderstorms moved inland, hitting the Bay Area, Sacramento, Napa and Redding, along with the Eastern Sierra:
The final count was 4,808 strikes on Saturday and 3,055 on Sunday. Photographers throughout Northern California were able to capture some rare photos of the lightning. Here are a few of the best:
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Mother Nature makes a special appearance in this mornings lightning storm â¤ï¸ Do you see her? ohhh what a night…err morning… woke up at 3 AM because it was just too dang hot to sleep… got up to quickly check the webcams to see if the fog was coming in (per usual) haha and what i saw blew my mind.. it was a still image of a lightning bolt over San Francisco 😮 so in a matter of two minutes I have my clothes on…my camera gear packed.. and was out the door racing to find a spot.. was a good two hours of chasing lightning bolts all around the East Bay until I finally decided this was a shot I was going to make happen. I just wanted to wait till blue hour..so just after 6am I finally hit it with this one exposure, no compositing here. I admit at the time I thought this burst of lightning was going to hit me!! it was crazy. anyway I wanted to come home and go to sleep and still do but honestly I am too jacked up from all the lightning bolts I witnessed this morning 😅 enjoy and thanks for taking a look 😉
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Single bolt, I really like the way the bolt lights up the rain that is dumping off those clouds . . . . . . #californiacoast #lightningstrike #lightningstorm #lightningphotography #montereybay #norcal #northerncalifornia #northerncali #californialove #bioluminescence #bioluminescentwaves #bioluminescent #bioluminiscencia #bioluminescentplankton #bioluminescentbay #phytoplankton #nightphotography #nightphoto #nightscapes #nocturnal #noctilucascintillans #noctilucas #noctiluca #seasparkle #santacruzlife #yoursantacruz #visitsantacruz #exploresantacruz #santacruznow #santacruzwaves
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The National Weather service has issued severe thunderstorm warnings for Northern California and the lightning produced by these storms has already led to multiple fires starting across the region. Remember that a wildfire can spark at any time so it is important for you and your family to stay prepared. Learn more by clicking the link in our bio. @calfireairops #Prepared #Thunderstorm #Lightning #Wildfires #Ready #California #CALFIRE


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- 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano whole tomatoes (break up with your hands or an immersion blender)
- 1 lb Italian sweet or hot sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons EVOO
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- fresh basil leaves (cook in sauce plus some for garnish)
- Pour 2 tablespoons EVOO in heavy duty 8-quart pot
- When the oil is hot, add sausage links and brown both sides
- Remove browned sausage links and set aside.
- Add onion and cook until lightly browned and translucent
- Add garlic and stir well for 1 minute
- Add tomatoes, butter, oregano, and a few basil leaves , and the browned sausages.
- Stir well and often to prevent burning on the bottom while simmering for at least 1 hour (the longer it cooks the better)
- When done, remove the sausage links that can be saved for a different meal or serve with your favorite pasta dish.


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The immigration of Ethiopians to Saudi Arabia can be traced to the advent of Islam and the pursuit of business opportunities. Saudi Arabia in particular has been attractive to Ethiopians for various historical reasons: the early Arab Muslims from Hejaz, today's Makkah and its surrounding areas, were directed by the prophet of Islam Mohammed to go and seek refuge in Abyssinia which is regarded by many scholars as today's Ethiopia. The Muslim Arabs first arrived in the Aksumite Empire, where Ashama ibn Abjar, a "Christian ruler received and allowed them to settle in Negash, a village in the region of Tagray". It can be argued therefore that to some Ethiopians, the historical relations with Hejaz played a role in their decisions to go to Saudi Arabia.Besides the socioeconomic overhaul which this paper will discuss in the following paragraphs, there is another reason why there has been a crackdown on Ethiopian undocumented immigrants in Saudi Arabia, namely a backlash on the political position of Ethiopia in the ongoing Gulf crisis. When the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt led a blockade against the state of Qatar, there was a push by these countries on the African countries to join the blockade. Some of the African countries succumbed to the pressure but most did not including Ethiopia. According to Sheik Mohammed bin Abdurrahman, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, "the four countries mobilised all of their officials on the continent at the beginning of the blockade to pressure African states to adopt the same measures as them".
