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If you have donated in the last year and would like "Supported" status on the forum and to be listed below please contact us.
|M0KED - Andy
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To the committee and all members of RAF Waddington ARC.
The committee and members of Lincoln Repeater Group would like to thank you all for raising and donating £ 105 to help us maintain the repeaters and could you pass on our thanks to James (G0EUN) who we believe did an excellent job of running your annual Christmas raffle. Also thank you to Bob (G3VCA) for the donating surplus equipment to our group, there will also be a thank you displayed on the Lincoln Repeater Group website in the next few days. We wish all members a very happy 2017 and listen out for you on the air
Best wishes to you all bob Fisk (G7AVU) and the rest of the crew


text: In general, trade is considered to be boring. Besides economists and businessmen, hardly anyone follows the news on trade and business – it is too complex and burdensome to understand and debate it. However, when it comes to free trade agreements, people can get mobilized. So it happened on Saturday, when tens of thousands of Europeans were on the street to protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the EU. Continue reading "The evil is called TTIP: Emotional debates in Europe about free-trade agreement with the U.S."

subset: commoncrawl


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Monday, August 02, 2010
2 comments:
- fili said...
Your photography is absolutely stunning. I so enjoyed looking through it! (Oh, and Athena is beautiful, too!)
- 3:45 pm
- photoBlair said...
Thank you for your kind words! Sometimes I'm fortunate enough to find myself in the same place these stunning scenes occur.
- 9:06 am
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Wolf House is a novella written between the fourth and fifth installments of the Kiera Hudson series. With this story being told from Potter's point of view, you can expect snarky comments, some kicking butt and of course, some lady lovin'…
After leaving Kiera and the gang to wait in the Hollows, Potter goes off on his quest to save Luke from the zoo. On his long journey, he broods over having lost Murphy and Luke and takes us on an adventure from his past. His memory starts when he has just begun working with Luke and Murphy. On one of their first missions, they get entangled in a Lycanthrope murder mystery. It's up to Potter to save Murphy and his fellow Vampyrus from exposure to the humans. Potter must solve the mystery of a Lycanthrope murderer before time runs out!
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was a short little treat that takes you into the mind of Sean Potter. He is one of my favorite characters in the Kiera Hudson series because of his attitude and his depth. We learn a lot more about Potter's past and also about his actions at the end of book four.
As always, O'Rourke treats his readers to a fast paced, mystery and action packed story only this time, it's in a smaller package. This book will have you guessing and asking "Who done it?" Wolf House is definitely a must read for fans of O'Rourke and the Keira Hudson series.
7 out of 10
Haven't heard of the Kiera Hudson Series? Check out my reviews for the other five books!


text: Bergen joins Westinghouse Published on January 10, 1996. Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, named John D. Bergen senior VP of corporate relations. Mr. Bergen moves over from president-CEO of GCI Group, Grey Advertising's public relations and government affairs unit. In his newly created position, Mr. Bergen will report to Westinghouse Chairman-CEO Michael H. Jordan. He assumes some of the duties of Gil Schwartz, who recently moved from VP-corporate communications at Westinghouse to senior VP-communications at its new CBS unit. Most Popular In this article: News


text:
A Cleveland Clinic study published in the Nature Medicine journal uncovers a new danger in eating red meat and alerts consumers to a supplement whose effects may not be completely beneficial.
In this video, health care analyst David Williamson discusses what this hidden nutrient is and how it can negatively impact your health. Watch and find out why it is currently sold as a supplement and used as ingredient in popular energy drinks, and whether investors in these companies should be nervous given its potentially negative effects.
David Williamson has no position in any stocks mentioned. Follow David on Twitter: @MotleyDavid.
The Motley Fool recommends Monster Beverage. The Motley Fool owns shares of Monster Beverage and has the following options: Long Jan 2014 $50 Calls on Herbalife Ltd. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Welcome to Scary Lion Productions Ltd
Watford based, Scary Lion Productions began life ten years ago, specialising in news gathering and documentaries. It now covers all aspects of media, including broadcast, corporate, conference, weddings, Internet and Web productions. Delivering a complete service from research, scripting, to final post production, editing and DVD packaging.
A wealth of experience in recognising the needs of different organisations and finding ways to present and communicate their messages.
We offer digital editing at our base in Watford, North London and anywhere in the UK or abroad.
Contact Us
If you have any questions then don't hesitate to contact us


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Whew…my it has been a while. I have so much to write about and so little time to write!
My boyfriend and I got back last weekend from a two and a half week long road trip up the West Coast! The best part? We took Spike! Oh yes, I think I mentioned it in my last post, but anyhow…!
Two and a half weeks later, have I got a story to tell! Tales of marvelous crystal clear dog-friendly beaches and harrowing adventures of escape from unkind Hearst Castle workers! Well…ok, so nothing was very harrowing. Except maybe Fiesta in Laguna Niguel, but that involved neither dogs nor sobriety and so is not appropriate for these pages!
But it's late at the moment, and I still have to compile all of the hundreds of photos into one folder on my desktop so that I can make at least a little sense here. I just wanted to assure you all that I am, in fact, alive and well, with many stories to tell! I'm actually not even sure where to begin…


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There is an odd camaraderie among those who have failed.
I've been finding this out recently (which is the reason for the paucity of recent posts).
I used to be fairly insouciant about the prospect of getting fired. Then I got fired, and I suddenly had a lot more sympathy for people who seemed to be quite upset for a period afterwards. Like so many misfortunes in life, it's easy to be glib about it until it happens to you. But when it does, you remember it.
Life does indeed go on, and I'm in a good position employment-wise. I initially decided that stoicism was the way forward, and asserted (part aspirationally) that everything was fine. 'Whine less' was already the motto of 2016, inspired by Epictetus's 'Discourses'. I stand by that motto, incidentally. But after a few days of hassling around emailing people and getting a good mix of polite but awkward refusals (along with some interest), I finally was a bit down. Now I'm actually getting towards the point I claimed to be at initially.
In the process of emailing work friends about the prospect of getting a job, when I explained the circumstances of my departure I got a surprising number of quite heartfelt responses. When I went through the list of who wrote back like this, I realised that a lot of them had gone through the same thing at one point. 'I know how it feels', one wrote. He wasn't lying.
The last time I remember this happening was years ago when I was about 20, and working at my Dad's office. There was an early 30's guy there whom I got along with well, and looked up to in the way of young men who engage on somewhat jovial mockery and discussion. On a Saturday afternoon, when I was leaving the office, I told him that I was off to break up with my girlfriend. I expected him to make a joke, or some sort of bonhomie about the prospective fun of being single again. But his response was nothing of the sort. 'That sucks man, I'm really sorry', was his reply. Having not had a serious breakup before then, I found it a little unexpected, but didn't think too much of it. 3 hours of break-up conversation later, I understood the kindness of his response a lot more.
The whole recent experience has made me want to be kinder to the people around me.
I think that's a good addition to the 2016 motto as well, actually.


