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My Impressions of the Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Author's Warning!
I have tried not to spoil the story but there are hints here and there that may reveal the story. I have attempted as best I can not to reveal to much, but please be aware of the possibly of such.
Book One: The Hunger Games
In a future distopia called Panem there are 12 districts and a capital. It appears that there use to be 13 districts but there was a rebellion that resulted in the 13ths destruction. A direct result of this rebellion's failure is the practice of the Hunger Games. Every year a boy and a girl is randomly selected from each district to fight to the death in the games much like gladiators in Rome.
Enter Katniss Everdeen. A young girl who's life has been hard since her father died in a mining accident. She illegally hunts in the woods outside the district to keep her mother, with drawn from her husband's death, and little sister alive. The day for selecting the participants in the Hunger Games arrives and push comes to shave, she ends up in the Hunger Games.
Things are livened up with cross plots and star-crossed lovers. One of which is only playing the role to stay alive.
My Impressions of Book One:
Very original as stories go. The writing style is first person. This bugged me, but the story is compelling enough to keep me reading. Overall the impression I got was a well thought out plot with plenty of twists to keep the readers on the edge of their seats.
Book Two: Catching Fire
Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games (Come on! There was a book 2 & 3! Just take that for granted please.) but in doing so in her own devious way she has accidentally incited uprisings in other districts and incurred the wrath of President Snow, the snakish dictator of Panem. Now Katniss needs to try to prove she is not inciting or supporting any seeds of rebellion. If she doesn't all she holds dear is at risk of destruction.
To make things more interesting, the 75th Hunger Games is this year and every 25 years there is "something special" that happens. This year that something special is were past victors go into the games again, something that Katniss thought thought she was free from.
My Impressions of Book Two:
This book was interesting from the plot prospective but I really only read it to finish the story at one point. It felt rather artificial and difficult to read. The ending twist redeemed the book somewhat. In the over all story line this book is a must read to understand the entire story and to be honest it isn't as hard to read as some books I have read for pleasure in the past.
Note for Parents:
This book series contains violence. Kids under the age of 13 are not recommended to read these books.
Book Three: Mockingjay
Summary: This book is where the story arch comes to a head. Without giving way too much this is where Katniss comes into her own and deals with some major issues. This book has a change of pace and brings a realistic ending to a story arch that kept me interested to the end.
My Impressions of Book Three:
First are the impressions of other people. Before I read this I was told the ending was awful. I have to disagree. This book and the resulting ending rounds out the story perfectly. There is tragedy, there is success, there is failure, there is joy and there was pain. To me, this book redeemed the story and made this book series worthy of being on my bookshelf and be a series I would comfortably recommend to young adults.
The Hunger Games Movie
Per IMDB the first book is due to be made into a movie. I personally have issues with this. Some books are made to be made into movies while others not so much. I will reserve total judgement until I see the end results but based off of past experience from similar books Hollywood has a tendency of destroying a good story with rare exceptions. I will remain skeptical until I am proven otherwise.
I read all three books, and enjoyed them well enough. However, I was very disappointed in the third book and the overall ending. It was not what I was I expected nor what I would like to have happen in a story of struggle and conflict. Additionally I felt the author was somewhat lazy in her writing approach. Overall series B-
I have read all three books and am not reading them with my class.
The first one I felt was a little hard to get into at first, but it picked up quickly and I couldn't put it down. The first person pov didn't bother me, although at times Katniss' cluelessness on how to communicate and read people was frustrating.
With the second book I felt it was extremely slow in the beginning and didn't pick up until they were back in the arena. This was my least favorite because of how slow it began. But you're right, the twist at the end made up for it.
The third book was as good as the first and had my draw dropping a few times.
My class is about to start the third book this coming week and I can't wait to see their reactions!!


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Do you think you know your food well? Are you being a food snob who just pretends to know everything about his food? The reality is that we often stumble when talking about exotic food. For instance not many people know that sushi and sashimi are the same. Let's take you through your food lessons and up your food quotient,shall we?
To begin with, Sushi is mainly cooked rice with vinegar, sugar and salt combined with other ingredients, usually raw fish or other seafood. It can also be prepared with sushi rice, or uruchimai. In some rolls, sushi may be wrapped in black seaweed wrappers called nori. Sushi is made up of two parts, shari and neta. Shari is the cooked rice with vinegar, while neta refers to the various other ingredients. It originated in Southeast Asia, but it was Japan that formed it into what we now know of as sushi.
Sashimi is simply the raw fish, often sliced very thinly. It is usually served on top of shredded daikon (white raddish) and shiso leaves. The authentic method to relish your sashimi is to dip it in soy sauce and eat it raw; even the garnishes can also be dipped and eaten raw. You may also savor it with miso soup and rice or a dipping sauce made from wasabi paste, soy sauce, and ginger. If you go by the Japanese tradition, Sashimi forms the first course in a formal meal. In some places it can also be served as the main course.
So now that you have become an expert, time to try out the best Sushi and Sashimi. If you want to devour the best of authentic Oriental cuisine Shiro is the place to be. It's also the perfect place to flaunt your knowledge.

subset: commoncrawl


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When you or your loved one has been injured, you need someone on your side who can help ease the suffering and the financial burden you are facing as a result. Our exclusive focus is on personal injury, so we can help level the playing field between you and the insurance companies. Our priority is to obtain full and fair compensation for you or your loved one. You can count on us when you need an expert personal injury attorney in Youngstown, Ohio, and the surrounding area.
Insurance companies work to minimize your compensation regardless of your situation. We are dedicated to protecting your rights. When you have Elizabeth Bernard on your side, you have more than skilled representation. You have personal injury lawyers providing personal service for you. We ensure that insurance companies do not take advantage of you, while working toward a timely and satisfactory resolution that allows you to heal and move on with your life.
Whether you have been hurt in a car, motorcycle or truck accident, were attacked by an animal, suffered an accident at work or are coping with an injured child, we have one goal when we represent you – to obtain the maximum compensation to which you are entitled under Ohio law.
When you are hurt in an accident and you need a personal injury attorney in Youngstown, Ohio, contact the lawyers at Elizabeth A. Bernard, LLC.


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Poverty: A Challenge to Business Schools
Business schools, particularly in Brazil, have done surprisingly little work on the topic of poverty. This article explores student and faculty awareness regarding this significant issue and assesses the perceived responsibility of elite business schools in Brazil for such a liable exclusion. By way of interviews with students and faculty, and by surveying a number of undergraduate students, the study results present a set of propositions that aims to change the prevalent culture in business schools. A generalization effort should say that most schools in Brazil remain ignorant of the potential of alleviating poverty. B-schools could help if they went to a little beyond the conventional teaching that disregard the essential necessities of the poor as consumers.
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Lenders in California, Florida, and Georgia have approximately three more weeks to enroll in an electronic lien and title program to meet the Jan. 1, 2013 mandatory ELT deadline. DDI has been working closely with lenders in these states and across the country to ensure all are prepared for these deadlines. To learn more about each state's program, visit the websites listed below.
California: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/eltp.htm
Florida: http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/elt.html


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Hampton Inn Oxford hotels are provided below. Search for cheap and discount Hampton Inn hotel rooms in Oxford, CT for your business gathering or personal travels. We list the best Hampton Inn Oxford hotels/properties so you can review the Oxford Hampton Inn hotel list below to find the perfect place.
This website will also list discounted Oxford, CT hotels that have a comparable rating of a Hampton Inn.Need 5+ Rooms? Lock in a group rate for Oxford CT
How should we direct your call?


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Sometimes you buy a couple of things from the thrift shop and they just sit around unworn forever because they're just not really very interesting (much like in my shirt video!)
That was the case with the navy dress pictured below.
I love before-and-after shots, so here's mine:
People often say to me "My thrift shops suck! You're so lucky to have good thrift shops where you live!" But half the skill of thrifting is being able to see the potential to transform clothes from something that's otherwise fairly bland and boring. Inspired by Coolirpa's Thrifted Transformations series, I'm going to attempt to upcycle these two thrifted items into something that I would much prefer to wear!
Enjoy :)
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Sunday, 12 July 2015
Thrifted Transformations | Get Sewing With Me #5
10 comments:
Whoa, this feels so weird because I just found Coolirpa's channel by accident two days ago, watched like all her videos in one day, and now all of a sudden you're talking about her! :DReplyDelete
I really love the daisy dress. I also love how the headband thing looks on you, but for some reason I can never make headbands work for myself. Either they look weird or slip right off my head (weird-shaped head? Slippery hair? Who knows....)
I love this "get sewing with me" series and I hope to see more of them in the future ^_^
(Also, I have made so many dresses with the help of your circle skirt tutorial video, I have to thank you for that yet again. I've also started making dresses out of thrifted tablecloths that are oval shaped - less hemming if you use the already hemmed curved edges! :D Last time I added Totoro pockets, those turned out really nice too.)Replies
wow, dresses made out of tablecloths! I admire your creativity :)Delete
Why Buy? DIY!
It's either creativity or laziness, because like I said, less hemming if you use already hemmed edges :D :DDelete
I've done that before, hehe! p.s. Gingham table clothes make the BEST circle skirts. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, and sorry about my super slow reply!Delete
AND TOROTO POCKETS OMG. How cute!!!! I want to see photos!
Too bad gingham isn't that popular in my corner of the world, I never seem to find any tablecloths in gingham!Delete
Here's the tablecloth Totoro dress:
love the before and after shots Annika! Doubly love your creativity and promoting recycling while juggling scientific based studies as well. Hope all your exams went well btw :)ReplyDelete
Annika, love the video! A great project for crazy fans of upcycling like myself hehehe :))))ReplyDelete
Thanks for introducing Coolirpa`s channel - she has great inspirational videos. And yes I do want to see more of "get sewing with me" series :)
Why Buy? DIY!
Great idea Annika! The daisy dress is very beautiful!!ReplyDelete
Your headband is cute too, I love how you find every piece of fabric useful :)
I also love Coolirpa's channel very much- she has such great ideas!
(from A Golden Picnic)
- Anonymous15 July 2015 at 08:43
Hello, my name is Samira and I love reading fashion blogs. I always wanted to start my own. I already take photos of my outfits (but just for me). I'm not sure how to start my blog or even what site to use. Can you help?ReplyDelete
like you blog!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a message! I read every single one. Don't forget to check back for a reply if you leave a question! ♥