Furthermore, while many Ethiopians were welcomed to Saudi Arabia when the economy of the country was booming, over the years things have changed as the economy has begun to slow down. Saudi has benefited from immigrants from poor countries particularly Ethiopia over decades. Hundreds of Ethiopians flocked to Saudi Arabia to contribute to its economy and for a better life. However, the saturation of African and Asian migrant labor and the failing economy has seen a change in attitudes towards immigrants. Moreover, the changes in Saudi Arabia's laws regarding women's participation in the economy and granting them permission to drive have also negatively impacted on the fate of immigrants who work mainly as drivers and domestic workers in the country. According to The New York Times, "Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow women to drive, ending a longstanding policy that has become a global symbol of the oppression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom".
Read: Rights group urges Saudi Arabia to halt deportation of half a million Ethiopians
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has instituted several sociopolitical and economic changes in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, Saudi Arabia announced that it has adopted a new socioeconomic strategy, the Saudi Vision 2030. This ambitious strategy aims at overhauling the Saudi economy and society in general by privatizing most of its public companies including Aramco, Saudi Arabia biggest company. It also undertook to invest in public and social infrastructure including tourism and development of human capital. The emphasis is to encourage economic participation of Saudis, both men and women, in all sectors of the economy. There has been a thriving parallel informal economy in Saudi Arabia which has utilised the services of illegal and undocumented labor. The government of bin Salman is looking at streamlining the economy by eradicating economic loopholes including "the exploitation of undocumented immigrants". In March 2017, Saudi Arabia ordered all undocumented Ethiopian migrants to leave voluntarily. The majority of the migrants chose to remain and are now facing forced deportation. Since then, "70,000 illegal Ethiopian migrants have been expelled from the Gulf kingdom as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on millions of migrant laborers". According to Human Rights Watch, the process of deportation has been awash with violations of human rights. Many of those arrested are reportedly beaten and kept at inhumane facilities around Saudi Arabia. Life in Saudi Arabia has become difficult for many African immigrants and cases of maltreatment and racism are rampant. In April 2015, a young Saudi boy posted a selfie in front of an African migrant picking through rubbish in Jeddah. The video invited mixed reactions in the social media with a number of people condemning the video. What the video communicated was the state of African immigrants in Saudi Arabia.
The timing of the crackdown on illegal undocumented immigrants in Saud Arabia has raised suspicions as it coincides with similar actions and discussions in Israel and the United States (US). In recent times there has been a growing convergence of politics between these three countries. The reported visit by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman to Israel, and the visit of Jared Kushner, Trump's senior advisor, to Saudi Arabia, has given credence to that argument. The argument continues to suggest that since the election of Donald Trump in the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia seem to have found commonality on several global positions, including immigration.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.


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Joseph Perrier 'Cuvee Royale' Brut 2008
Regular price $59.99 Sale price
Unit price
Shipping calculated at checkout.
93 Points Wine Enthusiast
The latest vintage release from this producer based in Châlons-en-Champagne is very much in the house style with its crisp acidity and tight texture. It is towards the dry end of Brut with apple and citrus flavors and little sign yet of aging. Although this textured wine is ready to drink, it will be better from 2018.


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There is not a single industry that hasn't been impacted by digital disruption. From hospitality to manufacturing, retail to finance, businesses are seeing the landscape change as quickly as consumer whims. Companies that are successful today may be left behind next year, as new business models and new technologies are changing business as we know it. To keep pace, the world's most successful enterprise IT organizations are looking at new ways of delivering services to the business – and that includes leveraging agile and DevOps methods to compete. Otherwise, they know they run the risk of fading into obscurity.
Change Is Required to Compete
According to the American Enterprise Institute, only 12 percent of the Fortune 500 firms from 1955 still remained in the category. Companies like Studebaker, Detroit Steel, and Zenith Electronics dropped off the list – and in some cases, have ceased to exist or been acquired by other companies due to slow adoption of new technologies.
For example, Zenith Electronics, once an American electronics powerhouse with a radio or television in almost every household, is now owned by South Korean electronics manufacturer LG Electronics. The introduction of the color TV, combined with an influx of imports from other countries that cost less, chipped away at its market share. Unable to adapt and compete with the quality of the imported units, and slow to adopt the solid-state transistor technology, Zenith was forced to declare bankruptcy and leave itself open to acquisition by the same competitors that brought it to its knees.
