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Grigori Maiofis |
It turns out the processes of secularization and technological progress have raced ahead of civilization's collective consciousness.
People were summoned to explore the heavens, they were promised universal prosperity, a world without borders, gender equality, and a third gender, and a fourth, and a fifth, and watermelons that taste like raccoons, and raccoons with the hair of mermaids. But people wanted a hug, warm tea, summers in the country, and to spend time with their relatives.
The idea of globalization has turned out to have been privatized by large capital, which needs a market of 300 million consumers, 500 million, a billion…
But the people just want somebody to buy their rutabagas, and that's it.
"But thanks to globalization, everyone gets to develop—the little homesteads, the individual entrepreneurs, the hired hands…"
Sure, yeah. Sounds good. Pardon me while I hit the snooze button one more time.
"But we must open our borders to all those who are suffering and wandering forlornly. As a nation, we were formed of those who came here from all sorts of different parts of the world…"
How very true! Hey, look, there is this dude with funny hair saying that we can build a wall and live behind it! Wouldn't that be nice? It would be safe and secure, living behind a wall, warm and comfy.
That's why The Game of Thrones is such a popular success. There, the world changes rapidly within a constant set of constraints established once and for all. In that world there is no militant atheism. That world was created once, and then everything happens within its borders.
Meanwhile, our contemporary world changes in dastardly ways as far as the people are concerned. Investments lose value, pensions are cancelled… Let's just hope that there isn't a war, that goes without saying.
And every day television tells us whom we should love. One day it's Israel, the next day it's Britain, or Hillary Clinton. But people just want to love themselves, and those around them.
The stress of all this is simply unbearable. The world, which consists of people, can't cope with this postmodernism, and so it is quietly crawling back into its conservative lair. The idea of building a wall is clear to all. Yes, it's a populist daydream. But it is easy to understand, and expressed in human language. Global competitiveness and market share, on the other hand, is the sound a woodpecker doing it with a dead tree.
You can't fool people, at least not over the long term. People sense where there is true humanity, and where it's just dogs barking at the moon.
Right now humanity is like a cement airplane that's been fitted with the most powerful engines in the world. It was washed and waxed, fueled it up, throttled up—and the engines sheared off and flew away in different directions. And the airplane rolled down the airstrip for a bit, stopped and went to sleep.
It is dreaming of the open sky, and a bird's eye view of the Earth, and a world without borders, and the eternal brotherhood of all peoples, and a common currency, and various other things that are pleasant only in your asleep.
A Dark Age cometh. It may not be particularly dark, but it is sure to be endless.
Dmitry Samoylov
Original post


text: Deciding What to Do with It All Posted by Caring Transitions on March 6, 2021 at 10:00 AM ' If your beautiful abode is bursting at the seams with items accumulated over the years, it may be time to decide what to do with it all. For families with children, everyone's possessions can add up. For empty nesters and older adults preparing to downsize or age in place, some of the items you own can become a burden for what's next in your life. Where do you even start to streamline your possessions? How do you avoid the heartache of accidentally parting with some of your memories? Most people react to clutter with quick fixes like moving the items to storage or discarding everything in haste. Both of which can be costly. If you look at the five tips below, you may find the streamlining experience less costly and more manageable. Know how to save. Storage facilities can often be costly excuses to delay clearing clutter or going through the emotional process of clearing a loved one's keepsakes. Before moving items into storage to stow away priceless or not so priceless items, start the process of sorting and organizing. Consider calling professionals to help you clear the items and cut the cost of years of storage. Know what to keep. First things first: know what matters to you. It's good practice to keep family heirlooms (or, if the given heirlooms were never your taste, give them away to a fellow family). Also keep your hands on any and all important papers, including licenses, records, titles, diplomas, and other related matter. If you lose those, you'll always soon end up needing them for one situation or another. Know what to throw out. The rule of thumb here is simple: If you couldn't imagine looking a person in the eye as you gave the item to them—even for free—then it should be trashed. It's probably too dirty, too worn, or otherwise too useless to benefit anybody. Know what to alter. This matters for both things you want to keep and things you don't. If you get rid of electronics, make sure to wipe them clean of all your personal information. People who buy your used electronics could otherwise easily figure your identity and potentially use it for their own benefit. And if you're looking to keep family photos, consider taking the time to finally digitize them. That way, you can keep everything that matters to you without the clutter. Know what to sell and what to donate. This can be a tricky one to decide. When is your great-grandmother's desk a priceless antique or just a favored, worn piece of furniture? If you don't have a great knowledge for antique and vintage items, you'll want to consider letting Caring Transitions take a look. Our trained team of professionals can identify what could bring you money and what just has sentimental value. Ask yourself crisis questions. A big part of deciding what to do with it all is understanding how critical moments can impact your needs and put life into perspective. While some of these situations can be difficult to think about, they can help you understand the importance of particular possessions. Ask yourself or a loved one the following questions: If your home were to catch on fire, which possessions would you want to save once you knew your family was safe? If your home was robbed, which items would you put the effort into getting replaced or being tracking down? In the event of a national crisis, which essentials does your family need for survival? Don't be afraid to put yourself in the mindset of some difficult scenarios and see how you feel you'd react. This will help you pinpoint what matters most to you. Push yourself to get started The process of streamlining and deciding the best options for cataloging and understanding what to do with items you own or inherited can be overwhelming and in many cases emotional. Often the hardest part of the process is making the decision to clear the space and remove the burden of extra unwanted items.

subset: commoncrawl


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How To Save Your Ice Fishing Catch
- Tips and How To's
- 12/18/15
- Share
Ice fishing can be a relaxing way to spend your winter weekends, but it's also a lot of hard work. After drilling the hole and setting up your ice fishing house, you might have to wait for hours for anything to bite. So when you do make a big catch, you don't want it to go to waste. Vacuum sealing and freezing your fresh fish is the optimal way to ensure they stay delicious for many months to come.
There are two main ways you can prepare your catch. The first, and easiest way, is to simply freeze your fish whole. Since typical ice fishing catches are often smaller species such as crappies, yellow perch and bluegills, it's better to leave them whole and cut them up when you're ready to eat them. This will also help the meat retain it's moisture when frozen.
If you've managed to nab a bigger catch like a walleye, northern pike or channel catfish, you'll want to cut them into filets. That way, they'll fit into your freezer better and they'll be easier to fix up when you're ready to serve them. To do this, prepare the fish as you would if you were about to eat them. Remove the internal organs, head, tail and fins. Separate the bones from the filet and wash them in cool water. Pat dry with a towel and slide them into a FoodSaver® bag of appropriate size. Then seal them up with the FoodSaver® GameSaver® Vacuum Sealing System and pop them into your freezer.
When you're ready to serve your catch, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge over night. Then, prepare it according to your family's favorite recipe. It'll taste as great as it did when it came out of the fresh waters of a frozen lake.


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ACF-50 Lubricant 13oz
ACF-50, Anti-Corrosion Formula, is a state of the art, anti-corrosion/lubricant compound, that has been specifically designed for the Aero Space Industry. Itcan be described as an ultra thin fluid film compound which must be applied on an annual basis. ACF-50 actively penetrates through the corrosion deposits to the base of the cell where it emulsifies and encapsulates the electrolyte, lifting it away from the metal surface. ACF-50 then dispels this moisture and provides an atmospheric barrier which prevents any further moisture contact, thereby keeping the cell inactive. This compound continues to actively penetrate and "creep" into the tightest of seams, lap joints, micro cracks and around rivet heads, dissipating the moisture, even salt water, in these corrosion prone areas. These unique abilities of ACF-50 remain effective for 12 months, gradually disappearing as it is chemically consumed.


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Take The OMSI Green Exhibits Survey
Interested in green exhibit design?
Then please help the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) with its new project: Sustainability: Promoting Sustainable Decision Making in Informal Education. OMSI is developing tools to promote sustainable practices for developing, designing and fabricating exhibits and they need your feedback!
Take a short survey to tell OMSI what you think about "green" exhibits!
Your feedback will help OMSI make these tools relevant and accessible to the entire museum community. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
You can also forward the survey link to any colleagues who might be interested in "green" exhibits.
Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Free Updates" link on the right side of the blog.
P.S. If you receive ExhibiTricks via email (or Facebook or LinkedIn) you will need to click HERE to go to the main ExhibiTricks page to make comments or view multimedia features (like videos!)


