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Tree Services
If you need help with your new tree project, the tree specialists at Mid Valley Tree Services can bring your ideas to life with our full range of tree services. We offer a wide range of tree care services guaranteed to suit your needs, no matter the scale of your project.
Maintain your space or create a new one with our expert consulting services for any outdoor space. We take care of the hard work, so you have more time for the things that matter to you.
Call us now at (604) 791-8733 to set up a no-obligation consultation.
Call NowTree Care Experts in Aldergrove
Mid Valley Tree Services's Comprehensive Tree Care Services
Need to enhance your outdoor living space? We have you covered. We can help with our many tree care services, such as:
- Arbor consultations
- Tree planting
- Tree trimming
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- Transplanting
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- And much more!
Tree Service and Planting Made Simple
Don't wait to get new trees planted in your space. Are you looking to plant apple, pear, or prune trees? We can help with speedy service, so your fruits can start growing in no time at all.
We prepare all spaces so that trees can have a healthy foundation to grow. We'll help you choose the trees you've always wanted on your property and ensure that they'll thrive in their new environment.
Trust our tree experts to do the heavy lifting, so you don't have to. Any questions? Reach out to us now to inquire!
Affordable Tree Pruning Services
Regular pruning can improve the health of your trees and shrubs and ensure a secure and appealing environment for you to enjoy. Avoid the risk of broken and fallen branches by taking advantage of our expert tree care service.
We remove all dead, damaged, unwanted, or diseased leaves and branches, and all for an affordable price. You can now rest easy knowing we're taking excellent care of your yard.
Tree Removal and Transplanting
Are you looking to redesign your outdoor space? We take care of uprooting, moving, and transplanting existing trees to different areas of your land. Even if you have a small landscape, you can make space for new plants and foliage by removing and transplanting the old.
Our tree removal specialists always use the safest tree removal practices to make sure your space stays in top shape. Whether you need a simple uprooting or a more complex removal job, our experts are highly skilled and equipped to eliminate your trees efficiently and securely.
Are you thinking about having a tree removed? Talk to one of our certified tree removal specialists, and we'll be sure to get the job done right.
Contact Us Now for Professional Tree Services
With Mid Valley Tree Services's vast range of tree care services, you can be sure your landscape is in good hands. Whether you want to redesign your space or start from scratch, we're happy to be of assistance, from consulting to planting.
If you're looking for affordable, convenient, and efficient tree services, contact us now at (604) 791-8733 to get started. We can provide you with an honest quote from the get-go.


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Leading Japanese Company To Use Honeywell's Low-Global-Warming-Potential Blowing Agent For Spray Foam Insulation
Honeywell Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent will help Achilles Corp. meet current and future
energy and environmental regulations
MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J., Feb. 24, 2014 — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that Achilles Corp., a leading Japanese manufacturer of industrial products, has adopted Honeywell's next-generation Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) for use in its line of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) building insulation sold under the trade name Achilles Airlon FR-FO.
According to Achilles Corporation, spray foam systems formulated with Solstice LBA demonstrate about 25 percent better thermal insulation performance than water-blown systems.
Foam blowing agents allow closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation to expand and provide the majority of the foam's excellent insulating properties. Solstice LBA has a global warming potential of 1, which is 99.9 percent lower than today's most commonly-used blowing agent, HFC-245fa, a hydrofluorocarbon, while retaining its insulating performance.
"Honeywell is committed to developing technologies that help our customers produce energy-efficient materials that are better for the environment," said Sanjeev Rastogi, business director for Honeywell Fluorine Products. "We are delighted to help Achilles introduce a new class of spray foam insulation in Japan that benefits from our expertise in developing and supplying high-performance, energy-efficient, and low-global-warming-potential solutions."
Solstice LBA is being adopted by SPF manufacturers around the world that are looking to reduce their environmental footprint and comply with environmental and energy efficiency regulations. Solstice LBA is nonflammable and is not a volatile organic compound. It is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. Honeywell is currently providing commercial quantities to customers, and is building world-scale production capacity for Solstice LBA that is expected to come online early this year.
Blowing agents from Honeywell can be used in a wide range of applications, including household refrigerators and freezers, insulated architectural panels, and refrigerated shipping containers.
In addition to Solstice LBA, Honeywell's family of Solstice-branded products includes stationary and mobile refrigerants, gaseous blowing agents, propellants, and solvents based on Honeywell's new hydrofluoro-olefin technology that helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance.
The Solstice products have been developed and are being commercialized by Honeywell's Fluorine Products business, a leader in the manufacture and supply of non-ozone-depleting refrigerants used by top air-conditioning and refrigeration makers worldwide, and blowing agents for energy-efficient foam insulation, as well as hydrofluoric acid and precursors for nuclear fuel.
Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies is a global leader in developing and manufacturing advanced materials and process technologies. These materials and technologies are used by people every day in a wide range of industries and applications, from petroleum refining to environmentally friendlier refrigerants to bullet-resistant vests. Our advanced materials are critical in the manufacture of products ranging from nylon to computer chips to pharmaceutical packaging. Process technologies developed by our UOP business form the foundation for most of the world's refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemicals. UOP is now pioneering technology to produce real fuels from renewable energy sources.
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.
This release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE: Honeywell

subset: commoncrawl


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Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in front of a federal judge on Friday.
As we've reported, McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, have been charged with 14 counts, including conspiracy and wire fraud over allegations they took gifts from the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and in exchange provided Star Scientific with the "prestige of the governorship."
USA Today says the McDonnells were released on their own recognizance but were ordered not to leave the country. The paper adds:
"The former governor's lawyer told Novak the defendants already have surrendered their passports.
"Clearly exasperated by months of news stories about the case based on anonymous sources, [U.S. Magistrate Judge David Novak] sternly lectured lawyers from both sides not to discuss the case with the media. He warned that such conduct violates a local court rule and could result in contempt of court charges.
" 'This case is going to be tried in the courtroom; it is not going to be tried in the media,' Novak said. 'The gamesmanship with the media ends now.' "
On that front, The Washington Post has a story that quotes "people with knowledge" saying the former governor rejected a plea deal that would have avoided charges for his wife. McDonnell, the paper reports, would have pleaded guilty to a felony fraud charge that "had nothing to do with corruption in office."
The Post adds:
"The failed behind-the-scenes plea discussions underscore the former governor's strong assertion that prosecutors have stretched the law to ensnare a high-level official through the actions of his wife. He has emphatically insisted that he did nothing illegal in his interactions with businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and made no agreements to assist his company, Star Scientific Inc.
"It also provides a vivid illustration of the extent to which both of the McDonnells believe that it was the former first lady's poor judgment in establishing a friendship with Williams that has landed the couple in legal peril."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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By Kaz Edwards
Benito Morales sits perfectly still on his couch, adjusting only his hands, which lie neatly folded in his lap. Arranged next to him are various pieces of memorabilia from World War II, including a Bronze Star he received for heroic achievement in action.
But Morales doesn't look at himself as a hero, merely one of the lucky few who made it through WWII alive and unscathed.
A few days after the D-Day invasion in June of 1944, Morales' 9th Infantry Division had been shipped to the shores of Omaha Beach in France. By this time, the Germans had already been pushed inland. He could hear the sounds of battles in the distance, and didn't want to be there.
As German forces continued to strafe and bomb Omaha Beach, more American forces continued to come ashore, including Morales.
He remembers hearing "all the firing and the bombs from across the English Channel" as his division waded their way onto Omaha's shores.
"When I was going overseas [during WWII] I thought I would never come back," Morales said, "I don't consider myself a hero, I consider myself lucky."
From his humble beginnings in the small town of Flatonia, Texas, to his march down Omaha Beach during WWII, Morales has experienced more than most can imagine.
Born June 9, 1923, Morales grew up in the midst of the Great Depression. He remembers a time when, socially, racial persecution was the norm and, economically, many families had trouble making it day to day. For his parents, three brothers and four sisters, life in South Texas was a matter of survival.
At a young age, his father, Cenbio Morales, insisted it was time for him and his older brother to attend school, despite the fact that they were the only Latinos in the class. Morales says the rest of the students constantly picked on them, both physically and mentally. On occasion, the other children would call them "black Mexicans" and try to pick fights with them, Morales recalls.
"When we came out of the school, we had to walk down the road" to get home, Morales said. "And they [the students] use to throw stones at us."
Eventually, he and his brother made friends with some of the "Bohemian" kids who attended the school, and they'd stick together, helping each other out when other kids tried to pick on them.
After the fourth grade, Morales stopped attending school and began working full time on his family's farm, where they grew mainly corn and cotton. Because of the times, they had trouble keeping the farm up and had to take out loans from the bank every year to purchase supplies needed for their crops. This eventually became too much to handle and they had to sell the farm to survive.
After selling the land, Morales and his family moved to Chicago to stay with his aunt. His father was able to get a job at the railroad repairing ties along the tracks, but still needed public aid to take care of his large family. Benito, 16 at the time, took a job in a candy factory, where he worked until he was drafted at age 19.
In 1943 Morales departed for Fort Sheridan in Illinois to begin basic training. After two months, he was given a choice of Armed Forces to join, and he chose the Army. He was sent to North Carolina for six months of infantry training.
In May of 1944, only a month before the D-Day invasion, Private First Class Morales joined the 9th Infantry Division, 39th Infantry Regiment, stationed near Liverpool, England, where they'd wait to replace the ground troops that were already engaged in the fighting. He says the 9th Infantry Division was a mixture of ethnicity, containing Hispanics, Italians and Polish. Despite their different backgrounds, he says they all stuck together, surviving by the motto "one for all, and all for one."
Over the next five months, Morales and the 9th Infantry Division fought across France and into Germany. On May 9, 1945, he was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic achievement in action. In the military certificate noting his battlefield accomplishments, Morales' actions were described in the following manner:
"During the crossing of the Ludendorff Bridge spanning the Rhine River [on March 8, 1945], an enemy artillery shell burst directly in front of the vehicle in which PFC Morales was riding. With complete disregard for personal safety he immediately dismounted from the vehicle and assisted in the evacuation of 11 causalities to the nearest aid station. PFC Morales' aggressive initiative and courageous actions were instrumental in saving the lives of several of the wounded and was a credit to himself and the Armed Forces of the United States."
But Morales doesn't consider himself a hero, even after receiving the Bronze Star. He simply considers himself lucky.
"I consider myself lucky," he said. "One of my buddies, his whole body got cut in half standing right next to me. Those were the heroes, those that never made it back."
Morales would stay overseas for at least another year before being discharged. After returning to his family in Chicago, he got a job working with his brother at Sunbeam, where he worked for 37 years operating machinery. In 1950, he married Frances Carica and they had seven children: two boys and five girls.
When asked if he'd recommend a career in the military to the younger generation, he paused.
"Only if it's not during a time of war," Morales replied.
Mr. Morales was interviewed in Cicero, Illinois, on December 5, 2002, by William Luna.


