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(Kailey Hagen)
Even for those with a regular salary and few financial obligations, saving six or seven figures for retirement is no small feat. But for those with crippling debts, retirement may seem impossible.
However, this is not always the case. While everyone's situation is different, some people with debt might still be able to retire comfortably when they originally planned to. But you need a good debt repayment strategy. Here's what you can do to get started.
How to deal with your debts before you retire
Start by making a list of all your debts. Note the creditor, annual percentage rate of charge (APR), balance, minimum monthly payment and payment due date. You should be able to find all of this information on the online portal for your loan or credit account. If you still receive paper invoices, you should be able to find this information there as well.
Now you need to decide how to prioritize them. One of the most effective ways to pay off multiple debts is to avalanche of debt method. This is where you make the minimum payment on all your debts, then put any extra money you have on the debt with the highest APR first. When you have paid that, you do the same with the debt with the next highest APR, and so on down the list.
But some people prefer to regain their confidence by paying off some of their small debts first. This is known as the debt snowball method. This is essentially the same as the avalanche method above, but you start with the debt that has the smallest balance before moving on to the one with the lowest balance, and so on.
These strategies work well if you have a little extra money that you can put towards paying off the debt. But when that's not an option, you may need to try another tactic. A balance transfer card is a solid option for credit card debt if you think you can pay off what you owe within the 0% introductory period. You can open one with any credit card company, but you won't be able to transfer a balance from one card to another card offered by the same issuer.
Or you can try a Personal loan. This is an unsecured type of loan, which means you don't have to post anything as collateral. It's even possible to get these loans without great credit, but you might pay a higher interest rate if your credit is poor.
The advantage of these types of loans is that they give you a regular monthly payment, so you don't have to worry about your balance growing like you would with a credit card or payday loan. If you are interested in any of them, you can apply to any bank.
You can also use a combination of the methods mentioned above. If it still doesn't work, you may need to find a way to increase your income. For example, you can negotiate a raise or start a side hustle to bring in extra cash that you can use for debt repayment.
Should you pay off your debts before saving for your retirement?
The best way to manage debt repayment and save for retirement depends on the type of debt you have. You can tackle debt with lower interest rates, like mortgages, while saving for retirement if you can afford to do both.
But if you have high-interest debt, like a payday loan or credit card debt, it's usually best to prioritize them above. Pension saving. This is because the interest rates on these loans are much higher than what the average person earns on the stock market in a year. You will therefore probably lose more money by carrying this debt than you would gain by investing for your retirement. But once you get your high-interest debt under control, saving for retirement should become a priority again.
Don't rush into retirement
With the right debt repayment strategy, you may be able to pay off most or all of your debt before retirement. But if that's not possible, it's best to rethink your plans. Retiring with a lot of debt can cause you to deplete your savings faster than expected. This could rob you of the money you need to pay for food, housing, and other basic needs as you age. You better take your time. Postpone your retirement a little longer until you feel financially ready.
The $18,984 Social Security premium that most retirees completely overlook
If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help boost your retirement income. For example: an easy trick could earn you up to $18,984 more…every year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we believe you can retire confidently with the peace of mind we all seek. Just click here to find out how to learn more about these strategies.
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Gardens of Beauty: Italian Gardens of the Borromeo Islands
Preface by Paolo Pejrone, Photographed by Dario Fusaro, Text by Lucia Impelluso
A tribute to the beauty of the famed Italian gardens of Isola Bella and Isola Madre, two precious jewels of Italy's Lake Maggiore.
The islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre have belonged to the Borromeo family since the sixteenth century. From the very beginning, this noble Italian family aimed to transform these fishing islands into small earthly paradises boasting lush gardens. With stunning photography and informative texts, this book explores the enchanting scenery of both islands. Named after Countess Isabella Borromeo, Isola Bella is an attractive terraced pyramid of formal gardens with baroque scenery of monumental stairs, statue-topped balustrades, and obelisks. Isola Madre, the largest of the lake islands, has a beautiful Renaissance palace surrounded by a botanical garden, famous for its variety of flowers and plants due to the mild climate. The exquisite flora includes azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias, ancient camellias, water lilies, lotus flowers, and Mediterranean citrus plants. So magical that they even once fascinated the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, the Borromeo Gardens are breathtakingly represented in this lavishly illustrated tome.
The Author
Paolo Pejorne is one of the most famous Italian garden designers. Since the 1970s he has designed over two hundred gardens around the world for clients including the Agnelli family, the Rothschild family, and the Agha Khan Karim. He is the current designer of the Borromeo Gardens. Dario Fusaro specializes in photography of gardens, architecture, and landscapes both natural and urban.
Publish Date: May 16, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Category: Gardening – Garden Design
Publisher: Electa
Trim Size: 9-4/5 x 9-4/5
Pages: 176
US Price: $45.00
CDN Price: $60.00

subset: commoncrawl


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This is the iPhone 5C Home Button repair. It includes replacement of the home button with high quality replacement.
Repair Time
30 minutes with walk-in service.
Quality Assurance
High quality non-geniune parts.
For more information and support please give us a call at 020 8931 2877.
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text: Replenishing Yin Moving the energies of the kidneys and the heart can deeply affect our overall inner state, especially when we feel tired and depleted somehow. Chest openers, hamstring stretches, shoulder stretches and twists, all deliciously yin to allow for a deeper rebound. To watch this class you'll need to sign up, or sign in if you already have an account.


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Homeopathic medicines for Bell's Palsy or Facial Paralysis: Bell's palsy or facial paralysis is a paralysis of the facial nerve or 7th cranial nerve. It results in the inability to control facial muscles on the affected side. Bell's palsy may be a temporary weakness. On the other hand, it can be a paralysis of the…Read More
Homeopathic Medicines for Amoebiasis: Amoebiasis is a global disease, which is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba Histolytica. This infection affects nearly 10% of the population of the developing world with the disease burden highest in poor, developing areas. Where overcrowding, poor sanitation, and economic backwardness are common. It is an important cause of death due…Read More
What Is Milk Allergy? How Homeopathy can Cure your Milk allergy Permanently? Milk allergy is an abnormal response by the body's defense mechanism to milk and products containing milk. It's one of the most common food allergies in children and even adults. Cow's milk is in general the cause of milk allergy, However milk from…Read More
Homeopathic Medicine for Bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest pain. Homeopathy has wide range of medicines to cure Bronchiectasis. Let us discuss the…Read More
Homeopathy medicines for Pain management: Homeopathy provides the best and most helpful medicines for immediate relief of pain. In reality, Homeopathic medicines acts on the root cause of the pain. Therefore Homeopathic treatment can effectively cure the pain and inflammation anywhere in the body. The important point is, Homeopathic doctors do not select the remedy…Read More
Dr.Bernard H, views on Chamomilla benefits for Constipation: The following clinical fact we think contains in a characteristic manner the circumstances in which we would be apt to think of Chamomilla Homeopathic medicine in the treatment of the constipation of infants. A study by Dr. Casal, of Menton on uses of Chamomilla for Constipation in…Read More
Dr.Bernard H views on Causticum benefits for constipation: Causticum is Homeopathic medicine especially made from Potassium Hydroxide. The character of stools in the case of Causticum patients is light or white-colored. Constipated stools that are Olive-shaped, mixed with mucus and blood, and difficult to expel out. Tough and shining as if greased is most the…Read More
Dr.Bernard H discussions on Use of Carbo Vegetabilis for Constipation: The Character of stools in Carbo Vegetabilis patients with constipation: Carbo Vegetabilis is the Homeopathic medicine made from Vegetable charcoal. Insufficient, Hard stool, enveloped in mucus and blood at the extremity of the faecal mass always need to prescribe this Homeopathic medicine. Difficult stools, although they…Read More
The character of Stools in case of Calcarea Carb patient with Constipation: Calcarea carb is the homeopathic medicine from Oyster shell. The patient with hard stools, then mushy, and finally fluid in general need to prescribe Calcarea Carbonica for constipation. Hard, large, partially digested stools; Involuntary, fermented also indicates this Homeopathic remedy for constipation. Sour-smelling…Read More
Dr.Bernard H views on the benefits of Cannabis Sativa for Constipation: In Hahnemann's Materia Medica, we find Cannabis sativa is useful in case, "For the first five days stool as usual, but on the two followings, complete constipation (Gross). We find also this striking symptom: Sensation at the anus as if something cold was falling…Read More