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Scor-Pal and American Crafts Blog Hop
We are blog hopping today with Scor-Pal and American Crafts. You should have arrived here from Heidi Sonboul's blog. If you didn't, just start at the Scor-Pal Blog and see what everyone has created today.
I was lucky enough to be able to work with American Craft's CHAP line. This is a great line to use for masculine projects with it's shades of browns, blues, yellows and greens.
I created a center fold card with my Scor-Pal using American Crafts cardstock. Using the reverse side of the Scott pattern paper, I cut it to fit my front panels. The right side of the Scott pattern paper was cut to fit the inside of my card and was cut into a scalloped circle for the front closure. I added a die cut circle to this onto which I added my image. This Magnolia stamp was colored with Copic Markers and then cut out and mounted to the front with foam adhesives for dimension. I added several buttons and pearls from this kit to the lower right corner.
Cardstock, Pattern Paper, Buttons, Pearls: American Crafts
Stamp: Magnolia
Markers: Copic Markers
Dies: Spellbinders
This bunny card would be perfect for anyone on your list. I cut Blue American Crafts Cardstock 6" x 12", then used my Scor-Pal to create a top folding card. Cutting the Jim pattern paper to fit the card front, I added Scott on Gray Cardstock which was cut to 5" x 5".
After coloring my image with Copic Markers, I scored lines around the image for a little bit of dimension. The tag and brad are coordinated perfectly with this collection and finished off this card nicely.
Cardstock, Pattern Paper: American Crafts
Markers: Copic Markers
This next card uses a variety of American Crafts papers and Clearsnap Inks to create a fun birthday card.
The Scor-Pal makes it so easy to create just the perfect score lines. This 3D card is so much fun to make and can be created for any occasion.
The card base is Brown American Crafts cardstock which has been scored and cut. Mike pattern paper has been cut to fit the base card and Jim has been placed on top.
I lightly inked the image with Clearsnap Inks and a Styllus, then added Clearsnap Smooch Ink for some shimmer on the balloons, the hat and the plate. The sentiment was stamped and embossed on a Journaling Card from the Justwrite package which I cut and adhered with foam adhesives.
Cardstock, pattern paper: American Crafts
Ink: Clearsnap Graphic 45 Decades Ink; Clearsnap Smooch Ink
Digi Image: SewManyCards
Stamp: MSE
Remember to stop at the Scor-Pal Blog because there are prizes involved.
Thanks for stopping by today.
Your next stop on this hop is Jenny Chesnick and I know she has something amazing to show you.
95 comments:
- AnonymousMarch 17, 2012 at 2:23 PM
Your cards are so cute! Thanks for sharing your ideas and talent.
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Writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times.
Paterno, who has cast himself for 46 years as a moral compass teaching his "kids" values, testified that he did not call the police at the time either. The family man who had faced difficult moments at Brown University as a poor Italian with a Brooklyn accent must have decided that his reputation was more important than justice.In case you've forgotten, the story Paterno heard — according to the grand jury report — was that McQueary, a graduate assistant coach, saw "a naked boy about 10 years old 'with his hands up against the wall, being subjected to anal intercourse by a naked Sandusky.'"
Now, let's remember how the New York Times reported on the Penn State story a couple days ago. I wrote:
NYT says Joe Paterno "not implicated of wrongdoing in a grand jury report."The NYT had trouble facing up to the reality that Paterno was implicated in terrible moral wrongs. It's good to see Dowd's column attacking the entire power structure at Penn State. All are to blame. A man who was seen raping children was harbored and protected and empowered for over a decade. Read the entire timeline summarized by Dowd. There's no way Paterno could cut himself off from responsibility once he had knowledge.
That's buried in the last paragraph of today's article — by Mark Viera — on the Penn State scandal, followed by this paean to Paterno:
Paterno helped propel Penn State to the top tiers of college football, and the university had one of the most pristine images in the sport, largely thanks to Paterno and his success in 46 seasons as head coach.But the indictment did allege facts that implicated Paterno!
UPDATE, 9:56 a.m.: Paterno retirement announced.


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Def Leppard Recruit ZZ Top for Fall U.S. Tour
Def Leppard and ZZ Top will unite for a fall U.S. tour.
The 16-date run launches Sept. 21 in Albany, N.Y., and wraps Oct. 18 in Spokane, Wash. General tickets go on sale starting Feb. 21 at 10AM local time via Live Nation. Citi card members can access a pre-sale that runs Feb. 18 at 10AM local time through Feb. 20 at 10PM local time.
"What a year this is going to be!" Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott said in a statement. "First, sold out stadiums, then we get to go on tour with the mighty ZZ Top! Having been an admirer of the band for a lifetime, it's gonna be a real pleasure to finally do some shows together. ... Maybe some of us will get to go for a spin with Billy in one of those fancy cars."
ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons enthused, "We're excited about hitting the road with Def Leppard this fall; we've been fans of theirs since forever. We've been at this for 50 years now, and the forthcoming run with them underscores that the good times are really just beginning." Responding to Elliott's "fancy car" line, he noted, "Joe Elliott is always welcome to ride 'shotgun' with us, and we won't even ask him to pay for the gas."
Def Leppard have lined up a busy 2020. Their ZZ Top run follows a recently expanded summer jaunt with Motley Crue, Poison and Joan Jett. On March 20, the band will release a five-disc box set, The Early Years 79-81, featuring remasters of 1980's On Through the Night and 1981's High 'N' Dry, along with B-sides, rarities, radio sessions, Live From Reading and the debut appearance of an unreleased and newly mixed 1980 show.
Def Leppard and ZZ Top 2020 U.S. Tour
September 21 - Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
September 23 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Veteran United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
September 25 - Knoxville, TN @ Thompson Boling Arena
September 26 - Brandon, MS @ Brandon Amphitheater
September 28 - Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater
September 30 - Bossier City, LA @ CenturyLink Center
October 2 - North Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena
October 3 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
October 5 - Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
October 7 - Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center Omaha
October 9 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
October 10 - Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
October 12 - Grand Forks, ND @ Alerus Center
October 15 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
October 17 - Portland, OR @ Moda Center
October 18 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena