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My love wand is on a strike.
As bad as that blows, pun unintended, it's ten times worse for me. I'm a male escort, but not just any escort, I'm the escort. The one with a mile-long waiting list and a pristine reputation that's very well-deserved.
Only now, I'm on hiatus. Because after years of pleasing women all over the city, my man missile decides to get finicky. And the only woman he wants? Someone I can never have—my best friend's younger sister, the nerdy and awkwardly adorable Sienna.
She's working at the agency this summer, keeping me organized, handling paperwork, and most importantly, keeping me on track to finish writing my book about sex and intimacy, which is due to my publisher in thirty days.
She thinks I hate her, that I don't want her here. The truth is much more twisted. I get hard every time she walks into my office. Her wide blue eyes and pouty mouth drive me wild with desire, and if she stays, I'm not sure how much longer I can stay away from her.
Little Miss Overachiever says she's here to help? Fine. I'm going to put her nerdy, curvy tush to work.
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page


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Hunter is a short Sci-Fi story set in a dark and desperate world. It is just about 2500 words, which is about the length of a story you'd read in a magazine. I'm not really sure what the appropriate cost is, so I'm experimenting with the Pay What You Want model that seems to be working really well for a lot of artists I respect and admire.
If I sold Hunter to a magazine, I'd probably get around $125 or so (assuming I could get the SFWA professional rate of five cents a word. I figure that at least 125 people will want to read this, so if all of them donated a dollar, I'd feel really good about this, and I'd be able to do it again in the future. If you're interested (and I hope you are) you can download Hunter and pay what you want (even the low low price of NOTHING AT ALL) at Wil Wheaton Books dot Com.
A couple of FAQs:
Is this about the amazing 80s cop drama HUNTER starring Fred Dryer?
No, it's an original work of fiction set in a world I made up.
Where could I find out more about HUNTER and Fred Dryer?
Oh, I bet Wikipedia will help you with the show and its star.
Don't you mean "it's"?
No, I don't. This rhyme from Strongbad has served me well: "If you want to be possessive, it's just I-T-S … if you want to use an apostrophe, it's I-T-APOSTROPHE-S!"
Can I use something other than PayPal to give you filthy money?
Not at the moment, no.
But PayPal is evil!
I know. Luckily, you can stick it to me and PayPal at the same time, if you want. Yay!
What about Google Checkout?
I'm working on it. Well slap my fanny, I figured out how to use it. Yes, you can use Google Checkout. The only thing is, I couldn't find an option that lets you set your price, so I set it at $2.00, which seems to be the average people are choosing to pay.
Can I download the artwork and use it for the cover?
Yes! I tried to embed the neat image Will Hindmarch designed into the files, but apparently I haven't unlocked that skill yet.
Are you going to expand this story?
Maybe. I know a lot about the world and other stuff that would be spoilery, because I've thought about it a lot, but I don't know if I'm ready to expand this particular story much more. I think I'll be revisiting [spoiler] at some point, though, because it's very intriguing to me.
So I've decided to pay for this. What do you suggest?
A billon dollars seems about right to me, but most people are choosing between 1 and 5 bucks.
Can I print out the PDF?
I bought the [mobi | pdf | epub] but now I want [some other format] do I have to pay you again?
Of course not, but thank you for asking. You're a good guy or girl.
Can I give my copy to a friend?
Yes, but I'd prefer you link them to the Hunter page at Wil Wheaton Books dot Com where they can download their own copy. I hope that this will introduce new readers to my work, and if they're at my virtual bookshelf, maybe they'll check out my other work.
Are you doing an audio version?
I don't know. Maybe in the future.
Isn't Wall of Voodoo an amazing band?
Hell yes! I've been listening to The Index Masters pretty much non-stop for three days.
Will you put this in the Amazon or iBooks store?
Probably not. I'd like to keep it DRM-free and pay-what-you-want.
Okay, that just about covers it. If you like this, please tell your friends.


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GILL, Dave; LYON, Ben; FOWLER, Simon (1990) : The caves of Bama County, Guangxi, China.-
Cave Science vol. 17 nr. 2 : 55-66.
Bama County contains a large hydrological system with associated caves, draining into the Pan Yang River, a tributary to the Hongshui. The Pan Yang cave system between Beimo Dong (main sink) and Fulong Dong rising was surveyed over 16 km, with passages as high as 145 m and 80 m in diameter. A total of 16 caves and 17 km of passages in Bama Co. were surveyed (10 cave surveys, area map, speleol.map, phot.). (RB)
Source : BBS
Cette grotte a été identifiée ou explorée au minimum par cette (ces) expédition (s) :


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MLB to relax virus protocols when 85% on field vaccinated
NEW YORK - Card games, car pools and eating at restaurants may be back in the major leagues later this season. Trips to church and sponsor events may return, too.
Mask use would be dropped from dugouts and bullpens, and electronic tracing devices would be eliminated when 85% of major league players and primary field staff are vaccinated against the coronavirus. Communal clubhouse video would return before and after games. Pool tables would be restored, along with team saunas.
A three-page memorandum from Major League Baseball and the players' association sent to players and staff on Monday and obtained by The Associated Press also stated "all players and staff are strongly encouraged to receive one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines when eligible."
"For purposes of this memo, individuals are considered 'fully vaccinated' two weeks after receiving their second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after their first dose of a single dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson)," the memo stated.
Not many players have been vaccinated, according to MLB, but it expects the pace to increase after teams return to their home cities from spring training. Opening day is Thursday.
RELATED: Fever, headache, fatigue are all signs the vaccine is working, doctors say
The St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros said Monday their players will be offered vaccines before openers and the San Francisco Giants said some of their players already had received vaccination shots.
MLB's Tier 1 restrictions in place since last summer cover players, managers, coaches, bullpen catchers, team physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and strength and conditioning coaches.
While clubhouse video rules would loosen before and after games, in-game use will remain covered by rules restricting in-game use to MLB-issued iPads with catcher's signals blocked, regulations put in place in response to the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal.
Once the 85% threshold is reached, fully vaccinated players and staff would be able to eat and drink on flights. They would be able to gather in indoor spaces such as hotels without masks or social distancing as long as non-vaccinated people aren't present, and they would be able to carpool or use Uber or Lyft. The relaxation would not apply to gatherings in group facilities at ballparks, such as clubhouses.
RELATED: Study shows asymptomatic spread drops 98% when everyone is vaccinated
Fully vaccinated people who have close contact with someone with COVID-19 would not have to quarantine unless they exhibit symptoms.
Vaccinated players and staff would have the option to reduce PCR saliva testing to twice weekly, similar to Tier 2 staff, such as front office and clubhouse employees, owners and groundskeepers.
Family members who are fully vaccinated and children who are not vaccinated would be able to stay with players and staff in hotel rooms during road trips, though MLB and the union cautioned that the Centers for Disease Control advised not to use commercial travel and to stay home unless necessary. Families also would be able to sit anywhere in ballparks and not be restricted to pods, subject to local laws and policies.
Players and staff would be able to meet outdoors with anyone on road trips, eliminating the restriction limiting them to household and family. They also would no longer be required to let club compliance officers know when they are leaving team hotels, and they would be allowed to stay at personal homes on road trips without a need for family quarantines or testing.
While attending religious services would be allowed, attending outdoor services would be encouraged.
Indians manager Terry Francona, who recently received his second vaccine, was pleased there weren't many issues associated with the coronavirus during camp.
"You really haven't heard a whole lot about it," said Francona, who was aware of the memo but said he hadn't read through it. "In the beginning, I think everybody had their hopes up that when we get here you could just go back to normal. It took a few days for everybody to realize that's not the way it's going to be.
"The rules are in place. We've told them, whether you agree or disagree, if you have a positive, you're going to get sent home and probably take somebody with you."
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.