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Vinyl is quickly becoming one of the most popular options on the market when it comes to outdoor decking areas in Canada. You may have never considered it before but, believe us, once you hear some of the reasons for its popularity, you'll be wondering how you ever survived so long without it. In this article, we will be looking at five reasons why you should consider vinyl decking.
Easy Installation
The vinyl layer used for decking is effortless to install. If your current decking is in excellent condition, you could have it installed in a matter of days. This will mean you won't need to give contractors a week's worth of access to your house. Leaving you to enjoy your new decking in no time at all.
Protect Your Deck
Extreme weather conditions here in Calgary can lead to your decking needing extra maintenance. Ultimately, this will result in spending lots of time and money working on your decking. Applying a layer of vinyl membrane gives you an additional layer of protection from the elements and could save you money in the long run.
Easy Maintenance
Deck maintenance can be a real drag. Sanding and coating your decking every year is as backbreaking as it is expensive. With vinyl decking, you can eliminate the need for yearly maintenance. All you need to do is sweep up and rinse with water a few times per year. All of our vinyl deckings are incredibly durable and capable of taking everything modern life can throw at it.
Regular decking can look a little bit run of the mill and, for the lack of a better word, boring at times. This is because you are pretty limited when it comes to options. Vinyl decking, on the other hand, comes in a range of different styles. You can choose your custom pattern or colour and make your home stand out from the crowd.
Add Value To Your Home
If you choose to have your deck covered in a vinyl membrane, you will automatically add value to your home. First of all, you could breathe a new lease of life into your old decking, which will instantly make your house look better. Plus, you'll be making your deck completely waterproof, which can only add value to your property. For a relatively small investment, you could add some real value to your home.
Now it's time to consider vinyl decking for your home. Contact H&J Roofing and Exteriors today.


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"Expert WordPress developers. We hired dedicated resources and they were truly experts. Made changes quickly. Went beyond what was asked and recommended a better solution. highly recommended. Idol sales team, i am impressed. "
— Needleco
Was a pleasure to work with synramtechnolab.com. Synram team was very friendly, professional, understood my needs and worked tirelessly to deliver on time and on budget. Will definitely work with him again. I recommend Synram team for Mobile app development and digital marketing"
-Valentina, TRY IT
very patient, smart, and kind. I have to say Synramtechnolab is a class act. smart team and reminded me to be calm. I worked with technical team directly named Suraj Just trust him he is WP expert. I had a pervious bad experience with others so Suraj saved the day. He communicates well and responds so quickly and can see him being a star vendor on elance as long as he continues to work hard and stay humble. thanks you"
-CEO, Admitopia.com
Synramtecnolab guys are genious. I got a responsive website, with backend capability and synram team did it for me. They were very prompt on fixing my issues if got any after getting website live and very good with contacting me and letting me know what was going on. Very pleased."
-CEO, Abovegroundpros.com
"SynramTechnolab was a pleasure to work with. Even though my project was only small, they treated it with the same professional courtesy as a large job, and delivered on-time and with great communication throughout the process. I would definitely recommend them."
— devisiondesign
"We bridge the gap between your products and your customers and you reach millions of businesses, prospective customers who use the internet to search for similar products. We have SEO experts who can give "
"Synram website design services help businesses and entrepreneur to achieve a professional online image to build trust with their prospective customers. We have experts available in Photoshop, HTML, WordPress, Joomla, Magento, JavaScript and hence we offer wide "
-Rob van Gils


text: The category 6 Patch Panel is designed for high-density installations and exceeds ANSI/TIA/EIA-568 C.2 standards, accepts 22-26 AWG wires, and features phosphor bronze contacts. All of our patch panels are 19" horizontal rack mount compatible and are offered in 24, and 48 port configurations with built-in anchoring points for improved cable organization and security. Features color coded ports for universal wiring connections. A 110-type termination provides the most secure and reliable connection to maximize performance.


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October 2004
Computer Displays: Roll Up, Paint On and Shrink Down
39 pages
This report examines the current state of computer display technology, organizes key issues and puts them in context, and succinctly explains how the technology works.
The relatively small windows we use as our main means of interaction with computers fall far short of the high-contrast, nuanced, three-dimensional, 360 degree view the real world offers.
Researchers are working to close the gap by making larger, thinner, more flexible flat-panel displays; improving picture brightness, sharpness and contrast; making more realistic three-dimensional displays; and producing foldable electronic paper.
Researchers are also looking for cheaper ways to produce screens. In the not-so-distant future this research could enable enable high-quality video on surfaces as diverse as books, T-shirts, and sides of buildings. Other research efforts are looking to bring to the real world a couple of future technologies previewed in movie special effects: transparent screens a la Minority Report and holographic video like that seen in Star Wars.
The report includes an executive summary, a list of 13 developments to look for as these cutting-edge technologies take shape, and a section of 20 researchers to watch, including links to their Web pages. It also includes a quick tour of 35 recent developments in six areas and a section of 26 in-depth news stories from TRN.
The stories are organized into seven categories: components, plastic electronics, display performance, electronic paper, assembly processes, three-dimensional technologies and display types.
Making the Future reports
contain live links, and can be read on a computer, printed and archived.
Buy the the Computer Displays report for $89.
You will receive download instructions via email.
Report Sections
Executive Summary:
250 words
Main Report:
4,065 words
How It Works:
1,015 words
In-Depth Stories:
26 stories, including 22 images
Table of Contents:
Main Report
Moving the box outside the box
Cheaper, smaller, transparent
Light-emitting diodes
Reaching for Minority Report
Improving the contrast
Sharpening the image
Flat-panel evolution
Chips and nanotubes
Microscopic machinery
He took his screen out of his pocket and unfolded it...
Paint-on screens
Screens that construct themselves
Making 3D deeper, wider and brighter
Lose the glasses
Right there in the room with you
Look Ma, no screen
Putting it altogether
A bigger, brighter, cheaper future
How It Works
Using mechanics
Electronic ink
In-Depth Story Categories
Plastic electronics
Display performance
Electronic paper
Assembly processes
Three-dimensional technologies
Display types
Take a look at
all available
Making the Future reports.
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When you have decided to become an official group/charity you will need to set up an organisation
Small Charitable Organisations: If you intend your organisation to have an income of less than £5000 you can adopt the charity commission small constitution and do not need to register with them. Unless you would like to be incorporated in which case you would chose a Charitable Incorporated Organisation which will have to register with the charity commission regardless of income level.
Larger Charitable Organisations (income over £5000): If your organisation will have an income of over £5000 you will need to register with the charity commission. You can either be an Unincorporated Registered Charity or CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)


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@RenZelen takes a look at Adam Nevill's Apartment 16…
It's been a very long time since a big UK publisher has shown much interest in a UK author of horror, not since the days of Clive Barker and James Herbert in fact. That's why I was intrigued to find out what may have prompted their interest in Adam Nevill's 'Apartment 16'.
This is a novel about 'the bad place' to use one of Stephen King classifications, and is a story reminiscent of the haunted rooms of King's Overlook Hotel and concerning another man's descent into madness. But this 'bad place' is Barrington House, an upmarket block in London's Mayfair district where there is an empty apartment, one that has been empty for fifty years.
One night a young art-student, Seth, having taken the job of night watchman, hears a disturbance in the small hours of the morning and investigates, starting a chain of events which reveal Apartment 16 as a gateway to something vindictive and terrifying which begins to seep into the dark passages and dusty rooms inhabited by the mysterious, aged residents of Barrington house, and whose evil presence also begins to infiltrate Seth's impressionable mind.
A young American woman, Apryl, arrives. She has inherited an apartment from her Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad, but her diary suggests she was implicated in some horrific event decades ago. Intrigued by the diaries, determined to fill in the gaps left by her eccentric relative, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House and the truth about the presence that torments the inhabitants.
The book is successful in instilling a feeling of tension and disquiet in the reader. Nevill's writing shows an intriguing marriage of old and the new styles. He employs the shadowy, barely-glimpsed horrors on the periphery of M.R. James' and H.P. Lovecraft's imaginations, the uneasy ambience of Blackwood and the raw, visceral descriptions of Clive Barker. Buildings and environments become characters in themselves and are infused with a brooding malevolence. London is shown at its most desolate, contrasting its squalor and faded grandeur – a permanently grey and drizzling backdrop to Seth's growing existentialist nausea and descent into alienation and disgust at the degradation of the human into the bestial. Here it resembles T.S. Eliot's 'Wasteland'. The supernatural elements form grotesque, nightmarish visions but, in my case anyway, it is the realistic description of an unprovoked beating that Seth suffers at the hands of what we have recently named 'feral youth' that creates the greatest impact. It is brutal, and truly frightening – a damning description of the realities of the horror that roams our streets every day.
But what makes truly great horror story is not just the visceral descriptions of gore or the jolts of shock or the twist of apprehensive fear in the gut, but an element that touches a deeper and more subtle chord of recognition in the psyche of the reader. What interests me when I'm reading a horror story is identifying the fears it's really attempting to exorcise. It seems to me that 'Apartment 16' is dealing with fears of confinement and servitude, of becoming powerless hostages or slaves – with the threat of annihilation hanging over our heads. One of the reasons we read horror stories it to gain that longed for resolution to the fears we all experience and shrink from – we read to see evil vanquished or overcome – because real life affords us little such satisfaction.
Ren Zelen
Twitter: @RenZelen
©RenZelen 2012 All rights reserved.
Image courtesy of Amazon.