The same scenarios continue to play out today as companies fail to adopt new technology and adapt to the changing marketplace, while their competitors continue to evolve. Toys R Us, which declared bankruptcy in September 2017, once was the leader of the toy industry. While it may seem like price competition from Amazon, Walmart, and Target took down Toys R Us, in reality, experts point to a stagnant business model, the failure to incorporate technology, and an inability to adapt to changing consumer behavior. It's why Barnes & Noble continues to exist, while mega-bookstore Borders folded: Barnes & Noble invested in its own e-commerce platform and its Nook e-reader, while Borders outsourced its online sales to Amazon and instead doubled down on its physical presence, CD music sales, and DVDs.
Walmart is now working to outpace its e-commerce competitors with its acquisition of Jet.com, a fast-growing e-commerce company. Jet.com brings with it a growing customer base, more brand partners, and new technology that can reduce supply chain and logistics cost, often a sticking point for retailers. The acquisition has proven itself fruitful for Walmart; one year after its purchase of Jet.com, its e-commerce sales climbed 63 percent. It's now poised to offer Amazon some real competition.
IT Change Paves the Way for Business Change
Other companies are leveraging the power of their IT departments to drive business change and get ahead of the competition. Under Armour is already shifting from being a clothing company to a data-driven technology company; its fitness apps MapMyFitness, Endomondo, and MyFitnessPal already speak to that. On the back end, the company implemented SAP S/4HANA and is leveraging its SAP system to better understand and market to its customers. Demographic data like how often users exercise, how much sleep they get, what type of exercise they do, and what they eat is being used for predictive and prescriptive analytics.
Changing the way Under Armour approaches IT, by making data a key focus to fuel research and development, brand segmentation, and more, changes the way it can do business. It can compare consumers' demographic profiles and purchase behavior, fine-tune its marketing, and create personalized e-commerce experiences. Experts say that this change can pave the way for Under Armour to compete with Nike – and successfully distribute its products as its retail partners file for bankruptcy or shrink floor space.
Agile and DevOps Enable Digital Change
These digital transformations can't happen if businesses continue to operate with IT on one side and business on the other. The goal is the same with all these changes: deliver what the business needs, faster and at a lower cost. Leveraging agile methodologies throughout the company and implementing DevOps principles help companies keep up with the rapidly-changing digital landscape. One of the key tenets of DevOps is to automate wherever possible, and this often requires a continuous integration or continuous delivery (CICD) pipeline from the source repository through automated testing and deployment – without any manual intervention.
Clothing retailer Boden is a company that recognizes the need to use DevOps techniques to encourage change. Boden embarked on a mission to improve customer experiences, but realized its waterfall methods of development created silos not conducive to change. The company used a customer mapping exercise to understand where the difficulties were, then pulled together a cross-functional, agile team to remedy any broken experiences. The new Agile method across the organization is enabled by DevOps, making it possible to move quickly with advanced technology because teams are working together, yet human intervention is minimal in the actual deployment process.
However, companies may struggle with how Agile and DevOps can fit into their existing IT and business environments, especially if they're running a system not historically known for its agility. In the case of a major European grocery retailer, the company needed to release its SAP changes quickly to keep up with business and customer demands – a key theme we've seen with digital transformation. SAP changes come with a lot of interdependencies and reporting, and enabling DevOps on an SAP platform requires technology that can ensure changes don't introduce errors or conflicts that create system downtime.
Consider a company like BP, one of the world's largest oil and gas companies. It operates in 80 countries – and needs to run a large number of parallel SAP projects across more than 80 SAP instances. All changes need to happen seamlessly with minimal downtime to ensure high safety standards are met. BP automated deployments, a key tenet of DevOps, which minimizes risk to the company. Changes to the SAP system are automatically sequenced, which ensures they're deployed in the right order. It couldn't do this successfully without the right platform and automation technology, and it chose ActiveControl from Basis Technologies.
The only one of its kind on the market, our DevOps and testing platform equips BP with a sophisticated method to ensure business continuity at every stage of SAP change. Our patented "Backout" technology also helps the organization avoid business disruption with the ability to simply back out an SAP transport in a matter of seconds. This gives BP the safety and security they need to manage delivery of critical change in their complex SAP environment.
Is your enterprise IT organization prepared for digital transformation? If you want to learn how Agile and DevOps can fit with your SAP implementation, contact us for more information.


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Have we ever experienced a season opening with this type of staccato pace? A Wednesday? On the road? That throws off your football equilibrium right there.
At least for the fans; the Cowboys themselves seemed to have no problem whatsoever adjusting to being involved in the first Wednesday game in NFL history.