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Staff And Interns Needed At Big Noise Radio Stand Up For Hiphop Music!
Yo peoples now I know there have to be some real hip-hop business cats out there looking to hook up with an up and coming multi-media superstar in the Tri-City area. We got so much hip-hop talent right here in the golden state let alone our beautiful nation where we deliver some of the best hip-hop music in the world. The independent sounds that you hear on Big Noise Radio are the sounds of the future and we are getting worldwide recognition for our efforts in hundreds of countries and cities around the world. Help us build a new standard in independent hip-hop radio format and get involved with the Big Noise movement!
Contact us today if you want to get involved with the hiphop movement here in the Tri-City Area. Computer skills, communication, business and audio skills are a must. We need people to host radio shows, edit audio, manage web-sites, manage promotion accounts, interface with artists and companies, represent Big Noise at events and through online media. Part time potions and internships are currently available. Give us a call today so we can talk about getting you involved with Big Noise Radio at 408-220-4797.
Many thanks to Bryon Malik and Anji Clark for photography, thanks to Scott Hayden, Vivek, Nishi, Jacob Canote, and Sean Green at Shaman Silicon for the web-site development. Thanks to Supreme, B Flatt, Tyranny, Bruce, DH, T-Boy, Masta Steele, Sandra Ray, Margo, Vivian, Brianna, Wanja, Blayze McKee, The Regiment, DJ Reese, Jendor, Mr. Everything, DENT, Prince Ali, DreAn Dealer, Trek Life, JDI, El Cali, Toquon, Gary of GGI and all others for supporting the Big Noise Radio squad!
Throughout history when people are deprived of choice it creates struggle, Big Noise Radio is a voice in the struggle. We believe in worldwide unification and speak in creativity and love with the tools and the staff to work with anyone on all levels. Contact us now and support Hiphop!
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 408-220-4797
Article: Radio Squad
Photo: Zadoka


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The advanced economies experienced significant increases in their national economies in the past few decades. While the gross domestic product of the developed countries increased substantially, the income growth of the average person did not match that increase. It seems that there has been a divergence in the GDP growth and income growth of the average person in the developed countries. At the same time, the number of people living below the poverty line has increased or remained the same in some of these countries.
The GDP of the United States increased significantly between 1967 and 2010. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US had a GDP of US $4.4 trillion in 1967 in chained 2009 dollars. By 2010, the GDP had increased enormously to US $14.8 trillion in chained 2009 dollars. An increase in GDP by US $10.4 trillion means that GDP grew by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9 percent. During the same period, CPI-adjusted median income increased from US $43,558 in 1967 to US $52,646 in 2010 according to US Census Bureau data. This yields a CAGR of 0.44 percent. It means that while GDP grew on average by 2.9 percent per year, CPI-adjusted median income increased by only 0.44 percent per year. There has been clearly a divergence in GDP growth and median income growth. This demonstrates that while GDP grew and the country became richer, median income increased at quite a low rate. The slow growth of median income indicates that the middle class who primarily have median income, have been struggling to maintain their standard of living. Again, it has been particularly difficult for people who belong to the lower income group. The people who belong to the lower income and middle class have not proportionally enjoyed the expansion in GDP.
During the 1967-2010 period, poverty level hovered between 12 to 15 percent in the US, according to US Census Bureau. While the country became richer and continued its economic status as the largest economy in the world, the poverty level did not decrease. It further demonstrates that GDP growth by itself does not necessarily lead to a decrease in the poverty level. The number of people living below the poverty line actually increased from 27.8 million in 1967 to 46.3 million in 2010. The growth in the size of the economy was corresponded by an increase in the number of people living below the poverty line. It must be mentioned that not all people living below the poverty line are unemployed. Many people are employed and still live below the poverty line as their earnings are not sufficient to push them above the poverty line.
The same trend is observed in other advanced countries. According to a report by Poverty and Social Exclusion in the United Kingdom (PSE), the number of people living in poverty in the UK has increased significantly even though the size of the UK economy expanded. The study mentions that in the early 1980s, 14 percent of the population lived below the minimum standard of living. Currently, this has more than doubled to 33 percent of the population. It defines living below the minimum standard of living as foregoing three or more basic necessities of life. During the same period, the GDP of UK doubled. While the economy of the UK grew at a rapid pace, the percentage of population living below the minimum standard of living significantly increased. People living below the minimum standard of living certainly did not have enough income to rise above the threshold level. Their income did not grow at the same pace as the economy grew, leading to an increase in the poverty level. This indicates that there has been a divergence in GDP growth in UK and the income growth of its citizens, especially those who are in the lower and middle income groups.
According to a report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the UK has more working families living in poverty than non-working ones. The report found that over half of the 13 million people living below the poverty line came from a working household. It stated that low pay and part-time work had led to a fall in the standard of living. This indicates that employment does not necessarily lead to a person moving out of the poverty threshold.
The middle class and people belonging to the lower income group are under pressure in other developed countries too, including Canada. Again, recession usually has a larger impact on the poor and the middle class. Moreover, a recession may push people in the low income group below the poverty line. This may increase the poverty level and the number of people living below the poverty line.
Various problems may appear when there is a divergence between the GDP growth of a country and the income growth of its average citizens. It may lead to social instability and less social cohesion. Also, crime rates may increase that is undesirable for any country. Again, it may lead to a decrease in upward mobility in the society. In the long run, economic growth may not be sustainable and viable if significant number of people are living below or close to the poverty line.
There are some ways that policy makers can ameliorate this problem. One important step is education and skill development. Enhanced education and skills would help the poor to benefit from higher income and move out of poverty. Subsidized education and skills development courses can certainly make a difference. Again, an increase in minimum wages may help the poor to move out of poverty. Also, the idea of guaranteed minimum income may be explored. As a country becomes richer and some people are left behind, guaranteed minimum income may help to alleviate issues like poverty and reduce inequality. Government policies to create more full-time work that pay decent wages could be an effective policy. Finally, earned income tax credit program that offers tax refunds to workers earning below a certain level may also be used to improve the conditions of the economically vulnerable. A combination of these various strategies may be used to decrease the divergence between GDP growth and income growth. Then, GDP growth will be more inclusive and sustainable in the long run.


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LOS ANGELES — The Free Speech Coalition today issued a call to action over the upcoming vote by regulators that could repeal current net neutrality rules.
An affirmative vote by the Federal Communications Commission at its Dec. 14 monthly meeting would be a critical threat to online businesses, including adult entertainment companies, the FSC said.
The FSC said the following:
Just over a year ago, the FSC warned about the ways in which a conservative administration could use legislation and deregulation to censor adult businesses. That battle is here, and about to intensify.
FSC is calling on its members to vociferously and actively oppose the recent move by the FCC to dismantle Title 2 protections, more generally known as net neutrality.
We see this — coupled with anti-porn resolutions at the state level and SESTA's attack on protections mandated by Communication Decency Act — as the free speech battle of the 21st Century.
As the trade organization for the adult industry, we know the dangers of corporate and government censorship first hand. Our industry knows what happens when corporations are allowed to prioritize content, exclude it from those networks, or punish those that don't comply.
We only need to think, for instance, of how adult businesses have been systematically excluded from major marketplaces — whether Apple's app store, or Google's Adwords, or advertising on Facebook. Or the way we've been arbitrarily excluded from banking or credit cards. Of course, it's not just adult content. In the past six months alone, we've seen funding platform Patreon block adult and sexual health related products, and YouTube demonitize LGBTQ content. The adult industry is the canary in the coal mine of censorship.
We should all be fearful of a world where ISPs determine what sites, content or viewpoints you can access. The internet, like the postal service or the telephone service, is essential for civic participation, it has become our public square. In most areas of the US, there are only one or two major internet providers to choose from. Currently, under the principle of net neutrality, each ISP must treat all internet traffic equally. Every ISP must provide access to all legally accessible sites, and they must not discriminate in services they provide (such as the speed of video streaming) from one site to another.
If the FCC dismantles net neutrality protections, that would change. We could see ISPs:
• Slowing or throttling loading and video speeds on adult content;
• Effectively banning or blocking access to adult content;
• Charging consumers additional fees to access adult content; and,
• Charging adult businesses additional fees in order to be accessible to consumers.
These hurt our businesses, hurt our ability to compete, hurts innovation, and hurt the ability of adult consumers to access and enjoy content that is meaningful to them.
Earlier this year, FSC signed a coalition letter in support of net neutrality with 173 other organizations. We did and do have serious concerns about the ways in which ISPs could and will limit the information and entertainment that citizens can access.
We ask that you call your representatives and ask them to fight the repeal of Title II, and encourage your visitors, members, and fans to do the same.
The next two weeks are critical for our long-term viability. FSC has provided an overview to the issue, and a guide for how to best fight for your rights, and net neutrality here.