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Film In Conversation
Jia Zhang-Ke with Anthony Hawley
Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, the final installment of Jia Zhang-Ke's documentary trilogy focusing on Chinese artists, premiered at the 70th Berlinale in 2020. At the end of May 2021, it had its virtual release in theaters across the US.
Since his first feature film Xiao Wu was released in 1997, Jia Zhang-Ke has crafted a body of work attuned to the sweeping economic shifts his home country of China has experienced over the past 30–40 years. An archeologist of China's massive transformations, Jia has spent his career unraveling China's extreme growth and its impact on individuals and communities. His narrative and documentary films blend a unique empathy toward their subjects with a cool, often critical lens aimed at decades of the most unprecedented sustained economic growth in the modern era.
Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, the final installment of Jia Zhang-Ke's documentary trilogy focusing on Chinese artists, premiered at the 70th Berlinale in 2020. At the end of May 2021, it had its virtual release in theaters across the US. The third part of an over-a-decade-long series that began in 2006, the film consists of 18 thematic chapters focusing on the lives and histories of four different Chinese writers. The work's symphonic structure layers together remembrances from personal and collective histories with glances at China's current ecology. This past May, before the US release, I got to sit down with Jia and his translator on Zoom to discuss this new film, issues of time, and technology.
Anthony Hawley (Rail): There's an ease to the way you cover expanses of time in your films. Things get woven together almost seamlessly. The way the characters' stories intersect in a film like A Touch of Sin (2013) or the way that Mountains May Depart (2015) and Ash Is Purest White (2018) span different times so effortlessly. On the one hand, this new work is very similar to other films of yours in that it spans decades, but the structure is also more partitioned. It's put together like an experimental novel. I was curious if you could talk about this a bit and why you decided to take this approach.
Jia Zhang-Ke: I have been making films that sit within very long expanses of time, both narrative and documentary films. Using this type of linear chronology and weaving in all the different elements is a way for me to rebel against the contemporary Chinese reality, which is so fragmented as a result of the internet. For me, in order to tell a story that is more holistic, more comprehensive, I need to somehow position either my characters or subject in a long span of time.
With Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue, that was the plan in the beginning—to tell the stories in a linear chronological order so that it could be historically comprehensive and holistic rather than fragmented. And that was the plan also for this particular documentary, but it was not until I shot Yu Hua, who is the third character in the film, but the last one we shot, that I started to realize that I didn't want to structure everything in such a linear chronological way. As he talked about the personal difficulties and issues that he faced, I suddenly realized that the three authors who I shot prior also shared something similar in terms of trials and tribulations and personal difficulty and struggles growing up in rural areas with rural upbringings.
There were collective and personal issues we all experienced. From Ma Feng, the first author, talking about hunger and the freedom to love, issues that were very much informed by that kind of common and collective experience of that time; to Jia Pingwa (the second author) addressing how political issues impacted personal lives; to Yu Hua also talking about how an individual can succeed in a particular environment in a particular historical context; then with Liang Hong (the last author) talking about the issues within her seemingly stable family, the structure, but also the conflicts. These are all things that the audience can relate to. So while this film is uniquely Chinese and the histories that we're trying to capture are very uniquely Chinese, by distilling these basic human issues it becomes even more universal. I see myself as a kind of architect putting these elements together, following not a chronological logic but an emotional logic.
Rail: Thinking about putting things together architecturally in a way that isn't as chronological, I wanted to go back to the treatment of time as a way of rebelling against the contemporary Chinese reality, the very disembodied time of the internet. First, do you think that working on this most recent piece will change the way that you approach this strategy? Second, I'm curious how your thinking about chronological time has changed over your career.
Jia: As a filmmaker, I think it's very important for me to always find a new way of looking at things—new perspectives for observing human beings, human behaviors, and human histories. This film is structured as it is because of the occupation of these four subjects. For me, it is important to somehow evoke an echo of these authors' work. I want it to capture their literary landscapes. That's the reason why I use the 18 chapters.
But even beyond this echoing the structure of novels, I see these 18 sections almost like 18 monuments. Each one is inscribed with different painful histories, events, or struggles that we all experience. These become memorialized in such a way that each particular chapter is a monument inscribed by the author sharing their stories. So in a way it's almost as if these 18 monuments have transcended time and space, and can be accessed by anyone anywhere. Going back to the image of the architect, I think about how I am going to put these all together in such a way that will make sense for this particular film. And I would do the same for feature films.
Rail: That's interesting because I was thinking about the first film in the trilogy, Dong (2006). Yes, it's about a painter, but it almost feels like a painting itself—the way it captures stillness and the communities almost as a landscape themselves, especially in that moment of mourning the loss of the laborer.
Jia: For Dong, it's about the same painter, but it is set in two places: part of it is set in the Three Gorges Dam and the other is set in Bangkok. But these locations share one thing that is very crucial to these two different locations: the rivers. I really see the river as a way to juxtapose these and make them the yin and the yang, or almost like doublets, or components of traditional Chinese painting that comes in pairs: one will compliment the other in such a way that they will create balance in life.
And that is very much the way I thought about structuring that film since it's about painting and two locations echoing within the Chinese painting tradition.
Rail: Something I was noticing a lot was the technology in this film, the devices. Chapter 10, which focuses on Yu, opens with the writer watching a basketball game between Portland and Denver on his smartphone. In chapter seven on the train, we hear a soundtrack with Andrea Bocelli playing, and over it another layer of sound: texting and notifications on devices. This reminded me of the lighter in your first feature Xiao Wu (1997) that plays Beethoven's "Für Elise." I was wondering about the presence of these things, the technology. There are so many more examples in your films.
Jia: I think that it has everything to do with the reality of contemporary China. The reality now is that the technology and the devices we use shape us—as a generation, as a group of people in this particular country. The space of the train over the past 20 to 30 years is the same, but the people riding the train have changed. You can see that easily by looking at the technologies and the devices that are used, be it a cell phone, an online gaming device, or an iPad. So it is very much depicting what is here and now in contemporary China.
In order for me to create connections between the past and the now, I need to rely on these moments. This way we can ask the question, How did we get here? In order for us to somehow give a reason to look back, we need to juxtapose the interviews with those authors recounting and recollecting their past memories and past histories with what is going on right now in contemporary China.
Rail: One of the most striking parts of the film comes in the scene surrounding the line "Father has always been my question," and subsequently the questions surrounding the white shirt connected to Liang Hong, the final author. That scene has so many layers. There's the symbol of the father followed by the transmission of that question into the book. Next, there's the grandson reading that question and asking it to the audience. And, of course, we see the starched white shirt against the broken-down house. Could you talk a little bit about how this scene came to be?
Jia: So we have four authors as the main subjects of this film. They differ in age, and each author represents one particular era or generation that I want to capture. Liang Hong very much represents that "anything happened after the 1990s" generation. She's also sharing very intimate and private histories with the audience. I think it has something to do with the fact that unlike previous authors here, Liang Hong herself is a nonfiction writer, whereas the previous three are novelists. Perhaps because of that, she tends to be more open and candid with her private memories and family histories. So I had to think about other ways to capture the essence of what she is sharing.
Of course we had to stage that white shirt as it's blowing in the wind; that's not the actual shirt of the father. But as a filmmaker, I always try to blur lines between what's fictional, what's narrative, and what's documentary. And that was one way for us to somehow find a subjective symbol to capture the essence of the image that dominated her psyche for so many years. It was a way to tell the stories of those intimate stories she shared.