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Kuwait on Friday called on the international community to exercise pressure upon Israel to abide by UN resolutions to pave way for the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel should also comply with resolution 2334, which considered the Jewish settlements illegal and abort chances of peace, First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said in a speech before an Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) ministerial meeting in New York.
He condemned Israel's recent measures in Al-Aqsa Mosque, the judaization of occupied Jerusalem to change its Arabic identity. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that Kuwait, out of its keenness to help the Palestinian people would be hosting an international conference about the suffering of the Palestinian children next November.
He, meanwhile, called for doubling of efforts to find a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict in line with the UN resolution 2254 and the communique of 2012 Geneva I conference. The Syrian crisis, he noted, killed some 470,000 people, forced three million to see refuge in neighboring countries and displaced 6.5 million others.
He said there were 13.5 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Kuwait hosted three international donor conferences in 2013, 2014 and 2015, as well as co-chaired two conferences in London and Brussels.
Kuwait contributed USD 1.6 billion in the five meetings and the sums were distributed to regional and international organizations. On Iraq, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said Kuwait would be hosting an international donor conference to rebuild Iraqi areas liberated from so-called Islamic State (IS).
He said Kuwait also approved a request by the Iraqi government to postpone payment of compensations, for three consecutive years, for damage caused by the 1990-91 Iraqi invasion and occupation.
The Kuwaiti move, he added, "was in response to the difficult economic conditions Iraq is experiencing." Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled thanked OIC for organizing a conference in the Saudi city of Makkah to bring all Iraqi parties to the table.
On Yemen, the Kuwaiti top diplomat rejected any foreign interference in the country's internal affairs, and reiterated that the solution to the conflict should be based on outcome of national dialogue, the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanism as well as UN resolution 2216.
Kuwait, he added, provide USD 100 million to help alleviate suffering of the needy Yemeni people. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled on the other hand condemned the genocide, forced deportation and ethnic cleansing committed by the government forces in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country 'whose only guilt is being Muslims."
The international community must exercise pressure on the government of Myanmar to stop these criminal actions, he said, while thanking the government of Bangladesh for hosting the Rohingya refugees. Kuwait also provided USD 1.5 million in aid to help the Rohingya Muslims.
Source: KUNA
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."


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Understanding, optimising and managing your critical assets is essential to the success of your business.
K2RCM promotes a structured and integrated approach to asset management and the development of specific asset management and optimisation strategies based on understanding your systems, business objectives and the key drivers of performance.
We can:
- Analyse and baseline your extant asset management systems against common standards;
- Model and simulate your asset utilisation and need in order to provide decision support intelligence;
- Develop asset management policies and procedures;
- Assist you to understand your critical asset requirements;
- Develop asset management through life policies and procedures;
- Develop relevant performance measures for critical assets and systems;
- Conduct optimisation and performance improvement programmes utilising root cause analysis and response; and
- Provide on-site subject matter experts to assist you in managing and maintaining your assets.
CONTACT US today if you would like to know how we can help you resolve your asset, system, organisation and maintenance reliability issues. We are available 24/7 and 365.
Contact Us via the form below, or visit our Contact Us page to see how else you can get in touch.


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Emily's art work aims to exploit popular culture, to arrest the social media kingdom and interrogate it. Emily's show is an urgent call for us to be exposed to and take ownership of our fault-ridden past- in the most brutally honest way if we intend to learn from it. By employing the Pop Art aesthetic the most blunt and honest juxtapositions of our humanity's transgressions and their consequences are produced. It is with this approach that the vulgarity of our nation's crime is forced into a strident, accusatory, satirical spot light that Social Media has so effectively blotted out.
The vehicle through which we receive crucial information about the world has been reduced to the unsophisticated, credulous language of Social Media. After crucial information is forced through the narrow bottleneck of our degenerate popular culture, we are left with an easily digestible yet wildly ambiguous version of the knowledge we should be absorbing with acute connotation. Our generation and our successors have become critically dependent on this method of receiving information about ourselves and our world, and the language by which those platforms spit out information has been irreversibly internalized.
Emily Schadow is a local emerging painter from the Minneapolis area and a graduate from Eckerd College with a degree in Visual Arts and a minor in Human Development. Emily's interests in anthropology and human interaction has largely dictated their artistic direction, leading them to produce works focused on social issues of race, gender, and politics. Their goal is to use the Visual Arts to spark productive conversation, to offer a vehicle through which the audience can confront and evaluate important issues that are otherwise often neglected in social settings.
Laura Bennett
Ethan Arnold
Linnea Doyle
Doug Forbes
Joe Aschebrock
Chank Diesel
Aaron Brand Design
Jill Van Sickle
Jennifer Chilstrom and Hannah Albert
Amy Rice
Cody Kiser
52 Inspired People Project
Fourever West Ethan Arnold
Carlos Higueros
Ink Orchard
Tim Nyberg
Yuya Negishi and Aaron Brand
Victor Yepez
John Alspach
Nina Martine Robinson
Tessa Druley
Anna Chambers-Goldberg
Mary Olson
Matthew Gaulke
Lois Eliason and Jen Chilstrom
Jesse Siegel
Justine Di Fiore
Amy Rice Art
Tape Study Aaron Brand
Quinn Rivenburgh
Linnea Doyle
Gina Louise
Mary Olson
Chholing Taha
Jennifer Gilles
Lindsey Ries
Ethan Arnold Feed The Machine
Holiday Art Bazaar


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We rearrange the furniture and I've been trying to get rid of the clothes and stuff around the house we're not using. We've got our FreeCycle standby guy -- he lives close by and is happy to sift through boxes of random stuff, passing on what he can't use. While cleaning out drawers, I was sad to see how pathetic Wal's sock drawer was.
And I undertook:
The Sock Purge and Restocking
He's got a bunch of dressy socks that don't match any pants, any shoes, or even each other. His athletic socks are stretched and worn in the heels. Worst of all, the drawer was overflowing, but he still never seemed to have enough of the ones he wanted to wear.
I cleared out all the trouble-makers. Using my sneaky girlfriend method, I merely moved them rather than pitching them right away* -- just in case he happened to notice something special missing. With those moved out of the drawer, I STOCKED up. For work socks, he got 9 new pairs, to add to the ones that were passable. Athletic socks, he now has ankle socks (No more scrunched down big white socks!) with padding and elasticity - a novel idea.
I left his favorites of the very soft socks in silly colors. If I hadn't, there would have been an uproar.
See the results of my hard work below.
There's still a lot to do around the apartment, but this half of this drawer is lookin' fine.
See also this Unclutterer article on Sock Purges.
* He did actually become a little irritated at me for getting rid of "perfectly good" socks. I tried my best to explain that 1) these aren't good, functionally, and that 2) they were ones that he didn't like either.


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With so many rides to choose from, we broke down the ones that must be visited and others that you won't necessarily mind missing.
There are only so many hours in a day at Walt Disney World, so how do you decide what to ride first? Simple: you take our advice for it. This meticulous ranking of every stellar must-see 3D attraction, perfectly themed roller coaster, and out-of-this-world flyer will help you plan the perfect trip for speed demons and boat ride obsessives alike. (We left stage shows and other smaller attractions out, so consider these the best-of-the-best where rides are concerned.)
Dangle your toes over international monuments, shoot to the galaxy in a rocket, and believe it or not, catch a stand-up comedy show led by animated monsters with this worst to best ranking of everything at Disney's Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot.


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Inter Pro ready for Donegal
- Published: Thursday, 19 October 2017 12:59
LFA Prepare to Celebrate 125 Years
- Published: Monday, 16 October 2017 13:19
The Provincial Association will record this historic date when they celebrate this event with a dinner attended by our affiliated leagues and guests with Daragh Maloney the MC for the night while music will be provided by Joanna and Tequila Sunrise
Crettyard book place in Over 35 Cup Final
- Published: Monday, 16 October 2017 13:03
Crettyard United 4 Kildare Town 3
Carlow league side Crettyard United booked their place in the LFA Over Thirty Five Cup final after overcoming Kildare Town in a dramatic semi final last Saturday. Kildare took an early lead but Crettyard came back and led 4-1 with fifteen minutes to go but Kildare battled back to 4-3 and had a goal bound shot cleared off the line in the dying minutes. Crettyard now await the winners of Straffan AFC v Finglas United which is being played this Saturday in Straffan at 4pm
Shelbourne lift LFA Senior Cup
- Published: Monday, 16 October 2017 12:58
Dundalk 2 Shelbourne AFC 4
Shelbourne lifted the LFA Senior Cup for the 20th time when overcoming Dundalk after extra time in Oriel Park last Wednesday.
Hessian FA
- Published: Monday, 16 October 2017 11:11
The LFA are currently exploring the option of twinning with the Hessian FA in Germany to play games at Youth level. Based in and around Frankfurt, the Hessian FA are ranked 6th of the 22 Associations in Germany.
We are looking forward to this possible partnership and further details will be posted here.