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Aasco Perfromance Inc. is an aftermarket company that was founded in 1995 by Dennis and Randall Aase. These two brothers are very passionate when it comes to motorsport racing and has over 80 years of combined experience and expertise when it comes to creating quality race-proven components. The company is known for its high-performance clutches and flywheels and is being used by various professional racers worldwide. Today, they have been one of the go to brand when it comes to performance parts in the market.
The company rose to popularity during the late 90s when they started providing track supports for various race drivers. Their company has a complete facility that includes race car transporters, pit tools, a full pit crew staff and they even have their own dyno services.
The company offers its products to fit a variety of vehicles from different manufacturers. Their parts fit brands such as Acura, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, Nissan, Mini, and Subaru just to name a few. All their parts are made 100% in the US to ensure that they would be able to maintain their standards and at the same time utilize American craftsmanship.
If you want drivetrain components that are track-tested and proven to give a competitive advantage, then Aasco is the brand for you. Designed and created by racers for racers, you can be sure that their products are made to perform. To know more about Aasco, visit Vivid Racing and check out their list of products that would fit your needs.


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Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) advances shown at Interop Las Vegas 2011
Microsemi recently demonstrated PoE innovations that improve power delivery, management and efficiency.
Microsemi Corp. demonstrated a number of Power Over Ethernet (PoE) advances at Interop Las Vegas 2011, including its recently announced Energy-Efficient PoE (EEPoE) front-end Powered Device (PD) ICs, and upgraded software that enables its PowerDsine midspans to seamlessly support the Internet's move from IPv4 to IPv6 technology for improved Internet addressing.
Microsemi demonstrations included:
- Higher Power with Improved Efficiency: Microsemi's recently announced PD70x0x family of front-end Powered Device (PD) ICs enables PDs to receive up to 51 watts of power, with unparalleled energy efficiency at both full load and on standby.
- Solutions for Migrating Network Power Infrastructure to IPv6 Technology: Microsemi PowerView Pro software upgrade, which provides a seamless, transparent solution for ensuring that Microsemi's PowerDsine midspans can support the Internet's next-generation addressing technology.
- Support for Emerging HDBaseT Standard: Microsemi's recently announced PD6910x Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) PoE manager ICs are the first to comply with specifications for HDBaseT, an emerging connectivity technology for long-distance transmission of uncompressed high-definition video, audio and power. Microsemi heads the sub-committee that is developing Power-over-HDBaseT (PoH) specifications which are expected to enable the delivery of 95 watts/port while being backwards compatible with IEEE802.3at-2009 and without infringing any of the PoE safety requirements.
- Advanced Switching Applications: Marvell has integrated Microsemi PD69100 microcontroller capabilities into its Integrated Secure-Switch-Router (ISSR) platform. Microsemi's unique Distributed PoE architecture enables PoE controller functionality to be embedded inside Marvell's processors, increasing the level of PoE integration, performance and responsiveness for Marvell's ISSR solutions.
- Expanded Evaluation Solutions: Evaluation boards for its PD70x0x and PD69108 solutions, as well as its PD69104A Auto-Mode PoE PSE manager IC, an integrated and energy efficient 4-port PoE solution.
- Resilient Power Management: Resilient Power Management technology that alerts IT managers and prevents powered device disconnections.
Also see www.controleng.com/networks.
Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.


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Digitalisation World is a comprehensive portfolio of products which cover the key technologies that underpin the digital revolution.
Digitalisation World brings together Angel Business Communications' established, market-leading brands in the data centre, storage, security and managed services sectors, alongside coverage of newer technologies and business developments, including Big Data and Analytics, IoT and AI, Cloud and Hybrid IT, DevOps and Open Systems. Overall, Digitalisation World offers unrivalled coverage of all the technologies that are the foundation for the digitalisation that is driving business transformation across all industry sectors.
The Digitalisation World website covers: Apps + DevOps, Big Data + Analytics, Digital Business, Data Centre Facilities + Colocation, Intelligent automation, IT Management + Service, Networks + Telecoms, Open Source, Security + Compliance, Storage + Servers, Cloud + Managed Services.
Our weekly newsletters provide news, article and multimedia content focusing on:
For full details of the Digitalisation World portfolio, visit our media pack page.


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This image has format transparent PNG with resolution 1024x1024.
You can download this image in best resolution from this page and use it for design and web design.
Parking symbol PNG with transparent background you can download for free, just click on download button.
Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' users. Countries and local governments have rules for design and use of parking spaces.
Facilities include indoor and outdoor private property belonging to a house, the side of the road where metered or laid out for such use, a parking lot (North American English) or car park (British English), indoor and outdoor multi-level structures, shared underground parking facilities and facilities for particular types of vehicle such as dedicated structures for cycle parking.
In the U.S., after the first public parking garage for motor vehicles was opened in Boston, May 24, 1898, livery stables in urban centers began to be converted into garages. In cities of the Eastern US, many former livery stables, with lifts for carriages, continue to operate as garages today.
The following terms give regional variations. All except carport refer to outdoor multi-level parking facilities. In some regional dialects, some of these phrases refer also to indoor or single-level facilities.
Parking lots specifically for bicycles are becoming more prevalent in many countries. These may include bicycle parking racks and locks, as well as more modern technologies for security and convenience. For instance, one bicycle parking lot in Tokyo has an automated parking system.
In congested urban areas parking of motor vehicles is time-consuming and often expensive. Urban planners who are in a position to override market forces must consider whether and how to accommodate or "demand manage" potentially large numbers of motor vehicles in small geographic areas. Usually the authorities set minimum, or more rarely maximum, numbers of motor vehicle parking spaces for new housing and commercial developments, and may also plan their location and distribution to influence their convenience and accessibility. The costs or subsidies of such parking accommodations can become a heated point in local politics. For example, in 2006 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors considered a controversial zoning plan to limit the number of motor vehicle parking spaces available in new residential developments.
In the graph to the right or below the value above the line represents the out-of-pocket cost per trip, per person for each mode of transportation; the value below the line shows subsidies, environmental impact, social and indirect costs. When cities charge market rates for on-street parking and municipal parking garages for motor vehicles, and when bridges and tunnels are tolled for these modes, driving becomes less competitive in terms of out-of-pocket costs compared to other modes of transportation. When municipal motor vehicle parking is underpriced and roads are not tolled, the shortfall in tax expenditures by drivers, through fuel tax and other taxes, might be regarded as a very large subsidy for automobile use: much greater than common subsidies for the maintenance of infrastructure and discounted fares for public transportation.
Some airports charge more for parking cars than for parking aircraft.
Parking control is primarily an issue in densely populated cities in advanced countries, where the great demand for parking spaces makes them expensive and difficult. In urban locations parking control is a developing subject. Parking restrictions may be public or private. Local government, as opposed to central government, is the primary activator in public parking. The emphasis is on restriction of on-street parking facilities; and parking charges and fines are often major income sources for local government in North America and Europe.
Most colleges and universities in the U.S. charge for parking. Some colleges even have a parking services department that issue daily, weekly and annual parking permits as well as enforce parking ordinances. An example of one such department is at Western Michigan University.
Typically, communication about the parking status of a roadway takes the form of notices, e.g. fixed to a nearby wall and/or road markings. Part of the requirements for passing the driving test in some countries is to demonstrate understanding of parking signs.
Motorists parking on-street in big cities often have to pay for the time the vehicle is on the spot. There are fines for overstay. The motorist is often required to display a sticker beneath the windscreen indicating that he has paid for the parking space usage for an allocated time period. Private parking control includes both residential and corporate property. Owners of private property use signs indicating that parking facilities are restricted to certain categories of people such as the owners themselves and their guests, or staff members and permitted contractors only.
In this page you can download free PNG images: Parking PNG images free download


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A dining set is a type of furniture that consists of a dining table and chairs that are designed to be used together in a kitchen or dining area. Sai Furniture Art is the most reliable Dining Sets Manufacturer in Thoothukudi. These dining sets may also be referred to as a dining room set.
Mealtime and other get-togethers with family, friends, and coworkers are typically held around the dining sets available in Thoothukudi, which functions as the set's focal point. The chairs are made to be cozy and supportive, and they come in a wide variety of designs to choose from so that they can be perfectly coordinated with the table.
Dining sets can be found in a wide variety of design aesthetics, dimensions, and construction components, including wood, metal, glass, or a combination of these elements. Our company is the chief Wooden Dining Tables Supplier in Thoothukudi. These diner sets can range from those that are more formal and traditional to those that are more contemporary and informal.
Although they are almost always sold in sets, customers have the option of purchasing each component separately. These dining sets are common option for furnishing a dining area or kitchen in Thoothukudi, and they can be arranged in a way that is coordinated to fit in with the general aesthetic of the room.