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Essure is a permanent birth control device that was developed by Conceptus, Inc. and eventually bought by Bayer. The company designed Essure to be a less-invasive alternative to tubal ligation, a surgical and permanent birth control. Inserting the device is less-invasive as compared to surgical options, but some of the other claims made by Bayer about Essure have come under question, including its effectiveness.
In addition to questionable claims, critics have also found issues with how the device was tested and how clinical trials were conducted. Most problematic of all for Bayer have been the reports of adverse events including severe pain and bleeding, and even organ perforation and unintended pregnancies. Essure lawsuits face an uphill battle, as Bayer has some protection against them, but this hasn't stopped women who have been harmed by the device from fighting back.
What is Essure?
Essure is the first device on the market to offer permanent birth control without the need for surgery. Prior to this device, created by Conceptus, but owned and controlled now by Bayer, women needed to have surgery for a tubal ligation in order to achieve permanent protection against pregnancy. Surgery always comes with risks, so an alternative that is less invasive should be safer.
The device includes two metal coils that are implanted in the fallopian tubes. This is done without any surgical incisions, using a hysteroscope to insert the coils, and it takes just about ten minutes in a doctor's office. The coils trigger inflammation in the fallopian tubes, which results in scar tissue that blocks the tubes and prevents any eggs from moving through them from the ovaries to the uterus.
Recovery time is minimal, and women receiving the device are able to go right back to normal activities the same day. The build-up of scar tissue takes time, about three months. Women with the device go back to the doctor for an examination to be sure the scar tissue has fully formed. This needs to be confirmed before a woman can rely on the device to provide effective birth control.
Complications Lead to Lawsuits
Because the insertion of the Essure device is not surgical, there are supposed to be fewer risks of complications. With surgery, like a tubal ligation, there is a possibility of a bad reaction to anesthesia, bleeding, blood clots, and infections. These risks should be minimized with non-invasive Essure, but the device has been shown to cause other, often very serious complications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Essure in 2002 and since then have received thousands of reports from women of adverse events that occurred because of the device. Women report having severe low back and pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, and other serious complications. Some of the most severe are cases in which the device perforated the fallopian tubes and migrated to other parts of the body, causing damage to organs and tissues.
Some of these women had such serious damage caused by the device that they had to have hysterectomies, removals of the uterus. This is major surgery that has consequences like sexual dysfunction, bowel problems, incontinence, pelvic pain, and organ prolapse. Many of the women who have suffered because of Essure have tried to file lawsuits against Bayer, but so far without much success thanks to protection that the company has against such suits.
There have even been deaths associated with the use of Essure. The FDA has collected several reports of deaths, many of which were the deaths of infants or lost pregnancies. As many as four women may have died directly because of the use of Essure, with causes of death being reported as infection, intrauterine perforation, suicide, and embolism.
Questionable Claims and Trial Data
In addition to complications, there are other serious issues with Essure. One is that Bayer has made claims about the effectiveness of the device that have been called into question. The company claims that Essure is 99.74 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, a rate higher than other types of birth control. Critics say that the effectiveness rating applies only to the clinical setting of the trials, and would not be as high in the real world. This claim may be misleading to women who believe the device to be more effective than it really is.
There have also been serious concerns regarding the way in which Essure was tested. The FDA fast-tracked approval of Essure, but in doing so required that Bayer follow up with more studies and track participants for at least four years after receiving the device. The results of that study were not published for eight years, an unusual delay.
Those results showed that only 366 of the 500 women were followed for the required minimum of four years and that 15 of those women required hysterectomies because of complications. Less serious, but still consequential complications included heavy periods for 38 percent of the women, chronic pelvic pain for 20 percent, and painful intercourse for many. The delay in publishing the results means that thousands of women had Essure implanted without access to all the information about complications and risks.
Essure Lawsuits
Lawsuits are pending against Bayer because of complications and trial controversies with Essure, but the company is preempted from lawsuits. FDA preemption protects medical device makers from certain claims and lawsuits. It is not impossible to get justice, but it is challenging. Some cases have already been thrown out by judges because of preemption.
Several of these were dismissed under certain claims, but a judge recently allowed several Essure lawsuits to proceed based on claims that Bayer failed to warn patients about risks and that the company was negligent in making certain claims about the device. These women and their representation now have the chance to make their cases and to win compensation.
Some of the women involved in the lawsuit include one who experienced fallopian tube perforation because of Essure. She suffered heavy bleeding and pain and had to have surgery to remove the broken device and her fallopian tube. Another woman claims that she had Essure implanted when a Bayer representative was supposed to be on hand to guide the doctor. That representative never came and the doctor failed several times to implant the device correctly. The result was pain, more surgeries, and permanent damage.
Can You File an Essure Lawsuit?
If you had Essure implanted and suffered complications, filing a lawsuit may not be simple. Because of FDA preemption, Bayer is protected from certain claims. Most recently the women allowed to proceed had certain of their claims dismissed, such as the device causing them permanent damage. The process for suing Bayer for this device is complicated, but a lawyer can help guide you, help you decide if you have a case, and take you through the necessary steps.
- http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/EssurePermanentBirthControl/default.htm
- http://www.ijgo.org/article/S0020-7292(09)00399-3/abstract
- http://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/essure-sterilization-device-causes-serious-safety-concern-study-n443966
- http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/EssurePermanentBirthControl/default.htm
- https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2015cv03995/290762
- http://www.cbgnetwork.org/downloads/Essure_Charge_Philadelphia.pdf
- http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27871265


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About Jordan Valley Glassworks
Jordan Valley Glassworks is a family-owned glass-blowing studio located in East Jordan, Michigan. In 1911, Grandpa came to America from Russia and originally set up shop in Brooklyn, NY. We are now the 3rd, 4th, and 5th-generation glassblowers here in our East Jordan, MI studio.
For over twenty years now at our current location, we have been creating beautiful, custom glass pieces that have been purchased all across the United States. Find your next custom-made piece of art by shopping with us online!
Our Mission
Our mission at Jordan Valley Glassworks is to share the art of glassblowing. We want to make it accessible to everyone in the East Jordan area while making it a fun experience!
How It All Began
Jordan Valley Glassworks is a family-owned glass blowing business originally founded in 1988 as a wholesaler of stained glass art and transforming into a glass blowing studio open to the public in December of 1999. With works of art ranging from economically priced beautifully crafted paperweights and holiday ornaments to giant 500 pound 300 piece chandeliers, the small northern Michigan glass studio offers a wide range of unique handcrafted treasures to accent and enhance your living spaces.
Nestled in the Jordan Valley in East Jordan Michigan, JVG is a working studio that allows walk-in customers the opportunity to watch artists create over 100 different products from start to finish. Each piece begins as a glob of clear molten glass dipped from the 2,000 degree Fahrenheit furnace and carefully shaped, blown, and colored with small pieces of colored glass (frit) or powders. While some of the pieces can be made by a solo artist in a matter of minutes, the more extraordinary sculptures often require 2 to 4 artists working simultaneously several hours to make.
Locally Crafted Masterpieces
Jordan Valley Glassworks is well known throughout Michigan and across the country for their bright colors and locally crafted masterpieces. Having created works of art for several Michigan governors and even the White House, their art has made it into every state in the United States; Most notably during the National Governors' Association Conference in 2007, where Governor Jeniffer Granholm gifted each governor with one of JVG's signature Puff Pots patterned in what is now known as the "Governor's Pattern" and uses colorings to reflect Michigan's Great Lakes, green forests, and colorful skies.
Honoring Those Who Served
Among their most recognizable products are their Niijima floats. Every Memorial Day, JVG creates and distributes (for free) over 150 of these precious 5-6 inch diameter blown glass floats engraved with the name of a veteran who gave their life fighting for America's freedom. "It's our special way of remembering and honoring those who've made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our freedom," said Glenna Haney, co-owner and master glassblower, "They helped shape our country and our way of life and we want to share that feeling of appreciation and the magnitude of that sacrifice with everyone who finds one."