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April/May 2015
April 2015 News
Our Annual General Meeting was held held in late April. It was a time to review the past 12 months and look forward to the next 12. The AGM also signaled a time of renewal, and BRCT will soon be recruiting for the newly vacant position of Projects Coordinator. Our previous Projects Coordinator, Niki Bould has moved on to other things and we want to thank Niki for her enthusiasm, contributions and hard work for the Trust over the past 2 and a bit years.
As we look back we can see: slow but significant progress in the wind project; important solar developments throughout Blueskin and beyond; the launch of the Cosy Home Charitable Trust; growth in the Home Performance Assessment service; a large and important research report on the Blueskin and Karitane Food System - thanks to a Lottery Research Grant and Ahika Consulting; a growing interest in, and access to, E-Bikes; and a whole host of advocacy and community actions.
Behind all this is a dedicated board of Trustees, who donate time, passion and expertise to ensure the Trust is continuously steering towards our vision and ensuring that our day-to-day operations are always lined up with our goals. And on the operational side of things, the Trust could not operate without the support of so many community volunteers and pro bono contributions, who contribute in many critical ways, from maintaining our website and developing events, to providing legal advice and wind data measurement.
On the 13th of April BRCT got out of the office and onto Bland Park for a great day out at the Blueskin Agricultural & Pastoral Show. The A&P Society committee have worked hard over the past few years to make the A&P Show very contemporary and relevant for our community and again delivered a fantastic day. Thank you to everyone who helped us set up and take down the BRCT 'field office' on the day.
Looking ahead, and in addition to our main community wind work, we will continue to focus on the provision of community services and to grow our social enterprise activity. Social enterprise is using business methods to deliver social and environmental gains. As Alex Hannant of the Akina Foundation says, Social enterprise isn't about replacing mainstream business; it's about expanding our practice and developing new models to tackle social and environmental challenges in different ways. At BRCT this means engaging in providing products and services that align with our values and enable us to deliver more to the community.
To that end we want to make it easy for residents to insulate their homes. BRCT is part of the national Community Energy Network and as a result we are now able to offer Inzone polyester ceiling, wall and underfloor insulation for sale through BRCT. It's an insulation product containing a percentage of recycled milk bottles and doesn't irritate the skin, so is relatively easy for you to install.
By Scott Willis


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Teams get much- needed rest
It's probably a good time for the Burbank High and Burroughs football teams to have a week off from competition.
Because both programs participated in Zero Week games to start the season, the Bulldogs and Indians have bye weeks.
That should give the squads some time off to recover from injuries and to work on things before opening Pacific League play.
Burroughs (0-3) will begin league play Sept. 30 against Hoover at Glendale High. Burbank (2-1) will begin league play Oct. 1 with a tough game at Muir.


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Keyboard - October 2015 - 40 years of Keyboard 1975 - 2015
Keyboard Magazine's October 2015 issue celebrates 40 years of Keyboard!
This month we say good-bye to our "30 years Ago Today" series, and begin to revisit the earliest issues of Contemporary Keyboard (the original title, later shortened to Keyboard).
We've had the privilege of interviewing loads of our musical heroes over the past 40 years. Inside there's a handful that are most memorable to us including:
- September/October, 1975 – Chick Corea
- November/December, 1975 – Herbie Hancock
- October 1983 – Oscar Peterson
- July 1985 - Kate Bush
- July 1995 – Stevie Wonder
- July 2005 – Tori Amos
- January 2015 – Lang Lang
Synths of the Stars: Check out the brief photo essay about what some of our most frequent flyers played back in the day:
- Herbie Hancock
- Josef Zawinul
- Rick Wakeman
- Tony Banks
- Chick Corea
- Geoff Downes
Retro Reprint: Joe Sample is the keyboard player with the Crusaders, a group he helped form in Texas in 1954. The Crusaders have recorded many albums for the Blue Thumb, Pacific Jazz, and Motown labels. Sample has also done extensive studio work in the Los Angeles area. See what he's up to in our great interview, plus watch our 2010 video interview with him online!
Hot Licks: To continue our celebration, we asked some of today's most accomplished professional players to show us their favorite & most memorable keyboard licks. Read on to add them to your own musical vocabulary.


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A suspenseful, action-packed three-way manhunt full of twists and turns.
A bank robber escapes from prison to track down a former cellmate trying to make him take the fall for a series of murders. A female cop leads the chase for the fugitive, who soon becomes public enemy number 1. When the three protagonists have pushed themselves as far as they can go, who will be the hunter and who will be the prey?


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Myotis californicus This tiny bat has moderately-sized ears that would extend beyond the nose if pushed forward. It has a keel on the calcar, the ankle spur that supports the airfoil membrane (see below). A single young is born in the summer months, (for example, a pregnant female was found on Salt Spring in early June). The California Myotis is active in winter during periods of good weather. Photo credit. Alan Harper
California Myotis


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At QBC we believe baptism is an expression of one's personal faith in Jesus Christ. When someone comes to believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and they desire to follow Him all the days of their life, the Bible commands that they be baptized. We practice baptism through full immersion in water.
If you would like more information about baptism, or if you are thinking about being baptized yourself, please contact Pastor Deane or Pastor Ryan.


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Virtual team benefits and challengesVirtual teams are a great way to enable teamwork in situations where people are not sitting in the same physical office at the same time.
Such teams are used more and more by companies and other organizations to cut travel, relocation, real estate, and other business costs. This is particularly so for businesses that use virtual organizations to build global presence, outsource their operations, or need less common expertise or skills from people who are reluctant to travel or relocate from their home locations.Virtual teams are governed essentially the by same fundamental principles as traditional teams. Yet, there is one critical difference. This difference is the way the team members communicate. Instead of using the full spectrum and dynamics of in-office face-to-face exchange, they now rely on special communication channels enabled by modern technologies, such as e-mails, faxes, phone calls and teleconferences, virtual meetings, and alike.Due to more limited communication channels, the success and effectiveness of virtual teams is much more sensitive to the type of project the group works on, what people are selected, and how the team is managed.Not every type of project is suitable for a virtual organization. One challenging case is projects that rely heavily on sequential or integrated work, as often the case in manufacturing. In particular, when each person's work depends much on what someone else is doing at the same moment (like in a sports team), there is an ongoing heavy exchange of information in real time, and/or the tasks has to go through a strict sequence of workers within a short time.
Not everyone can perform well in a virtual team environment. The members should be self motivated and able to work independently. They need to be able to keep working effectively without much of external control or structure. The next important quality is strong result-orientation. Unless the person shows clear results, there is nobody around to see how intense his or her work activities are. Another critical factor is communication skills. The team member should be able to communicate clearly, constructively, and positively even through the more limited channels of technology, in spite of the loss of many nonverbal cues of face-to-face communications.
Managers of virtual teams also need to pay much more attentions to maintaining clear goals, performance standards, and communication rules. People have varying assumptions on what to expect from each other. To avoid build-ups of misunderstandings, in a virtual organization it is critical to replace those implicit assumptions with clear rules and protocols that everyone understands and agrees upon, especially for communication.
One of the biggest challenges of virtual teams is building and maintaining trust between the team members. Trust is critical for unblocking communication between members and sustaining motivation of each person involved. The issue of trust needs special attention at any stage of team existence.
Team work and team building essentials: Important for virtual teams as wellVirtual meeting basics
Good understanding of team work and team building are critical for your business success or corporate office career. Tips and insights into team work and team building principles and activities.
Good understanding of team work and team building are critical for your business success or corporate office career. Tips and insights into team work and team building principles and activities.
See in what ways you could benefit from an online meeting and recognize the challenges you may face.
Personal time management and goal setting guide main page
Practical information and advice on various personal time management and goal setting topics.
Practical information and advice on various personal time management and goal setting topics.
Copyright 2005 by Time-Management-Guide.com. All rights reserved.
Virtual team benefits and challenges