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Verpex is one of the most reliable newbies. It comes with incredible performance and advanced security that keeps your websites safe.
No, the 45-day money-back guarantee does not apply to VDS orders, Dedicated Server orders, and domain costs. Those are non-refundable.
Verpex customers may enjoy SSH Access, ModSecurity, IP Blocker, SSL/TLS Status, SSL/TLS, Imunify360, Manage API Tokens, Hotlink Protection, and Leech Protection. However, there are also malware scans and firewalls.
The first limitation is that the shared hosting plans aren't in your control. This means that if you are a heavy user, this might be a disadvantage for you.
SSL Certificates protect your visitors' data. Also, having an SSL Certificate will show your visitors that their information is safe and your website is not harmful. Another factor that increases the importance of an SSL Certificate is that Google and other search engines rank secured websites higher than those that don't offer the protection of an SSL Certificate, making them a necessary part of your website.
Verpex provides a 99.50% uptime guarantee on its cheapest plans, which is relatively lower than the acceptable minimum of 99.90%. Without a decent uptime, your website may face frequent downtimes that result in losing loyal as well as potential customers. However, the company provides 99.99% on the rest of its plans, which is more than sufficient.
Web hosting covers any type of hosting where your website's data and files will be stored. Most types of web hosting involve holding this information on a single server. Cloud hosting consists of several different websites sharing space and bandwidth across multiple servers in one or more data centers. If any site receives a spike in traffic, it can quickly draw on the server pool for additional resources. Therefore, cloud solutions are the most easily scalable form of hosting.
Verpex Hosting is a cloud hosting platform designed to help businesses run secure and reliable applications in the cloud. It provides features such as auto-scaling, high availability, and serverless computing, making it an ideal choice for organizations that need to scale quickly and efficiently.
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The Top 10 Greatest Advances In Cinema Of The Modern Age
In the years since the early 80's, cinema techniques and technology have come an incredibly long way. Today, we celebrate that advancement by giving you our choices for the top 10 advances in technology and craft for the film format. It's been tough going, but I think you'll agree with the majority of our choices. We've considered everything from new sound technology, new film formats and even, yes, even the venerable internet, all seeking to influence the way people watch, make and think about film. This Modern Age of Cinema list includes technology developed (or significantly improved) since 1980.
In the hundred or so years since film was invented and turned into a multi-billion dollar industry, plenty of ink has been spilled over lists and articles about just who has been the best – the best director, the best actor, the best musician – like humanity can't get enough out of figuring out the most superior of our own self-importance. The Hollywood awards season seems to last the entire year, with a multitude of industry-based awards shows dominating the blogosphere and newsprint each and every month, culminating in the very pinnacle of cinematic artistic achievement, The Academy Awards. Each year, golden gongs are handed out to those folks judged by others folks to be the best in their category at what they've done that year. Whether those awards are warranted or not isn't the point of this article; here, we're going to spotlight the very best of the best – the best Actors and Actresses, the best Directors, the best Films, even the best cinematic advances of the Modern Age. What do I mean by Modern Age, you ask. Simple. Hollywood's boom times of the 30's and 40's, at least prior to the War, are known today as the Golden Age, and the three decades after that could be termed the Bronze Age – with a shift into color film, multi-channel stereo and the re-invention of the Hollywood "blockbuster" away from biblical epics and sweeping melodramatic romance. The 80's, however, when you look at films produced at that time in a reflective mood, represents a shift both artistically and stylistically in the medium of film to such a degree that I think a new "age" of Hollywood could be coined: the Modern Age. An epoch of cinema between 1980 and 2010, 30 years of both massive successes, and epic fails. The Greatest of the Modern Age series attempts to distill the best of the Modern Age into a series of opinion-based lists, and we hope you enjoy (if not disagree with) our work.
In the years since the early 80's, cinema techniques and technology have come an incredibly long way. Today, we celebrate that advancement by giving you our choices for the top 10 advances in technology and craft for the film format. It's been tough going, but I think you'll agree with the majority of our choices. We've considered everything from new sound technology, new film formats and even, yes, even the venerable internet, all seeking to influence the way people watch, make and think about film. This Modern Age of Cinema list includes technology developed (or significantly improved) since 1980.
Criteria – The advent of the given technology or film-making craft must improve the cinema-going/film-watching experience. It must also work to improve the ability of people to watch films, be it at the cinema or some other medium.
First, there was the VHS tape. Then came DVD, before BluRay usurped that format for people to take home their favorite films. Now, the big push is on for digital streaming downloads (or whatever you want to call it) to take over, to simply access a catalog of films bought or rented and stored in the clouds somewhere for you to get to any time you choose. While hard-core film fans will probably always prefer tangible media to buy and store on a shelf, a larger proportion of film fans now simply download their favorite films (legally or otherwise) and stream it direct onto their televisions. Never before have so many films been watched by so many people all at the click of a computer mouse. Yes, the digital age is upon us, and this increase in our dependence on digital technology can be directly measured against the number of "digital" items on this list.
There's something to be said for the millions of bloggers, critics and film fans around the globe, who can bring a film massive success, or alternatively kill it off (or, even both at the same time – Snakes On A Plane!) – yes, the internet has done more for film than perhaps any other media in history. From promotion, to discussion, to statistics and even illegal downloads, the internet is by far the largest promotional tool Hollywood and the film industry has at its disposal. And quite often, the internet is broken thanks to film promotion – just ask Starwars.com and their informational countdown to the BluRay release of the Lucas-created film franchise; it practically blew up the web for about an hour. Torrent sites, where pirates and those who support them can download, upload and seed so much illegally copied material across the web itself, are the bane of the film industry (and the music industry, and the… well, you get the idea…) for lost profits; when used legitimately, the internet is the single biggest tool for both big budget films and small indie arthouse fare to gain some traction in the community. Without the internet, we'd go back to relying on radio and television, and we all know how that's going these days – ask anybody who sat through Richard Wilkins milking the apparent death of Jeff Goldblum for Australia's Today Show how credible television news is….
Reviled by many, adored my others, the resurgence of 3D presentations in the last few years has become something of a subset industry within the Home Cinema industry: designed to sell more tickets at a premium price, some have accused Hollywood of exploiting the audience for extra financial gain at the expense of quality films, and to a point I guess, they'd be right. The added dimension of image, seen via a set of glasses designed to enhance the visual experience, has allowed cinemas to charge a few extra dollars for patrons to see their films: James Cameron's Avatar really led the resurgence in 3D technology in 2009, after several years of rather tepid theatrical releases from studios such as Disney. While almost every CGI film in the last three or four years has been released in 3D, the ability for filmmakers to re-release classic films in a retrofitted 3D experience (George Lucas's impending re-release of Star Wars, and James Cameron's apropos 100th anniversary re-release of Titanic to celebrate the sinking of the actual boat, are all on the immediate horizon) allows studios to reap more financial gain from their product, even at the expense of the quality of the product itself. Regardless of what you think of 3D cinema, and the flow-on BluRay HD marketing that follows, there's no denying that the technology to enhance viewing films on screen in 3D has become a significant industry unto itself.
In the 80's, the introduction of VHS cassette technology allowed Hollywood studios to bring their catalogs into ordinary homes without the need for an expensive film projector. VHS tapes, which worked like audio cassettes with the added bonus of including video as well as audio, allowed movies to be watched by fans whenever, wherever they wanted. Recognizing the financial gain to be made from this new market, technology companies soon developed the higher quality Laserdisc format, which then led (in 1997) to the introduction of the more accessible DVD format. These same technology companies, including Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic and their ilk, developed better and bigger hardware on which to approximate the cinema experience in your own home, including surround sound processors, 5.1 speaker systems, increasingly larger televisions and better screen technology, until once more, it was possible for even the most financially strapped film fan to be able to watch a film at home with the approximate feel of going to the cinema. This, coupled with the omnipresence of the internet and digital streaming and downloads, has made getting people to the cinema even more difficult for the major studios. But it's the fact we all have a choice to do so, which brings the advent of home cinema in at number 7.
Up until recently, film budgets were quite often swallowed with the cost none of them could ignore – processing all those thousands of feet of 35mm film; much like processing photographs shot on film, this cost was exponential depending on just how much footage was shot in camera. Development on digital technology to capture motion pictures, in which high definition images could be stored on a relatively cost effective hard drive storage unit, as well as an increase in usage of digital cameras overall, reduced the need for raw film to be used for capturing images on a set or location. That being said, films were still transferred across to 35mm stock once edited and produced, ready for screening in your local multiplex – at least, until digital projects began to push into the market, reducing once more the requirement for film stock to be used. While purists will argue about the texture and "cinematic" feel of shooting on actual film, instead of digitally, there's no denying the advantages digital cinema has over its film stock brethren. Faster rushes, less intrinsic issues of mechanical failure, and for the most part pretty decent imagery when held against film, digital cinema has become one of the more significant developments in the shooting and projection of films across the globe.
Don la Fontaine revolutionized the marketing of films with the now iconic "In a world…" line from the hundreds of trailers he lent his voice to. As he mentioned in an interview once, this line, ending with a film-specific explanation of a time or place or subject, such as "In a world where crime is king…", which immediately allows the audience to connect with whatever the film is about. It was a stroke of genius. Since then, film trailers (and the voice-over guys) have become an industry unto themselves, and it's almost impossible to imagine the marketing of a film without the accompanying trailer. To Don, and all his fellow voice over artists, we salute your work with position 5 in this list.
Back in the 50's and 60's, Hollywood had to combat the growing threat of television by introducing large format films to audiences – Vista-vision, Cinerama, Ultra-Panavision – all new forms of film stock promising better image quality to larger screen sizes to improved sound… anything to draw in a viewing audience more readily able to sit in front of the TV in their lounge-rooms and not go out to the movies. IMAX, a film format developed during the 60's and installed in a small number of cinemas in the 70's, really came into the mainstream for Hollywood in the 2000's, with the release of a number of theatrical features in the large-gauge 70mm format. With nearly three times the resolution of standard 35mm film (see our Widescreen feature article here), IMAX film presentation is performed with an enormous screen and incredibly powerful sound system, fully enveloping the viewer in both sound and picture. Initially the domain of documentary filmmakers, due to the expense of IMAX film stock, size of cameras, and prohibitive production costs, directors like Robert Zemeckis and George Lucas paved the way for more and more features to come to IMAX – Christopher Nolan famously shot portions of The Dark Knight in IMAX, the results of which can be seen on BluRay and speak volumes for the quality of the larger gauge film.
Where would Hollywood be now if Spielberg hadn't brought his dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park? Or George Lucas hadn't insisted on creating Jar Jar Binks completely inside a computer? The advent of digital effects, for both creating characters and an ability to mold a frame of film to however the director desired, has revolutionized cinema forever. Nowadays, almost every film made contains some kind of digital effect: from scene reconstruction, background modifications, digital stuntmen and even entire sequences made in a computer, the advent of the computer into film-making has proven to be both a boon and, sometimes, problematic. While the majority of filmmakers would argue that the freedom offered by digital effects is virtually unlimited, audiences have found that an over-dependence on the technology by various directors has led to a malaise towards the technology overall. Where digital effects serve the best cause, however, is undeniably in bringing things to the screen that could not otherwise be done either practically or safely. Digital stuntmen have replaced real people on screen where it's entirely unsafe to put a real human being – this is only a single element that digital special effects allows the modern filmmaker to make better, bigger, braver films without completely blowing out the budget.
For decades dominated by Dolby laboratories, sound technology in cinema really came of age during the late 70's, with Star Wars in 1977. Dolby's late 80's "Spectral Recording", a precursor to what we now call surround sound, enabled greater fidelity and crosstalk between channels of sound in a cinematic presentation, including more accurate spatial delineation and bass reproduction. During the 80's and early 90's, this "pro logic" effect was transformed in 1992 and 1993 with twin digital channel surround sound formats – Dolby Digital and dts. Dolby Digital debuted with the release of Tim Burton's Batman Returns, while dts premiered with Spielberg's Jurassic Park: both sound formats involved 5 separate channels of sound and 1 dedicated bass channel, allowing crystal clear, superior sound reproduction in the cinema, and giving filmmakers yet another tool to their storytelling arsenal. It would be several years later, with the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1999, that a new sound technology came along, Dolby Digital EX, which added an extra surround channel to the rear of the cinema auditorium. Since then, both Dolby and dts have continuously worked to refine their respective sound codecs for not only cinema film presentations, but also on new BluRay technologies, game audio and even digital download technologies. Competing sound format SDDS, developed by Sony, was restricted to cinemas only, and involved extra speaker placements at the front of the auditorium to further enhance the listening experience. While the lack of mainstream success for SDDS prevented uptake on new DVD and BluRay technologies, all three major audio companies brought a new level of audio realism to Hollywood and cinema in general, and considering sound is two thirds of the movie experience, that's some feat.
Perhaps the most significant advance in cinema over the last 30-odd years has been the rapid rise of CGI animated feature films, beginning with Toy Story in 1995. Since that film hit the screens and took audiences on a journey in a brand new way, film studios have been falling over each other to bring you the latest and greatest advance in animation technology each time up to bat. CGI animation, as opposed to digital special effects, is where the entire film is crafted within a computer and animated to behave like a live-action film. CGI films allow us to go where no real film camera can reach, it allows filmmakers to bring us stories no human being can possibly deliver in live-action, and they are completely controllable. Modern studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky deliver financial gain for their parent companies, with the accompanying merchandise of generally kid-friendly fare also ballooning the coffers of Hollywood moguls. For its impact on modern film, especially in the last 15 years, CGI animation is perhaps the single biggest revolution in cinema since the advent of sound, and for that, it takes out the number 1 spot.