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Simple Knitting is a unique workshop-based, how-to-knit book that will teach you the key techniques whilst creating an enviable collection of knitted items. Each of the 20 projects in the book teaches a new skill, as well as building upon and consolidating those knitting techniques already learnt through preceding projects. With a series of workshop-style masterclasses Erika Knight explains all the essential information – from achieving a perfect tension and substituting yarns or stitch textures, to more advanced cables and shaping – alongside broader design principles, such as building a colour palette.
Providing a unique opportunity to learn the design secrets of one of the world's most highly respected knitwear designers, Erika shares her special tricks of the trade within the book. Erika's signature style, for which she has become renowned worldwide, is her sophisticated simplicity. Simple Knitting is the embodiment of that elegant reductivism. Her designs proved that you can make wonderful, original items for your home and yourself at the same time as mastering a repertoire of skills. Likewise, her preference for a refined natural palette of earthy shades with the odd highlight hue is perfectly in tune with the current mood for relaxed, homely interiors.
With inspiring photography by Yuki Sugiura that showcases each of the beautiful designs, supported with clear charts and artworks, Simple Knitting is the ultimate learn-to-knit book.
© 2023 Creative Ewe
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A few days ago, Prague hosted the Innovative Legal Services Forum which focused also on LegalTech startups and clever use of technology by legal firms. Legal innovators discussed topics such as Big Data, Outsourcing, Law Firm Business Model & Compensation. We interviewed Aron Solomon who aims to improve the legal industry, having built Law Made and LegalX. Law Made is an advisory firm focused on the legal space with a particular emphasis on supporting entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship across the globe. Aron won the prestigious Fastcase 50 in 2015, which highlights people who have charted a new course for the delivery of legal services.
What can technology do to help lawyers be more liked by people? 😉
Absolutely nothing. I know many truly lovely people who are lawyers, but technology won't change the perception that has existed in our culture from the time of Shakespeare and beyond and is and was created by really shitty practitioners.
What has been done so far by legaltech?
While it is still early days for legal technology, its disrupting an entire industry. Legaltech is ten years behind where the industry I grew up in as an entrepreneur – education technology – is. And they're going to follow very similar paths. Perhaps most importantly, legaltech is now part of an industry-wide conversation. It's in the minds, mouths, and, increasingly, hearts of many.
What is next to be disrupted?
The in-between spaces. Focus not on building something to compete with LegalZoom but rather something that can integrate existing technologies. I also personally have a very positive long view on technologies in legal that aren't necessarily "legaltech," such as those that bring legal on to the Blockchain. And, yes, AI will continue to be important but entrepreneurs will need to be more proactive and creative in how they use AI in legal.
Can you name us some legaltech startups you find interesting and promising?
There are several Law Made startups from around the world that have done very well so far in Europe. I would point to Beagle (Beagle.ai) a contract analysis software, that has significant business from the EU and around the world. We also work with a growing number of startups from Europe and the United Kingdom, and they are doing very well here. I would point to Pekama, out of Cambridge, England, as a company gaining really nice traction here.
Should entrepreneurs go to the Silicon Valley to start new business or will they be fine in Europe?
Please, please stay. It's the rare exception that one should immediately go somewhere like Silicon Valley. Build your startup here in Europe and we at Law Made, which is a truly global business, will be here to help. Then, when it's time to scale up, maybe (or maybe not) Silicon Valley, or London, or New York makes sense. Be smart, build your team here, work closely together (including with your developers, who you can actually afford to hire here), be super good with your money so you can extend your runway, and the sky will be your limit. You are actually capable of doing great things in Europe, and that most definitely includes the CEE.
Looking at different hubs in Europe and globally, which cities would you say are leading the way in LegalTech and why?
Definitely what we've helped build here in Toronto, Toronto punches way above its weight in legal innovation. We at Law Made helped build the foundation for startups to succeed in Toronto, just as we will in various parts of Europe. London is absolutely an important hub, not just because of the Magic Circle firms but because of the rising culture of innovation and support for entrepreneurs in London. Their UK Seed Investment Scheme, which I recently wrote about, is really a pretty amazing program – definitely one of the better ones I've ever seen. Globally, New York will be very important in legal, as will Beijing, where startups can grow and scale very quickly. I have been to China 56 times, have lived in Beijing and help run a startup accelerator there. I soon hope to be able to include European legal startups in the Chinese innovation scene. As for Europe itself, it's an open playing field and my formula is simple: Legal startups will build and grow in places where founders can afford to live a decent quality of life; it is easy to travel to major centers of law and commerce; there is a strong talent pool there or close by at an affordable price (especially development talent); and corporates, universities and local and regional governments not only like having innovators there, they are proactive in developing programs to attract and retain them. I'm big on Germany and the Netherlands, and I have a very positive long view on CEE.
Who is Aron? What makes you get up from bed?
My groß pudel! She and I wake up really early and she retrieves in the lake and swims with the ducks. Even in the winter. We are usually awake by 0400. I love getting up in the morning. And I love espresso but take only 1-2 cups a day and never in the morning. Just when I need inspiration.
What is Law Made?
We make law better. At Law Made, we basically help bring all the pieces of the industry together, from startups, to huge corporations, law firms. We are always founder-friendly, and focused on those who make things. As we say, we get the Digital Davids to play with the Enterprise Goliaths.


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Pop Shamanism
This painting describes an experience that happens without words and without explanations that could adequately do it justice. The symbols I used try to describe it to the best of my abilities in images so I will explain those.
Behind the face is the Sri Yantra, the "shape" that represents the universal unity of masculine and feminine as well as the entirety of the cosmos as a womb or vessel for creation. The Sri Yantra is behind the eyes, somehow inside the face, inside the mind in a way and then encircled within the lotus, which is a symbol for rebirth, rejuvenation, and purity of consciousness. The fluid shapes around the lotus are in the colors of the chakras as well as black and white which represent the different levels of energies that are both within our bodies as well as around us and the duality of dark and light that pervades existence to create a whole.


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In the big square in Saint Raphael, just across from the train station and 2 blocks from the beach and harbor, the town has all sorts of events going on throughout the year. Over the Christmas holidays, they put up a big ice skating rink and booths to sell hot chocolate and churros.
In the summer, we can count on two things: first, a circus tent where you can sign your kids up for a bit of circus performer training. They'll learn to juggle, to go on a little trapeze (with safety harnesses of course), balance on a giant ball, walk a balance beam (about 2 inches off the floor for the young ones, so they don't have far to fall) and the kids seem to have a good time. Le Garçon did that program a couple of times when he was younger; now, just weeks from his 13th birthday, he wouldn't be caught in that tent with the little kids. Ah, how times flies.
The other thing we have at the square is a daily antiques fair. Dozens of vendors come out in the late afternoon (they're smart enough to avoid the hottest part of the day, siesta time) and set up their tables. I love browsing at antique fairs in France because I often see items that are so different than what I'm used to from similar shows back home. I also love finding things that are just truly bizarre.
So here's what I spotted the other day when we walked around:
Old coffee grinders, an old bell, pewter cups and candlesticks, an old lantern, and I think I spot a blunderbus in there?
One vendor specialized in old US license plates. I flipped through his collection looking for the tell-tale bland cream-and-black NJ plates, and wasn't disappointed. This one dates back to 1946! Guess he finds them on the internet because I have a hard time believing he roams the 50 states looking for cheap plates for sale, and with shipping and all I would expect a sizable markup. But 49€? Pass.
Not a real American flag but one of those tacky knock-offs, this one with a tractor trailer imprinted on it. The army helmet might be the real deal, though. Just down the road from Saint Raphael, on the 15th of August, there will be a LOT of war memorabilia for sale as this marks the 70th anniversary of the US/Allied landing to liberate the south of France.
And talk about bizarre? Check out THIS display:
I don't even want to know what a potential buyer would have in mind if they took home one of these mannequin -- uh -- parts.


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Muscle Anatomy
The psoas lies in the abdominal cavity behind the internal organs and cannot be seen. It is important to understand that the psoas attaches to the lumbar vertebrae. Because of this, when you are lying down and you raise your legs, the psoas not only pulls on the femur to lift the legs, but it also pulls on the lower vertebrae. When this occurs spinal hyperextension can result if the abdominal muscles are not strongly contracted to counteract this effect.
The psoas originates on the sides of the last thoracic and all the lumbar vertebrae.
At the lower end the psoas attaches to the lesser trochanter of the femur.
Adducts the leg and tilts the trunk laterally and anteriorly.


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TTLG # 115 with Kayla Cornejo
Kayla Cornejo hangs out to chat about marijuana testing, public health, and some of the questions the community has.
***Legal disclaimer:
Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under It's influence. There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.