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Journal Entry- December 12, 2007
The headline was blunt and unmistakable, "The Arctic is Screaming," it read. The Arctic is screaming I thought as I sipped coffee and thought back five months to the day when I arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to sail the infamous Northwest Passage.
Sitting in my comfortable, dry quarters in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a long way from the Arctic, but the 6,640 miles and 73 days of sailing through the ice-free Passage is still fresh on my mind.
I have to admit to being a bit numb after the intensity experienced during a long, cold, and successful run through the Arctic. We made some sailing history for sure, but what is the real story here, what does it all mean, and how best to share this story with the public?
These thoughts swirl through my mind constantly as I struggle to reimmerse myself back into the daily grind of life and work. Well, if the Arctic is screaming, and I was certainly there to listen, what did I hear? This seems to be the place to begin assembling the many voices from the north making all the noise.
A bit of preface, we transitted the NW Passage on a 57' ketch, named Cloud Nine, during the summer of 2007 (see my other blog for the full story). I was also aboard Cloud Nine in 1994 when we tried the Passage the first time. We got hopelessly trapped in the ice and barely made our retreat out of the Arctic's grip to safety. Cloud Nine also attempted the Passage in 2005 with the same results.
Bridging History
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 4, 2007:
David Thoreson after the completion in Kodiak, Alaska, "The good news for Cloud Nine may be bad news for the planet."
"We expected to see less ice, but we didn't expect almost no ice," said Thoreson, who kept a blog of the journey, adding entries whenever he reached a place he could write.
"I feel strongly that we have witnessed the end of an era and the beginning of a new one," Thoreson wrote at one point. "The golden age of exploration, Amundsen's era, has come to a close, and a new era of exploration involving study and change in the Earth's climate is just beginning."
"We on Cloud Nine have experienced both eras. Frozen in and stuck in the ice twice over 13 years, and now sailing through unscathed and witnessing an ice-free Northwest Passage. We have bridged the two eras."
This was my small voice calling out to those who would hear it that I had witnessed something profound. Little did I know that the summer of 2007 actually blew the top off all Arctic records.
We were a small "canary in the coal mine" contributing in our own way to the growing evidence of rapid melting and disintegration of the Arctic ice cap.
I would like to add my voice, as I can, to some of the voices and evidence below, to scream loud, long, and hard for everyone to listen to the greatest challenge facing the human race, climate change.
Published on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 by Associated Press
Ominous Arctic Melt Worries Experts
by Seth Borenstein
An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years.
Greenland's ice sheet melted nearly 19 billion tons more than the previous high mark, and the volume of Arctic sea ice at summer's end was half what it was just four years earlier, according to new NASA satellite data obtained by The Associated Press.
"The Arctic is screaming," said Mark Serreze, senior scientist at the government's snow and ice data center in Boulder, Colo.
Just last year, two top scientists surprised their colleagues by projecting that the Arctic sea ice was melting so rapidly that it could disappear entirely by the summer of 2040.
This week, after reviewing his own new data, NASA climate scientist Jay Zwally said: "At this rate, the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free at the end of summer by 2012, much faster than previous predictions."
- Surface temperatures in the Arctic Ocean this summer were the highest in 77 years of record-keeping, with some places 8 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, according to research to be released Wednesday by University of Washington's Michael Steele.
New data, from a NASA satellite, measures ice volume. NASA geophysicist Scott Luthcke, reviewing it and other Greenland numbers, concluded: "We are quite likely entering a new regime."
Melting of sea ice and Greenland's ice sheets also alarms scientists because they become part of a troubling spiral.
White sea ice reflects about 80 percent of the sun's heat off Earth, NASA's Zwally said. When there is no sea ice, about 90 percent of the heat goes into the ocean which then warms everything else up. Warmer oceans then lead to more melting.
"That feedback is the key to why the models predict that the Arctic warming is going to be faster," Zwally said. "It's getting even worse than the models predicted."
Beyond Science to Reality
Everywhere I traveled this summer in the Arctic, from Greenland, sailing east to Alaska, there was story after story of changing cultures.
Local hunters in West Greenland talked of unstable sea ice because of too many icebergs produced and then refrozen into the pack ice. The icebergs constantly shift making sea ice dangerous to travel by sledge and snowmobile. Hunters and fisherman in Nunavut, Canada, spoke of the increased average summer wind speeds and shorter calms in the summer resulting in treacherous small boat voyages to traditional hunting camps. And I even met a birder who was going Siberia to see migrating species which had never been seen that far north. An Alaskan elder in the Little Diomedes observed barn swallows which had never been seen in recorded, or oral, histories.
Then there are just the bizarre climate change stories, as in Ireland.
Non-native jellyfish wipe out salmon fishery in Northern Ireland – another warning sign?
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a massive bloom of "mauve stinger" jellyfish, in a dense pack covering 10 square miles 35 feet deep, thousands of miles north of their preferred ocean habitat, feasted on about a half a million pounds of gourmet, organic salmon being raised in pens off the coast of northern Ireland and slated for market during the upcoming holiday season. All indications are that climate change played a key role in the fatal intrusion.
The village of Shishmaref, northwestern Alaska, is having to be moved because of rising sea levels, more wind, and massive coastal erosion. Thus we have the first climate refugees and potentially a $150 million dollar tab to move the 300 native inhabitants. "I went to school on the mainland, and when I came back, my house was gone. They moved it to the other side of the village, or it would've fallen in the sea." Leona Goodhope, Shishmaref, Alaska.
Permafrost is melting making iceroads and transportation corridors unstable and buckling local roads and airport runways. Meltwater from the tundra is picking up silt and making the deltas in western Alaskan more shallow adding to the storm surges further erosion. And yes, there is another greenhouse gas, methane, which has been locked up in the permafrost which is now being released through the melting process in unprecedented amounts.
Stalemates, Arrogance, and Ostriches.
Of course there are some rather large obstacles turning deaf ears to all of the science and personal narratives. There will always be skeptics who want to prevent change to new and clean energy resources and technologies.
"I think we have a problem on global warming. I think there is a debate about whether it's caused by mankind or whether it's caused naturally, but it's a worthy debate. It's a debate, actually, that I'm in the process of solving…" President Bush in July 2006.
On December 12, 2007, the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a majority report that concludes that the Bush Administration politically interfered with climate change science communication and misled policy makers and the public about the dangers of global warming.
With this obvious stalemate at the federal level and no hope of ratifying the Kyoto treaty, it seems to be local and state entities that are supplying the leadership on the climate and carbon issues. Following are some examples of the quiet revolution which is taking place across the nation and beyond.
"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption."
-President Bush, Sept. 23, 2002, Trenton, New Jersey, speech
Well sir, I disrespectfully disagree. And so do the vast majorities of American and world leaders and citizens. We can see change, innovation and leadership forming all around us. This is the hope to solve the interconnected issue of climate change.
On February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol, which proposed to reduce global warming by cutting greenhouse-gas emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, became law for the 141 countries that signed the agreement. Since the United States was not one of the countries that signed that agreement, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol at a local level through leadership and action. Under the agreement, participating cities commit to take the following three actions:
• Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
• Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
• Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system
**Since the agreement was launched in 2005, 830 cities have signed the agreement.
My home state, Iowa
Thank you Iowa Governor Culver for taking a strong and bold leadership role in what is turning out to be a new state's rights issue and movement across America.
Culver and other "regional" leaders agreed to help reduce the critical threat of global warming and promote economic development when they signed a pact to significantly reduce carbon emissions, Iowa environmental leaders said.
Culver joined leaders of five other Midwestern states and the Premier of Manitoba, Canada in a pact to cut carbon pollution 60 to 80 percent, as recommended by scientists. The historic, multi-state agreement, signed at a meeting of the Midwest Governors Association, will spur investment in clean, renewable energy and energy efficient technology – fueling the growth of local industries in Iowa.
"Our governors today will propel Iowa and the Midwest to a clean energy economy. Boosting our use of wind, solar, and biomass will create thousands of new jobs," said Nathaniel Baer, energy director at the Iowa Environmental Council.
Already wind turbine manufacturers have brought nearly 1,000 new jobs and over $100 million in capital investments to Iowa. Studies by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Environmental Law & Policy Center show that thousands of additional jobs and investments are in store from the kind of clean energy policies recommended in this platform.
American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment
"We (over 400 strong), the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects. We recognize the scientific consensus that global warming is real and is largely being caused by humans. We further recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the latest, in order to avert the worst impacts of global warming and to reestablish the more stable climatic conditions that have made human progress over the last 10,000 years possible." Excerpt from
The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment
College of the Atlantic Goes "Net-Zero" for Carbon Emissions
By Associated Press
December 19, 2007
BAR HARBOR, Maine - College of the Atlantic has become the nation's first "net-zero" campus for carbon emissions, school officials said Wednesday.
The college said it has offset its entire emissions output of 2,488 tons over the past 15 months by investing in a greenhouse gas reduction project in Oregon.
At his inauguration in October 2006, College of the Atlantic President David Hales pledged to make the campus carbon-neutral by this month. Since then, more than 450 other universities and colleges have also taken "net-zero" pledges through the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment program.
Bush's EPA Denies California's Right to Mandate Emissions
Sometimes the Bush administration picks a really, really bad fight with the wrong leader. When that leader is the head of the world's sixth largest economy and "terminates" his enemies, it is best sometimes to listen, and possibly, fall into line. California's trends usually sweep the country. It is very important this trend is coming from a very upset, and recently more progressive (and populist) Republican, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Governor Schwarzenegger issued the following statement after the U.S. EPA, after nearly two years of delay, rejected California's request to regulate tailpipe emissions from passenger cars and light trucks.
"California has a long and proud history of leadership in reducing pollution and fighting for clean air. Our citizens place a high priority on good health and a clean environment, and we are ready to implement the nation's cleanest standards for vehicle emissions. It has been nearly two years since we requested the waiver and, now, sixteen other states are following our lead to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, increase fuel efficiency and help reduce harmful greenhouse gases. A ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year made it clear that the EPA has the authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.
Schwarzenegger assailed the EPA, "It is disappointing that the federal government is standing in our way and ignoring the will of tens of millions of people across the nation. We will continue to fight this battle. California sued to compel the agency to act on our waiver, and now we will sue to overturn today's decision and allow Californians to protect our environment."
States that have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, California's strict automobile emissions standards are: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
"The Supreme Court told EPA it has to take action on global warming. It affects our health and our environment. It's not just about fuel economy."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) echoed the prevailing sentiments and called the EPA's decision "disgraceful."
Hmmmmm.....seems the times they are a changin' as an old muse once said. The trends are there. The political will seems to be lining up from all sides. It's all about inertia and the ball is rollin' along an interesting path.
One final thought. Has any "higher" authority ever checked in on this? Let's see...
Genesis 2:15 specifically calls us "to watch over and care for" the bounty of the earth and its creatures. Scripture not only affirms this role, but warns that the earth is not ours to abuse, own, or dominate. The Bible clearly says in Revelation 11:18 that "God will destroy those who destroy the earth."