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About this Artist
JULIE ANDREWS has been a beloved and much-honored star of stage, screen, and television for more than half a century. She was already a Broadway legend when she made her feature film debut in 1964's Mary Poppins. Andrews' iconic performance in the title role of the magical nanny brought her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award. The following year, she earned a second Oscar nomination and won another Golden Globe for her unforgettable portrayal of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She received her third Academy Award nomination and won another Golden Globe for her "dual" role in Victor/Victoria.
Today's young film audiences may be more familiar with Andrews as a queen trying to train her teenaged granddaughter to be a princess in the hit films The Princess Diaries, and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement. Andrews also voiced the character of Queen Lillian in the blockbuster hits Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third. More recently, she voiced the narration of the hugely successful Disney release of Enchanted. In 2010, Andrews added to her multi-generational appeal with the release of films The Tooth Fairy, Shrek Goes Fourth, and Despicable Me.
Her earlier motion picture credits include The Americanization of Emily, Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!, Darling Lili, and 10, to name only a few.
Julie was born and raised in England, where she first came to fame as a young musical performer on stage and on radio. She was still in her teens when she made her way across the Atlantic and to Broadway, in her 1953 debut in the musical The Boy Friend. She went on to create the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe's Broadway musical My Fair Lady, winning a New York Drama Critics Award and garnering a Tony nomination for her performance. She received another Tony nomination in 1961 when she originated the role of Queen Guinevere in the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot. Thirty-five years later, Andrews returned to Broadway to star in the 1995 stage adaptation of Victor/Victoria. Her career came full-circle in 2005 when she directed a revival of The Boy Friend that toured throughout North America.
Andrews has also been honored for her work on television, beginning in 1957 with her Emmy-nominated performance in the title role of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Cinderella. She later won an Emmy for her own musical variety series, The Julie Andrews Hour, and she also earned Emmy nominations for Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (with her "chum" Carol Burnett) and her performance in the Sounds of Christmas special.
Andrews has joined talents with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, to publish books committed to stimulating a sense of wonder in children and young readers. The Julie Andrews Collection was launched in October 2003 and has released over 27 books to date, including the recently released Julie Andrews' Treasury For All Seasons and Little Bo In London. Andrews' The Great American Mousical was recently adapted as an original musical for the stage at the Norma Terris Theatre at Goodspeed in Connecticut, under her direction, to huge audience delight. (Plans are afoot to tour the show in 2013 at this time). LA Phil subscribers may be familiar with Simeon's Gift (the musical/stage adaptation of which toured parts of the U.S. in 2008, including two performances at the Hollywood Bowl) and The Julie Andrews Collection of Poems, Songs & Lullabies. Home – A Memoir of My Early Years, Andrews' autobiography, was released in April 2008 to rave reviews and immediately climbed to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller. Julie and Emma are enjoying great receptivity to their current franchise of best-selling books, called "The Very Fairy Princess."
In addition to her stage and screen work, Julie has dedicated her life to her family and to serving important causes, including Operation USA, an international relief organization with which Julie has traveled to such places as Vietnam and Cambodia. From 1992 to 2006 she was honored as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which provides financial and technical support for low-income women in developing countries.
Andrews received her honors as a Dame of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on New Year's Eve 1999. She was also a 2001 Kennedy Center Honoree. For more about Julie Andrews, please visit julieandrewscollection.com.


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Welcome to the ContactNumbers.buzz directory, featuring tons of hard-to-find customer service phone numbers including freephone numbers for Sky TV & Broadband, Tesco supermarkets, Asda stores, DVLA enquiries and many more British companies and government departments dealing with masses of consumers on a daily basis.
Featured Contacts
TV, Broadband & Telecoms companies
This directory features contact numbers and further contact details for the UK's top telecoms companies, so you can fix your broadband, phoneline or mobile contract with ease.
These telecoms companies include all the main home phone and broadband internet suppliers (such as BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk) which often also provide digital TV as part of an all-inclusive home entertainment & communications package.
We've also featured the main British mobile phone networks & retailers (such as EE and O2) which are increasingly providing good 3G & 4G mobile wifi.
These telecoms companies also often provide business phone and internet services to help you get your office flying online.
Government Departments and Benefits
The UK government sets various rules for the people to follow – they include paying taxes on personal income and business profits (see HMRC) and licensing fees for driving (see DVLA) and for owning a TV (see TV Licensing). But they don't just take our money, they give a little back too! Examples of the British welfare state's benefits systems include Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), Tax Credits (Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) and Budgeting Loans.
Supermarkets, Department Stores and Clothing retailers
The supermarkets are among the biggest retailers in the country – they're the first choice for groceries for most of the UK's households and these days often sell electrical products, clothes and a whole lot more, much like department stores. Order for home delivery or purchase in store!
Banks, Insurers and Financial Service providers
Pretty much everyone has a bank account, and due to strict fraud protection methods, many people suffer from unexpectedly frozen accounts on a regular basis, requiring a phone call to settle things every time. Lots of us also use online banking and telephone banking services. Whatever your reason for wishing contact your bank or financial services company, just give them a call for a speedy resolution using the most appropriate number in our comprehensive directory. Most banks offer a fully-staffed customer service helpline during standard working hours as well as an automated telephone banking helpline available 24/7 with basic self-service functionality.
Gone are the days when everyone uses the state-managed postal service for sending all letters and parcels around town, country and world. After hundreds of years of public service, Royal Mail is now a completely independent organisation trading on the London Stock Exchange and is facing ever-stiffer competition from nouveau private couriers such as Yodel and DPD.
Airlines and Travel Agents
It's never been easier to fly anywhere in the world for a weekend or multi-week holiday, business trip or to permanently emigrate. Some airlines are cheaper than othes – the budget airlines usually offer flights much cheaper than the more expensive ones but the premium lines tend to have better safety records as well as a larger range of classes to suit wealthier passengers.
Energy & Water suppliers
Call costs
How much do 0300, 0330, 0333 & 0345 numbers cost to call?
All 01 and 02 and 03 numbers are generally identical – they are equal to the standard rate for calling a landline/geographic number from within the UK.
Although, some special charity helplines may be free on some tariffs, but that's just an odd exception to the rule.
And if calling from abroad it's usually cheaper to call an 01 or 02 number. But generally 03 is equal to 01 and 02 when calling in the UK.
All these numbers are generally also compatible with inclusive free minutes packages, where as 084 & 087 (business rate) and 09 & 118 (premium rate) numbers generally aren't compatible with free minutes allowances. Of course there may be exceptions, as it's at the discretion of your phone company whether they offer an unusual free-calls promo for business-rate numbers, but it's a legal requirement by Ofcom that 03 numbers are charged no more expensively than 01 & 02 numbers are (within the UK).
We can't tell you a specific number of pence per minute charged, though, because that varies depending on your choice of network operator / service provider and your specific tariff / contract terms with them.
To learn more about the costs associated with calling different types of phone numbers in the UK, check out our comprehensive guide to different phone number prefixes.


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Phone: 800-835-1759
Slide-Lok Expansion Continues in the Northeast; Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley Formed |
Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley becomes latest Slide-Lok Master Dealer; North Delaware and Philadelphia area to have supplier of industry leading garage cabinets, garage floor coating, closet systems and home organization products from Slide-Lok |
Phoenix, AZ - December 5, 2007 - Slide-Lok bolsters its Master Dealer network and further identifies itself as the leader in garage cabinets, garage floor coatings, garage interiors and closet systems with establishment of Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley. Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley will proudly serve the Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE markets. Dave Giesecke, owner of Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley, brings nearly ten years of experience in real estate development and believes that Slide-Lok's products and vision fit perfectly with his background. Says Giesecke, "I've been involved in a number of real estate development projects and have seen firsthand the fast growing demand for garage cabinets, garage floor coatings and garage makeovers as well as the emergence of the garage interiors industry as a whole. I decided I had to be involved in a market segment like this that is growing by leaps and bounds. I spent a long time researching companies in this industry to find a company that would fit best with my experience. I found that in Slide-Lok." Giesecke added, "I decided on Slide-Lok because of the quality of their products. With a superior product line, superior dealer and marketing support, you can tell Slide-Lok gets it!" Slide-Lok continues to build its national brand awareness and has received a big boost in that effort from Slide-Lok's recent licensing agreement with the top drivers of NASCAR. Giesecke feels that Slide-Lok's national presence will have a tremendous impact on his Master Dealership, "With a NASCAR race in Dover, I think Slide-Lok's Racing Garage, an officially licensed NASCAR product, will be a hit with the homeowners and race fans in Philly and Wilmington." Mike Finfrock, national sales manager at Slide-Lok, stated, "Dave is an excellent fit in our Master Dealer program. We are looking forward to working with Dave and building the Slide-Lok presence in the Philly and Wilmington area." For more information on Slide-Lok garage cabinets, garage floor coating systems, garage storage products or closet systems, contact Slide-Lok of Delaware Valley at 610-738-4230 or www.Slide-LokofDelawareValley.com, or Slide-Lok directly at 800-835-1759, or visit them on the web at www.Slide-Lok.com. About Slide-Lok: Slide-Lok is an industry leader in the fast growing garage and overall home organization market with over 30 years experience in producing high quality, durable cabinetry and Slat-Wall storage systems. Slide-Lok's garage cabinets utilize a patented dovetail design, plywood construction, adjustable 6-way hinges, and Thermofuse doors – making Slide-Lok the quality leader. Slide-Lok's garage flooring system features a 1 day all weather install and is 4x stronger than epoxy; and Slide-Lok's closet line features dovetail construction, fast order to install time, and the quality and esthetics consumers have come to expect from Slide-Lok. Slide-Lok is proud to be an officially licensed product of NASCAR in conjunction with the top NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers. Slide-Lok's garage cabinets are also featured on BobVila.com. Slide-Lok's dealer network includes more than 150 dealers across the United States and Canada. |
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Please call: 800-835-1759 or Contact us › ›