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More of the best epic vlog music that is No Copyright background that we just had to feature here at Bass Rebels. Another huge slice of hip hop swing music from DJ Quads with the track One Day that is music that you can use in your YouTube videos. #NoCopyrightMusic #RoyaltyFreeMusic #NoCopyright #BassRebels
●You have permission to use this music in your YouTube videos but you MUST credit the artist in the description of your video by copying the following ♫Music By♫ section in between the lines below:
♫Music By♫
●DJ Quads – One Day – https://youtu.be/KQlM0v780Wk
●Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/aka-dj-quads
●Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/djquads/
●Twitter – https://twitter.com/DjQuads
●YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/QuadsAKA


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Can you imagine waking up to this??? For a very steep fee you can sleep under the Indian Ocean when visiting the Maldives. Adding it to the wanderlust list! (via Apartment Therapy)
I recently saw a documentary about the Hood to Coast relay race at Indie Screen in Williamsburg. (By the way, this is a great theater that is less than a year old. They have a great selection of movies and it's actually a very pleasant experience going to see a movie there - read: not crowded or annoying - as opposed to going into the city to see a movie. If you're local, please consider checking them out!) This relay race covers a 200 mile course starting at Mount Hood that winds its way through Portland and then out to the coast (hence the name Hood to Coast). You have a team of 12 people, all who run three different legs of the race. The movie itself was really inspiring, enough so that I am going to start training for long distances again in the hopes that my friend gets a team together for next year's race.
The Museum of the Moving Image has a fantastic Jim Henson/Muppets exhibition on display this month. On Sunday I'm meeting some of my friends to go see it! Jon and I were able to attend the museum's opening this past winter and I'm anxious to go back.
Finally, I've been itching to get out to Rockaway Beach. The weather has been atrocious as of late and I am dreaming of an afternoon by the ocean, preferably with an excellent book, a bunch of friends, and at least one frozen cocktail (although a mango on a stick would suffice in a pinch).


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I'm Done
9/05/2010 | Share this article: View CommentsBy Dethblight ~
That's it, I'm done. When I first deconverted I was of the mind that we apostates and other nonbelievers should hold back our bile unless provoked, and that we should all make nice. Well screw that. I'm done pandering to these idiots for fear of hurting feelings or alienating my mom, or any other reason. They don't make nice with us, why should we make nice with them? We are a source of derision and a cautionary tale to them. We apostates are the scum of the earth, whether they say it out loud or not. Here it is plain and simple: Christians are idiots. Most religious people are, but Christianity is what I know, so that's what I'm going to focus on. Don't worry, I'm not excluding myself, I was an idiot too back when I believed.
Image by Axel Bührmann via FlickrIf you are a Christian, then there are three possibilities, all of which are equally stupid. The first scenario is that you have never examined your religion. You believe it just because you were told to believe it, and it's never crossed your mind to question it. These types of Christians are stupid through neglect. Religion is supposed to be the most important thing in the world (if you believe in it), so how can anyone justify not making an INFORMED decision about it? If it's that important, you should do research on it. If it's the true religion, it will stand up to scrutiny and you have nothing to fear.
Then there are the Christians who have "examined" their faith but still believe. Well, the problem here is that these Christians (I used to be one of these) examine their faith through tinted glasses. Where you should be going into such a journey with an open mind, you instead go in with prejudice. In confirmation class you study other religions and you snicker under your breath at how stupid some people are, while they're sitting there snickering right back at you for the same reason. The bible says the sky is purple and that's all that matters. Yeah, you COULD look up and see that the sky's blue, but why bother when you already know it's purple? Or maybe you accidentally glance up when you hear a plane, and you see a flash of blue. Well, no need to panick, it's either a trick by the devil, an optical illusion, or maybe everyone else just got the names for those colors mixed up. When the Bible says the sky is purple, it's actually describing what everyone else calls blue, something just got lost in translation, right? These people are willfully stupid, and while I was one of them once, I still believe that they are the worst offenders.
Then there's the third type who I truly feel sorry for, but they're stupider than the rest. The ones who have examined their faith with an open mind (as open as they can get anyway) and still believe. Direct contradictions within the Bible? No problem. Virgin birth? Hey, it could happen. Noah's Ark? It actually happened. These people to me are like a thirty five year old who still believes in Santa. Not someone with a mental handicap, or someone who believes Santa lives in the smile of children, blah blah blah. No, a thirty five year old in full possession of his mental faculties who still believes that there is actually a magic elf in a red suit flying a sled through the sky to deliver presents.
Of course there are other categories of Christians as well, most being a blend of these three. And there are those who have stopped believing but aren't ready to admit it to themselves yet. But I feel that these three groups make up the vast majority of Christians, and I'm sorry, but they are all just plain stupid. Up to and including my mom unfortunately. I always considered her to be an intelligent woman until I lost my faith and had talks about religion with her. I am now finding out that as smart as she is, she believes everything in the Bible literally, and everything the church has ever told her whether it is in the Bible or not. For example, she told me that she believes that dragons and unicorns actually existed at one point. I still have deep respect and love for her, but I'm sorry, when it comes to religion she is stupid. Just like every other Christian.
And yes, I know that I come across in this little article as arrogant, superior, pretentious, angry, bitter, know it all, pushy, militant, etc. etc. But I truly don't care anymore. Those are terms that were invented to deride and insult people who say things you don't like. Whether what that person is saying is true or not is immaterial. Everyone is all of those things about something or another, whether they voice it or not. I am done sitting on the sidelines keeping my mouth shut. Religion is a cancer on humanity, and it's time we fight back.
Filed Under: Dethblight , Opinion