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Conference Mission Statement: (From conference by-laws) The AJCU Conference for Pastoral, Theological and Ministerial Education is grounded in an Ignatian vision and seeks to discern ways to build on the strengths of its member programs by a commitment to: Communicate with one another and with Catholic and other religious structures and organizations, in regard to issues of pastoral, theological and ministerial education; Collaborate on issues and projects of common concern and explore the implications of trends, research and documents that inform pastoral, theological and ministerial education; Advocate for pastoral, theological and ministerial education for a diverse church and access to Jesuit, university-based professional education, especially for the marginalized; and to our colleges and universities, the Church and society.
The AJCU Pastoral Conference is relatively new, having been founded in 2010. The conference puts an emphasis on informal ways that members can collaborate, without abandoning institutional efforts at collaboration. a primary goal is to continue building the networks of relationships that will make collaboration possible. Similarly, members continue to foster efforts at dialogue among departments within Jesuit colleges and universities, and the conference continues to be a forum for fostering national conversations about how to develop collaborative relationships between theology/religious studies departments and pastoral/ministerial theology departments.
Members of the AJCU Conference for Pastoral, Theological and Ministerial Education are asked to pay dues to support the work of the Conference. Click here to pay online.
Chair: Mariana Miller, Creighton University
E-mail: email@example.com
Next Conference
Location: Oblate Retreat Center, San Antonio, TX
Dates: February 24, 2019
Click here to register online.
This conference will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry.
Click here to access minutes from the most recent business meeting of the AJCU Pastoral, Theological and Ministerial Education Conference, held in Orlando, FL on February 19, 2018.


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Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
FALLS CHURCH, Va., Aug. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share on Northrop Grumman common stock, payable Sept. 13, 2017, to shareholders of record as of the close of business Aug. 28, 2017.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information.
CONTACT: Contact: Tim Paynter (Media) 703-280-2720 firstname.lastname@example.com Steve Movius (Investors) 703-280-4575 firstname.lastname@example.com
News Provided by GlobeNewswire
© 2017 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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January 14, 2011
Well, we've finally done it. A year in the making and the new BiteCP brand has been launched. Please check out our new site here
TwentyFour/Seven Fitted Cap
November 1, 2010
Fledgling San Diego-based brand Product Etcetera create the following fitted cap for New York City's Reed Space. Tributing the hometown heroes, the New York Yankees, the cap features a logo holding a dual connotation.
The New Bite CP holding page is up…
September 13, 2010
The new Bite CP holding page is up. Check it out here
Middleweight Designer Required
September 13, 2010
_Design Week Top 50 agency
_Integrated agency – Design, Digital, Events and PR
_Diverse range of sectors and high profile clients
_Award-winning, busy, Passionate, friendly, fun, talented team
_Middleweight (6 years+ experience)
_Previous design agency and high profile client experience
_Branding and web experience
_Passionate, innovation, original
_Thinker as well as a doer
_ Knows Adobe CS like the back of their hand
_Labels and stores files properly
_ A nice person with a good sense of humour
_Someone that wants to grow
_Able to hit the ground running
_Proactive as well as reactive
Next step
_Please email cv, work samples and salary expectations (yes all three please) to firstname.lastname@example.com
_Only successful applicants will be contacted
back up and running
September 2, 2010
After a small leave of abscence onto the freelance scene, I am now back fully employed in a new head of design role at a DW Top 50 agency just outside of guildford… Think i will save the url post on this one until the new web and brand I have created goes live…
Nike Write Your Future
June 18, 2010
A few designers from w+k studio—Brad Simon, Kelly Wright and Matt Blum—recently collaborated with artist Diem Chau to produce a PR kit celebrating the launch of Nike's "Write the Future" campaign. For the project Diem individually hand-carved 66 crayons with the likenesses of six World Cup stars. The crayons were then placed in a custom-designed wooden carrier within a clam shell presentation box. Only 11 kits were produced. How lucky to be one of the recipients! The details and craftsmanship are truly amazing. Check out a whole lot more images and the amazing production details right here.
June 18, 2010
Naturella, a new release from You Work for Them, is "a collection of natural and organic elements from the garden." I could definitely see this coming in handy.


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That may be the best headline I've seen on all the coverage related to the KFC teen girls sink bath MySpace photo story, but note that the <title> of the page is the more informative "KFC Bath Prank: Three Girls Fired From California KFC After Bathing In Restaurant Sinks."
The photos themselves are silly, rather than particularly racy (for bikini pictures, anyway), but I'll let you find them on your own if you want to. What made this story blogworthy for me is the following:
The 17-year-old girl who posted the pictures online responded with a message to those who tipped off her employer.
She wrote (sic): "Its a sad world when one has to stoop low enough
to go through ones dirty laundry…. one womans trash is anothers
"Thanks alot for having good respect how can you live knowing the little bit of money you made was made hurting someone!"
Somebody has a little bit more growing up to do, it would seem.


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I hope everyone was surrounded with love this past Valentine's Day. Here's my version of the 3x3 card, our latest Rebel challenge:
Using, Ranger worn lipstick Distress Ink, stamp front and back of card with bubble wrap stamp from RRD Behind the Scenes stamp plate.
Using, Ranger festive berries Distress Ink, stamp onto card the sentiment, Love You, from RRD Snow Hugs stamp plate.
Using same festive berries ink and a scrap of same pink cardstock, stamp hearts from RRD Snow Hugs stamp plate. Fussy cut hearts. On back of left side, adhere a foam square. On right side of hearts, adhere a small fastener tab (similar to Velcro). Position hearts on either side of opening.
Have a great weekend! Helene aka 2amscrapper


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Bio: Richie Crossley
London-based photographer Richie Crossley, at only 14 years of age, had a defining moment in his life - he saw a photograph entitled "Keeping Up With The Joneses" by the late Bob Carlos Clark. That one image had such impact on Richie that he instantly knew what he wanted to do with his life. It fuelled a passion for photography and brunettes in him which has never left him! He went on to study photography and after working for various laboratories and photographers, Richie finally realised his dreams of opening his own photographic studio. His images have appeared in many publications world wide and he now specialises in:
Beauty - Fashion - Portrature - Provocative
Richie's photographic career has allowed him many opportunities worldwide and to date he has undertaken commissions in: London, New York, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, Monte Carlo, Spain, the French Caribbean, several North African countries and Mumbles in Swansea - where he now resides and runs chicproduction.com with his partner/model Maria. Of his success Richie says: "Although I have studied photography and printing, I am very much a self-taught photographer and have always been hands-on - no matter how big or small the job is. Becoming a photographer was the best thing that ever happened to me - not only for the experimental elements but also for the challenges that this medium presents. In simple terms, I do what I love and love what I do."


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Since SnapChat passed up Facebook's offer to buy the photo doodle app in 2013, the social media giant has decided to create a similar feature to the one that SnapChat is based entirely around.
After uploading photos to Facebook, you can now draw on them by simply using your finger to slide and drag along the screen. These edited artworks can then be published straight to the site or onto another person's wall or status. This photo-editing tool also allows users to choose an ink color and the size of the "pen," the latter being a feature that isn't yet integrated in SnapChat's design.
Soon, Facebook will start seeing many more personalized images, while there will still certainly not be as many provocative ones as the impermanent photo doodle app sees on a regular basis.
Photo Doodle Features
More Stats +/-
Delayed Photo-Sharing Apps
In-Film Video Filters
Professional Portraiture Apps
In-Browser Editing Programs
Sticker Messenger Apps
Facebook Now Lets Users Scribble on Their Phones' Images Similar to SnapChat
- By: Cadhla GrayOct 7, 2015
References: theverge & venturebeat
References: theverge & venturebeat


text: I have a picture of the nyc skyline I just took with my droid camera and when I click to set it as my wallpaper it asks me to crop it but I can't change the size of the cropping square. I don't want to crop it because then it makes my wallpaper fuzzy and not as crisp. Anyh i deas would be appreciated, thanks.