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Subscribe to Our Newsletter
AB 1862 (Torlakson) - Criminal ID theft: This bill creates a database of "criminal" ID theft victims, those who have had a criminal record falsely created using their identifying information, in the Department of Justice.
AB 1897 (Davis) - ID theft: This bill creates a petition and expedited process for a court finding of factual innocence for ID theft victims.
AB 2246 (Wayne) - Destruction of documents: This bill requires businesses to destroy (shred, e.g.) customer records containing personal information before discarding them.
AB 2797 (Papan) -Insurance info privacy: prohibits insurance companies from sharing personal health, medical or genetic info with financial institutions or other 3rd parties for purpose of extending credit.
SB 1903 (Speier) - Medical info disclosure: restricts disclosure to corporations, subsidiaries and affiliates; requires authorization for release; allows patients to correct erroneous records.
SB 129 (Peace) - This bill creates Office of Privacy Protection, in Department of Consumer Affairs, with the purpose of protecting the privacy of individuals' personal information in a manner consistent with the California Constitution by identifying consumer problems in the privacy area and facilitating development of fair information practices. It also directs all state agencies to post a privacy policy and designate a "privacy officer" responsible for the policy.


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All Things To All Men
Screen Daily, 2 April 2013 A slickly shot and nicely performed British crime film, 'All Things To All Men' suffers from coming hard on the heels of other (and slightly bigger budgeted) London-set thrillers such as 'Welcome To The Punch' and 'The Sweeney', and while it delivers in terms of a complex conspiracy plot packed with devious double-crossing, at times it is simply too labyrinthine for its own good. But despite a sense of familiarity and the over-arching need to make things a little too complicated, there is still much to enjoy. Rufus Sewell is quite splendid as a devious detective; Gabriel Byrne nails his London gang lord role; Terence Maynard is cool personified as Sewell's police partner, and Julian Sands offers up a nice cameo as Byrne's mob enforcer (the pair memorably starred together in Ken Russell's 1986 film 'Gothic'). The film also makes great – if rather clichéd – use of a series of London landmarks, those does help to underscore its modest sense of cool. The film has a relatively strong marketing push in the UK where the familiar faces could see a goodish response, but in truth 'All Things To All Men's' best marketplace is likely to be in home entertainment when the combination of crime and strong British actors are a strong combination. Sewell plays maverick London detective Parker (we know he is a bit of a rebel because he wears a black trench coat and drives around in a black Range Rover) who is hunting smooth jewel thief Riley (Toby Stephens, looking the part, but favouring a grim, unsmiling, persona when a bit of louche charm would have worked better). Parker blackmails London crime boss Joseph Corso (Byrne) into setting up a trap for Riley, but things spin out-of-control as the three men vie to take the upper hand with Riley caught in the middle of the machinations. Just like 'Welcome To The Punch' and 'The Sweeney', the film – thanks to Howard Atherton's lush cinematography – makes London look vibrant, steely, and cool, though the film does favour ticking off landmarks (exemplified by its action climax inside Battersea Power Station and Stephens planning his next job while inside a pod on the London Eye) as well as providing stunning backdrops. Rufus Sewell brings just the right amount of playful charm to balance the nastier antics of his rogue cop role, and gives the films its drive and energy, working especially well with Terence Maynard (smooth coat, shades and a jazz flat cap) as Sands, his long-time friend and partner. Gabriel Byrne is equally fine as the London gang boss, while the likes of Leo Gregory, James Frain and Julian Sands help give the film is sense of gravitas. Sadly 'All Things To All Men' lets itself down when it comes to a strong female character. There isn't one. The impressive Elsa Pataky (from the recent 'Fast & Furious' films) has the charisma and beauty to demand more screen time, but her role is poorly developed and then rushed into a climactic sequence to limited emotional effect. The plot – which has references to 'LA Confidential' - gets overly complex at times (there is a lumbering side-plot about Parker owing millions to a Turkish gang boss because he slept with his girlfriend, that bemuses rather than intrigues) which is a shame given the talent available and the attractive filming style.But then trick here is to sit back and enjoy a series of fine actors impressively going through their motions.
Back to the All Things to All Men page | Back to Articles Listing | Back to rufussewell.net |


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Eva Bartlett | In Gaza
3 February 2009
I was fairly certain that one of us would be shot today.
This morning, farmers from Abassan Jadiida (New Abassan), to the east of Khan Younis , the southern region, returned to land they'd been forced off of during and following the war on Gaza. The continual shooting at them by Israeli soldiers while they work the land intensified post-war on Gaza. The Israeli soldiers' shooting was not a new thing, but a resumption of the policy of harassment that Palestinians in the border areas have been enduring for years, a harassment extending to invasions in which agricultural land, chicken farms, and the houses in the region have been targeted, destroyed in many cases.
Today's Abassan farmers wanted to harvest their parsley.
Ismail Abu Taima, whose land was being harvested, explained that over the course of the year he invests about $54,000 in planting, watering and maintenance of the monthly crops. From that investment, if all goes well and crops are harvested throughout the year, he can bring in about $10,000/month, meaning that he can pay off the investment and support the 15 families dependent on the harvest.
The work began shortly after 11 am, with the handful of farmers working swiftly, cutting swathes of tall parsley and bundling it as rapidly as it was cut. These bundles were then loaded onto a waiting donkey cart. The speed of the farmers was impressive, and one realized that were they able to work 'normally' as any farmer in unoccupied areas, they would be very productive. A lone donkey grazed in an area a little closer to the border fence. When asked if this was not dangerous for the donkey, the farmers replied that they had no other choice: with the borders closed, animal feed is starkly absent. The tragedy of having to worry about being shot once again struck me, as it did when harvesting olives or herding sheep with West Bank Palestinians who are routinely attacked by Israeli settlers and by the Israeli army as they try to work and live on their land.
It would have been hard to miss or mistake us, with fluorescent yellow vests and visibly unarmed–our hands were in the air.
Via bullhorn, we re-iterated our presence to the soldiers, informing them we were all unarmed civilians, the farmers were rightfully working their land, the soldiers were being filmed by an Italian film crew. We also informed some of our embassies of the situation: "we are on Palestinian farmland and are being shot at by Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border fence."
For a brief period the shots ceased. Then began anew, again seemingly warning shots, although this time visibly hitting dirt 15 and 20 m from us. Furthest to the south, I heard the whizz of bullets past my ear, though to estimate the proximity would be impossible.
As the cracks of gunfire rang more frequently and louder, the shots closer, those of the farmers who hadn't already hit the ground did so, sprawling flat for cover. The international observers continued to stand, brightly visible, hands in the air, bullhorn repeating our message of unarmed presence. The shots continued, from the direction of 3 or 4 visible soldiers on a mound hundreds of metres from us. With my eyeglasses I could make out their shapes, uniforms, the jeep… Certainly with their military equipment they could make out our faces, empty hands, parsley-loaded cart…
There was no mistaking the situation or their intent: pure harassment.
As the farmers tried to leave with their donkey carts, the shots continued. The two carts were eventually able to make it away, down the ruddy lane, a lane eaten by tank and bulldozer tracks from the land invasion weeks before. Some of us accompanied the carts away, out of firing range, then returned. There were still farmers on the land and they needed to evacuate.
As we stood, again arms still raised, still empty-handed, still proclaiming thus, the Israeli soldiers' shooting drew much nearer. Those whizzing rushes were more frequent and undeniably close to my head, our heads. The Italian film crew accompanying us did not stop filming, nor did some of us with video cameras.
We announced our intention to move away, the soldiers shot. We stood still, the soldiers shot. At one point I was certain one of the farmers would be killed, as he had hit the ground again but in his panic seemed to want to jump up and run. I urged him to stay flat, stay down, and with our urging he did. The idea was to move as a group, a mixture of the targeted Palestinian farmers and the brightly-noticeable international accompaniers. And so we did, but the shots continued, rapidly, hitting within metres of our feet, flying within metres of our heads.
I'm amazed no one was killed today, nor that limbs were not lost, maimed.
While we'd been on the land, Ismail Abu Taima had gone to one end, to collect valves from the broken irrigation piping. The pipes themselves had been destroyed by a pre-war on Gaza invasion. "The plants have not been watered since one week before the war," he'd told us. He collected the parts, each valve valuable in a region whose borders are sealed and where replacement parts for everything one could need to replace are unattainable or grossly expensive.
He'd also told us of the chicks in the chicken farm who'd first been dying for want of chicken feed, and then been bulldozed when Israeli soldiers attacked the house and building they were in.
My embassy rang me up, after we'd managed to get away from the firing: "We're told you are being shot at. Can you give us the precise location, and maybe a landmark, some notable building nearby."
I told Heather about the half-demolished house to the south of where we had been, and that we were on Palestinian farmland. After some further questioning, it dawned on her that the shooting was coming from the Israeli side. "How do you know it is Israeli soldiers shooting at you?" she'd asked. I mentioned the 4 jeeps, the soldiers on the mound, the shots from the soldiers on the mound (I didn't have time to go into past experiences with Israeli soldiers in this very area and a little further south, similar experience of farmers being fired upon while we accompanied them.).
Heather asked if the soldiers had stopped firing, to which I told her, 'no, they kept firing when we attempted to move away, hands in the air. They fired as we stood still, hands in the air. " She suggested these were 'warning shots' at which I pointed out that warning shots would generally be in the air or 10s of metres away. These were hitting and whizzing past within metres.
She had no further thoughts at time, but did call back minutes later with Jordie Elms, the Canadian attache in the Tel Aviv office, who informed us that "Israel has declared the 1 km area along the border to be a 'closed military zone'."
When I pointed out that Israel had no legal ability to do such, that this closure is arbitrary and illegal, and that the farmers being kept off of their land or the Palestinians whose homes have been demolished in tandem with this closure had no other options: they needed to work the land, live on it… Jordie had no thoughts. He did, however, add that humanitarian and aid workers need to "know the risk of being in a closed area".
Meaning, apparently, that it is OK with Jordie that Israeli soldiers were firing on unarmed civilians, because Israeli authorities have arbitrarily declared an area out of their jurisdiction (because Israel is "not occupying Gaza" right?!) as a 'closed area'.
Israel's latest massacre of 1,400 Palestinians –most of whom were civilians –aside, Israel's destruction of over 4,000 houses and 17,000 buildings aside, Israel's cutting off and shutting down of the Gaza Strip since Hamas' election aside, life is pretty wretched for the farmers and civilians in the areas flanking the border with Israel. Last week, the young man from Khan Younis who was shot while working on farmland in the "buffer zone" was actually on land near where we accompanied farmers today. Why do Israeli authorities think they have an uncontested right to allow/instruct their soldiers to shoot at Palestinian farmers trying to work their land?
If Israeli authorities recognized Palestinian farmers' need to work the land, Palestinian civilians' right to live in their homes, then they would not have arbitrarily imposed a 1 km ban on existence along the border, from north to south. What gives Israel the right to say that now the previously-imposed 300 m ban on valuable agricultural land next to the order extends to 1 full kilometre, and that this inherently gives Israel the right to have bulldozed 10s of houses in this "buffer zone" and ravaged the farmland with military bulldozers and tanks.
Furthermore, what gives Israel the right to assume these impositions are justifiable, and the right to shoot at farmers continuing to live in and work on their land (as if they had a choice. Recall the size of Gaza, the poverty levels)?
Nothing does.