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is set to consider a Republican-backed measure that would stop the Pentagon from paying for U.S. service members to undergo gender transition surgeries.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi decried the proposed amendment to the annual defense policy bill as mean-spirited and discriminatory.
The amendment's author, Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, says she wants to ensure the military's budget is spent on threats facing the country. Her measure bars money from being spent by the military's health care system on gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy.
Transgender service members have been able to serve openly since last year, when the Pentagon ended a ban. A Rand Corp. study found that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members in the active-duty military.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Common Gray Fox
Carnivora : Family Canidae : Urocyon
cinereoargenteus (Schreber)
Description. A medium-sized fox with
grayish upperparts, reddish brown legs, tawny sides, and
whitish throat, cheeks and mid-line of belly; sides of
muzzle and lower jaw with distinct blackish patch; tail
with distinct blackish stripe on upperside and black tip
(no white on end of tail as in the red fox); tail roughly triangular, not round, in cross
section; skull with distinct lyrate temporal ridges,
which meet only at hind part of skull. Dental formula as
in the red fox. External measurements average: total
length, 970 mm; tail, 347 mm; hind foot, 143 mm. Weight,
ordinarily 3-5 kg, occasionally as much as 9 kg.
Distribution in Texas. Statewide.
Habits. The gray fox is
essentially an inhabitant of wooded areas, particularly
mixed hardwood forests. It is common throughout the
wooded sections east of the shortgrass plains and in the
pinyon-juniper community above the low lying deserts.
This fox is adept at climbing trees,
particularly if they are leaning or have branches within
3 m of the ground, and it is not unusual for it to use
this escape device when pursued by hounds. Contrary to
common belief, gray foxes are not strictly animals of the
night, but they are much more active then. They have been
observed on many occasions in the daytime under
conditions that suggested they were foraging. When so
encountered, they often move to one side behind a
protecting screen of vegetation and wait for the intruder
to pass.
Gray foxes usually den in crevices in
the rocks, in underground burrows, under rocks, in hollow
logs, or in hollow trees. In eastern Texas, one was found
denning about 10 m above the ground in a large hollow
oak. In central Texas, a den was found in a hollow live
oak with the entrance about 1 m above the ground. Two
unusual den sites which have been documented include a
pile of wood and a field of sorghum into which a fox had
The gray fox is omnivorous; the food
varies with season and availability. Based upon the
stomach contents of 42 foxes from Texas, the winter food
consisted chiefly of small mammals (cottontails, cotton
rats, pocket gophers, pocket mice), 56%; followed by
insects, largely grasshoppers, 23%; and birds (doves,
quail, sparrows, blackbirds, towhees), 21%. In the spring
the diet was but slightly changed small mammals,
68%; insects, 25%; small birds, 17%. In late summer and
fall, persimmons and acorns led with 30%; insects, 26%;
small mammals, 16%; birds, 14%; crayfish, 14%. In these
42 stomachs, chicken and quail occurred once each, and
mourning doves twice. Consequently, as judged from these
analyses, the usual food habits of the gray fox do not
conflict much with mans economy.
In Texas, the breeding season begins in
December and continues on into March. Most females
captured in March and April are gravid. The three to six
pups are born in April or May after a gestation period of
about 53 days. At first they are blind and helpless, but
they grow rapidly and soon leave the home nest, possibly
because of the heavy infestation of fleas characteristic
of such nests. Then they seek shelter in rock piles,
under rocks, in piles of brush, or in other sites that
offer concealment and protection.
Of some interest is the possible
relationship between gray foxes and coyotes. In sections of Texas where coyotes formerly
were numerous, the gray fox was scarce; now, after
elimination of the coyote, the gray fox has become
abundant. Perhaps the coyote tends to hold this fox in
check under conditions where they both occupy the same
Gray foxes are thought to live six to
10 years in the wild. Major factors causing mortality
include predation, parasites, diseases, and man. The gray
fox is among the most important of Texas
fur-bearing animals.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


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Rafferty calls for end to Faldo bashing
Former Ryder Cup star Ronan Rafferty has called for an end to the "whinging" about skipper Nick Faldo.
The Ulsterman, now a TV pundit with Setanta Golf, reckons Faldo has taken enough stick for his controversial wild card choices.
Calling on Europe to get behind the captain, Rafferty said: "Faldo really had a pool of four players to pick from and he went with Ian Poulter and Paul Casey in the end. There will be a raucous crowd in the States and maybe Faldo looked for players he thinks can cope with this noisy environment.
"The media coverage on Faldo's wild card picks needs to stop right now. We need everyone behind the European challenge and there will be plenty to write about - if we win. Once the picks were made there was nothing anyone could do about them.
"I liken it to football where you have a stadium full of 'managers' who think they all know better. The captain lives or breaths by his decisions and you have to respect them.
"Faldo has been there and done it. He has six Major titles and what have the rest of them got? The ones who are whinging and complaining, what have they ever done?"
Warrenpoint ace Rafferty, who won just one of his three games in the 1989 Ryder Cup at the Belfry, reckons Faldo is laying the foundations for future Ryder Cup success by opting for young blood.
He added: "The Europe side has a good crop of youngsters which means we can start to put the foundations in place for the next batch of Ryder Cup stars. This will have a knock on effect with their mates believing they can also make it onto the team in the future.
"I think apart from Phil Mickelson, there are no really strong players on the American side and Phil is Phil! So you never know which one is going to turn up from week to week. He is either brilliant or poor."


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about sara
Born in the U.S., Sara Shaoul was raised in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Ivory Coast and Japan by an American mother and Iranian father. Shaoul found her way to a visual art practice in 2010, having been at various junctures a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology, a performing musician, and a photo editor, endeavors that continue to influence her process and work. Her practice investigates the scaffolds of human experience, from bureaucratic institutions to the family, often through the lens of political economy, gender and class. She works conceptually using whatever medium best suits the idea, including sculpture, installation, performance, and video. Shaoul is currently working on a project that explores the politics of cohabitation, exploring its connection to warfare, boundaries, pollution taboos and the gendering of cleanliness and chores.


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The first paper, titled "Autonomous emergency braking for cornering motorcycle", presented an advanced MAEB that can safely deploy a full braking even when the motorcycle is negotiating a bend. This system, named MAEB+, combined standard MAEB and ABC (active braking control), a module designed to adjust the braking distribution between front and rear wheel in order to produce a stabilisation of the vehicle along its trajectory. The paper also presented detailed computer simulations of three real world crashes from the InSafe dataset. Each case simulated in the actual configuration (without MAEB), with standard MAEB, and with MAEB+. The results showed that MAEB+ was able to slow down the motorcycle with higher deceleration compared to simple MAEB, without producing falling events in the pre-collision phase. These results indicated that a stability module associated to MAEB can make the system more robust even when the rider attempts lateral manoeuvres before the collision.
|One of the crash cases simulated for ESV2015
The second paper, titled "Triggering Algorithm based on Inevitable Collision States for Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) in Motorcycle-to-Car Crashes," presented a collaborative AEB system based on the interaction between a motorcycle and an opponent passenger car. This system used an inverted approach compared to standard MAEB: the safety system mounted on the motorcycle detects a possible conflict with an approaching passenger car and when the collision becomes imminent yet still avoidable, it deploys the full braking intervention of the AEB mounted on the opponent vehicle via V2V. Computer simulations of 90 real world crash cases revealed that in more than half the considered cases collaborative AEB may have prevented the collision. Despite some limitations in the study, these promising results warrant further investigations.


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Well here is the proof! I also have photos of my feet. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago on one of my walks around the walkway that follows the shoreline around our town. When I stopped for a rest on the beach halfway through my walk, I took photos of my feet, my shadow, the contents of my backpack, and the scenery.
I think we do it for a few reasons. One, because we don't have anyone to take a photo of us and our feet are the furthest away part of our body that we can shoot ourselves. Two, because we are more comfortable with the anonymity and non-revealing nature of a photo that does not show our whole body, or too much of it. Three, because as artists we like the creativity of representing something in a partial, representative way.