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Sam is listening to:
Recent Posts
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- April 27th #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Madeline Ashby, Peter Watts, Jo Walton, Robert J. Sawyer, Steven Erikson, and more
- "Twisted and Frighteningly Relatable" — James reviews The Circle
- March #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Kate Reading reading Marie Brennan, Simon Vance reading Brian Staveley and James Maxwell, and more
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- Cyber Monday #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Seveneves, The Hunger Games, 1984, The Forever War, Flowers for Algernon, The Muralist, Octavia Butler, and more | The AudioBookaneers on November #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Margaret Atwood, Neal Stephenson, Becky Chambers, Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, Amy Bartol, and more
- Black Friday #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Jemisin's The Fifth Season, McCammon's Swan Song, Cashore's Graceling, and Sanderson's Alcatraz | The AudioBookaneers on November #WhispersyncDeal roundup: Margaret Atwood, Neal Stephenson, Becky Chambers, Joe Hill, Paul Tremblay, Amy Bartol, and more
- 2016 Arrrdies, Part 1: The digital regional divide of 2015: Tad Williams, Daniel Polansky, Becky Chambers, Robert Holdstock, Sarah Pinborough, and more | The AudioBookaneers on Revisiting the regional digital divide, again
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Category Archives: The Arrrdies
2016 Arrrdies, Part 1: The digital regional divide of 2015: Tad Williams, Daniel Polansky, Becky Chambers, Robert Holdstock, Sarah Pinborough, and more
I had a blast putting together the most missing audiobooks of 2014, and I'm back for more. This year saw (in the US Audible science fiction and fantasy section alone) 3,606 new audiobooks, up a few hundred from last year's 3,267. … Continue reading
2015 Armchair Audies: Science Fiction
I'm honored to be a guest judge this year for the The Armchair Audies, the audiobook blogosphere's annual "challenge" in conversation with the Audio Publishers Association Audies which will be awarded at the sold-out APA Audies Gala on May 28. This year I … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies Tagged andy weir, armchair audies, audies, claire north, dark eden, john scalzi, lock in, rc bray, the martian, wil wheaton 1 Comment
The AudioBookaneers pick their favorite audiobooks of 2014
Well, it's (past) that time of year again: time for Dave and I to look back on a year in listening. We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we jeered, we stayed up well into the night for these audiobooks. It seems … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies Tagged adjoa andoh, afterparty, amber benson, andy weir, andy weird, ann leckie, anne charnock, area x, bd wong, ben h. winters, bronson pinchot, catherynne m valente, chang-rae lee, cherie priest, chris beckett, cibola burn, claire north, daniel abraham, dark eden, daryl gregory, donna tartt, drizzt, evie wyld, fred berman, gabrielle de cuir, haruki murakami, ironskin, j.k. rowling, james marsters, james sa corey, janis ian, jeff vandermeer, jo walton, joe hill, john darnielle, john scalzi, johnny b truant, jonathan lethem, josh cohen, junot diaz, kameron hurley, katherine addison, kristen bell, lev grossman, lewis shiner, lock in, macleod andrews, manly wade wellman, maplecroft, margaret atwood, mark bramhall, michael chabon, michel faber, monica byrne, motherless brooklyn, my real children, neil gaiman, nick harkaway, octavia butler, on such a full sea, one hundred years of solitude, peter berkrot, RA Salvatore, rc bray, richard kadrey, robert galbraith, robert glenister, rosalyn landor, ruth ozeki, sandman slim, sean platt, shirley jackson, six-gun snow white, stefan rudnicki, ted chiang, the beam, the book of strange new things, the brief wondrous life of oscar wao, the girl in the road, the goblin emperor, the goldfinch, the martian, the mirror empire, the silkworm, the yiddish policeman's union, therese anne fowler, tigerman, tina connolly, vampire empire, veronica mars, we have always lived in the castle, when women were warriors, wil wheaton, wolf in white van, xe sands 10 Comments
The 33 most missing audiobooks of 2014
Three thousand two hundred sixty-seven. That's how many science fiction and fantasy audiobooks were added to Audible.com's US listings alone in 2014, and the larger number of new speculative fiction audiobooks — which include GraphicAudio, independent (for example The Maze … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies Tagged adam roberts, alex dally macfarlane, am dellamonica, american neolithic, ben aaronovitch, blake butler, broken river books, bryan allen carr, dave hutchinson, david edison, david james keaton, diana wynne jones, elysium, emmi itaranta, fred venturini, gemma files, greg van eekhout, hilda hilst, iain m banks, james l cambias, jay lake, jennifer marie brissett, jenny erpenbeck, jm mcdermott, joanne m harris, john hornor jacobs, jonathan carroll, josh weil, julia elliott, kerry howley, laila lalami, lavie tidhar, maze, naomi foyle, neil williamson, nick mamatas, nina allan, our lady of the islands, peter liney, rajan khanna, richard house, rjurik davidson, sam sykes, shannon page, simon ings, stephen baxter, stuart rojstaczer, terence hawkins, the great glass sea, the last projector, ultima, unwrapped sky, ursula jones, will mcintosh, wu ming-yi 9 Comments
At Long Last! The AudioBookaneers Favorite Audiobooks of 2013!
Yes, it's been a looooooooong wait. But 2013 was a pretty good year, and we have the audiobooks to prove it! In our wrap-up of 2012 in audiobooks, we had a consensus pick for best new audiobook, The Amazing Adventures of … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies Tagged american elsewhere, ancillary justice, ann leckie, doctor sleep, hild, kate atkinson, kim stanley robinson, lauren beukes, life after life, neil gaiman, niccola griffith, robert jackson bennett, shaman, stephen king, the ocean at the end of the lane, the shining girls 7 Comments
The AudioBookaneers 2012 Year in Review, Part 2: Books We Missed
We tried. We really did. "ALL THE BOOKS!" But, alas, there was a good number of audiobooks we had our eyes on but for one reason or another — usually time… — we didn't get to them. While listing even … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies 1 Comment
The AudioBookaneers 2012 Year in Review, Part 1: Our Favorite Listens
Well, like everybody else, we're taking a look back at 2012. It was the biggest year ever in terms of audiobook releases: Audible Frontiers published 750 audiobooks this year alone, not to mention the output from the other major and … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies 12 Comments
2011 in review, 4 of 4: My picks for the year's best in science fiction and fantasy audiobooks
This is the last of four posts looking back at 2011 in science fiction and fantasy audiobooks, after my year in listening, what I missed, and the most missing audiobooks. Here, I lay out my picks for the year's best in science … Continue reading
Posted in The Arrrdies 5 Comments


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Canon Pixma TS6050 Driver Software and Manual Download
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Get enlivened with CREATIVE PARK and CREATIVE PARK PREMIUM*. Plan and print welcoming cards, timetables, photograph arrangements and shocking 3D paper create creatures, toys and point of interest structures.


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We are an award winning, innovative, clever, solution-based design company in the heart of the Ohio Valley.
For the past fifteen years Brandi Patt has been creating and upgrading corporate identities, web sites and original marketing material across the tri-state area and beyond. Brandi's goal is continue to develop creative visual communication that produce results.
400 West 4th
Martins Ferry, Oh 43947
Phone: 740-325-0048
E-mail: email@example.com


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
In a routine inspection performed by Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., the Daniel Island Drive Bridge over Beresford Creek was found to contain a damaged beam and will be closed until late next week, as temporary repairs are made.
City of Charleston Interim Director of Public Service Tom O'Brien said, "Ensuring the safety of our citizens while they're traveling on our roadways is a top priority, and we are committed to making the necessary repairs and mitigating the effects of this closure until the bridge is able to safely reopen."


text: 3 Reasons To Sell Your House Before the New Year [INFOGRAPHIC] Written by Davie FL Mortgage Syndicated User on December 2, 2023. Posted in Dave FL Mortgage Rates, Davie FL Mortgage, For Sellers, Housing Market Updates, Infographics, Selling Myths. Some HighlightsHere are a few reasons you may not want to hold off until the new year to sell your house. Buyers looking right now are highly motivated, the supply of homes for sale is still low, and you may find buyers are more flexible with showings this time of year.Reach out to a real estate agent to determine if selling your house now is the right move for you. Continue reading


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ONA AV60 Specifications
|X-axis travel
|800 mm
|31.5 in
|Y-axis travel
|600 mm
|23.6 in
|Z-axis travel
|500 / 600 / 700 / 800 mm
|19.7 / 23.6 / 27.5 / 31.5 in
|Maximum workpiece dimensions
|1300 mm
|51.2 in
|1040 mm
|40.9 in
|500 mm
|19.7 in
|Allowable weight on table
|5000 kg
|11000 Ibs
|U/V-axes travel
|500 x 500 mm
|19.7 x 19.7 in
|Maximum angle of conical cut (optionally ±45º)
|+/- 30º / 400 mm
|+/- 30º / 15.8 in
|Wire diameter range
|0.20 / 0.33 mm
|0.008 – 0.013 in
|Maximum cutting speed
|450 mm2/min – Ø 0.33 mm (Xcc wire)
|42 in2/hr – Ø 0.013 in (Xcc wire)
(*) Ask details for the different possible configurations. The indicated data correspond to the smaller machine configuration of each model.
Benefits of AV Technology
- The numerical control, designed on the concept of usability, has: a 23" touch interface, Intuitive and visually friendly menus, Applications represented by icons, Real-time information, greater control of the process..
- The optimisation of work times is another of the main functions of the AV machines. The system allows you to view the list of jobs (JOBs list).
- The new interface displays the workpiece in 3D and allows the operator to rotate and move it according to their requirements with a simple tap on the screen thanks to its tactile technology.
- The new generator enables cutting at high speeds and guarantees great efficiency of the machines. Savings of 30% and a 450mm2/min (0.33 wire(XCC)) speed..
- ONA Script programming + Medition in-process option in order to have a total control of the workpiece positioning.
New Machines
CNC International represents, as sole UK and Ireland agents, some of the most innovative manufacturers of die sink, wire EDM, EDM drilling and high speed machining equipment.
Used Machines
CNC can source, refurbish and supply die sink, wire erosion and EDM machines, from all of the leading manufacturers


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"Crayola Census"
When I smell colors, this is what I see.
The brown smells like wet cardboard and soggy Rice Krispies languishing in a stodgy bowl in a dirty sink full of dishes.
The black smells like licorice flavored liquor and settled smoke obscuring my vision on a deathly autumn night that seems to last forever.
When I smell colors, this is what I hear.
white smells like vanilla candles burning special, on vanilla birthday frosted cakes, too, too sweet.
The red smells like angry acne and sweat from a sleepless summer nights of rejected sexual advances, festering in a marriage bed growing toward displeasure.
When I smell colors, this is what I taste.
The blue smells like the mystery of a shadowed ocean being overlooked by a winter's dark starry night above.
The orange smells like corporate cubicles during rushed at-desk lunches, peels peeled of pride and dead inside, cleaning the clogged dreams with citrus solutions.
When I smell colors, this is what I feel.
The green smells like the verdant vegetative estates of spring sprawling out into the forever, ground up for health drinks consumption.
The purple smells like mountains majesty and spiced plums bruised by vascular varicose varieties.
When I smell colors, this is what I smell.
The peach smells like generalized skin tones of nude pantyhose on a Kmart shelf hanging suggestively from a plastic egg packaging.
The grey smells like the ashes of dead relatives left on counters at mortuaries and funeral parlors sealed with precision so all that is left materially cannot escape order.