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Note: img2dcpu has been updated to v0.8! More info can be found here.
Thanks to some code contributed by my friend Christopher Brown, img2dcpu is now cross-platform! It should now work on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux-based systems. I've also fixed an error in generating 32×24 animated images, so those of you having issues with that should download the latest version. I used a little animation of the Nyan cat to test out the new fixes, and you can check it out at 0x10co.de! This utility is licensed under a GPLv3 License and the source and executable binaries can be found at: https://github.com/tac0010/img2dcpu.
— Contribution —
I hope you can find this work useful, and if you would like to contribute to the developer of this utility, you may send any amount of Bitcoins to this address:
Any amount is appreciated! (more info on Bitcoins at http://bitcoin.org/)


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The University of Iowa will be hosting a teleconference at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. This two-day event will include national and international experts on the topic of cannabis therapeutics.
The Institute of Medicine released its 18-month study on Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base this year. The conference will provide the essential information necessary for clinicians to advise their patients on the therapeutic use of this medicine, including current research and current laws.
The University of Iowa's College of Nursing and College of Medicine will provide CEU's/CME's for the program.
If you are interested in having your facility as a satellite site for this historic conference, please contact Carrie Kiser Wacker at the University of Iowa to make arrangements.
Ms. Carrie Kiser Wacker Conference Coordinator
The Center for Conferences and Institutes
100 Oakdale Campus, W310
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242-5000
tel (319) 335-4158
fax (319) 335-4039
email: [email protected]
PLEASE FAX or mail the following information to Ms. Wacker at your earliest convenience.
Contact Person
Phone #
Remote sites confirmed (payment received) by December 10, 1999 will be listed in the conference brochure. Brochures will be available in bulk for local marketing.
Remote sites shall be responsible for all local logistics; the collection of all CEU fees for each attendee seeking CEU/CME credits.
Checks should be made to The Center for Conferences and Institutes and mailed to the above address.
**If considering your facility as a satellite site, please do not delay in reserving the appropriate location for viewing this program.


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December woes can hurt a contender's January playoff seeding. Such was the case for the 2012 Texans. Losses in three of their final five games knocked Houston down to the No. 3 spot in the AFC and left the Texans to travel to New England in the divisional round.
That did not end well for Houston.
December struggles are nothing new for the Texans, who are 4-9 in the month since 2010. And a first look at Houston's 2013 December slate suggests the Texans will have to be on their game late in the campaign to avoid another seeding slide — or worse.
The Texans begin December by hosting the Patriots, who beat them twice a season ago. Perhaps drawing New England at Reliant Stadium will make a difference for Houston, but no matter the result, the Texans quickly have to shake it off, for a game at Jacksonville looms four days later on December 5.
The Thursday-night meeting with the Jaguars is one of three road games Houston will play in the final month. All three contests are against division opponents, with games at Indianapolis on December 15 and at Tennessee on December 29 in the regular-season finale sandwiching the Texans' final regular-season home game — a meeting with Denver on December 22.
In short, it's a demanding December slate for the Texans. The Patriots, Broncos and Colts all made the postseason in 2012. Moreover, the potential difficulty of road trips to Jacksonville and Tennessee can't be overlooked. Both teams know Houston well.
A team's December play can have little bearing on how it fares once the playoffs begin in January. The last four Super Bowl winners all lost multiple games in December, with Ravens losing 4-of-5 in the final month of calendar year 2012.
Of course, those teams had built up the necessary cushion of wins to endure December setbacks. So did the Texans en route to wins in the wild-card round in each of the last two seasons. (In 2011, they secured the division with third-string quarterback T.J. Yates with three games left in the season — a feat that must be considered when weighing their losing streak late in the campaign.)
Still, if the Texans want to earn a postseason bye for the first time in their history, a stronger closing kick would be a big help.


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Free carriage for UK orders over £50.00
This item is out of stock.
Price: £14.00
You save 30% on RRP!
A special 25th anniversary edition of Roald Dahl's Matilda.
"The Trunchbull now lifted the large blue porcelain water jug and poured some water into her glass. And suddenly, with the water, out came the long slimy newt straight into the glass, plop!"
Matilda is blessed with an extraordinary mind, but has to suffer her unpleasantly disagreeable parents and put up with her outrageously nasty headmistress. Soon Matilda discovers that she can put her exceptional mind powers to good use and teach them all a lesson.
This special paperback edition of Matilda features colourful Quentin Blake illustrations throughout and comes with a hardback slipcase.
The roalddahl.com Shop is managed by the Roald Dahl Museum. Your purchase here directly supports the Museum and helps preserve Roald Dahl's archive for everyone. Thank you.
Availability: Worldwide
Product ID: 9780141346793
Publisher: Puffin
Format: Paperback
Illustrations: Colour
Looking for a non-English language edition? Click here to take a look at our list of Roald Dahl's worldwide publishers and find out if Matilda is available in your territory.
This product is also available in these versions:
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Orders to the UK will be charged a fixed shipping fee per order of £3.95. Orders to other countries are charged at the below rates (prices are per product ordered).
Orders are usually despatched within 2 working days. We aim to deliver within the UK within 5 working days of despatch, Europe within 5-10 working days, and within 10-12 working days of despatch for deliveries to the rest of the world.
We may be able to offer alternative delivery options depending on destination. These options can be seen at the checkout.
Import duty and taxes may apply on international orders. The purchaser is responsible for meeting these costs. Please see Terms and Conditions for further information.


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CAF 2017: CanMania Photo Tour
The east coast's favorite audio show Capital Audiofest was host to 2017's CanMania. This headphone show is in coordination with Headphone.Guru.
CanMania brings together manufacturers, vendors, headphone and personal audio enthusiasts along with the audio industry press. Sprawling large and wide across the Plaza ballroom exhibitors have plenty of room and separation for show-goers to avoid the cluttering and lack of elbow room often a pain of many headphone shows. There were also "Quiet" rooms available for exhibitors wishing to offer a special VIP private listening experience.… Read the full article


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Carolina Gas Transmission Corporation
Original Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 11/01/2006, Docket: CP06- 71-001, Status: Effective
Original Sheet No. 206 Original Sheet No. 206 : Effective
Both Shipper and Pipeline recognize that the obligation to act
consistently with the national defense is superior to any contractual
obligation existing between them, and, notwithstanding any contractual
provision, neither Shipper nor Pipeline shall assert nor be required to
assume any obligation that is inconsistent with or contrary to any
valid order of any governmental agency having national defense


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Artist: Tomas Michaud
Genre: World
CD Review:
"Passionate guitars, haunting melodies, sensuous rhythms... Contemporary Instrumental World Music blended with Smooth Jazz to draw the listener into a lush, intricate world of sound. Flamenco, Latin American, and North African musical traditions co-mingle to invoke a spirit that is distinctly modern and urbane." That's what's on the back of the cd. What more can I really add? 11 songs, 52 minutes. A delight! I'm on my 4th listen.


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Use of JCP site is subject to the JCP Terms of Use and the Oracle Privacy Policy
This page details the proposed, accepted and deferred changes to JSR 314, documenting the changes that will go into the next revision, per Section 4.2 of the JCP 2.7 document. It contains a snapshot of the issue log for JSR 314, located here: http://wiki.jcp.org/wiki/index.php?page=JSF+2.0+Rev+A+Change+Log.
|Maintenance Review 2, approved on 23 October 2010
Target Milestone 2.0 Rev A (Maintenance Review 1), accepted on 8 July 2010


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According to those who live and drive on the east side of El Paso, Texas, the fact that there have already been eight car accident fatalities in this young year comes as no surprise. Residents say that their region of the city has more open roads, which generally causes drivers to travel at faster speeds and to use riskier driving behaviors, whether or not their actions are against the law. In addition, seat belt use in the region is minimal. Both of these factors were behind a recent crash that seriously injured three young people and for which the driver has been arrested for drinking and driving.
The car accident occurred early Saturday morning, when a driver was speeding through the east side of El Paso. According to police, the driver swerved to avoid crashing into an oncoming garbage truck, and in the process clipped a nearby vehicle and subsequently veered into a metal sign, finally coming to a stop. One of the passengers, who is 23 years old, was ejected from the back seat, through the car's sunroof, and into the metal pole, suffering serious injuries. The vehicle's two additional passengers, both 13 years old, were also in the back seat and suffered injuries. None of the car's four occupants was wearing a seat belt.
When police arrived at the scene of the car accident, they discovered that the 18-year-old driver had been drinking, and arrested him. While he was not injured, he now faces criminal charges of intoxicated assault and accident causing serious bodily injury or death.
The three passengers, who are now battling life-threatening injuries, are lucky to have survived the DWI accident. In 2010, 62 people were killed in El Paso accidents, with high speeds and lack of seat belts as main contributors to the crashes and fatal injuries.
Source: ABC-7, "Teen Driver Arrested; Three Passengers Hospitalized in East Side Wreck", Jill Galus, 22 January 2011


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So, it seems like the fact that I make cakes and I enjoy it, is getting around. A few weeks ago the owner of my company asked if I could make 3 dozen cupcakes for a presentation she's doing. Of course! But then I started thinking… this lady could fire me if I screw up… (not that she would!! but she does have that power…) So I started getting really nervous. I made some "trial" cupcakes two weeks ago for work; everyone seemed to really enjoy them, so I thought I was off on the right track.
I baked the cupcakes last weekend and froze them. Then, I did the characters and made the icing last night/this morning. I think they turned out really really cute! The Characters are in the Software we sell.
The Characters in the first column are (from top to bottom) Millie, Sammy, Bailey, and Trudy. In the second column are Noodle (he changes colors). And in the last column are verb frog, a hedgehog (I don't know his name, but he's the one I like the least), noun dog, and monkey (I don't know his name either).
I absolutely love love love my cupcake courier!! My fabulous Mother-In-Law got it for me at Christmas. Thanks so much Denise!!! I love that I can carry 3 dozen cupcakes at one time. I love that the cupcakes don't jiggle or move when I'm transporting them. I love that the layers are tall enough that I can decorate the cupcakes as tall as I want and not have to worry about the layer on top smooshing them. They are one of the best inventions ever (okay, maybe not ever, but they're pretty darn cool!). If you know a baker, buy them one and they'll be so grateful!!
It's officially Spring with all the Thunderstorms and Tornado Warnings. Here are a few pictures that John took last night… He's getting pretty good I think!!
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Very cute cupcakes! I love cupcake couriers as well – I have 3 and they are lifesavers when transporting precious cupcakes!
Those are so amazing! You are so talented sweet girl! John's not too shabby either.
Nina! I absolutely LOVE your blog! I saw it was one that Lacie H. follows, so I had to check it out! I have loved blogging and reading everyone's too!
The cupcakes are AMAZING! I didn't know you were doing that on the side…you are incredibly talented!!! Can't wait to see the pictures of the wedding cake too!
Look forward to more posts! See ya!