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Planning and construction
In his 1928 proposal for the Soviet Central Union building, Le Corbusier invoked his much-vaunted principle of pilotis. As a postscript to his 1930 Precisions on the Present State of Architecture and City Planning:
Since we no longer have to lay foundations in the ground for the carrying walls; since on the contrary all we need is posts covering only .5% of the surface built upon and furthermore, since it is our duty to make the house more healthful by raising its bottom-most floor above the ground, we will take advantage of this situation by adopting the principle of "pilotis" or stilts.
What is the point of using pilotis? To make houses more healthful and at the same time allow the use of insulating materials which are often fragile or liable to decay and so should be placed far from the ground and possible shocks.
But most of all: behold, they are available to work a thorough transformation in the system of traffic on the ground. This is as true of the skyscraper as of the office building, of the minimum houses as of the streets. One will no longer be "in front of" a house or "in back of" it, but "underneath" it.
We have to reckon with cars, which we will strive to channel into a sort of river with regular banks; we need to park these cars without, at the same time, blocking up the river bed. When we leave our cars we must not paralyze traffic all along the river and when we come out of our buildings, we must not obstruct the areas reserved for movement. Continue reading


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Braga Street
Braga Street (official name in Indonesian: Jalan Braga) is a small street in the center of Bandung, Indonesia, which was famous in the 1920s as a promenade street. Chic cafes, boutiques and restaurants with European ambiance along the street had made the city to attain the Paris of Java nickname. The street starts from a T-junction with the Asia-Afrika Street (or De Groote Postweg during the colonial times) to the north until the city council (balaikota), which was formerly a coffee warehouse.
Early history[edit]
The first name of the street was Karreweg. The city residents dubbed it Pedatiweg, from the Indonesian language of horse-drawn carriages (pedati), because it was a narrow street (about 10 m or 30 feet wide) that only carriages could pass through. The street was built only to connect the major Great Post Road with a coffee warehouse, owned by a Dutch coffee plantation owner Andries de Wilde (the warehouse is now the seat of the city administration or balaikota). In 1856, when Bandung was the capital of Priangan Regency, some colonial houses were built along the dirt road of Braga Street with their houses thatched with reeds, alang-alang grass or other straw materials.
In 1882, a theater group established itself at the south part of the street and the Toneel Braga, the name of the drama group, became famous. Residents flocked into the street to watch the group's performance every night and therefore the road was improved by stone pavements, and oil lamps were installed. The street was at that time popularly known as the Braga street.
In 1884, a railroad connecting Batavia to Bandoeng was laid down and the city core grew rapidly. New buildings filled the southern end of the street while the northern end was still a rubber tree forest. The street became more famous with a grocery store named De Vries which sold daily needs for plantation owners. Hotels, banks, cafes and restaurants were opened and the street transformed into a major shopping street.
In the early twentieth century, the street was the most important European shopping street in the Dutch Indies. Several well-known Western companies opened their stores in the street, including Chrysler, Plymouth and Renault car distributors.[1] Colonial bookstores, watches and jeweleries retailers and boutique shops were common in the street for the high society.
In the 1900s, along with the Dutch East Indies government plan to move the capital from Batavia to Bandung, the government included Braga Street into part of town planning. In 1906, the city council began replacing stone by asphalt and applying a new rule of designing new buildings at the street. Art Deco buildings began to decorate the street and about 50% of which are still present with their original architecture.
Starting from the south entrance, the Gedung Merdeka (Independence Building) stands at the corner, known as the venue of the 1955 Asian–African Conference. Built in 1895 as a clubhouse for the wealthy, the building was first named as the Concordia Society. The building was renovated twice in 1920 and 1928, the last of which was designed by two Dutch architects, Van Galen Last and C. P. Wolff Schoemaker. It is now used as a museum of the conference.
At the southeast corner of the cross-section between the Naripan Street, an eight-stories building is noticeable for its distinctive oceanwave style. Designed by Dutch architect A.F. Aalbers in 1936, the radical modern architecture building was used for the DENIS (De Eerste Nederlandsch-Indische Spaarkas or the First Dutch-Indies Savings) bank. Aalbers applied the Amsterdam School architectural style with its strong expressionism dialect, shown by the rounded curves along the horizontal side and one vertical façade in the middle, but he put also the modernist architecture for the interior design. The building is still used as the headquarters of a regional bank, the Bank Jabar.
The DENIS bank, Albert Aalbers (1936).
Kala head native element on a Modernist cinema building, Wolff Schoemaker (1920s).
See also[edit]
- "Mengembalikan Kejayaan Jalan Braga (Bringing Back the Glory of Braga Street)" (in Indonesian). Kompas. 6 May 2004. Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- Widjaja Martokusumo (7 September 2003). "Mengenal Karya Seni Bangunan AF Aalbers di Bandung (Knowing A.F. Aalbers Building Artworks in Bandung)" (in Indonesian). Kompas. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Jalan Braga" (in Dutch). Visual Text. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
External links[edit]
Media related to Braga Street at Wikimedia Commons
Coordinates: 6°55′05″S 107°36′34.4″E / 6.91806°S 107.609556°E


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Galway win Senior Cup after West Waterford test
Galway clinched the Bulmers Irish Senior Cup for the second time in four years when they held off a brave challenge from a young West Waterford side to run out 3.5 to 1.5 winners at Tullamore.
But the scoreline does not do justice to the losers, whose five-man side had an average age of just 20 compared to 34 for the 2006 champions.
With the scores tied at 1-1 following wins by Mark Shanahan and Galway's Damien Glynn, West Waterford's spirit was embodied by 16-year old schoolboy Gary Hurley, who came back from three down with four to play to take Eddie McCormack to the 19th.
They halved the first extra hole in pars but Hurley's fightback proved to be in vain as his match was called in when Damien Coyne beat 19-year old Philip Spratt on the 18th and the 2007 West of Ireland champion Joe Lyons defeated 20-year old David Curran 2 and 1 to get the Connacht champions over the line.
Lyons was forced to hole an eight footer for a winning par three at the short 17th after Curran fluffed his first chip but then holed out with his second attempt for an unlikely three.
"It would have been terrible to go home empty handed," said Lyons in reference to Galway's defeat to eventual runners-up Banbridge in the semi-finals of the Barton Shield earlier in the week. "Fair play to West Waterford. For a young team they really put up a great performance."
In the Jimmy Bruen Shield, Nenagh claimed the title for the second time when they cruised to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Waterford thanks to big wins by Paul Moloney and Paddy Kennedy, Michael Tierney and Michael Fahey, and Michael Corrigan and Jimmy Griffin.
Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields, National Finals, Tullamore Golf Club
Irish Senior Cup Final
Galway 3.5, West Waterford 1.5
D Scully lost to M Shanahan 3/2; E McCormack halved with G Hurley; D Coyne bt P Spratt 1 hole; D Glynn bt D Curran 5/4; J Lyons bt P Walsh 2/1.
Jimmy Bruen Shield Final
Nenagh 4, Waterford 1
P Moloney & P Kennedy bt A Aherne & C Lynch 6/5; C Heffernan
& M O'Gara halved with A Mulhall & J Power; M Tierney & M Fahey bt M Daly & E Griffin 4/3; D Corrigan & L O'Gara halved with A Feicks & F Power; M Corrigan & J Griffin bt A Ryan & M Freeman 6/4.