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|Home > Shulamith
♀ Shulamith
What does Shulamith mean?
Shulamith as a girls' name is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Shulamith is "peace". Composer Shulamit Ran; writer Shulamith Firestone.
ASSOCIATED WITH peace
VARIANTS Shula, Shulamit, Sula, SulamithCREATIVE FORMS
Shulamith Miyah (S.M.), ..
How popular is Shulamith?
Shulamith is an uncommonly occurring given name for women. Shulamith is an equivalently unusual surname too for all people. (2000 U.S. DEMOGRAPHICS)
Which version is better?
Sula is the only prominent variation form of Shulamith (NOT RANKED) appearing in the Top 2000. This form of Shulamith reached the apex of its popularity a century ago (#655). (2018 U.S. SSA RECORDS)
Similar Names
Recommended sound-alike names are Orlaith, Shalaina, Shalaine, Shalamar, Shalita, Shamika▼, Shamira, Shamirah, Shanit, Shanita, Sharita, Sharity, Shelagh, Shelbeigh, Shilah, Shunagh and Shylah. These names tend to be more commonly used than Shulamith.See names in meaning and etymology.


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The Cincinnati Bengals didn't lead the Cleveland Browns until the final minute of the game, but it was all the time they needed for the win.
Bengals kicker Mike Nugent connected on a go-ahead 26-yard field goal to make the score 23-20 in the final minute of the game. Nugent's field goal opportunity was set up largely thanks to a 51-yard reception by rookie wide receiver A.J. Green n third down with less than a minute remaining.
Browns kicker Phil Dawson missed a 55-yard field goal on the previous drive. Ryan Pontbriand, the team's Pro Bowl long snapper, skimmed the ground with the snap throwing off Dawson's timing and the kick sailed wide left.
The Browns led much of the game but couldn't execute at key moments in the second half. Rookie wide receiver Greg Little had several drops on the game, returning running back Peyton Hillis failed to break any big runs and a fourth quarter interception by quarterback Colt McCoy proved costly.
The loss drops the Browns to 4-7 on the season and the Bengals improved to 7-4.


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A road that formed part of the Romans' version of the A55 has been unearthed by archaeologists.
The section - complete with what could be tracks from carts driven by Roman citizens - is likely to have linked the River Dee estuary with the main road that the ancient people used to travel across North Wales.
It was excavated in a farmer's field near Oakenholt this week.
Archaeologists know that the Romans had a large road linking the forts in Chester and Caernarfon , with a third fort somewhere along the route which has never been found by those searching.
Ian Grant, senior archaeologist for Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, said nobody knew where the third fort was located, but some believed it was in the St Asaph area.
The lost Roman fort, called Varis, appears in literature but has never been found by archaeologists.
He said finding the fort would represent the Holy Grail for archaeologists.
But Mr Grant said he was satisfied with the latest excavation, which helped to prove the important role Oakenholt played in the workings of the Roman empire.
He said: "This is demonstrating that the whole Roman settlement and industry in this area expands beyond where we currently know it to.
"It is showing there is a bigger infrastructure here than presently known and it is showing that the limits of this Roman settlement are still not known."
The Roman history of the Flint area has been analysed by historians and archaeologists for many years.
Mr Grant said: "We have known about the Roman heritage around the Flint area since the 17th century when Thomas Pennant noted that a lot of lead workers were noticing Roman artefacts and because there is a tradition of people finding Roman artefacts in their back gardens they have known Romans have been here exploiting the minerals.
"The local Celtic tribe, who were known as the Deceangli got enslaved by the Romans and became thier qualified work force.
"They were bringing lead off Halkyn Mountain and processing it on the shore line meaning a settlement grew out here."
Part of the road uncovered had been discovered in the early 1990s, when a farmer noticed he kept bringing up rocks when ploughing his field.
The current work, carried out over a four day period with the help of volunteers, confirmed that the road travelled along the shore line, and would have led to quays where boats would have transported the materials away.
Evidence of the large A55-style road was found in 2007, where it was realised this was the road travelling across the region.
Mr Grant said the road effectively follows the route of the current road, with it lying either underneath the current road or beside it.
The Cadw funded project, held over a four day period, also gave residents living near the site to view the work being done, while also bringing anything they had discovered on their properties which was believed to be Roman.
Alex Sperr, from CPAT, said a range of materials including pottery, coins and iron had been discovered by members of the public and brought in to be shown.
CPAT are planning to carry out another excavation, in which the public will again be invited to view, at Coleg Cambria, Northop in Flintshire .
They will be looking at a Welsh Medieval site. Details of the excavation will be announced by CPAT at a future date.


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Find more staff
- Reader in British Imperial History and Associate Head of Department Research and Scholarship CCI Frenchay
Department staff:
Research staff:
- 19th and 20th Century British Imperial and Commonwealth History
- History of Southern Africa since the late 19th Century
- Anglo-Dominion relations in the 20th Century
- 20th Century Comparative Decolonization
- 20th Century Military History
Teaching staff:
- Qualifications:BA (Hons) History, University of Saskatchewan (1977-81); MA History, University of Saskatchewan (1981-83); PhD London School of Economics (1983-1991)
- Position:Reader in British Imperial History and Associate Head of Department Research and Scholarship CCI Frenchay
- Department:ACE - Creative and Cultural Industries
- Telephone:+4411732 84382
- Email:firstname.lastname@example.com
About me
The over-arching theme throughout all of my work to date has been a comparative approach and one that is permeated by the fascination with Anglo-dominion relations. As a Canadian who has lived in the United Kingdom for more than 30 years, I believe I can give a unique insight into this relationship. And it has been this theme which has formed the backbone of my work whether it is empire migration, POW history, or more recently Anglo-Canadian wartime relations.
Empire Migration
This area of study has been the stock-in-trade of my research ever since becoming an academic; and it remains a central pillar of my research today. Using a comparative framework, the interest in empire migration was first sparked through an examination of the resettlement of British ex-servicemen in the dominions during the inter-war period. The inter-war period continues to inform ongoing research that examines the British diaspora in the 20th century and the peopling of the British World. My most recent contribution to this field appeared in a co-edited collection, with Professor Andrew S. Thompson (Exeter), Empire, migration and identity in the British World (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2013).
World War One at Home Project
In April 2013, I and a colleague in the Bristol Business School, Charles Booth, were successful in bidding for the three month 'World War One at Home Project', initiated by the BBC and AHRC, and piloted in BBC West. Working with the colleagues in radio based at BBC Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire, we helped compile 100 stories in these regions of peoples' experiences in the First World War. The national programme in the remaining 11 BBC regions in England and the three in the Celtic Nations has now been launched. The successful completion of the pilot project in July 2013, and the role as national advisors to the rest of the regions has been combined with the granting of a similar award for BBC South West which includes Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands.
Area of expertise
- Empire Migration
- Prisoners of War
- Civilian Internment
- Anglo-Dominion Relations
- The British World


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Chinese mitten crabs are officially listed as one of the World's 100 worst invasive species. They can cause damage to fishing gear and river banks, block intake screens, modify natural habitats and compete with native species. It is this economic and ecological damage that makes this crab such an unwelcome arrival. The full extent of these exotic pests in English and Welsh waters is currently unclear and a consortium of research institutes is requesting mitten crab sightings from members of the public, anglers and waterway workers, to clarify the distribution of this species.
Find out more
Philine zu Ermgassen, Freshwater Ecologist at the University of Cambridge, talks about the identification, impacts and management of The Chinese Mitten Crab in Great Britain.


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Here are several major points about how the decision will affect prolife people:
- The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling means federal subsidies will continue for plans purchased on health care exchanges, including plans that pay for abortions.
- Because of the grassroots efforts of prolifers across Michigan to collect more than 316,000 signatures to initiate the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act, the law was passed in 2013. Because of this law, subsidized plans purchased in Michigan do not include abortion coverage.
- The federal Hyde Amendment prevents tax funding of most abortions, but because the Hyde Amendment does not apply to these subsidies, our federal tax dollars will continue to subsidize abortion coverage in states without an opt-out law.
- The federal government should either apply the Hyde Amendment to health subsidies, or pass the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act to stop forcing people who object to abortion to fund abortions for others.
If you have any question about the decision, please contact Right to Life of Michigan at 616-532-2300 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Click here for a PDF of the King v. Burwell opinions from the Supreme Court.