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BitFenix Ghost Case Review: Begging for the Premium Treatment
by Dustin Sklavos on November 10, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- bitfenix
- quiet
Introducing the BitFenix Ghost
In the short time that they've been around, BitFenix has consistently proven an interest and willingness to design cases that are at the feature curve while being price competitive and offering a distinctive aesthetic and features. It sounds like a PR line, but it's true: the Merc series are among the best budget cases on the market, the Shinobi is a solid case in its own right, and the Prodigy was actually selling out for months after its release. In many ways they remind me of Corsair and Fractal Design; in the enclosure business for a short time, but continually making strides and ensuring each release is worth some attention.
That's true again today with the launch of BitFenix's first case tuned for silence, the Ghost. It eschews some of the design language that's become de rigeur for BitFenix (specifically the soft-touch plastic surface), but has some smart new design choices and more importantly, it hits a price point silent cases very rarely hit (outside of NZXT's H2): $99. So does the Ghost live up to its potential, or does it just leave us begging for more?
While I'm always on the lookout for a case to replace my venerable SilverStone FT02, very few promising candidates have ever come through that struck my tastes specifically. Yet the Ghost threatened to do exactly that, with its sleek, boxy design, ample watercooling support, and acoustic dampening materials. I'd been looking forward to reviewing the Ghost since I first saw it online. As you'll see the further we get into the review, this is a case I really wanted to succeed, not just for consumers everywhere but for myself as well.
BitFenix Ghost Specifications | ||
Motherboard Form Factor | ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX | |
Drive Bays | External | 3x 5.25", 1x 3.5" |
Internal | 4x 3.5"/2.5", 3x 2.5" | |
Cooling | Front | 1x 120mm intake fan, 1x 120mm fan mount |
Rear | 1x 120mm exhaust fan | |
Top | 1x 230mm/200mm fan mount or 2x 120mm/140mm fan mounts | |
Side | - | |
Bottom | 1x 120mm/140mm fan mount | |
Expansion Slots | 7 | |
I/O Port | 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Headphone, 1x Mic, hotswap SATA bay | |
Power Supply Size | ATX | |
Clearances | HSF | 170mm |
PSU | 180mm | |
GPU | 12.5" / 318mm | |
Dimensions |
8.3" x 20.6" x 20.1" 210mm x 522mm x 510mm |
Special Features |
Removable fan filters Hotswap SATA bay Noise dampening padding Support for 240mm/280mm radiator in top of case |
Price | $99 |
The Ghost also features a door that's hinged on both sides similar to the design Corsair employed on their fancier (and pricier) Obsidian 550D. While it's not the smallest case, it does feel a bit smaller than the norm while also making exceptionally smart use of its dimensions. The hotswap bay in the top of the enclosure fits perfectly with allowing for increased height for installing a radiator in the top fan mounts. Many cases that advertise being able to support a 240mm radiator will actually run into trouble if you try to install one due to limited clearance. It's all well and good to be able to get a radiator in, but you do need to actually install fans on it, too.
With all that said, I think Fractal Design hit the mark and BitFenix missed it by supporting a 140mm exhaust fan as well as dual 140mm intakes in the Define R4. 120mm may be the standard, but 140mm fans are becoming increasingly common and they're often more efficient for the noise than the smaller fans are. I personally would've loved to have seen a 140mm exhaust fan or at least support for one on the Ghost, even if it meant slightly widening the case.
33 Comments
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Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - link
I've asked CM to send me a review sample, we'll see how it goes! -
dingetje - Friday, November 16, 2012 - link
sweet! -
HyperDuckling - Thursday, May 30, 2013 - link
which one should i pick: Bitfenix ghost, Antec P280 or Fractal Design Define R4? i'm looking for a silent case which still has a pretty good airflow (at least has to be better than CM Elite 430!)


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Getting to Know Berlin in a 1st Semester German Course by Dagmar Jaeger
By Dagmar Jaeger
Higher Ed students practice their German speaking skills by creating a collaborative "tour of Berlin". This assignment exemplifies collaboration between students and emphasizes the use of listening and speaking skills outside the classroom.
I chose an appropriate map that is detailed enough to show various sites in Berlin. Students then chose a location in Berlin to give directions to.
The goal was to get students somewhat familiar with downtown Berlin in an interesting and engaging way, putting to use vocabulary and grammar structures students just learned, i.e. giving directions/asking for directions. The second goal was to work collaboratively in German outside the classroom.
The VoiceThread shows a map of downtown Berlin. Students were asked to choose a location and to give directions to that location by recording their own voice and by doodling the directions in the map of downtown Berlin. The very first location is determined in class together for everyone in order to know the starting point. It proceeds from there. The first student chooses a new location and gives directions from the first location to the new location. In the way of a chain reaction, the next student picks up where the last student left off and gives directions from the last student's location to the next location of choice. In this way, students create together the class' very own Berlin city tour.
Since students rely on each other for this assignment, there is a risk for misunderstandings and getting lost. This did actually happen in this VoiceThread and is part of the learning experience. Nevertheless, the exercise worked very well as a whole.
I continued with this thread and used it for a small project in which students choose three locations from the class Berlin tour and research briefly about these sites. Students present their three sites in class or create their own VoiceThread. Classmates select the best presentation.


text: When precision matters, the Seachem Digital Spoon Scale is the perfect companion tool for the serious aquarist. Accurate and easy to use, it will ensure precise dosing of any chemical or supplement up to 300 grams in 0.1 increments. The LCD display will display results in either grams or ounces and can be switched at the push of a button. It is corrosion resistant and colored to resist stains.It runs on 2 AAA batteries (included) with an easy-access battery compartment.