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Seeing the Art in Science
Seeing the Art in Science
Genomics, the study of an organism's complete set of DNA, has been one of the most significant developments in science over the past 25 years. Genomics provides indispensable technologies and concepts to help solve a myriad of scientific challenges, a common language that facilitates connections between researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, and an unprecedented opportunity to engage with, and improve, the well-being of our society.
The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is one of the world's leading institutions dedicated to the development and application of genomic science. Please join us on June 16 as we open the exhibition produced by high-end Carl Zeiss Microscopy equipment and other instrumentation and listen to expert panelists speak about the connection between art and science.


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Category Archives: Family
The Story of the 30 Cooks
Upon my arrival from Cebu for the Cobra Ironman 2014 race, my sons Yaya greeted me with the news that our cook of two months who asked permission for a day off during the race weekend didn't come back. Ate … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Health, Mommy Duties, Personal, Women, Work Tagged Cobra Ironman 70.3, Mommy Duties, Women 3 Comments
Racecation review – Cairns 70.3 2014
This is a long post and doesn't get to the details of the race until halfway thru the story. But, this was an adventure I have to write from arrival at Queensland till I crossed that finish line, so I … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Race, Run, Travel, Triathlon, Women Tagged Australia, Cairns, Cairns 70.3, Cairns Ironman 70.3, Cobra Ironman 2013, Motivation, Queensland, Race, Running, Swim Bike Run, Triathlon, Women Leave a comment
The most hectic summer 2 – road to Cairns – via Paris
On January of this year, Bea turned 18. Instead of the usual debut party, she opted for a trip. Initially she wanted to go to Brazil then Machu Picchu. But later, she changed her mind and chose a trip to … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Personal, Race, Travel, Women Tagged Bea Hufana, Cairns Ironman 70.3, Motivation, Paris, Run, Running, Swim, Swim Bike Run, Women Leave a comment
The most hectic summer 1 – Road to Cairns – from Subic to Boracay
It has been some time since I've had the luxury of time to write a post! So now as I spend the last few days of taper to Cairns 70.3, let me share you how the summer of 2014 passed … Continue reading
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A new challenge, a new road, the road to Cairns 70.3
During the Challenge Philippines inaugural race, as I waited for my husband and friends to cross the finish line, I took the chance to try riding my bike again, on the road, no longer on the trainer. Together with some … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Motivation, Race, Training, Travel, Triathlon, Women, Work 2 Comments
Unilab Active Health's 2014 Race Calendar
Unilab Active health recently released its list of races for 2014. Our family has been a participant of most of Unilab's races the past year! What can we say about their races? Well, we give 10 thumbs up for each … Continue reading
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Cobra Ironman 70.3 a family racecation
Two weeks from now, Cobra Ironman 2014 will be opening it's registration. An A race for most, Cobra's slots is predicted to be filled up faster than last years four day registration. Who knows, it could be a few hours … Continue reading
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1) Tea
|So I've officially converted my office snack drawer into a tea drawer.
2) Reese's Spreads
Influenster, in their infinite wisdom, decided I was influential in the areas of chocolate and peanut butter, so I was gifted a jar of Reese's Spread. I mean, it's basically pureed reeses and it's every bit as amazing as you would imagine. Because it has less protein than most peanut butters it's also fewer WW points than peanut butter (this speed is only 5PP per 2TBS, whereas most peanut butters are 7PP). Also, it's amazing on everything but I highly recommend bananas, apples, and straight from the spoon (not that I did that) (okay I did that).
3) My $18 Target Tennis Shoes
While doing laundry one night, I challenged myself with a Target shoe mission during the 28 minute wash cycle, and I was victorious. I haven't bought non-running tennis shoes in, oh, years, so I honestly had no idea what to look for. Naturally, I based my mission on color selection and comfort, and these bad boys fit the bill on both accounts. Even better, they were on super sale, plus an additional 20% off with a coupon on the Cartwheel app!
4) My Fitbit (Currently still MIA)
Alright, this is a bit of a stretch because I haven't had a functional Fitbit in a month(!!!). Long story short, my original Fitbit bit the dust in early January. The kind Fitbit people sent me a replacement, but it never turned on. The kind people sat Fitbit sent me ANOTHER replacement that wasn't properly syncing with my phone and didn't hold a charge either. So, I'm hoping the Fitbit fairy godmothers can get their act together and that the third time will be a charm. It's been hard to motivate myself to walk as much without those handy lights telling me how good (or bad) of a job I've been doing. If there's any upside to getting two replacement devices, though, it's that I had enough extra bands to test out some craftiness. Check out that custom (nail polish) paint job I pulled off!
5) REI Balance Bag
This bad boy is the greatest! I got the REI Balance Bag from my parents for Christmas, because I was in desperate need of a replacement to my old gym bag, which wasn't even a gym bag, it was a LL Bean canvas tote from college. So, why do I love this bag? First, because it's in my all-time favorite color of everything aka turquoise. Secondly, it holds so much stuff! There are two separate compartments on the inside where I keep my shower stuff and hair products, and then one zipper compartment on the other side of the bag where I keep jewelry. It also has a handy area on the outside where I can tuck my yoga mat, which is suddenly really important now that I've been going to the occasional yoga class. 10/10 LOVE this bag.
Also, so we're clear, no one pays me to blog about the things I love. I only talk about 'em cuz I love 'em and I wouldn't steer you wrong.
What are you loving this month? Tell me!
Anyone else as obsessed with DavidsTea as I am? What flavor should I buy next?
The Reeses Spread was courtesy of Influenster but opinions are my own!


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The New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy makes her brilliant adult debut with this mesmerizing story in the tradition ofThe Lovely Bones, Her Fearful Symmetry, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways.
Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance.
But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.
The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.
Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.
Lauren's Bio
Lauren Oliver is the author of the New York Times bestselling YA novels Before I Fall, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem. Her books have been translated into thirty languages. She is also the author of two novels for middle-grade readers, The Spindlers and Liesl & Po, which was a 2012 E. B. White Read-Aloud Award nominee. Lauren's first adult novel, Rooms, will be published in September 2014. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver is also the co-founder of the boutique literary development company Paper Lantern Lit. You can visit her online at www.laurenoliverbooks.com
Interview with Lauren Oliver
GC:How do you name your characters?
LO: The main characters usually just introduce themselves to me. It's the funniest thing--I can't think of where they come from; they just pop into my head, often with random names (Bishop, anyone??). For the ancillary characters, I use a tried and true writer's trick...baby naming websites!
GC: Did you find your process had to change writing Rooms for an adult-target audience when you previously wrote for children and young adults?
LO: The process, methodologically speaking, is the same for every book. I write my way in, trying to get a sense of the world and its characters, and then I take a step back and try to figure out the narrative--what the book is, what the major tensions are, what I'm trying to say. On a deeper level, every novel is different, presents different challenges, and offers different opportunities.
GC: You've written a standalone young adult novel, a series for YA readers, two middle grade novels and now ROOMS! Is a picture book in your future?
LO: Ha! Never say never. :) But for the moment, I have a full slate of more YA, more middle grade, and hopefully more adult novels! So I'm very happy.