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Déjà vu all
over again
The US is smearing IAEA chief
Mohamed ElBaradei for not finding evidence of Iranian nuclear
weapons. Sound familiar?
By Ian Williams
That is the stark
choice facing the sane people of the world, given
the smearing of IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei for not
joining the hysterical lynch mob building up against
Criticised by Condoleezza Rice and others in the
Bush administration, it is uncannily reminiscent of
the slurs against him and UN weapons inspector Hans
Blix in the run up to the invasion of Iraq - and we
should remember that the US vindictively tried to
unseat him afterwards for not joining in the lying
ElBaradei is hardly
acting as cheerleader for the Iranians. He
says that his inspectors have not seen "any
concrete evidence that there is a parallel military
program," though he could not yet swear to its
absence. But he does believe that our issues with
Iran can be resolved through negotiations - in which
it would help if the US were not implicitly
threatening war. But it looks as though we have
reached a similar stage to when Saddam let in the
inspectors. When they found no WMDs Washington cried
foul, ordered the UN inspectors out and sent the
troops in. The US and its allies will not accept
anything short of regime change in Teheran - no
matter what ordinary Iranians might want and what
the IAEA says.
The only difference from last time is that France
has defected, and France's opposition to the war in
Iraq was as much because of
Saddam's oil contracts with Total and
Elf-Aquitaine as any deep attachment to
international law. Teheran should sign a contract
There are, of
course, several separate issues here. One is whether
Iran has the right to enrich uranium. The second is
whether it is abusing the putative right to build
nuclear weapons. A third is whether the nuclear
issue is not just some sort of White House feint,
since we all know that if the shooting starts, it
will really be about fighting terrorism, liberating
gays and women, restoring democracy and taking down
a major rival in the region to both Saudi Arabia and
Israel - or any permutation of the above.
On the first
stupid though it is, the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty does not ban countries from
reprocessing and purifying uranium. It should have
done, and it should have allowed more intrusive
inspections, but it doesn't, and one reason for that
is that the US, under the influence of the people
who now want to cite non-proliferation against Iran,
fought against attempts to strengthen the treaty.
These are the same people, in fact, who have
successfully fought against the senate ratifying the
comprehensive test ban treaty.
President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's maladroit diplomacy led to Iran being
outmanoeuvred. His comments on Israel and the
Holocaust, no matter whether interpreted correctly
or not, have made it difficult for many countries to
support him. The US got a resolution against Iran
through the IAEA council calling on Iran to stop its
uranium reprocessing, largely by promising council
member India a free pass for developing nuclear
weapons outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and
with the enthusiastic support of Israel, the only
definite nuclear state in the Middle East.
The US then took
that IAEA council resolution to the UN security
council, whose word, whether Iran likes it or not,
is law under the UN charter, even though it is
manifestly a political rather than a judicial body.
(The law is not always just, and that goes for
international law as well). It does not help Iran as
much as it should that Washington, a major scofflaw
in the international field, is once again talking
piously about the need to enforce UN resolutions,
with its own interpretation and its own timetable -
just as was the case with Iraq.
Iran is playing a
dangerous game. Most countries have deep
reservations about what the US, France and, to a
lesser extent, the UK are up to, but few of them are
prepared to go to the wall, diplomatically, let
alone militarily, for the ayatollahs.
Iran should accept
the additional and more intrusive inspections that
it did before, and throw open its program to the
IAEA inspectors, but the war talk in Washington and
Jerusalem gives it a plausible excuse not to, since
it would be tantamount to offering them a list of
Of course it is
difficult to support someone like Ahmadinejad, even
when he does for once have a point in the nuclear
stand-off. But we can support ElBaradei and the IAEA,
as the only sane voices around. With enemies such as
ElBaradei has marshalling against him, he must be
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text: The passing of the Dodd-Frank Reform Act last summer was hailed as the end of "too-big-to-fail" and the end of corporate bailouts. But Neil Barofsky, head of the group charged with overseeing the government's handling of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) says the "too-big-to-fail" problem has not been solved; in fact, it's gotten worse. And he warns that federal officials are leaving the door open for further bailout packages should another crisis strike. In a report to be presented to Congress Wednesday, Barofsky says the massive bailouts of companies such as Citigroup, AIG and Bank of America have effectively guaranteed these institutions against failure, encouraged high-risk behavior, and given rescued firms an unwarranted competitive advantage in the form of enhanced credit ratings and access to cheaper credit – all thanks to the perception that such companies have an implicit government guarantee.He also points out that since their bailouts, the nation's five largest financial institutions are 20 percent larger than they were before the crisis. Quoting Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig, Barofsky says these five companies now control $8.6 trillion in financial assets – the equivalent of nearly 60 percent of gross domestic product, and "like it or not, these firms remain too big to fail."In his report, Barofsky said, "The continued existence of institutions that are 'too big to fail' – an undeniable byproduct of former Secretary Paulson and Secretary Geithner's use of TARP to assure the markets that during a time of crisis that they would not let such institutions fail- is a recipe for disaster. These institutions and their leaders are incentivized to engage in precisely the sort of behavior that could trigger the next financial crisis, thus perpetuating a doomsday cycle of booms, busts, and bailouts."Barofsky goes on to liken the recent financial bailout packages to the public-private tug-of-war that's plagued the nation's two largest mortgage companies and has become the next target for reform. "In many ways, TARP has thus helped mix the same toxic cocktail of implicit guarantees and distorted incentives that led to disastrous consequences for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) – [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac]," Barfosky said."Institutions such as Citigroup operate in an environment where size matters because the then-explicit and now implicit government guarantee that they will not be allowed to fail results in a gross distortion of a normally functioning market," where taxpayers must bear the brunt of poor decisions rather than an institution's creditors, shareholders, and executives, Barofsky said. "This 'heads I win, tails the government bails me out' mentality promotes behavior that, while it may benefit shareholders and executives in the short term…increases the likelihood of failure and, therefore, the possibility of another taxpayer-funded bailout," Barofsky continued, and he says Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has admitted that such action may still be necessary. In the report, Barofsky discloses the substance of a December 2010 interview his office conducted with Geithner, in which Geithner acknowledged that despite the reforms instituted under Dodd-Frank, "'[i]n the future we may have to do exceptional things again' if we face a crisis as large as the last one," in reference to the controversial taxpayer-supported bailouts.Barofsky says "perhaps TARP's most significant legacy [is] the moral hazard and potentially disastrous consequences associated with the continued existence of financial institutions that are 'too big to fail.'"Barofsky and Timothy Massad, Treasury's acting assistant secretary for financial stability, will discuss the report and its findings Wednesday at a hearing held by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.By: Carrie Bay, DS NEWS