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For 49 years the National Defense Authorization Act was a simple law signed off on by the President to give the Department of Defense the money it needed to get through another 12 months of spending.
This year, the Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich) and senior member John McCain (R.-Ariz.) crafted provisions for the bill that many said would erode the 5th Amendment.
Although Obama initially promised to veto any bill containing the Armed Services amendments, he ultimately signed the full package into law on New Year's Eve while vacationing with his family in Hawaii.
So why exactly are people freaking out about this bill?
While it is easy to believe that because most of us aren't terrorists or breaking any laws, that we have no reason to be concerned — we took a close look at the language of the 2012 NDAA amendments to see where exactly the facts lie.
- Section 1021 of the NDAA allows the U.S. military to indefinitely detain, without due process, any person engaged in "hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners ... without trial until the end of hostilities."
- Section 1022 expressly states that the military will imprison anyone who is a member of al-Qaeda or "an associated force" that acts like al-Qaeda; and anyone who planned or carried out an attack, or attempted attack, against the U.S.
- Section 1022 continues that detaining American citizens is not required. "UNITED STATES CITIZENS — The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
The bottom line is the government can imprison anyone suspected of or even associated with terrorism. This power is open to wide interpretation and could certainly be abused.
After signing the NDAA, Obama released a statement saying "the [NDAA] does nothing more than confirm authorities that the Federal courts have recognized as lawful under the 2001 AUMF. I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens."
This appears to be untrue. The September 18, 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) allows "[T]he President ... to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
The connection between detaining those responsible for 9/11, and imprisoning any "associated force" that acts like the terrorist group, seems unclear.


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Click Here for 'M' Technique® USA Course Schedule
R.J. Buckle Associates, LLC is a leading provider of courses in clinical aromatherapy to licensed health professionals in the USA. It also pioneered a gentle, easy to learn, form of touch that is suitable for critically ill or very fragile people called the 'M' Technique®. The 'M' Technique® courses are available to both licensed health professionals and the general public in USA, UK, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong and Australia.
More than 2,000 nurses have been trained by R.J. Buckle Associates, LLC in clinical aromatherapy and over 3,000 people have learned the 'M' Technique®. R.J. Buckle's Course Clinical Aromatherapy for Health Professionals was the first aromatherapy course to be endorsed by a national nursing organization (American Holistic Nurses Association) in 1997.
Dr. Buckle's book, Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare, the first totally peer-reviewed, evidence-based clinical text on aromatherapy (published by Elsevier in December 2014). Dr. Buckle received the 2015 ABC James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award, the first aromatherapy book to receive this award.
Her other books, Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice and Clinical Aromatherapy in Nursing were published in 2003 and 1997 respectively.
THE 'm' tECHNIQUE®
Discover the amazingly powerful and easy-to-learn 'M' Technique® method of structured touch
Clinical Aromatherapy
Discover how health professionals can enhance their practice with clinical aromatherapy
Clinical Aromatherapy for Health Professionals (CCAP). This program has been peer-reviewed and is endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association.
It was the first aromatherapy course to be endorsed by a national nursing organization. The course has been continuously endorsed since 1999. www.ahna.org
Continuing Education
R.J. Buckle courses are approved for Continuing Educational Credit for nurses and massage therapists
Carol Scheidel, Director, has some exciting new ideas on the horizon for R.J. Buckle Associates, LLC!
"The 'M' Technique is fantastic for relaxation - simple, gentle, safe and effective. I've tried it myself."
"This outstanding science based course has resulted in the successful integration of a clinical aromatherapy program into our hospital. We have over 20 trained clinical staff."
"The importance of aromatherapy and/or touch in healing needs to be told as many ways as possible. Years ago a librarian Kathy and I (a plain ICU nurse) joined forces to encourage the managers of our hospital to start a Jane Buckle Class. That class changed my life. You are an inspiration. Thank you."
"This course enabled me to change our patient care into something much more holistic. For example, now we use palma rosa 1 gtt in 500 cc water for mouth care all the time. The patients love the way it breaks up the mucus dried to their tongues, and the nurses love the way we can do something for our patients that is kinder than conventional mouth care, is effective and smells so nice. Thank you for a fantastic course. It has changed the way I do things."
© 2024 R.J. Buckle Associates
P.O. Box 821566
North Richland Hills, TX 76182


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SBA Proposes Rules for Set-Asides for Multiple Award Contracts
On May 16, SBA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to address the use of set-asides on multiple award contracts and to clarify the regulations on bundling and contract consolidation. This proposed rule would amend SBA's regulations to implement the following sections of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010: section 1311 (definition of multiple award contract); section 1313 (consolidation of contracts definitions, policy, limitations on use, determination on necessary and justified); and section 1331 (reservation and set-aside of multiple award contracts and orders against multiple award contracts for small businesses). SBA also is proposing to amend the NAICS code appeal rules to permit challenges to NAICS codes on unrestricted procurements. SBA is proposing an amendment to the limitations on subcontracting to explain that the period of performance for each order issued against a multiple award contract will be used to determine compliance with the performance requirements.
Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted by SBA until July 16, 2012.
- Proposed Rules from Federal Register
- Submit comments on the final rule to SBA electronically (Docket No.: SBA–2011–011)
- Advocacy contact: Major l. Clark or call 202 -205 -7150.
- Regulations.gov, the Federal government's one stop site to comment on Federal regulations.


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Bites from non-venomous insects are the result of an insect attempting to feed on a person's blood. Non-venomous means the insect doesn't inject poisons into the person's body through its bite.
More to Know
Non-venomous insect bites include those from mosquitoes, fleas, mites, lice, and bedbugs. The bite causes a raised red spot at the site that itches and may blister. If scratched, it can become an open sore with a risk for infection. Allergic reactions also can result from non-venomous insect bites; but, severe reactions are rare.
The bigger concern with non-venomous insects is when they carry diseases, such as mosquitoes that transmit malaria in Africa or ticks that infect people with Lyme disease in parts of the United States.
Non-venomous insect bites can be treated at home with topical ointments (applied to the skin, like calamine lotion), antihistamines, anesthetics, and moderate steroids to reduce itching.
Keep in Mind
Non-venomous bug bites are much milder than venomous bites from insects that inject poisons, like bees, wasps, hornets, or scorpions. Non-venomous bites can be a nuisance, but usually don't cause any serious or lasting health problems.
All A to Z dictionary entries are regularly reviewed by KidsHealth medical experts.


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Browse Purple Paint Colors Carried By Centrihouse Paint
From soft violet to deep aubergine, purple paint offers a range of looks that will complement any home. Choose lavender and lilac for a tranquil bedroom, while deeper eggplant and plum hues are striking and luxurious purple paint choices for a living room or dining room. Pair violet hues with blues for a calming, analogous combination or create a complementary scheme with a deep mulberry and a pale yellow.