They rode into New York and soundly defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Head Coach Jason Garrett preaches the 24 hour rule and as such; the players should have been focused on the Seattle Seahawks before they took the field for their season opener; a road loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Seahawks, Offensive?
Entering the season, as fans became less enamored with the return of pro football and needing a forced storyline to cover ad naseum; the national media decided to make a feature story out of the Seahawks quarterback competition. Seattle had signed the creamyish of a weak free agent quarterback crop in former Packers' backup Matt Flynn (behind Peyton Manning of course). Pete Carroll had drafted a third-round vertically-challenged Russell Wilson out of the University of Wisconsin as a future player; but Wilson wasn't having it. He made it a battle in training camp and when he seemed to take the lead, the media trumpeted him as everything you want in a quarterback.
They spoke of his decision-making, poise in the pocket and most of all they spoke of his intangibles; those magic attributes that define winners and discount losers. One national pregame show even went as far as saying that on Day One, he was a better player than Heisman Trophy winning Robert Griffin III.
Of course, this was all before the games were played. Wilson struggled against an underrated Cardinals defense in Week One; going 18 for 34 and passing for only 153 yards. He had one touchdown and one interception for the game. Being the next opponent of the Cowboys and having absolutely no historical background on the Seattle offense with Russell Wilson, a film study was in order. Here's what was gleaned from the video tape, and what you might expect to see on Sunday afternoon.
Russell Wilson doesn't seem ready to take the world by storm. It's questionable whether he will be able to threaten the Cowboys secondary with deep throws; a must now that Rob Ryan has corners that can successfully press receivers at the line of scrimmage. Having Mike Jenkins making his season debut after missing all offseason due to shoulder surgery will only boost the secondary's ability. Seattle only attempted three go routes for the game; and Wilson badly overthrew all three of them.
Wilson did show the ability to escape pressure, but he did not turn any of those opportunities into big gains; which is what one would expect after hearing people rave about his athletic ability. He threw two screens behind receivers, incomplete. Both should have been ruled backwards laterals, one was challenged then finally ruled correctly.
In general, Seattle employed an extremely vanilla offense that focused on running the ball as their main go-to-move. The problem was that Marshawn Lynch is dealing with an iffy back and the offensive line was getting overrun by the Arizona front seven. If Dallas is fortunate enough to get dealt a similar hand, they should be pretty successful in keeping the Seattle offense under wraps.
The Arizona linebackers were able to flow to the ball freely; which seems like the perfect recipe for Dallas' inside linebacking duo of Sean Lee and Bruce Carter, whom owner Jerry Jones proclaimed might be the fastest linebacker in the NFL earlier in the week. While Dallas doesn't boast the defensive end talent that Arizona does with Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett, Jason Hatcher is a disruptive player in his own right. He had six QB pressures (1 sack, 1 QB hit, 4 QB hurries) against Eli Manning. It will be key to see if newly extended Sean Lissemore can generate some pass rush as well as continue to be stout on run downs.
Being Defensive?
When the Cowboys are on offense, they will be facing one of the league's up and coming defenses. Seattle boasts playmakers up and down it's defensive roster, led by defensive end Chris Clemons who had a sack and a forced fumble in the opener. He'll be lined up over second-year tackle Tyron Smith who'll be starting just his second game on Tony Romo's blindside. Clemons skill combined with Seattle's crowd noise could cause a repeat of Smith's skiddish performance from week one against the Giants. Additional false starts aren't out of the question.
Former Texas A&M Aggie Red Bryant plays opposite Clemons and sets the edge while still being a capable rusher. He batted down two passes against Zona. Defensive tackle Brandon Mabane is a mountain in the middle of the defense; gathering four "stops", plays that prevent the offense from gaining 40% of yards to go on first down, 60% on second or a first down on third/fourth.
The linebackers corps is led by second-year pro KJ Wright, who lines up on the strong side and flows to the ball extremely well. He's joined by Leroy Hill and Bobby Wagner, who is often pulled off the field when Seattle goes to the nickel.
That leads us to the Seattle secondary; their defenses pride and joy. The Seahawks boast one of the league's most physically imposing backfield; riddled with DBs that stand 6'3" and can still run with opposing receivers. Brandon Browner Richard Sherman, and Kam Chancellor take turns bullying receivers while the shorty of the group, University of Texas' Earl Thomas roves centerfield. They held Larry Fitzgerald to four catches 63 yards and no scores; and yes- Fitzgerald normally puts up stats despite subpar QB performances. It is an extremely intimidating group that sometimes gets too physical; Seattle allowed 40 first downs on defensive penalties in 2011.