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Kris Jenner seems amused by the rumors that her estranged husband Bruce is in the process of having a sex change, and not at all outraged. She had the opportunity to deny everything and clear up the situation with ET, but instead chose to skirt the issue with "99% of the stuff in the tabloids is made up." (Bruce was photographed recently with bandages covering his laryngeal shave (yuk) and flashing long manicured nails.) She lamely added "He gets clear polish on his nails" and then returned the discussion to her preferred subject – HER.
Photo: Instagram
Posted by Janet on February 4, 2014
12 Comments so far
By susieserb
On February 4, 2014 at
Kourt looks like her mom and Scott looks like Bruce. You know that she knows this.
By Dee Cee
On February 4, 2014 at
It's just a story line for them to get interest they are all insane and tacky trash and now Bruce for going along with their tasteless lying for attention
By Kendra
On February 4, 2014 at
Two dogs scratching fleas.
By mister baja
On February 4, 2014 at
she is simply ashamed.
By Bu
On February 4, 2014 at
She is embarrassed and hurt I would imagine.
By Trudy
On February 4, 2014 at
Another Kartrashian PR release. Sounds like she is probably trying to work some spin on this. Who knows how her little mind works? There is OBVIOUSLY something wrong with anyone who would get involved with ANYONE from this family.
Transsexualism is becoming all the rage. For millions of years people did just fine being bi, straight, gay or intersex. Now there is big money to be made in psychology, surgery and toxic drugs by telling very young kids (and confused unhappy people) that they are born in the wrong body instead of just accepting themselves.
By xyz
On February 5, 2014 at
Poor Bruce…. He should have left his shitty wife long ago. Looks like his troubles have just getting started….
By strom
On February 5, 2014 at
Was this before BLACK OJ was boning her?
She was a bit saggy and bucktoothed then it seems.
By Lola Lisa
On February 6, 2014 at
OMG. It appears true. Bruce Jenner will live his last years female? Unbelievable. Totally weird and bizarre. He's such a man. A male pro olympic athlete turns out to be a bitch? The world is coming to an end.
By strom
On February 6, 2014 at
No, the gays and trannys will be parading and celebrating! How many cases of AIDS will result?
By Paula
On February 7, 2014 at
You can see Kris has a dick in this picture!
By janet
On February 7, 2014 at
wow, look at the before pic here, and see just how MUCH plastic surgery she has had done. She is just an ugly old housewife who got lucky to find 2 men with big wallets who could afford what a "train wreck" she has become. Oh, and Bruce USED TO BE hot back in the day… WTF is happening now… I get the laryngeal shave, but the long nails now… just plain YUK!


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I told in the previous post I was in a 30YW painting mood and had this figure unfinished from last weekend. I managed to complete the sculpt and then paint him, he's the fella with the mighty sounding name Ozgrusowoa von Glutemarknog, the Swedish mercenary character I've drawn some time ago.
The sculpting itself isn't so bright especially as it is more out of scale (intended to be 1/72) than the huge Zvezda figs, well I've got two ways around it, either he's tall as a mountain (which I would like) or have another go at sculpting him and take more care to the scale and proportions.
I used a paper skeleton enhanced with stripes of GS on this one, while the earlier sculpts had a single match or pin for a core. This allowed a better pose and a stronger body to work on. While the skeleton was left to cure, I sculpted the sword around a half of a match stick.
The rest of the progress came when the skeleton was strong enough, first a 'sketch' of the body, then the head. I had to redo the boots twice and I'm still not happy with them enough but the paint fixed them all right. So breeches and boots first, then the buff coat and this was when I added the hands and the weapons in them, along with the sword hanging from the right hip as the man's left handed (like me, what a coincidence). When these were solid I sculpted the belt, the sash, the hair (moustache and goatee were done earlier) and the hat.
Welcome to 'paulalba2004' from Napoleonics in Miniature, thanks for joining.
He's armed with a Scottish broadsword (sorry, that is sort of a fetish to me), a two-handed sword and a pistol, wears a buff coat with a red silk belt and a blue and gold sash. Quite an old-fashioned equipment if you ask me. The inspiration for the greatsword comes from the Mount&Blade With Fire&Sword PC game, 1650s Poland themed and these beasts can be used with great effect (unless you are in a crowd and shorter blades render it useless). Less historical than cool, but I went with cool this time.
The face is all right I think, well, compared to my estimated 3 to 4 hours of greenstuffery it is. He will have his companions, Jürgen von Bekkön, a German and Jose de Tabasco, a Spaniard with low esteem on Catholicism, finished soon.
No more sculpting completed this weekend, nor are the WIPs worthy to show here: what I have in progress is a small scale ship and a mutant man-eating giant flower. They are really of the same ilk if you ask me.
Stay tuned as there are more posts this week than the last, two completed sets of figures and a skirmish batrep with magic!


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FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey says consumers can use their homes flexibly to fund retirement income, rather than saving for both property and a pension at the same time.
Speaking today at the Pensions and Savings Symposium in Gleneagles, Bailey warned of the challenges facing retirement savers in the current low-interest rate, low growth environment.
Bailey's theory-heavy speech touches on behavioural economics and the lifetime savings model – which is based on the assumption that consumers make decisions about spending based on the resources they have access to at the time and irrespective of income at each point in their lives.
He told delegates the two big investments in the lifetime model – a home and a pension – have both risen in cost which is changing consumer behaviour.
Bailey was wary on holding housing as part of a pension because of uncertainty of returns.
He said: "An alternative approach, again best viewed within the lifetime model, is that rather than save for housing and retirement income at the same time, people would use the former to fund the latter…Here the focus is on how much they invest in their own dwelling over their lifetime."
Bailey says, depending on how much people invest in their property over their lifetime, they could choose to downsize their home at retirement or buy an equity release mortgage to access funds without moving.
However, he issues the following caution about equity release products: "While the approach has an appeal in terms of the lifetime investment pattern, the accompanying financial instrument is made much more complicated by the need to embed in it a no-negative equity guarantee. This can have both prudential and conduct consequences."
He said he did not believe in the idea of using housing as part of a pension portfolio.
He said: "There is an argument that pension saving would be assisted by people holding more housing in their stock of pension assets, based on the real appreciation in the value of housing. I don't subscribe to this argument.
"Why? First, because given the scale of uncertainty over long-run real returns on assets, I would not favour overweighing to any one asset class, while recognising that a balanced portfolio can be exposed to property. But, increasing the weight on housing investments could be self-defeating.
"If the effect of increasing the demand for housing as an asset to own is to push up the cost of ownership, an increase in holdings of housing as pension assets will tend to increase the real cost, and thus household indebtedness."