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Forest Park Sign Company
View GalleryWhen you need high-quality, attractive commercial signs and graphics to get your business seen and remembered, SIGNificant Graphics is the Forest Park sign company you can trust!
From your ADA signs through to your storefront signage, your unique signage blend plays many roles in supporting your business. Vehicle wraps, yard signs, and event signage gets the word out about your company and what you have to offer. Storefront signs, window graphics, and address signs let your customers know they have found the right place.
Lobby signs, wayfinding signs, and other interior signage elements reinforce your brand and make it easier to do business with you. Complementary, branded elements throughout make your facilities look professional, polished, and competent to meet the needs of your customers and guests.
Whether you need a single signage element to support your business goals or are looking for an entire business sign collection for a grand opening, new location, or rebrand, our sign and graphic experts are ready to support you.
Call SIGNificant Graphics at (312) 626-3766 for a Free Consultation!
Signs That Work For You
We design, produce, and install custom commercial signage that serves a purpose for your business, and helps you meet your company goals.
We begin by learning all about your business, your brand, and what you hope to accomplish with effective signage. Once we understand your goals, aesthetic, and branding guidelines, we work within those limitations to create supportive signs and graphics that perfectly suit your needs and organization.
As a full-service Forest Park sign company, we assist with every aspect of your signage project, from the initial on-site consultation to final sign finishing and installation. We know that effective signs are designed with a purpose in mind. We get a solid understanding of your unique business challenges in order to deliver the right sign and graphic solutions to solve them.
The Right Signage For Your Business
We understand the need to reinforce your business identity throughout all of your promotional and marketing materials. Creating attractive commercial signage that is in-line with your brand initiatives and cohesive with your existing signage is our area of expertise.
Whether starting with a print-ready design or if you need guidance from our professional creative team, we assist with every stage of your signage project. We perform on-site signage evaluations and consultations, which helps us to determine opportunities to capture additional revenue or increase your brand presence with effective, impactful signage elements.
We work with you to create signage that is truly unique, special, and reflective of your brand, while attracting the right clients to your business.
Outdoor Signs & Exterior Signs
Outdoor signs, graphics, and banners are a useful and effective tool for building brand recognition, business visibility, and community engagement.
Many businesses first consider their storefront or building sign when planning their necessary signage elements. There are many different options for this sign alone, from channel and dimensional letters to panel signs, blade signs, cabinet signs, lighted signs, and more. We work with your desires, branding, and specific physical location to identify the appropriate sign types to best suit your needs.
However, there are many other ways outdoor signs can promote your business and brand, including yard signs for off-site promotion, monument signs to create an impressive entrance, window signs to promote new and exciting products, and even door vinyl lettering to provide information like your hours of operation and accessibility features.
From introducing your business for the first time to letting customers know that you have new and exciting products and services to offer, outdoor signs are vital for business promotion. Our Forest Park signage specialists identify, manufacture, and install the perfect exterior signage for your business.
Indoor Signs & Interior Signs
Make it easy for your guests, clients, and customers to navigate your space and spend more money with your business with cohesive, brand-promoting indoor signs and graphics.
The specific indoor signage that your business needs will depend greatly on your business type and physical layout. Office buildings frequently utilize signage such as wayfinding signs, directories, and lobby signage, where restaurants need menu boards and promotional signage, while retail stores need department signs and product displays.
All businesses can benefit from interior signage that is cohesive with their brand, utilizing their elements for the ultimate in continuity and professionalism throughout the entire customer experience. We are a full-service Forest Park sign company, providing cohesive design, efficient production, and expert installation to ensure you have the right signs in the right place, every time.
Vehicle Wraps & Graphics
Improve your brand visibility and get your business noticed everywhere you go by utilizing cohesive and attractive commercial vehicle wraps and graphics!
We provide custom wraps and graphics for every vehicle in your fleet, from contractor van magnets to full semi-truck wraps. Whether you want to promote your products and services, increase visibility for your brand, or want to put customers and clients at ease, branded vehicle graphics, wraps, lettering, and magnets are a perfect solution.
We help determine the right level of coverage, design, and placement of your marketing elements for a compelling design that delivers for you. We know that sign design is only one aspect of the project. You also need high-quality production and expert installation to ensure a lasting and durable finish. From delivery vans to corporate cars, we handle every aspect of your wrap project from start to finish.
Vinyl Signs & Graphics
Vinyl graphics, signs, banners, and wraps are a useful addition for your supporting your organization's marketing, branding, and customer support goals.
If you desire a strategy for attracting attention to the presence of your business, assisting customers and guests when they are navigating your space, or if you are looking to get more from attendance at a tradeshow, convention, or conference, our team of vinyl custom signage specialists fabricate the best possible solutions for your unique company.
We are your experienced custom graphics, banners, and signs provider, offering complete signs, graphics, and banner products and services, including eye-catching design, professional manufacturing, and installation. We customize our high-visibility and high-impact promotional vinyl graphics to suit your brand, needs, and desires.
Regardless of whether it's durable, exciting lettering, vinyl clings, banners, floor graphics, or any other signage component you are looking for, our vinyl graphic specialists handle your signage project promptly, skillfully, and with great attention to detail.
Custom Signs, Wraps, & Graphics
Whatever sign type you would like to have created for your business, it will most likely fall under the umbrella of a custom sign.
A custom sign is simply one that is created just for you, based on your needs, desires, goals, location, business, and brand. All of the signs produced by SIGNificant Graphics are custom signs, made exactly to your specification.
As a full-service sign and graphics company, we have the resources, experience, and ability to custom manufacture any sign you can imagine. We can add lighting elements to make your signage stand out, or layer different sign materials for a dimensional and interesting effect. We produce custom vinyl graphics, storefront signs, lobby signs, vehicle wraps, and any other signage element your business could ever possibly need.
Creative, dedicated, and excited to work on your project, our specialty signage experts can't wait to discuss all of the custom options available for your unique sign and graphics project.
Complete Commercial Signage Company
SIGNificant Graphics is your Forest Park, IL commercial sign and graphics company, delivering the high-quality, affordable custom signage your business needs to effectively attract more visitors, convert them to paying customers/clients, and keep them coming back for more.
We handle your entire signage project, starting with your initial signage consultation, which can be over the phone, in person, or on-site at your location. On-site evaluations allow us to truly understand the opportunities for smart signage elements to support your business, whether assisting with traffic flow, influencing purchasing behaviors, or promoting accessibility and safety.
We help determine the appropriate blend of elements, or make sure you are getting the right sign, size, and design for your placement and use. Once we know what signage your business needs and the space we are working with, we are able to pass those details on to our custom sign and graphic designers who will bring our concepts to life.
Project management is all done right here at our Illinois sign manufacturing facility. Our project managers utilize cost-efficient and earth-friendly processes and machines to craft high-quality, durable signs from many different materials and mediums. Our sign fabricators work directly with the installation team as well as the designers so that all sides can be confident that the end product will meet the original design spec and work in the planned space.
After our expert sign installation team has put the finishing touches on your signage, our work still isn't done. If you need repairs, maintenance, or even need your sign moved to a new location, we can help. We stand by our projects and want to keep you looking great, long term.
Let's Talk- Free Consultation & Quote
We deliver high-quality, attractive, and cohesive business signage that supports your company goals. Whether you want to attract more new customers to your business, increase your average ticket, motivate your staff, or keep everyone safe while on your premises, our Forest Park sign company professionals are dedicated to designing, manufacturing, and installing the right signage for you.
SIGNificant Graphics is your dedicated partner for all of your sign and graphic needs. As full-service signage professionals, we have the tools, experience, and creativity required to ensure your project is completed accurately, timely, and within your budget.
Contact SIGNificant Graphics today at (312) 626-3766 for your Free Consultation with a Forest Park Signs & Graphics expert!


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On Friday, FoxGloveSecurity published a rather inaccurate and misleading blog post on five software vulnerabilities affecting WebLogic, WebSphere, JBoss, Jenkins and OpenNMS. By incorrectly attributing the vulnerability to the Apache Commons Collection library, the blog post generated misinformation on the root cause and possible fixes (e.g. this news.softpedia article).
If you're still unsure on what is the actual issue, Charles Miller published a short blog post illustrating the problem.
Probably thinking that the Apache project wasn't interested in fixing the bug, FoxGloveSecurity's post also contains working exploits for all products.
In fact, even though proof of concept code was released OVER 9 MONTHS AGO, none of the products mentioned in the title of this post have been patched, along with many more. In fact no patch is available for the Java library containing the vulnerability.
As it turned out, some vendors were not aware and others were already working on a patch in their products but haven't released it yet.
Summing up, we're now dealing with five pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerabilities affecting major products. Luckily, the specific services affected by those vulnerabilities are generally not exposed over the Internet thus reducing the overall risk.
Inspired by this story, I started thinking on how I could fix the problem in a systematic way. It didn't take me long to discover this article on using method override to create a look-ahead deserialization filter. While the article explains a potential solution, it didn't provide an easy-to-use library that can be used to protect Java applications.
Introducing SerialKiller
SerialKiller is an easy-to-use look-ahead Java deserialization library to secure applications from untrusted input. You drop the jar in your classpath, use SerialKiller instead of the standard java.io.ObjectInputStream and configure it to allow/block specific classes.The library, together with a simple tutorial, is available on Github:
At the moment, it supports the following features:
- Hot-Reload for the config file, so that you don't need to restart your application after changing SerialKiller's config
- Whitelisting. If you can quickly identify a list of trusted classes, this is the best way to secure your application. For instance, you could allow classes belonging to your application package only
- Blacklisting. The default config file already includes a few known attack payloads (thanks to YSoSerial). This can be used to block the exploits released by FoxGloveSecurity
If you want to contribute, ping me on Twitter or using Github.


text: Green Tea Tree Oil Foaming Toy Cleaner from Intimate Earth safely and thoroughly cleans all plastic, silicone, glass and stainless steel toys, without the use of Triclosan, paraben, alcohol or other harsh chemicals. Guava Bark extract - a natural astringent - adds extra benefits. Directions: remove batteries if applicable. Pump toy cleaner onto clean cloth and wipe surface. Rinse without getting battery compartment wet. To extend life of toys, clean regularly.


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St Louis Help Wanted
You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car.
Think before you continue reading. This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer.
He simply answered: "I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams."
*** Never forget to "Think Outside of the Box." ***
St Louis Help Wanted
Like Us on Facebook and get "Featured Jobs" notifications on your wall!
Follow @StLouisArea


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text: SplattermaniaTuesday, November 5, 2002BjörnHe has this super-cool nick name – Splattermania- – and a charming girlfriend named Alexandra. His real name is Björn. He is 24 and his experience in solving Conceptis puzzles began about 2 years ago with Kreativ-Trainer, the famous puzzle magazine from Germany. Following Björn's request, and for his lovely girlfriend Alexandra, shown here on the left, Conceptis has created this new puzzle portrait. I started searching the internet for more of those PAPs and found conceptistech, but then my girlfriend Alexandra, shown here on the left, began to complain on me sharing more time with the puzzles than with her sometimes she was trying to solve one on her own, but mostly she wasn't very impressed. Now I want to get a puzzle of her portrait, thinking maybe she will then get greater pleasure of it! Today, when I am writing this, my girlfriend and I are exactly three years together. My first Kreativ-Trainer could have been three years ago, maybe less. A friend of mine from university told me about this magazine, and I immediately went to look for it at my magazine dealer. The first one or two puzzles were a little difficult, but soon I understood, how it worked and never could stop buying new magazines. Unfortunately, that was a little too expensive for my low budget as I am a student (read more about it further down), so I searched for more puzzles on the PM's website. Soon I have found the three online-puzzles and foreseeing nothing bad, clicked on the conceptistech-link. I think, the site looked nearly the same, but I am not sure. Maybe I found the site later than 2 years ago. All I was looking for was a link to download a few samples of PAPs, and this is exactly what I found - twenty or thirty PAPs and even the same number of LAPs. Those puzzles were soon all solved, and I wanted more so I signed up at Puzzler's Place. Today I am taking my place in the reviews almost every week; I search for Easter-eggs (found 12 by now) and use the Forum. About Alex and meLet's come to some personal information on Alex and me: Alexandra (19) is my girlfriend since October 17th 1999. Since August 2001 we are living together in Hürth, near Cologne. She studies Business in Cologne (3rd Semester) at RFH Köln university. Her hobby is acting and she's member in a group of hobby-actors. I am a student at the same university as Alex, but my subject is Business in combination with Computer Science (5th Semester). I have many hobbies: I play the drums in a few bands, I play tennis, Computers are also my hobby and last but not least (for sure) Alex is one of my hobbies. When she claims that I am sharing more time with puzzles than with her, I just say: "You're right!" Maybe I add a little "I'm sorry, I try to improve…don't you want to help me??? About my nickname; well, the day I got my first internet connection, some of my friends came by to watch some Splatter-videos such as Braindead and Bad Taste. We watched them until about 23:00, startet chatting, and chosed the name splattermania-. This name has survived until today, although I'm no more that interested in Splatter-Videos. The hyphen was because of me tring to choose a longer than 14 characters username. By the way, some of Conceptis' German readers may know Hürth, because RTL, an important German TV-Station, has a few studios here. Related resources |