Fortunately for Dallas, all of these guys lined up in Cowboys Stadium last season, where Romo and the Boys defeated the Seahawks, 23-13. Romo turned in a solid 19-31 performance with two scores and no turnovers while DeMarco Murray churned out 139 yards on 22 carries.
Despite the lazy media's insistence on focusing on Dallas' failure in Seattle during the 2006 playoffs, Romo has in fact done extremely well against Seattle in the recent past. In four starts, TR has a 106.4 passer rating with nine touchdowns and only one interception. His 11.2 regular seaston rating is the highest by any Seattle opponent with at least 100 pass attempts.
If Ryan Cook can handle the snapping duties and Mackenzy Bernadeau can avoid a repeat of his early game nervousness, Dallas might be taking some steps forward in their line development.
Advancing, Statistically Speaking
In their 2011 Almanac, Football Outsiders identified the Seahawks as the worst offensive in football. That was with Marshawn Lynch running for 105 yards over the last nine games. The run of the majority of their snaps (47%) out of the '11' personnel group, a trend that was evident in Week One when they broke the huddle with this config 27 times. The fullback doesn't see the field much, as Seattle goes single-back 68% of the time. Their offense struggles against three-man fronts which Dallas employs plenty of, obviously. Do not expect them to abandon the run, because... it's really all that they have.
On defense, Seattle will remain in their base 4-3-4; in 2011 they played this on over 50% of all defensive snaps. The offensive grouping that gave them the most problem is the '21'; so expect to see problems when Lawrence Vickers is on the field. Seattle lines up their CBs by sides on 98% of plays, the highest percentage in the league. This means that if Dallas can find a side to focus on, they should be able to exploit the matchup as the game wears on. Expect Dallas to run out of the shotgun formation, as Seattle allowed 6.8 yards per carry there.
All in all, expect Dallas to be more challenged on offense than they were in New York, but to have an easier time on defense and be able to pin their ears back. They'll need to get an early lead, as Seattle seems to improve greatly after some inspiring halftime speeches by head coach Pete Carroll.
My prediction, the Cowboys do just that. Touchdown lead by halftime and stretched a bit in the second half.
Dallas 24-14.


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At what time of the year do people worldwide look for Cognac?
Well, apparently people always search for cognac right before Christmas. This can't be a coincidence. It must be the Christmas present?!
An assumption would be: People get information or/and buy Cognac bottles. Sounds pretty logic.
If one now looks at three other, far bigger spirits, namely Vodka, Gin and Whiskey ('Whisky' is much smaller than 'Whiskey') it becomes quite clear that Cognac plays a relatively small role in the world spirit market. Gin is 2,6 times more interesting, Whiskey 3,4 times more interesting and Vodka even 4,5 times more relevant to people. But the Chrismas present assumption is perfectly proven, as people like to get drunk at Christmas and New Year's Eve!
Interesting too see, how Vodka gets bigger and bigger over the years: The Vodka Christmas peaks are much higher than other peaks.
Which of the four Top Cognac brands is the most popular?
The 4 market players Hennessy, Martell, Courvoisier and of course Rémy Martin share 80% of the market (and the top 10 houses cover 90% of the world wide market). Hennessy is the market leader.
Now let's have a closer look at the popularity of each brand and the development of the related worldwide awareness.
There are 5 things one notices:
- Hennessy is the most sought-after brand, Martell at 60% less volume, Remy Martin at 26% and Courvoisier at just 13% of the Hennessy awareness.
- Hennessy is totally stable and one notices peaks in the Hennessy graph, which indicate events, reactions, new products etc.
- While Martell started out well in 2004, compared to 2009, the brand lost about 20% of global awareness. Later, in the second half of 2009, Martell created new volume again, probably through new products or by concentrating on Asia as a core market.
- Rémy Martin seemed to overtake Martell in 2005/2006, but somehow then went down from mid 2006 and now practically has the same awareness as Courvoisier.
- Courvoisier seems to come out of nowhere at the end of 2004 (2002 the song Pass the Courvoisier Part II was released) and since remains stable.
In the US, Hennessy "grows" even more and keeps the three other brands at a far distance. Most of the people who search Cognac in the US come from Georgia and the state of New York.