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Topic: Immigration
ESL or English as a Secondary Language is a well known concept in America. After all 33.5 Million US residents, some 11.7% of the population are Foreign Born and quite a few of them had to learn English as a Second Language. Those of course are the official figures, Legal Resident Aliens and Naturalized Citizens, add to that some 12 Million Illegal Aliens.
All of this has been a matter of grave debate recently and various laws are being debated in Congress.
I won't speak on the main focus of the latest Immigration Legislation, that has been done extensively over broad regions of the Internet.
There was one amendment I chanced upon that got my immediate attention. I really do hope that it or some version of it becomes US Law.
I am speaking of the Inhofe amendment to require English as official language
It can be found Here
S.Amdt. 1151: To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the.
To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the national language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.
An amendment to S. 1348: A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes.
Offered: May 22, 2007
Sponsor: Sen. James Inhofe [R-OK]
Jun 6, 2007: Amendment SA 1151 proposed by Senator Reid for Senator Inhofe to Amendment SA 1150.
Jun 6, 2007: Amendment SA 1151 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 64 - 33. Record Vote Number: 198. [Vote Details]
Here is a graphic presentation of the voting and more information on the voting.
Text of amendment
SA 1151. Mr. INHOFE (for himself, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Burr, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Bunning, and Mr. Coleman) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1348, to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Strike section 702 and insert the following:
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``S.I. Hayakawa National Language Amendment Act of 2007''.
(b) In General.--Title 4, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new chapter:
``161..Declaration of national language.
``162..Preserving and enhancing the role of the national language.
``163..Use of language other than English.
``English shall be the national language of the Government of the United States.
``(a) In General.--The Government of the United States shall preserve and enhance the role of English as the national language of the United States of America.
``(b) Exception.--Unless specifically provided by statute, no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the Government of the United States or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide materials in any language other than English. If an exception is made with respect to the use of a language other than English, the exception does not create a legal entitlement to additional services in that language or any language other
than English.
``(c) Forms.--If any form is issued by the Federal Government in a language other than English (or such form is completed in a language other than English), the English language version of the form is the sole authority for all legal purposes.
``Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the use of a language other than English.''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--The table of chapters for title 4, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
``6. Language of the Government
(As printed in the Congressional Record for the Senate on May 22, 2007.)
Some may raise objections to the idea that we should define English as the official language of the United States but the vast majority of Americans agree.
And many of those who do agree have learned English as Second Language!
Vast Majority of Americans Support Official English
National polling data indicates that the overwhelming majority of Americans, including Hispanics, support making English the official language.
* 85% of Americans, including 92% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats, and 86% of those not affiliated with either party, favor making English the official language of the United States of America. [1]
* 77% of Hispanics believe English should be the official language of government operations. [2]
* 82% of Americans support legislation that would require the federal government to conduct business solely in English.[3]
Government should do more to preserve role of English
* 92% of Americans believe that preserving English as our common language is vital to maintaining our unity; 69% agree that the United States is at risk of becoming 'disunited' by language. [4]
* 78% of Americans believe that the government should do more to help immigrants learn English; More Americans also believe that Congress and the President aren't doing enough to preserve America's unity in the English language (60%-26%) [4]
* 79% of Americans believe immigrants should be required to learn English before they are granted citizenship; only 14% disagree.[5]
* 68% of Americans oppose bilingual or multilingual election ballots. [6]
Most immigrants say learning English is essential.
* 91% of foreign-born Latino immigrants agree that learning English is essential to succeed in the U.S., according to a 2002 Kaiser Family Foundation poll.[7]
* A 2002 Carnegie/Public Agenda poll found that by more than a 2-1 margin immigrants themselves say the U.S. should expect new immigrants to learn English.[8]
Most immigrants reject "bilingual education."
* The 2002 Carnegie/Public Agenda poll found that 73% of immigrants believe schools should teach English as quickly as possible. 63% said that they believe that all teaching should be done in English, while only 32% supported allowing some teaching in their native languages.
So despite what some groups on the Left or the Mainstream Media might try to portray, this sentiment is not limited to Xenophobic, Racist Neo-Con Bigots.
It is instead the Will and the Word of the American Polity.
Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise.
Technorati Tag: English ***English as official language ***Immigration Reform
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.
Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, The Virtuous Republic, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Pursuing Holiness, Adeline and Hazel, Pet's Garden Blog, Rightlinx, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Church and State, , The Random Yak, A Blog For All, 123beta, guerrilla radio, DeMediacratic Nation, Maggie's Notebook, Adam's Blog, Webloggin, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Colloquium, Conservative Cat, Jo's Cafe, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Faultline USA, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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Updated: Sunday, 10 June 2007 11:09 AM CDT


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NASA's first large scale, piloted X-plane in more than three decades is cleared for final assembly and integration of its systems following a major project review by senior managers held Thursday at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The management review, known as Key Decision Point-D (KDP-D), was the last programmatic hurdle for the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft to clear before officials meet again in late 2020 to approve the airplane's first flight in 2021.
"With the completion of KDP-D we've shown the project is on schedule, it's well planned and on track. We have everything in place to continue this historic research mission for the nation's air-traveling public," said Bob Pearce, NASA's associate administrator for Aeronautics.
The X-59 is shaped to reduce the loudness of a sonic boom reaching the ground to that of a gentle thump, if it is heard at all. It will be flown above select U.S. communities to generate data from sensors and people on the ground in order to gauge public perception. That data will help regulators establish new rules to enable commercial supersonic air travel over land.
Construction of the X-59, under a $247.5 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract, is continuing at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company's Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California.
Three major work areas are actively set up for building the airplane's main fuselage, wing and empennage. Final assembly and integration of the airplane's systems – including an innovative cockpit eXternal Visibility System – is targeted for late 2020.
Management of the X-59 QueSST development and construction falls under the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project, which is part of NASA's Integrated Aviation Systems Program.
For more information about NASA's aeronautics research, visit:


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Robert Frost
Robert Frost was born in San Francisco in 1874. When he was ten, his father died and he and his mother moved to New England. He attended school at Dartmouth and Harvard, worked in a mill, taught, and took up farming, before he moved to England, where his first books of poetry, A Boy's Will (1913) and North of Boston (1914), were published. North of Boston brought him recognition as the preeminent voice of New England and as one of America's major poets. In 1915 he returned to the United States and settled on a farm in New Hampshire. Four volumes of his poetry, New Hampshire (1923), Collected Poems (1930), A Further Range (1936), and A Witness Tree (1942) were all awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He died in 1963.


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The following hadith by the prophet provides the background of how Makkah and Kaa'ba came into existence.
Prophet Ibrahim and Hajar Come to Makkah
Narrated Ibn 'Abbâs [On the authority of the Prophet (See Fath Al-Bari, Vol. 7, Page 210)].
"…(Prophet) Ibrâhîm (Abraham) brought her (Hajar) and her son Ismail (Ishmael) while she used to nurse him at her breast, near the Ka'bah under a tree on the spot of Zamzam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Makkah, nor was there any water. So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ismail's (Ishmael) mother followed him saying, "O Ibrâhîm (Abraham)! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him, "Has Allâh ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us," and returned while Ibrâhîm (Abraham) proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniyyah where they could not see him, he faced the Ka'bah, and raising both hands invoked Allâh saying the following supplication:
'O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka'bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât). So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allâh) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.' (Surah Ibrahim :Verse 37)
Hajar Looks for Water for Prophet Ismaeel
Ismail's (Ishmael) mother went on suckling Ismail (Ishmael) and drinking from the water (she had). When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him [i.e. Ismail (Ishmael)] tossing in agony; she left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of As-Safâ was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from As-Safâ and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached Al-Marwah mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between As-Safâ and Al-Marwah) seven times."The Prophet said, "This is the source of the tradition of the Sa'y (the going) of people between them (i.e. As-Safâ and Al-Marwah). When she reached Al-Marwah (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, 'O (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?' And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hands in this way and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it."The Prophet added, "May Allâh bestow mercy on Ismail's (Ishmael) mother! Had she let the Zamzam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth."The Prophet further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allâh which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allâh never neglects His people.'
Settling of the tribe of Jurhum
The House (i.e. Ka'bah) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kadâ'. They landed in the lower part of Makkah where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, 'This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.' They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)."The Prophet added, "Ismail's (Ishmael) mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, 'Do you allow us to stay with you?' She replied, 'Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.' They agreed to that."The Prophet further said, "Ismail's (Ishmael) mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child [i.e. Ismail (Ishmael)] grew up and learned Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them.
Click here to Learn about the Story of Islam and the Muslims
After Ismail's (Ishmael) mother had died, Ibrâhîm (Abraham) came after Ismail's (Ishmael) marriage in order to see his family that he had left before, but he did not find Ismail (Ishmael) there. When he asked Ismail's (Ishmael) wife about him, she replied, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition, and she replied, 'We are living in misery; we are living in hardship and destitution,' complaining to him. He said, 'When your husband returns, convey my salutation to him and tell him to change the threshold of the gate (of his house).' When Ismail (Ishmael) came, he seemed to have felt something unusual, so he asked his wife, 'Has anyone visited you?' She replied, 'Yes, an old man of such and such description came and asked me about you and I informed him, and he asked about our state of living, and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty.' On that Ismail (Ishmael) said, 'Did he advise you anything?' She replied, 'Yes, he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the threshold of your gate.' Ismail (Ishmael) said, 'It was my father, and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family.' So, Ismail (Ishmael) divorced her and married another woman from amongst them (i.e. Jurhum). (Read about Makkah Mosque Expansion here)
Then Ibrâhîm (Abraham) stayed away from them for a period as long as Allâh wished and called on them again but did not find Ismail (Ishmael). So he came to Ismail's (Ishmael) wife and asked her about Ismail (Ishmael). She said, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Ibrâhîm (Abraham) asked her, 'How are you getting on?' asking her about their sustenance and living. She replied, 'We are prosperous and well-off (i.e. we have everything in abundance).' Then she thanked Allâh Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said, 'What kind of food do you eat?' She said, 'Meat.' He said, 'What do you drink?' She said, 'Water.' He said, 'O Allâh! Bless their meat and water.' "The Prophet added, "At that time they did not have grain, and if they had grain, he would have also invoked Allâh to bless it."The Prophet added, "If somebody has only these two things as his sustenance, his health and disposition will be badly affected, unless he lives in Makkah." The Prophet added, "Then Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said to Ismail's (Ishmael) wife, 'When your husband comes, give my regards to him and tell him that he should keep firm the threshold of his gate.' When Ismail (Ishmael) came back, he asked his wife, 'Did anyone call on you?' She replied, 'Yes, a good-looking old man came to me,' so she praised him and added. 'He asked about you, and I informed him, and he asked about our livelihood and I told him that we were in a good condition.' Ismail (Ishmael) asked her, 'Did he give you any piece of advice?' She said, 'Yes, he told me to give his regards to you and ordered that you should keep firm the threshold of your gate.' On that Ismail (Ishmael) said, 'It was my father, and you are the threshold (of the gate). He has ordered me to keep you with me.'
Prophet Ibrahim Build's Allah's House
Then Ibrâhîm (Abraham) stayed away from them for a period as long as Allâh wished, and called on them afterwards. He saw Ismail (Ishmael) under a tree near Zamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw Ibrâhîm (Abraham), he rose up to welcome him (and they greeted each other as a father does with his son or a son does with his father). Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said, 'O Ismail (Ishmael)! Allâh has given me an order.' Ismail (Ishmael) said, 'Do what your Lord has ordered you to do.' Ibrâhîm (Abraham) asked, 'Will you help me?' Ismail (Ishmael) said, 'I will help you.' Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said, 'Allâh has ordered me to build a house here,' pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it.'"The Prophet added, "Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e. the Ka'bah). Ismail (Ishmael) brought the stones and Ibrâhîm (Abraham) was building; and when the walls became high, Ismail (Ishmael) brought this stone and put it for Ibrâhîm (Abraham) who stood over it and carried on building, while Ismail (Ishmael) was handing him the stones, and both of them were saying,
'O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer the All-Knower.'" (V.2:127).
The Prophet added, "Then both of them went on building and going round the Ka'bah saying 'O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.'" (V.2:127) [Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.4, Hadith No.583].
The City of Makkah with millions of worshippers today
Read about Hajj step by step