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The Three Devs & a Maybe podcast has released the latest episode of their podcast - episode #23, EmberJS with Lamin Sanneh. While the main subject matter talks about Javascript frameworks (and EmberJS in particular), there is still some PHP-related content later down the line.
This episode we are lucky to have special-guest Lamin Sanneh on the show to discuss all things EmberJS. Looking at the current JavaScript framework landscape, we move on to highlight what makes EmberJS stand-out from the crowd. Finally, we have an ad-hoc quiz which helps highlight PHP function aliases and JavaScript's 'this' context binding.
PHP topics included portable UTF-8 and the join function. You can check out this latest episode either through the in-page player or by downloading the mp3 directly.


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My first steps in Spain landed in a big wipeout.
Armed with two suitcases, a carry-on and my laptop bag, I tried to hoist my backpack onto my bag, using a round, aluminum can as a platform from which to ease my arms into the padded straps.
And I fell, right on my culo. I roared with laughter, falling over on my side and howling. That's just kind of been my story in Spain.
After five years of living abroad, I'm often asked why I've chosen to live a life abroad in sunny Spain. The reasons that have kept me here are quite simple – ask any of my dozen friends who have been here to visit over the last few years, question my parents, read this blog start to finish in one sitting to really swallow the heartbreak of defeat, the uncertainness of a new relationship, crap work experiences. I have slowly made my life in Spain, from the first few shaky steps and the fall on my butt to establishing my version of happiness in my little burbuja in Seville.
Studying abroad is what made me want to move away from the US in the first place. Perhaps after reading too many of those Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books, I decided that living abroad was ever going to happen, it needed to be right after graduation.
Just days before commencement, the North American Language and Culture Assistant Program offered me visa and the promise of a job in a high school somewhere in Andalucia. The summer before leaving was full of hurried preparations, tearful goodbyes, and a yo-yo like inner peace with my decision. I kept telling myself it was just eight months, and that no one would be mad at me if I messed up and came home.
My reasons were simple enough: to learn Spanish and travel during a second chance at studying abroad. DJ Yabis, the blogger behind Dream Euro Trip had similar intentions. He writes: I wanted to study and live in Europe so I applied for a prestigious full scholarship (read: tuition, roundtrip flights, insurance and monthly allowance for 2 years) sponsored by the European Commission and GOT IT! Similarly, Mariann Kun-Szabo of tiny girl with a big bag said: I was selected for a scholarship to spend my internship in Spain, with all the costs covered, then I could not stop traveling. Like DJ and Marianne, I had an opportunity fall right in my lap to obtain a visa, work and live in Europe for eight months.
Then suddenly, a week before my plane took off rumbo Madrid, I felt like Spain was where I needed to be. On the plane I went, waving giddily to my parents as I skipped through security at O'Hare and into the International Departures terminal.
My year was not without its ups and downs – I struggled to learn Spanish, had trouble making friends and tried to not think about the life I was putting on hold for a year. Facebook became my enemy, my Skype calls home barely concealed my homesickness. I felt that every label I'd ever used to describe myself had suddenly been stripped away, leaving me fumbling for some sense of self-awareness. But I met the Novio, and he was worth sticking around for. My Spanish Adventure began to take root.
I have started looking at my life in terms of school years, just as I always have. After all, I'm a teacher and a student, and my worklife is measured in school years. My mother said, "Think of Spain as your super senior year of college." Poor woman didn't know I'd be on super senior year número six already, but giving myself a few months' break in between keeps one foot in each bucket – one in España and the other in America. No one is really making my choose just one yet, but I'm sure that will come.
Seville throws me curveballs every other day it seems. If it's not dropping my clothes out of the window when hanging them to dry (no tumble dryer), it's the sting of not knowing if I'm always making the right decision. But the feel of the sunshine on my face, the fresh produce and the andalú that has kept me here. If I had to put it down in 25 words or less, I'd write that the folklore, the daily challenges and the blunders have kept me here, not to mention love.
When I put the question to my readers, it was clear that moving abroad is a change that many have decided to make. Be it the draw of adventure or to try something new, the promise of fresh love, language learning and running your fingers along walls that have existed far longer than you have. Spain is the romantic realization of sultry Latin dreams and of wild jet-setter nights.
Many of them wrote that they, too, had been lured by Spain's familiar, yet exotic traditions and the chance to live a new adventure. Jackie's response that she ended up in her happy place, Shannon remarking "I'd love to live in a place where something centuries old is still considered new. I want the romance of history, culture and new adventures," and Robin of A Lot of Wind just wanted the adventure: We chose to live abroad because we wanted to reach out and grab a bit of life that wouldn't have dropped into our laps otherwise! And I just love how Marianne of East of Malaga summed it up: It's a land of beauty, wine and dance – with always a hint of a little romance
And I'm not the only one to follow my heart when it came to sticking around in Seville for more than just the sunshine and siestas. Four readers met their partner while on short-term stays in Spain:
Natalia's husband danced right into her heart on a week-long trip to la Hispalense: Feria de Sevilla, 2009—I spotted a charismatic Sevillano in a caseta and asked him to dance. Happily married and still dancing sevillanas! while Kaley met hers after a pick-up basketball game in Salamanca while studying abroad: 2009 Salamanca. Basketball win. Hemos quedado. Spilled the wine. Climbed the cathedral. Fell in love. 3 years later: I said yes! And Steph of Discovering Ice uses her boyfriend as the perfect scapegoat for her wanderlust: I was in love with a Colombian who was literally half the world away…we just used travel as an excuse to be together!
I sometimes think how different my life in Spain would have been had I not accepted the invitation from Kate to go out the night the Novio and I met. Like Melanie: I met my Spanish husband on a bus traveling from Madrid to Cáceres. One seat away then could have meant a world of difference now.
Travel Bloggers's responses interested me, too. As I make connection with like-minded travelers, I find that we have much more in common than the T-word. When it comes down to it, an adventurous spirit and the will to do something about it. When I think back on the times when Spain almost didn't happen because of my own fears or the unwillingness to miss a Hawkeye Football season, I cringe at being so stupid. Alexandra Kovacova of Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler said: I hate boredom and wanted to learn more about this amazing world out there and different cultures. Raymond Walsh of Man on the Lam confessed: I wanted to cover the earth before it covered me.
Some worldly parents, like Talon Windwalker of 1Dad, 1Kid, 1Crazy Adventures said he "wanted my son to see the world and be raised as a global citizen & I wanted to get more living into our life," whereas Durant Imboden told me that he "didn't have a choice" because his parents took him along. My parents encouraged my traveling – even if it was just running from one end of the house to the other when I was a kid – and I feel I owe them for instilling an adventurous spirit and apetite for me, and taking me abroad when I was just old enough to have it stick in my head and put me on a direction for life.