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The cosmology of Ananda Marga philosophy centers around the Cosmic Cycle – the Cycle of Creation, or Brahmacakra. It is a cycle because the finishing point is the same as the starting point, as will become apparent. Note that the cycle is a continual and concurrent process of transformation, with different parts of it at different stages at any one time.
The Cosmic Entity is Brahma. It is everything. Everything exists within It, and nothing exists outside It. It is the one infinite, eternal and intransmutable bliss.
Brahma is composed of two parts: the Cognitive Principle (Consciousness), and the Operative Principle (Force). They are inseparable, just as fire cannot be separated from its burning characteristic.
For philosophical purposes, Consciousness is arbitrarily assigned the male gender, and is known as Purusa, or Shiva. He is the nucleus and witnessing entity of the universe. His Force is assigned the female gender, and is known as Prakrti, or Shakti. She is the force which – under Purusa's direction – transforms a part of Him into the universe. She is a blind force and is always under His control. He does not act but allows Her to act. He is the witness and the witnessed, and She is the action.
Prakrti has three attributes, or binding principles (gunas): the sentient force (sattvaguna), mutative force (rajoguna), and static force (tamoguna).
In the first phase of the cycle, first a small portion of Purusa is metamorphosed into the cosmic sense of existence (Mahattattva – feeling of "I am") by the sentient force. Then a small portion of that "I am" feeling is transformed into the Ahamtattva (feeling of "I do") by the mutative force. Then part of the Ahamtattva is transformed into the Cittatattva ("I have done" feeing) by the static force. The Cittatattva contains all the previous states before it, and all three (Cosmic Mahat, Aham and Citta) constitute the Cosmic Mind, existing within the original Consciousness, Purusa.
Continued bondage by the static force on the Cosmic Citta causes further metamorphosis of Purusa into the fundamental factors of the universe.
The universe is composed of five fundamental factors: ethereal factor (space), aerial (gas), luminous (heat/light), liquid and solid. Each factor is formed from the subtler factor preceding it – from the transformation of part of that factor from which it comes – and as a consequence contains the essence of that preceding factor. Hence the aerial factor comes from (and contains) the ethereal factor, the luminous comes from the aerial and so on. All factors exist within the Cosmic Mind from which they came, and the Cosmic Mind in turn is inherent within them all. The universe is thus a thought-projection of the Cosmic Mind. And as the Cosmic Mind also exists within Purusa, everything is a part of Him and He is within everything.
The dominance of Prakrti over Purusa increases, with each successive stage being cruder and denser than the one before it, the solid factor being the crudest stage of manifestation. Energy (prana) is formed in each factor from the pressure of the static force on that factor. Vital energy (pranah) is formed from the combination of all the different pranas of each fundamental factor within a solid body (the solid factor contains all previous factors within it).
Due to the continued pressure of the static force on the solid factor, eventually the pressure becomes excessive and one of two things occurs:
Explosion (jadasphota):
If the factors are not in the right balance, eventually the solid factor (as a celestial body) will explode, and its constituent factors will merge back into their respective factors of the universe.
If the environment is congenial, and the factors are in the right balance, some portion of the solid factor gets pulverized subtler than ether, and the Citta within it manifests as mind-stuff, which gives the feeling of "Done-I" to a new unit mind. That mind gets attached to an appropriate body and controls the vital energy of that body, which in turn controls the body's functions.
Because the individual mind comes out of the solid factor from a small part of the Cosmic Mind latent within that factor, it is said that "the microcosm is a miniature of the Macrocosm." It can therefore be seen that mind comes from matter, and matter – via the Cosmic Mind – in turn comes from Consciousness.
Now the Witnessing Consciousness (Purusa) begins to withdraw the power from His Operative Principle. He has allowed Her to bind Him to the ultimate state of crudity (this process is called Saincara), and He now gradually contracts Her power until the unit mind merges back into Him. This returning phase is known as Pratisaincara.
In the course of Pratisaincara the unit mind gradually evolves over many different births, in many different bodies. It adopts more complex physical structures as it evolves, appropriate to its desire of expression. Note that there is a clear distinction here between body and mind. The body is the vehicle that the mind adopts according to its degree of evolution – life being the existence of mind in association with a particular body, and death being the temporary loss of the physical structure until a new one is attained by the mind.