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If you're trying to build up your business but trying to cut corners at the same time, it is good to know that there are ways to save money without it affecting the growth of your business. These days, many businesspeople choose virtual office services when they want to save money but still need to appear to be true professionals. The biggest advantage of utilising virtual services is that you can pick and choose what you need; indeed, you don't have to choose every service available but can use only the services that you need most. You can choose a virtual receptionist, virtual office space, and even a virtual address so that other businesses will know that you're legitimate. The companies that offer these virtual services allow you to utilise what you need and leave the rest alone. All services are less expensive than you might think.
Making Things Easy for You
Virtual services can be miracle workers when your business is just getting started. If you don't have an official office building, do not worry because you can receive a virtual business address that makes you look professional and reliable with no problem. No one will ever know that the space isn't something that you utilise every day but when you've scheduled that all-important business meeting, you can use their professional-looking space and have the people you're meeting with take you seriously from the very beginning. A professional virtual address in Sydney makes you appear to be the expert that you are from Day One and you can use this address in all of your business correspondence, including your marketing materials. The companies that offer these services provide other services as well, including forwarding your mail to another address, accepting and holding packages, and even fax and email services that can allow you to receive messages instantly.
Less Expensive Than You Think
Best of all, these virtual services are a lot less expensive than you might think, starting at around $50 per month. Many of these facilities allow you both short-term and long-term usage of their facilities, which is convenient when you're just getting started and you aren't sure how long you will need their services. In fact, they often provide serviced offices, virtual offices, and meeting room hire, among other services, which makes them truly invaluable. They work closely with you so that you get the services you need to make sure that your business grows and thrives so if you need something unique or a little unusual, they can usually accommodate you. They often provide discounts if you're there for a while and they work with businesses of all sizes and types. In addition, the facilities are always clean, spacious, and conveniently located.
When you need virtual business services of any type, it is good to know that they are both easy to find and easy to afford. A virtual business address and mail services can be a great way to save both time and money and both of these are important when your business is just getting started.


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Senta Holland
An independent writer, and the author of "Out Of The Shadows And Into The Darkness". Making a guest appearance here as a CCK contributor.
Senta Holland lives and loves in the shadows, in a world of BDSM from the inside out. Her passion has to be lived in secret. If the shadows don't lift, you will never meet her and the only way to get to know Senta is through her book. Open the pages, and she will lead you deep inside her beloved darkness. But maybe you have met Senta already. Maybe you hear her soft voice in your dreams, maybe she is sitting right next to you on the Underground. And maybe you, yourself, are Senta in the shadows.
Questions we asked:
Coffee100% Arabica only
CakeI love light, airy, complex compositions with cherries. Bitter, dark, sweet, tart, sumptuous. Red to black.
Kinks: Interests, Quirks or PeculiaritiesI can't answer that...
What attracted you to Coffee, Cake & Kink? (Why CCK?)I heard about it on the internet and then I checked it out while it was still in Endell Street.
What were you doing before you joined us?Writing my book 'Out of the Shadows and into the Darkness'. I am a writer, and was one at the time... I am writing a new book right now.
What's your favourite way to wake up and what's the first thing you do?I don't like waking up. I prefer to dream...
What's your favourite thing to do on a Saturday night?Wild things under a tropical moon...
What's in your wardrobe?Beautiful vintage dresses.
What are you reading right now?'The Bride Stripped Bare' by Nikki Gemmell.
What was the last thing you ate that you really shouldn't?I'm afraid I don't understand the question...'Shouldn't' is not a concept that has much of a place in my life.
When was the last time you cried laughing and why?I can't remember doing that.
What is stashed under your bed/mattress?People are still doing that?
Have you got any bad habits? :)Not in my view. I'm not much into dividing my life into good and bad.
Your "Bucket list" : Five things you want to do in life?
- Have a "champagne flute list" instead!
- Write.
- Get my voice heard.
- Help liberate the BDSM community so that we can walk out of the shadows (I don't think that is going to happen within my life time, though...)
- Board a space ship and discover the rest of the galaxy.


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A WEEK in a foreign country with people you don't know with no phone or computer – that was the challenge for six Haslingden High School students recently.
The Bocholt Camp was arranged by Rossendale's twin German town and it united the town's many other twins and sister cities including Bocholt in Belgium, Aurillac in France and Akmenė, in Lithuania. Students from Holland were also present.
When Tiegan Gamble, 15, Hannah Fletcher, 17, Georgia Whitworth, 16, Heather Chapleo, 17, Mollie Haynes, 15 and Rhiannon Davies-Bull, 15, arrived at the conference centre in Bocholt they were allocated a room mate from Germany, Lithuania or France.
Mollie said: "The first night it was really scary because we didn't know anyone and we did not know how much our room mate understood."
Language barriers aside, the groups leant to mix and mingle as they took part in a series of activities and trips including a zoo visit, swimming in an open air pool and dining on Belgian waffles.
During a high ropes course Rhiannon had to be rescued when she got stuck, as did French teacher Colin Povey.
Tiegan said: "It was hard at first when we didn't know anyone but we got used to it. Each night we had to evaluate the day and the English students all wrote down what our team had done."
Languages teacher Ros McDonald, who has now joined the Friends of Bocholt along with Mr Povey, said: "The trip was highly subsidised by the European Union, the last Mayor of Rossendale Councillor Amanda Robertson and a generous grant from the Friends of Bocholt."
For Mollie there was also a special connection with Bocholt as her great-grandparents Stanley and Jessie Heyworth were the last Mayor and Mayoress of Bacup in 1973 and they were sent a medal from Bocholt commemorating the city's 750th birthday.
Mollie said: "I took a copy of my great-grandparents' photographs and the medal and showed it to the Mayor of Bocholt and had my photograph taken with him."
At a civic presentation evening about the trip at Haslingden High School, Mollie had the chance to meet Rossendale's current Mayor Councillor Tom Aldred and she explained her twin-town connection to him.
She said: "When I met the Mayor he was wearing the same chain that my great-grandad had worn and on the back of one of the medallions was his name.
"It is such a coincidence that I too have gone on to represent my family in Bocholt."
Now Mrs McDonald is compiling a bid to the European Union to hold a similar camp called the Phoenix Project based in the Halls of Residence at Salford University for English, German and Lithuanian students.
The camp attendees will compile a website about regeneration projects that have benefited from European money in the North of England.
The group made friends with three of the Dutch students and this month they are coming over for a visit and will be spending time in school.
Ironically the group, who met on a week when they could not use mobile phones or computers, are keeping in touch via Whatsapp and Facebook.


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Topic: WorldNetDaily
Drew Zahn writes in his WorldNetDaily review of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon":
As for the film's more significant worldview messages, there's very little depth beyond a few, throwaway lines about "believing in yourself" and the shameless objectification of the lead actress's physical assets.
But if you stick with me, we'll have a little fun at Obama's expense.
For starters, Witwicky receives a medal in the film from the president. And while the twenty-something Sam is literally gaga for Obama, reverently showing off his medal as though it represents great status, every other character who sees it … is simply not impressed.
Even more fun, however, is the coincidental likening of Obama to Decepticon leader Megatron.
At the opening of the film, the leader of the Autobots explains that on their planet, the Autobots fought for freedom, while the Decepticons fought for tyranny. Since no one could plausibly argue Obama is fighting for greater freedom, but a case could be made his policies are pushing us toward a more tyrannical federal government … clue No. 1, Obama is a Decepticon.
Later in the film, a human accomplice of the Decepticons proclaims, "You have to be on the side of progress if you want to be part of history": Hmmm, "progress," progressive, … yep, clue No. 2 Obama is a Decepticon.
The same accomplice also declares, "We all work for the Decepticons now." Given Obama's record government spending, attempted takeovers in the banking, auto and health industries and an ever-increasing percentage of the population working in the public sector … yep, clue No. 3 Obama is a Decepticon.
Finally, a reporter over at MSNBC recently got in a lot of trouble for turning aside after listening to Obama speak, when he thought the microphones were off, and calling Obama "kind of a dick."
In the film, the Decepticon's human accomplice listens to Megatron give yet another self-aggrandizing speech, turns aside where the Decpticons can't hear and pronounces of his robot leader, "What a dick!"
As I was already joking with myself about the idea of the Decepticons being like Obama, when I heard the same crude word used to describe the same, condescending, self-centered attitude … I just about fell out of my chair laughing! What are the odds of the film so paralleling real life?
In the end, the MSNBC host Mark Halperin got suspended for the insult. The human accomplice in "Dark of the Moon" doesn't fare any better.
If WND is willing to believe this about Obama, no wonder it's clinging to the birther conspiracy.