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Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
International Sunflower Festival, Year TWO!
It was so amazing to be back at the Sunflower Festival. It rained again, but I still had a blast!! The great thing about doing a show so close to home is that when I need to pee I can text dad or mom to come watch my booth for a minute haha I also get homemade meals delivered so I don't have to live on fair food all weekend. This was the only show I did but the fact that it was the second year was special to me. I had people that said they remembered me! I had repeat customers! It might have been a little much to take in but it was so awesome!
Posted by Andrea at 12:00 PM 0 notes
Monday, November 25, 2013
My grandma.
My grandma is the best. She taught me to sew, to quilt, to crochet, to knit, to embroider. To do most things crafty. Well, she got honored this year in the best way possible. But, let's back up a little...My grandma joined a quilt group. They are the funniest little group of little old ladies and it seriously warms my heart that she's found this group! Well, this little group chose her to be the main person getting honored during the Labor Day Festival in that town. The festival was only open Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labor day...and I had a show (more on that later!) all day Saturday and Sunday and was scheduled to work Monday at 1230. I should add here that the town her group meets in is over an hour away from the farm. Yes, I woke up super early, made it to her house for breakfast with her, my grandpa, and my aunt & uncle who came in from Maine, went to the show for a bit and then came back to work until 930 at night. It was exhausting but so so so so worth it!! Here are a few pics that I was able to snap. I know there are more pictures somewhere with us in them but my uncle still has them.
|This one made me cry. Ok, let's be honest, the whole thing made me cry. But this? This quilt holds so many memories for me, being scared that I was losing my grandma to breast cancer the worst of those memories.
|The hand quilting on the top quilt is stunning! She hand quilts so the shear amount of hours put into this is mind blowing! Each motif is marked by hand with a pencil and then quilted. BY HAND haha
|This caption cracks me up! If anyone would just jump in head first, it would be my grandma! Her love for hexies will never cease, I'm sure of it :)
Posted by Andrea at 12:00 PM 0 notes
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Catching Up On Sewing Stuff
I've been sewing a lot lately,and teaching myself hand sewing! Bring on the hexies and English Paper Piecing!! Here is a quick catch up in pictures....
I also signed up for the Stash Bee! Signups are still open on this one so if you're into sewing and want to join a Bee, now is your chance!! I can't wait to see our hive assignments the first of December :) OH! I totally forgot!! I mentioned Instagram a couple of times up there....you can find me on there @pommesdeterres :)
|I needed some hexagons to practice on, so of course, I fussy cut them. I'm not sure what this will end up turning into but you never know with me....I'm sure I will change my mind over and over again.
|This is the unstitched layout of my first BEE BLOCK! Yes, I joined a couple of online quilting bees. This is for the Love Lucy Bee on Flickr. This bee is using the Lucy Boston Cross Block and is open internationally. My month isn't until October of 2014 so I have a while to plan my colors. The totally cool part is the international part!! I will be getting blocks from Germany! England! Japan! HOW FUN! You can follow along via Instagram with #LoveLucyBee
|These are the pieces for the Lucy Boston Cross Block...yep, one inch sides!! So tiny!
|I'm planning on doing this QAL on Canoe Ridge Creations for the Giant Starburst. I'm more than slightly terrified that I don't have enough fabric, in fact I know I don't, but I'm going to make it work. I'm thinking it will be a Christmas gift for my momma. You can follow this with #GiantStarburst on Instagram as well!
|These two blocks have already been sent out and I'm just waiting on the return blocks. I joined the Scrappy Nine Patch Swap over at Just a Bit Frayed. I actually really like this fabric combo so expect to see it again later, I'm sure!
I also signed up for the Stash Bee! Signups are still open on this one so if you're into sewing and want to join a Bee, now is your chance!! I can't wait to see our hive assignments the first of December :) OH! I totally forgot!! I mentioned Instagram a couple of times up there....you can find me on there @pommesdeterres :)
Posted by Andrea at 2:45 PM 1 notes
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Early in ''Confidence,'' Dustin Hoffman, playing a grizzled, jumpy gangster known as the King, gives some rambling lowlife advice to Jake Vig, a smooth young con artist played by Edward Burns. Don't rely too much on style, the King warns, because ''style can get you killed.'' Since the King is the designated heavy, responsible for the death of one of Jake's running partners, his wisdom can be safely disregarded, and in any case we are primed to root for the suave, smirky Jake as he skips across a carefully plotted grid of doublecrosses and narrative zig-zags. But the King's lecture, delivered in his strip-club headquarters as exotic dancers audition in the background, sums up everything wrong with this slick, empty exercise in fast-talking tough-guy attitude.
''Confidence,'' directed in smooth cuts and bright colors by James Foley from a painstakingly idiomatic script by Doug Jung, is so infatuated with the idea of style at the expense of everything else that it manages not to have any of its own. ''Are we playing a con or a rendition of 'Our Town'?'' demands Jake's pal Gordo (Paul Giamatti). With some adjustment of literary references, you might pose a similar question. Instead of Thornton Wilder, the dramatist who hovers over this eager high school drama club production is David Mamet (whose ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' Mr. Foley brought to the screen). Likewise, despite an allusion to Jack Kerouac, the only novelist anyone involved with this picture seems to have read is Elmore Leonard.
Mr. Mamet and Mr. Leonard are not necessarily bad models to emulate, but the imitation here, skillful though it may be, is also so slavish and self-congratulatory that there is very little to enjoy, and less to admire. Mr. Burns, about to be rubbed out by an exceedingly patient hit man (Morris Chestnut), tells the convoluted story in flashback, offering instruction in the basic method and nomenclature of con-man-ism as if he were conducting a graduate seminar. If ''Confidence'' was made by people who have seen too many movies, it seems to be aimed at people who have seen too few. It offers up stale lessons in vocabulary and technique, all of them easily gleaned on a trip to the video store, as if they were choice bits of inside knowledge.
Along with his crew, Jake -- whose last name, at least in the movies, is also loanshark slang for excessive interest -- has lifted, perhaps by accident, some of the King's money. After some negotiation, he agrees to work off the debt by undertaking a scheme to steal an even larger sum from one of the King's rivals (Robert Forster). For this, Jake enlists Lily (Rachel Weisz), a saucy pickpocket, and takes on one of the King's minions, a thug named Lupus (Franky G). There are also a pair of bumbling Los Angeles cops (Luis Guzman and Donal Logue) and an unshaven, sleepy-looking federal agent (Andy Garcia), and by the time you work out who is conning whom you are long past caring.
The problems with ''Confidence,'' which opens today nationwide, are summed up by Mr. Burns's performance, which is difficult to distinguish from any of his other performances, except that his hair is shorter. The conviction of his own infinite charm and intelligence is apparently so strong that he need never manifest the slightest vulnerability, doubt or complicated emotion -- anything, in other words, that might be called acting. He is so glib and lazy as to make Ben Affleck look like the young Dustin Hoffman.
As for the older Mr. Hoffman, he seems to be angling for a place in the middle-aged hambone pantheon along with Christopher Walken and Al Pacino. His antic, gum-chewing turn is pure throwaway shtick, but it shows up Mr. Burns, who in their scenes together stands around flat-footed, basking in his own cocky cuteness, which he, and the movie, persist in mistaking for style.Continue reading the main story
''Confidence'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). The self-conscious underworld lingo is full of profanity; there is a smattering of violence and some perfunctory bedroom action.
Directed by James Foley; written by Doug Jung; director of photography, Juan Ruiz-Anchia; edited by Stuart Levy; production designer, Bill Arnold; produced by Marc Butan, Michael Paseornek, Michael Burns and Michael Ohoven; released by Lions Gate Films. Running time: 98 minutes. This film is rated R.
WITH: Edward Burns (Jake Vig), Rachel Weisz (Lily), Andy Garcia (Gunther Butan), Dustin Hoffman (King), Paul Giamatti (Gordo), Donal Logue (Whitworth), Luis Guzman (Manzano), Brian Van Holt (Mile), Franky G (Lupus), Morris Chestnut (Travis ''Butch'') and Robert Forster (Morgan Price).Continue reading the main story


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Ciaté really knows how to tempt a beauty lover into buying more. They made an advent calendar filled with nail polish, which honestly is the best idea ever. During the twenty four days leading up to Christmas I'll be opening up a square each day and showing you which Ciaté nail polish is hiding behind it.
Whoops, a little later than usual and sadly no swatch today. It was a super hectic day at uni along with unscheduled lectures that ran for hours and creating the style book for the newest and sadly last magazine. We're creating a travel magazine for people on a budget and it's called Wanderlust. Because even budgets won't keep you from seeing all the gorgeous places the world has to offer.
The color behind the sixteenth square is called Chinchilla. A muted blueish gray color. It looks a little like th Essie color Maximillian Strasse Her from a previous limited edition. I didn't get to try this onto my nails because my daylight was dying and I really wanted to get the post up.
I imagine this will be a two coat polish, looking great with silver jewelry and long nails. I definitely want to try it on nails soon, so keep an eye on my instagram account. Eight days until Christmas, I can't wait.


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Auto Sales
Automobiles are likely to be a source of strength this year, according to other reports. Cars and light trucks sold at a 15.2 million annual rate in January after 15.3 million in December, data from Ward's Automotive Group showed. Including November's 15.5 million rate, auto sales over the past three months have been the strongest in five years.
Today's Fed report also showed that capacity utilization, which measures the amount of a plant that is in use, declined to 79.1% from a four-year high of 79.3% in December.
Utility output rebounded 3.5% after falling 4.5% the prior month. The figures probably reflected a return to more normal weather after an unseasonably warm December had led to a decline in utility production.
Mining production, which includes oil drilling, decreased 1% after being little changed the prior month.
The breakdown of the manufacturing figures showed a mixed reading last month with computers and metals in addition to autos showing declines, while machinery, furniture and clothing advanced.
Rising Revenue
Deere, the largest agricultural equipment maker, raised its full-year profit forecast and posted quarterly earnings that topped analysts' estimates. First-quarter revenue from machinery gained 18% in the U.S. and Canada and 2% in the rest of the world, the Moline, Illinois-based company said.
"John Deere has entered 2013 on a strong pace," Susan Karlix, manager of investor communications, said on a Feb. 13 conference call with analysts. "Our key markets remain in good shape, for the most part, and we're looking for another solid year. True, our near-term outlook is tempered by uncertainties over fiscal, economic and trade issues. This is hurting business confidence and restraining growth."
Eaton, an industrial equipment manufacturer, also is poised to gain from improving demand. China's economy is accelerating while in the U.S., housing and non-residential construction will help drive economic growth, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sandy Cutler said in an interview following Eaton's quarterly earnings report on Feb. 4.
Obama's Plans
President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address this week, unveiled proposals to revive manufacturing and create jobs, as falling energy prices in the nation and rising labor costs in China make U.S. producers more competitive. His ideas included efforts to bolster clean energy subsidies, hire hundreds of people to lobby foreign companies to open U.S. plants, end tax breaks to firms that ship jobs overseas, and expand free-trade pacts.
Some recent reports show an improving outlook. The Institute for Supply Management's factory gauge advanced to a nine-month high of 53.1 in January, exceeding the highest estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
Growth in jobs and incomes may help cushion the hit to consumer spending from the higher payroll levy used to pay for Social Security benefits. Starting January, that tax rate returned to the 2010 level of 6.2%, from 4.2%.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Cosy apartment full of atmosphere in southern Burgundy, Beaubery
Ozolles, France
Not available? Browse, refine your search results and find more selection of our Ozolles Vacation Rentals or a more general research of France Vacation Rentals will help you to discover what France has to offer and, you will be amazed.
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