The mind develops as the bondage of the binding principles decreases. At first the static force within the mind dominates, and citta (instinct) is the predominant tendency. In the course of development, the mutative force eventually becomes dominant, and the unit aham ("doer I") evolves out of the citta. The dominance of aham over citta manifests as the intellect, or ego. Finally, the sentient force dominates the mutative, and unit mahat (existential "I-feeling") evolves out of the aham. The dominance of mahat over aham manifests as intuition.
So we may find creatures and plants with only instinct, or with intellect as well, or with all three (instinct, intellect and intuition). In undeveloped beings it is instinct which dominates. In developing beings there is an increase of intellect over instinct. But it is only at the human stage that intellect is predominant.
At this stage the mind starts to question the nature of its own existence and the spiritual quest begins. The desire for spiritual practice increases as the ego is gradually eclipsed by intuition and the attraction for the Supreme Nucleus. This attraction is called devotion, or bhakti. Devotion is love for the Infinite. It is said that when devotion is attained, everything is attained, because it leads to final merger with the Supreme.
"Knowing oneself is the real knowledge;
serving all with the ideation of God the real action;
and the vow to please God the real devotion."
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Attraction towards the Cosmic Nucleus accelerates as the mind expands and becomes more subtle. One begins to experience the merger of mind in the Goal. This is called samadhi, which literally means "sameness (absorption, or oneness) with the Goal." Although there are different types of samadhi, they can all be classified into two general categories: savikalpa and nirvikalpa.
Savikalpa means "with vikalpa," or "with mental thought or feeling." So Savikalpa Samadhi is the state of absorption in the Cosmic Mind. Because the essence of mind (even the Cosmic Mind) is the "I am" feeling (the existential "I-feeling"), there remains in this samadhi the feeling of existence, or "I am."
Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the state of non-qualified absorption, where the tendencies of mind are completely suspended. Nirvikalpa means "without vikalpa," or "without mental thought or feeling." It is the state of absolute bliss – complete absorption in Cosmic Consciousness. It is not possible to come even close to thinking about this state, let alone describing it, because it is beyond the mind. One's mind exists in and of Consciousness. We cannot think about it simply because it is not possible to think of anything beyond the boundary of one's own mind. The only way of recognizing that one has been in that supreme state is the experience of waves of bliss in the mind that follow it.
"I do not say that I know Him; nor do I say that I do not know Him.
Because I know that He is beyond all knowing and not knowing."
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Savikalpa Samadhi of permanent nature is called liberation, or mukti. It is the dissolution of mind into the Cosmic Mind. Nirvikalpa Samadhi of permanent nature is called salvation, or moksa. It is the permanent absorption of mind in Cosmic Consciousness.
Spiritual practice, therefore, is the process of transcending the mind into the Consciousness within which it exists: the Cosmic Consciousness. It is this transcendence of the "I-feeling" that results in the supreme experience of the Absolute: "Where 'I' is, 'He' is not; where 'He' is, 'I' is not."
"Cosmic Consciousness abides in the very sense of existence,
in one's very heart's desire."
Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Where Consciousness exists both as the nucleus Witnessing Entity and the metamorphosed Cosmic Mind (and universe), that state of Brahma is known as Saguna Brahma. Where Consciousness exists only in its un-metamorphosed state (Prakrti here is dormant), that state is known as Nirguna Brahma.
Taraka Brahma is the common point between the two. In this state Brahma adopts a physical body of the five fundamental factors (Mahasambhuti) and manifests as Sadguru (the highest guru). It is said that when the desire for liberation arises in the mind, one attains one's Sadguru. He is the guru in the real sense of the term because He is the bridge between Nirguna and Saguna Brahma, and is able to teach the proper method of transcendence from the manifested worldly state to the unmanifested state of Supreme Bliss. This is essentially a devotional process.
Realms of the Mind (Kosas)
Life, Death and Rebirth


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About Zhao Wei
Zhao Wei
March 12, 1976
|Place of Birth
|Wuhu,Anhui PProvince,China
|Also Known As
|Vicki Zhao, 赵薇, Vicki Zhao Wei, 조미
|Imdb Profile
|IMDB Profile
Zhao Wei (Chinese: 赵薇, born March 12, 1976) is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao (sometimes spelt Vicky Zhao). She has been awarded the Hundred Flowers Award, Shanghai Film Critics Award, Huabiao Award, Golden Eagle TV Award as well as Shanghai Film Festival Golden Globet, two times Changchun Film Festival Golden Deer and four nominations of Hong Kong Film Award, two nominations of Golden Horse Award.