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1966 Fervor Vintage In Mad Men Season 6 Premiere, Sun 4/7
This Sunday night marks the premiere of the new Mad Men season, anxiously awaited by die-hard fans, and it will be served up in 2 parts back to back.
The second half of the opening 2-hour episode "The Doorway" will feature a gem from the Fervor Vintage collection in the soundtrack.
The tune is What's Happening, a jangly Dylan-esque folk song recorded by Phil and the Frantics in 1966, from the Fervor Records release Amazing Hits of the Transistor Era, Vol. 2.
Hear it on AMC Sunday April 7th at 9/8c, when you tune in to see the Mad Men Season 6 Premiere and catch some handpicked music from the Fervor treasure trove.


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OCS Consulting deliver its services to both large corporates and SMBs priding itself on quality, innovation, flexibility, accountability and being supportive every step of the way. We aim to build long-lasting relationships with our Clients being a responsive and trustworthy extension to their technology team. Some of our Clients include Unilever, a number of UN Agencies, MS Amlin, AON, G4S, Renault, GSK, Argos, Motability Operations, Nutricia Research, De Volksbank and Barclays to name a few.
In addition to our core services, over many years, we have developed a number of specialisms covering domains such as Insurance, Automotive, Cash Management, Retail and support of legacy/heritage technologies and self-service automation.
We are a staff based organization whose goal is to provide long-term value to both its staff and Clients with a focus on flexibility and responsiveness. We make listening to our Clients our priority. We offer independent advice with a problem-solving attitude and understand the bigger picture. We believe this is why 95% of Clients have used us repeatedly, many for over 30 years. Contacting OCS makes sense.
OCS Consulting BV recognises all other copyrights and trademarks


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Can You Appreciate All That Shows Up?
Welcome Spring and all that is new.
I've been reading and contemplating a beautiful passage about arrivals from Rumi this week (as interpreted by Coleman Barks).
It helped me see a challenging situation in new light…and a door opened.
Perhaps it will open a door for you, too.
"This being human is a guest
house. Every morning
a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and attend them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of all its furniture, still,
treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
Welcome difficulty.
Learn the alchemy True Human
Beings know:
the moment you accept what troubles
you've been given, the door opens.
Welcome difficulty as a familiar
comrade. Joke with torment
brought by the Friend.
Sorrows are the rags of old clothes
and jackets that serve to cover,
and then are taken off.
That undressing,
and the beautiful
naked body underneath,
is the sweetness
that comes
after grief."
~ Rumi, as interpreted by Coleman Barks, in The Illuminated Rumi, ©1997 Coleman Barks & Mich
What doors open for you as you contemplate this passage? Let us know.
To Your Wellth,


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Once the toughest ticket in NASCAR, Bristol no longer immune to attendance dip in auto racing
By Jenna Fryer, APFriday, August 20, 2010
Bristol feeling economic pinch in selling tickets
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Rob Stiens won two tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway as his company's employee of the month. Unable to find affordable lodging close to the track, and unwilling to stay in a hotel three hours away, his seats will go empty Saturday night.
Once the toughest ticket in NASCAR, Bristol is now just like every other track that's struggling to attract fans in a tough economy. The track's streak of 55 consecutive sellouts was snapped during its March race, and Saturday night's event — one of the most beloved on the schedule — will also fall short of capacity.
"My last race at Bristol was the spring race (in 2009) and we decided that it's just too much money to continue going," said Stiens, a Fayetteville, Ohio, milkman who gave up his season tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway last year after 14 years.
"I got these tickets from my company two weeks ago, tried to find somewhere reasonable to stay, and the nearest place was $189 a night," Stiens said. "Anything cheaper was in Knoxville, and that's about three hours away. It's easier to just watch it on TV at home."
There won't be a full house at Thunder Valley on Saturday night when the speedway celebrates its 100th Sprint Cup race, and anything less than capacity was unheard of during a massive growth spurt in the 1990s, when track officials had a lengthy waitlist and ran ticket sales much like the NCAA does for its annual basketball tournament. Fans signed up for a package of four, and if something came available, names were picked through a lottery.
Now, with 160,000 seats and only about 6,000 hotel rooms in the immediate Tri-Cities area, Bristol officials are having to launch creative marketing strategies for the first time in over two decades. The sellout streak began in 1982 when the track had just 30,000 seats.
"I don't think anyone is immune," said five-time Bristol winner Jeff Gordon. "It's just like a top team is not immune to sponsorship negotiations, and a race track is not immune to the economy and whatever decision-making is going on out there among fans as to what races they choose to go to and what obstacles lie in their way to get to those tracks.
"I still think people, everywhere I go, love Bristol and love Talladega and love NASCAR. But I think when there are tough times, they have to make tough decisions."
Bristol officials this year gave tickets to four drivers active on Twitter, as well as Red Bull Racing, to give away through social media efforts. Red Bull gave its 10 sets out through weekly trivia sessions, but even some of those will go unused Saturday night.
Josh Guilford has been out of work since April, and even after winning tickets from Red Bull, he couldn't swing the trip from Connecticut. He's already been to races this season at New Hampshire, Pocono and the All-Star race in Charlotte, all paid for before he lost his job.
Having never been to the bullring at Bristol, a track that produces the short-track Saturday night bumping and banging NASCAR fans crave, Guilford had hoped to pull off the trip.
"I figured it would cost around $500 for travel and accommodations," he said. "That does not include food, drink and spending money. It definitely (stinks) because its Bristol."
Staying home on Saturday night means fans won't get to sit in the Coliseum-like setting and see live the myriad of raging driver feuds potentially play out on one of the tightest tracks in NASCAR. The beloved bump-and-run tactic was made for tracks like Bristol.
With the top 11 drivers in the standings pretty much locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, they also won't have to play it safe as many contenders have done since the format began in 2004. Needing to ensure strong finishes, drivers would tone down the aggression that so often reared itself at Bristol.
Now, those 11 can race hard for wins and coveted bonus points to be used in Chase seeding.
With only four drivers in contention for the 12th and final Chase berth — and really only Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin legitimately in contention — fans not in attendance will have to watch the battle unfold from their living room.
Kevin Triplett, vice president of Bristol's public affairs, has heard from many heartbroken fans who, after years of attending the Saturday night race, simply can't come this year.
"As challenging and disappointing as it was to finally see the sellout string come to an end, we looked at why and how do we fix it?" Triplett said. "We found that 62 percent of the people surveyed said the economy, and that's the harsh reality of it."
Speedway officials recently acquired 20 acres of land outside the track for camping, at $99 for a spot. The campground doesn't have electricity or running water, but does provide fans an option besides expensive hotel rooms. And despite trying to work with local leaders and hotel owners on pricing, Triplett said the demand outweighs the supply and rates simply can't be negotiated the way they are in many other NASCAR markets.
"It's challenging for some of our fans to pay as much for lodging for a race weekend as they would for a couple nights in New York City," Triplett said. "But even with these challenges, we recognize that we have an enormously large facility that is almost double the capacity of the Dallas Cowboys, who led the NFL in attendance last season.
"Even short of a sellout," Triplett said, "we will still have more people here — many more people — than any NFL game in the country."
Tags: Automobile Racing, Bristol, Nascar, Nfl, North America, Professional Football, Sports, Sports Business, Tennessee, United States, Virginia