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'Late in the evening I entered his study, after traversing an imposing but empty dining-room very dimly lit. The house was silent. I was preceded by an elderly grim Javanese servant in a sort of livery of white jacket and yellow sarong, who, after throwing the door open, exclaimed low, "O master!" and stepping aside, vanished in a mysterious way as though he had been a ghost only momentarily embodied for that particular service. Stein turned round with the chair, and in the same movement his spectacles seemed to get pushed up on his forehead. He welcomed me in his quiet and humorous voice. Only one corner of the vast room, the corner in which stood his writing-desk, was strongly lighted by a shaded reading-lamp, and the rest of the spacious apartment melted into shapeless gloom like a cavern. Narrow shelves filled with dark boxes of uniform shape and colour ran round the walls, not from floor to ceiling, but in a sombre belt about four feet broad. Catacombs of beetles. Wooden tablets were hung above at irregular intervals. The light reached one of them, and the word Coleoptera written in gold letters glittered mysteriously upon a vast dimness. The glass cases containing the collection of butterflies were ranged in three long rows upon slender-legged little tables. One of these cases had been removed from its place and stood on the desk, which was bestrewn with oblong slips of paper blackened with minute handwriting.
'"So you see me—so," he said. His hand hovered over the case where a butterfly in solitary grandeur spread out dark bronze wings, seven inches or more across, with exquisite white veinings and a gorgeous border of yellow spots. "Only one specimen like this they have in your London, and then—no more. To my small native town this my collection I shall bequeath. Something of me. The best."
'He bent forward in the chair and gazed intently, his chin over the front of the case. I stood at his back. "Marvellous," he whispered, and seemed to forget my presence. His history was curious. He had been born in Bavaria, and when a youth of twenty-two had taken an active part in the revolutionary movement of 1848. Heavily compromised, he managed to make his escape, and at first found a refuge with a poor republican watchmaker in Trieste. From there he made his way to Tripoli with a stock of cheap watches to hawk about,—not a very great opening truly, but it turned out lucky enough, because it was there he came upon a Dutch traveller—a rather famous man, I believe, but I don't remember his name. It was that naturalist who, engaging him as a sort of assistant, took him to the East. They travelled in the Archipelago together and separately, collecting insects and birds, for four years or more. Then the naturalist went home, and Stein, having no home to go to, remained with an old trader he had come across in his journeys in the interior of Celebes—if Celebes may be said to have an interior. This old Scotsman, the only white man allowed to reside in the country at the time, was a privileged friend of the chief ruler of Wajo States, who was a woman. I often heard Stein relate how that chap, who was slightly paralysed on one side, had introduced him to the native court a short time before another stroke carried him off. He was a heavy man with a patriarchal white beard, and of imposing stature. He came into the council-hall where all the rajahs, pangerans, and headmen were assembled, with the queen, a fat wrinkled woman (very free in her speech, Stein said), reclining on a high couch under a canopy. He dragged his leg, thumping with his stick, and grasped Stein's arm, leading him right up to the couch. "Look, queen, and you rajahs, this is my son," he proclaimed in a stentorian voice. "I have traded with your fathers, and when I die he shall trade with you and your sons."
'By means of this simple formality Stein inherited the Scotsman's privileged position and all his stock-in-trade, together with a fortified house on the banks of the only navigable river in the country. Shortly afterwards the old queen, who was so free in her speech, died, and the country became disturbed by various pretenders to the throne. Stein joined the party of a younger son, the one of whom thirty years later he never spoke otherwise but as "my poor Mohammed Bonso." They both became the heroes of innumerable exploits; they had wonderful adventures, and once stood a siege in the Scotsman's house for a month, with only a score of followers against a whole army. I believe the natives talk of that war to this day. Meantime, it seems, Stein never failed to annex on his own account every butterfly or beetle he could lay hands on. After some eight years of war, negotiations, false truces, sudden outbreaks, reconciliation, treachery, and so on, and just as peace seemed at last permanently established, his "poor Mohammed Bonso" was assassinated at the gate of his own royal residence while dismounting in the highest spirits on his return from a successful deer-hunt. This event rendered Stein's position extremely insecure, but he would have stayed perhaps had it not been that a short time afterwards he lost Mohammed's sister ("my dear wife the princess," he used to say solemnly), by whom he had had a daughter—mother and child both dying within three days of each other from some infectious fever. He left the country, which this cruel loss had made unbearable to him. Thus ended the first and adventurous part of his existence. What followed was so different that, but for the reality of sorrow which remained with him, this strange part must have resembled a dream. He had a little money; he started life afresh, and in the course of years acquired a considerable fortune. At first he had travelled a good deal amongst the islands, but age had stolen upon him, and of late he seldom left his spacious house three miles out of town, with an extensive garden, and surrounded by stables, offices, and bamboo cottages for his servants and dependants, of whom he had many. He drove in his buggy every morning to town, where he had an office with white and Chinese clerks. He owned a small fleet of schooners and native craft, and dealt in island produce on a large scale. For the rest he lived solitary, but not misanthropic, with his books and his collection, classing and arranging specimens, corresponding with entomologists in Europe, writing up a descriptive catalogue of his treasures. Such was the history of the man whom I had come to consult upon Jim's case without any definite hope. Simply to hear what he would have to say would have been a relief. I was very anxious, but I respected the intense, almost passionate, absorption with which he looked at a butterfly, as though on the bronze sheen of these frail wings, in the white tracings, in the gorgeous markings, he could see other things, an image of something as perishable and defying destruction as these delicate and lifeless tissues displaying a splendour unmarred by death.
'"Marvellous!" he repeated, looking up at me. "Look! The beauty—but that is nothing—look at the accuracy, the harmony. And so fragile! And so strong! And so exact! This is Nature—the balance of colossal forces. Every star is so—and every blade of grass stands so—and the mighty Kosmos in perfect equilibrium produces—this. This wonder; this masterpiece of Nature—the great artist."
'"Never heard an entomologist go on like this," I observed cheerfully. "Masterpiece! And what of man?"
'"Man is amazing, but he is not a masterpiece," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the glass case. "Perhaps the artist was a little mad. Eh? What do you think? Sometimes it seems to me that man is come where he is not wanted, where there is no place for him; for if not, why should he want all the place? Why should he run about here and there making a great noise about himself, talking about the stars, disturbing the blades of grass? . . ."
'"Catching butterflies," I chimed in.
'He smiled, threw himself back in his chair, and stretched his legs. "Sit down," he said. "I captured this rare specimen myself one very fine morning. And I had a very big emotion. You don't know what it is for a collector to capture such a rare specimen. You can't know."
'I smiled at my ease in a rocking-chair. His eyes seemed to look far beyond the wall at which they stared; and he narrated how, one night, a messenger arrived from his "poor Mohammed," requiring his presence at the "residenz"—as he called it—which was distant some nine or ten miles by a bridle-path over a cultivated plain, with patches of forest here and there. Early in the morning he started from his fortified house, after embracing his little Emma, and leaving the "princess," his wife, in command. He described how she came with him as far as the gate, walking with one hand on the neck of his horse; she had on a white jacket, gold pins in her hair, and a brown leather belt over her left shoulder with a revolver in it. "She talked as women will talk," he said, "telling me to be careful, and to try to get back before dark, and what a great wickedness it was for me to go alone. We were at war, and the country was not safe; my men were putting up bullet-proof shutters to the house and loading their rifles, and she begged me to have no fear for her. She could defend the house against anybody till I returned. And I laughed with pleasure a little. I liked to see her so brave and young and strong. I too was young then. At the gate she caught hold of my hand and gave it one squeeze and fell back. I made my horse stand still outside till I heard the bars of the gate put up behind me. There was a great enemy of mine, a great noble—and a great rascal too—roaming with a band in the neighbourhood. I cantered for four or five miles; there had been rain in the night, but the musts had gone up, up—and the face of the earth was clean; it lay smiling to me, so fresh and innocent—like a little child. Suddenly somebody fires a volley—twenty shots at least it seemed to me. I hear bullets sing in my ear, and my hat jumps to the back of my head. It was a little intrigue, you understand. They got my poor Mohammed to send for me and then laid that ambush. I see it all in a minute, and I think—This wants a little management. My pony snort, jump, and stand, and I fall slowly forward with my head on his mane. He begins to walk, and with one eye I could see over his neck a faint cloud of smoke hanging in front of a clump of bamboos to my left. I think—Aha! my friends, why you not wait long enough before you shoot? This is not yet gelungen. Oh no! I get hold of my revolver with my right hand—quiet—quiet. After all, there were only seven of these rascals. They get up from the grass and start running with their sarongs tucked up, waving spears above their heads, and yelling to each other to look out and catch the horse, because I was dead. I let them come as close as the door here, and then bang, bang, bang—take aim each time too. One more shot I fire at a man's back, but I miss. Too far already. And then I sit alone on my horse with the clean earth smiling at me, and there are the bodies of three men lying on the ground. One was curled up like a dog, another on his back had an arm over his eyes as if to keep off the sun, and the third man he draws up his leg very slowly and makes it with one kick straight again. I watch him very carefully from my horse, but there is no more—bleibt ganz ruhig—keep still, so. And as I looked at his face for some sign of life I observed something like a faint shadow pass over his forehead. It was the shadow of this butterfly. Look at the form of the wing. This species fly high with a strong flight. I raised my eyes and I saw him fluttering away. I think—Can it be possible? And then I lost him. I dismounted and went on very slow, leading my horse and holding my revolver with one hand and my eyes darting up and down and right and left, everywhere! At last I saw him sitting on a small heap of dirt ten feet away. At once my heart began to beat quick. I let go my horse, keep my revolver in one hand, and with the other snatch my soft felt hat off my head. One step. Steady. Another step. Flop! I got him! When I got up I shook like a leaf with excitement, and when I opened these beautiful wings and made sure what a rare and so extraordinary perfect specimen I had, my head went round and my legs became so weak with emotion that I had to sit on the ground. I had greatly desired to possess myself of a specimen of that species when collecting for the professor. I took long journeys and underwent great privations; I had dreamed of him in my sleep, and here suddenly I had him in my fingers—for myself! In the words of the poet" (he pronounced it "boet")—