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Aliens Memory Game is an educational memory game – Memory improvement is part of this educational memory game, the process can be done with few steps that can be easy and performed effortlessly. It is time to test your memory skills! See how many levels you can successfully complete in less time possible. This game has a total of 8 levels. Educational game developed for fun and work the development of children. The designs are very colorful and beautiful! Have fun while building your memory!
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LA Times: Jeb Bush rejects post-Charleston calls for stricter gun control laws
Kurtis Lee for the LA Times reports:
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pushed back Saturday against calls from President Obama and other Democrats for stricter gun control laws in the wake of the mass shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church that left nine people dead.
Bush, who traveled to this Las Vegas suburb for a town hall event, said he does not believe tougher gun laws would prevent mass shootings. "All of these tragic instances that have taken place in the last couple of years are heartbreaking. They really are," said Bush in response a question from an attendee about his views on the 2nd Amendment. "Not a single one of them would have been stopped with any of the ideas proposed by Barack Obama. Not a single one of them."
Bush, among the front-runners in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, said more emphasis should be placed on improving access to mental health services.
Read the full story at the LA Times.


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adidas Videotool in Capetown Fifa Worldcup South Africa
Based on my Thesis I developed at stilbezirk the Video Tool. It is basically a mobile Greenscreen Videostudio. The Videotool was used in Stockholm and in Capetown for the Fifa Worldcup South Africa. The visitors of the Videotool were filmed doing some tricks with the soccer ball and finally appeared together in a video with superstar Lionel Messi.
The main focus of the development was the easy operating of the Videotool, which was achieved by a almost automated process of the video production: The operator of the Videotool could start the video capturing by clicking a button in a simple UI. Then the visitors footage was keyed and merged automatically in a prepared compositing with Lionel Messi. After a few minutes the clip was rendered and could be handed over to the visitor on a USB-Stick.


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Do You Think Mrs. Maisel is a Bad Mom?
Juggling parenting and a career isn't easy — not even for fictionalized TV characters. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Rachel Brosnahan defended her character Midge Maisel after fans complained she valued her career over her children.
Some of the comments claimed Maisel's children were "an afterthought," and that including them at all in the storyline made the main character "less likable" and look like "a terrible mom." Brosnahan's response?
"Absolutely. I'm not sure I would go as far as terrible, however she's certainly not winning 'parent of the year,'" Brosnahan replied to one comment on Twitter. "But it also doesn't change the fact that this was not one of the primary criticisms of Don Draper or Walter White who were similarly, single-mindedly ambitious."
Amen. Why is it always women who are the ones getting criticized for wanting a career and a family? To make the situation even more agitating, someone then defended Breaking Bad's Walter White by saying that his character was "supposed" to be bad. (But wasn't the whole point of him starting a drug empire initially to support his family?) Brosnahan, once again, clapped back.
"Sure. It was also a drama and this is a comedy," she said. "Midge isn't evil but she's sometimes blinded by her own privilege and can be self-involved when it comes to pursuit of her new dream."
Brosnahan brings up an excellent point. Men are often given a pass when they spend more time at work than at home. In fact, they're often praised for it — lauded as the "protectors" and "main supporters" of the family. Sometimes, dads are even depicted as blundering and clueless and still lauded for their efforts! But the minute a woman wants to invest in her career and her children, she's dubbed as "selfish" and a "terrible mom."
Is it possible that women can be ambitious in the workplace and still be loving parents who nurture and support their kids both financially and emotionally? Of course, it is. It's also possible that, as an outsider, we don't know everything that goes on in someone else's life. Just because you see a woman clocking in early and leaving late doesn't mean we understand even a fraction of what she does when she gets home and it sure as hell doesn't make her less "likable." It's refreshing that TV is getting honest about child care and that Brosnahan isn't afraid to talk about it off screen.
Obviously, this doesn't mean that all parents are immune to making mistakes. Just as Brosnahan says Midge can be "blinded by her own privilege," so too can other guardians. No one is going to be perfect at anything, especially when it comes to raising a human child. Let's all show a little more compassion and understanding and a lot less judgment. Who knows, maybe then we can start focusing on the bigger issues, like supporting each other's goals and breaking down the sexism that is still (still?!) such an issue in 2019.
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