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A group of people having lived in
Diluting Myths
Myth 1: Debt crisis occurred because
The Greek debt crisis is often attributed to the country's 'bloated public sector'. To start with, Greek public expenditure as a percentage of
A large part of the financial press attributed the crisis to 'excessive' government wage expenditure as a percentage of
Irrational public spending on armaments has always been there, and therefore it cannot be held liable for the deficit crisis; it is however one of the factors that have deteriorated the country's finances. Some German and other politicians that have complained about the 'excessive solidarity displayed towards Greece" miss the point that their own countries are at the same time depending on the Greek military spending to support their military industries.
The current deficit is mainly due to the inability of the state to generate tax revenues, rather than due to increased spending[3]. The reduction of corporate tax rates and the illegal tax evasion by big corporations and wealthy individuals has brought the Greek deficit at its present heights: it is estimated that €20 billion are still owed today to the Greek state by no more than 8,000 persons and businesses recorded to have committed tax fraud[4]. This is twice the amount of debt that
Structural weaknesses of the Greek economy exposed it to speculative attacks. But who is to blame for these weaknesses? The continuous austerity regimes of the last decades, also linked with the European liberalisation agenda and the country's entry into the Eurozone, have led to a superficial and short-term development rather than a real one. "Development" was supported by sectors with no long term perspectives, like transportation of commodities and selling away public property, to the interest of a small Greek elite. The Greek governments' obscure reporting of Greek public finances is also to blame. But they were not alone on this: the mess has been created in cooperation with global banks like Goldman Sachs, which was hired as a consultant by the Greek Government, and is now under legal inquiry in the
The defiicit crisis took its gigantic dimensions only when speculators chose
Myth 2: Greeks have been partying, living beyond their means, lying about their figures, and now they are asking other European nations to help them
According to the OECD, Greeks are the most hard-working people in its member countries (with the exception of Koreans). The average Greek worker works 2,120 hours per year - 690 more than a German worker[9].
Average salaries in
Do Greek households spend more than they earn by borrowing a lot? Statistical data show that German households owe more money than the Greek ones do, while Greek private consumption per inhabitant is lower than the EU average[10].
Greeks are not a homogeneous mass.
Myth 3: The IMF-Euro zone loan is helping the country and its people
First of all, the IMF/EU program (particularly the EU portion) is no "aid" or "rescue", or even "bailout", as the IMF, the EU and various commentators claim. It consists of a series of loans, with draconian conditionality and the standard interest rate which is charged by the IMF in all cases. As for the EU portion of the loan, it has been given at the extra-high 5-6% interest rate, when the country's
Secondly, this loan was not offered to help the "Greek people". It was offered to guarantee that French, German and Greek bankers won't lose their money, that the Euro is saved, and to ensure that the crisis does not spread to other economies, as it is clearly stated elsewhere in the relevant IMF document[12].
Here is the impact of the IMF - Euro zone 'rescue plan' on Greek people:
1) Abolition of holiday and leave compensations ('13th and 14th salaries') to the employees of the public sectors and the pensioners of both the public and the private sector
2) All salaries remain frozen while VAT has increased by four per cent
3) Minimum salary for the first entrants in the labour market is reduced from 700 Euros to almost 500 Euros
4) The limit for group dismissals has been increased from 2% to 5% and the corresponding compensation reduced by 50%
5) Collective labour agreements can be breached if the employer considers it 'indespensible'
6) A large number of public services, including the railway and water supplies, will be privatised
7) Health and education budget cuts
8) Retirement age for women increases from five to seventeen years under the argument of gender equality
Economists estimate that this measures will result in an overall 25% decrease in living standards. Additional measures are expected to be taken, like expanding explicit [M3] [Y4]and nominal salary cuts in the private sectors and introducing a basic pension of 360 Euros.
Myth 4: Other EU Member States don't risk facing similar situations
Austerity measures are already being imposed in:
Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council said that Euro zone reached the edge of being dissolved but it was saved by France's and Germany's decision to move on to austerity plans and the liberalisation of the labour market[13]. This will mean a massive degradation of living standards all over
Belgian debt is growing by 45 million Euros a day[14]. The word 'austerity' was a bit of a taboo during the elections campaign. Nevertheless, in recent history (1993), deficit crisis have been resolved with a general increase of the VAT. Belgians should be vigilant to prevent the expansion of this pan-European anti-social wave in their country and defend their living standards.
Myth 5: Demonstrators in
Hundreds of thousands of people have been demonstrating peacefully in
The debt of most EU Member States will sooner or later have to be restructured because it is unsustainable. The question is in what terms this will be done. Will we prioritise saving the private banks with public money or defending the Europeans' social rights and well-being?
[2] http://blogs.ft.com/brusselsblog/2010/01/the-eternal-conjuring-trick-of-greeces-public-finances/
[3] ETUI: Open letter to European policymakers: The Greek crisis is a European crisis and needs European solutions
[4] http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.article&id=163313
[6] http://bruxelles.blogs.liberation.fr/coulisses/2010/05/comment-les-banques-et-les-assurances-europ%C3%A9ennes-ont-jou%C3%A9-contre-la-zone-euro.html
[8] http://www.lejdd.fr/Economie/Actualite/Lagarde-Solidaires-pas-complaisants-188597/ http://thenetwar.com/2010/03/efcharistoume-ellada%E2%80%99-lene-germani-evropei-dnt-gia-tin-krisi/
[11]TARKI EUROPEAN SOCIAL REPORT – Income distribution in European countries: first reflections on the basis of EU-SILC 2005
[14] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a37cfa18-71ca-11df-8eec-00144feabdc0.html


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D.M. asks:
I am 51 years old and have suffered from retarded ejaculation since I was in my 20's. I have been married for 15 years and until last spring the marriage was sexless because of my problem. Last year I began to see a psychiatrist and a sex therapist. The sex therapist managed to get my wife and I to be intimate again but I still could not ejaculate and we have all but given up trying, and so has my sex therapist. All of this has made me very depressed and has been very difficult on my marriage. I am desperate to get some help with this. Are you in practice now and are you taking on any new patients? If not, can you recommend a therapist who has experience with retarded ejaculation? Most I have talked to either have never treated it or have had little success when they have tried. Thank you.
Dr. Sommers responds:
Dear D.M.,
Unfortunately you are dealing with one of the more complex problems. However, it's not hopeless, and with the right approach and perseverance it has been overcome by many. If you wish to be seen as a patient, you should get your current therapist's agreement, and if possible, a referral here. This assessment session would be needed to more accurately advise you as to treatment and prognosis.
With every good wish,
Frank Sommers, M.D.
Notice and Disclaimer:
Answers to questions are provided by a qualified psychiatrist/sex therapist on the understanding that these answers provide education and/or instruction, and do not constitute therapy or counselling. Any person seeking counselling or therapy should consult a local qualified professional.


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For first time buyers starting out, families struggling with mortgages or low income households trying to secure a place to call home, home ownership is disappearing from view.
Fianna Fáil believes that home ownership is good for families and good for communities.
The government has been caught up in a controversy over spinning figures on home building projections as it continues with more spin and no substance. Changes to mortgage lending criteria, low home building figures and continuing mortgage arrears crisis is jeopardising the dream of home ownership for ordinary families.
Fianna Fáil is committed to supporting home ownership by
- Using the Strategic Investment Fund and Strategic Banking Corporation to launch public and private housing initiatives with a target of 150,000 new homes in the lifetime of a new Fianna Fáil government.
- 25% top up First Time buyers Savings Scheme
- Introducing a new Right to Buy scheme for local authority and Voluntary Housing Association tenants.
- Boosting housing supply by revising planning laws.
- Shaking up the mortgage market by expanding credit union lending.
Read and Share Fianna Fáil's Strategy for Supporting Home Ownership


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My Mum's were Terry's Spartans.
Closely followed by Toblerone
and Liquorice Allsorts.
Dad loved Kendal Mintcake
and nougat
And both Mum and Dad liked the purple-wrapped brazil nut in Quality Street.
Partner-who-loves-tea has a penchant for Ferrero Rocher.
and Cadbury's Whole Nut.
GB likes Dolly Mixtures but by that he means proper Dolly Mixtures - the old ones with the little hard sweets in. They don't exist any more and I couldn't even find an image of them. Nowadays they are Health and Safety Dolly Mixtures!
GB also likes Crunchie Bars.
Son-who-cooks doesn't eat much sugar/chocolate but he used to like Fruit Salad Bars but he doesn't think they make them any more. They've gone the way of so many of the best sweets and chocolates.
I am very fond of Edinburgh Rock.
But my favourite confection was, without doubt, a box of Weekend - sadly also defunct.
The Marzipan and Almond Fourree was my absolute favourite