"'So halt' ich's endlich denn in meinen Handen,
Und nenn' es in gewissem Sinne mein.'"
He gave to the last word the emphasis of a suddenly lowered voice, and withdrew his eyes slowly from my face. He began to charge a long-stemmed pipe busily and in silence, then, pausing with his thumb on the orifice of the bowl, looked again at me significantly.
'"Yes, my good friend. On that day I had nothing to desire; I had greatly annoyed my principal enemy; I was young, strong; I had friendship; I had the love" (he said "lof") "of woman, a child I had, to make my heart very full—and even what I had once dreamed in my sleep had come into my hand too!"
'He struck a match, which flared violently. His thoughtful placid face twitched once.
'"Friend, wife, child," he said slowly, gazing at the small flame—"phoo!" The match was blown out. He sighed and turned again to the glass case. The frail and beautiful wings quivered faintly, as if his breath had for an instant called back to life that gorgeous object of his dreams.
'"The work," he began suddenly, pointing to the scattered slips, and in his usual gentle and cheery tone, "is making great progress. I have been this rare specimen describing. . . . Na! And what is your good news?"
'"To tell you the truth, Stein," I said with an effort that surprised me, "I came here to describe a specimen. . . ."
'"Butterfly?" he asked, with an unbelieving and humorous eagerness.
'"Nothing so perfect," I answered, feeling suddenly dispirited with all sorts of doubts. "A man!"
'"Ach so!" he murmured, and his smiling countenance, turned to me, became grave. Then after looking at me for a while he said slowly, "Well—I am a man too."
'Here you have him as he was; he knew how to be so generously encouraging as to make a scrupulous man hesitate on the brink of confidence; but if I did hesitate it was not for long.
'He heard me out, sitting with crossed legs. Sometimes his head would disappear completely in a great eruption of smoke, and a sympathetic growl would come out from the cloud. When I finished he uncrossed his legs, laid down his pipe, leaned forward towards me earnestly with his elbows on the arms of his chair, the tips of his fingers together.
'"I understand very well. He is romantic."
'He had diagnosed the case for me, and at first I was quite startled to find how simple it was; and indeed our conference resembled so much a medical consultation—Stein, of learned aspect, sitting in an arm-chair before his desk; I, anxious, in another, facing him, but a little to one side—that it seemed natural to ask—
'"What's good for it?"
'He lifted up a long forefinger.
'"There is only one remedy! One thing alone can us from being ourselves cure!" The finger came down on the desk with a smart rap. The case which he had made to look so simple before became if possible still simpler—and altogether hopeless. There was a pause. "Yes," said I, "strictly speaking, the question is not how to get cured, but how to live."
'He approved with his head, a little sadly as it seemed. "Ja! ja! In general, adapting the words of your great poet: That is the question. . . ." He went on nodding sympathetically. . . . "How to be! Ach! How to be."
'He stood up with the tips of his fingers resting on the desk.
'"We want in so many different ways to be," he began again. "This magnificent butterfly finds a little heap of dirt and sits still on it; but man he will never on his heap of mud keep still. He want to be so, and again he want to be so. . . ." He moved his hand up, then down. . . . "He wants to be a saint, and he wants to be a devil—and every time he shuts his eyes he sees himself as a very fine fellow—so fine as he can never be. . . . In a dream. . . ."
'He lowered the glass lid, the automatic lock clicked sharply, and taking up the case in both hands he bore it religiously away to its place, passing out of the bright circle of the lamp into the ring of fainter light—into shapeless dusk at last. It had an odd effect—as if these few steps had carried him out of this concrete and perplexed world. His tall form, as though robbed of its substance, hovered noiselessly over invisible things with stooping and indefinite movements; his voice, heard in that remoteness where he could be glimpsed mysteriously busy with immaterial cares, was no longer incisive, seemed to roll voluminous and grave—mellowed by distance.
'"And because you not always can keep your eyes shut there comes the real trouble—the heart pain—the world pain. I tell you, my friend, it is not good for you to find you cannot make your dream come true, for the reason that you not strong enough are, or not clever enough. . . . Ja! . . . And all the time you are such a fine fellow too! Wie? Was? Gott im Himmel! How can that be? Ha! ha! ha!"
'The shadow prowling amongst the graves of butterflies laughed boisterously.
'"Yes! Very funny this terrible thing is. A man that is born falls into a dream like a man who falls into the sea. If he tries to climb out into the air as inexperienced people endeavour to do, he drowns—nicht wahr? . . . No! I tell you! The way is to the destructive element submit yourself, and with the exertions of your hands and feet in the water make the deep, deep sea keep you up. So if you ask me—how to be?"
'His voice leaped up extraordinarily strong, as though away there in the dusk he had been inspired by some whisper of knowledge. "I will tell you! For that too there is only one way."
'With a hasty swish-swish of his slippers he loomed up in the ring of faint light, and suddenly appeared in the bright circle of the lamp. His extended hand aimed at my breast like a pistol; his deepset eyes seemed to pierce through me, but his twitching lips uttered no word, and the austere exaltation of a certitude seen in the dusk vanished from his face. The hand that had been pointing at my breast fell, and by-and-by, coming a step nearer, he laid it gently on my shoulder. There were things, he said mournfully, that perhaps could never be told, only he had lived so much alone that sometimes he forgot—he forgot. The light had destroyed the assurance which had inspired him in the distant shadows. He sat down and, with both elbows on the desk, rubbed his forehead. "And yet it is true—it is true. In the destructive element immerse." . . . He spoke in a subdued tone, without looking at me, one hand on each side of his face. "That was the way. To follow the dream, and again to follow the dream—and so—ewig—usque ad finem. . . ." The whisper of his conviction seemed to open before me a vast and uncertain expanse, as of a crepuscular horizon on a plain at dawn—or was it, perchance, at the coming of the night? One had not the courage to decide; but it was a charming and deceptive light, throwing the impalpable poesy of its dimness over pitfalls—over graves. His life had begun in sacrifice, in enthusiasm for generous ideas; he had travelled very far, on various ways, on strange paths, and whatever he followed it had been without faltering, and therefore without shame and without regret. In so far he was right. That was the way, no doubt. Yet for all that, the great plain on which men wander amongst graves and pitfalls remained very desolate under the impalpable poesy of its crepuscular light, overshadowed in the centre, circled with a bright edge as if surrounded by an abyss full of flames. When at last I broke the silence it was to express the opinion that no one could be more romantic than himself.
'He shook his head slowly, and afterwards looked at me with a patient and inquiring glance. It was a shame, he said. There we were sitting and talking like two boys, instead of putting our heads together to find something practical—a practical remedy—for the evil—for the great evil—he repeated, with a humorous and indulgent smile. For all that, our talk did not grow more practical. We avoided pronouncing Jim's name as though we had tried to keep flesh and blood out of our discussion, or he were nothing but an erring spirit, a suffering and nameless shade. "Na!" said Stein, rising. "To-night you sleep here, and in the morning we shall do something practical—practical. . . ." He lit a two-branched candlestick and led the way. We passed through empty dark rooms, escorted by gleams from the lights Stein carried. They glided along the waxed floors, sweeping here and there over the polished surface of a table, leaped upon a fragmentary curve of a piece of furniture, or flashed perpendicularly in and out of distant mirrors, while the forms of two men and the flicker of two flames could be seen for a moment stealing silently across the depths of a crystalline void. He walked slowly a pace in advance with stooping courtesy; there was a profound, as it were a listening, quietude on his face; the long flaxen locks mixed with white threads were scattered thinly upon his slightly bowed neck.
'"He is romantic—romantic," he repeated. "And that is very bad—very bad. . . . Very good, too," he added. "But is he?" I queried.
'"Gewiss," he said, and stood still holding up the candelabrum, but without looking at me. "Evident! What is it that by inward pain makes him know himself? What is it that for you and me makes him—exist?"
'At that moment it was difficult to believe in Jim's existence—starting from a country parsonage, blurred by crowds of men as by clouds of dust, silenced by the clashing claims of life and death in a material world—but his imperishable reality came to me with a convincing, with an irresistible force! I saw it vividly, as though in our progress through the lofty silent rooms amongst fleeting gleams of light and the sudden revelations of human figures stealing with flickering flames within unfathomable and pellucid depths, we had approached nearer to absolute Truth, which, like Beauty itself, floats elusive, obscure, half submerged, in the silent still waters of mystery. "Perhaps he is," I admitted with a slight laugh, whose unexpectedly loud reverberation made me lower my voice directly; "but I am sure you are." With his head dropping on his breast and the light held high he began to walk again. "Well—I exist, too," he said.
'He preceded me. My eyes followed his movements, but what I did see was not the head of the firm, the welcome guest at afternoon receptions, the correspondent of learned societies, the entertainer of stray naturalists; I saw only the reality of his destiny, which he had known how to follow with unfaltering footsteps, that life begun in humble surroundings, rich in generous enthusiasms, in friendship, love, war—in all the exalted elements of romance. At the door of my room he faced me. "Yes," I said, as though carrying on a discussion, "and amongst other things you dreamed foolishly of a certain butterfly; but when one fine morning your dream came in your way you did not let the splendid opportunity escape. Did you? Whereas he . . ." Stein lifted his hand. "And do you know how many opportunities I let escape; how many dreams I had lost that had come in my way?" He shook his head regretfully. "It seems to me that some would have been very fine—if I had made them come true. Do you know how many? Perhaps I myself don't know." "Whether his were fine or not," I said, "he knows of one which he certainly did not catch." "Everybody knows of one or two like that," said Stein; "and that is the trouble—the great trouble. . . ."
'He shook hands on the threshold, peered into my room under his raised arm. "Sleep well. And to-morrow we must do something practical—practical. . . ."
'Though his own room was beyond mine I saw him return the way he came. He was going back to his butterflies.'
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