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Jennifer Lopez dazzled on the red carpet before the Academy Awards in a sparkling Zuhair Murad gown.
But when the American Idol judge took the stage with Cameron Diaz to present the Oscars for Best Costume Design and Makeup, her look – and that dangerously plunging neckline – wasn't so best-dressed-list worthy.
Lopez seemed to have a slight wardrobe malfunction when her dress shifted on top, but it was a close call.
RELATED: Steven Tyler Teases Jennifer Lopez About Her Wardrobe Malfunction


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Here is the problem I'm working on:
Let be an associative ring with , a right -module, a homomorphism of -modules with . Prove that there is a decomposition with and is an isomorphism.
I think that should be the kernel of . Then should be something like , but it seems like I need something that's actually in instead. What should I use for , and how do I show that and is an isomorphism?

subset: commoncrawl


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Pair of hole in ones at Riverside
Feb. 25, 2014 at 9 p.m.
Updated Feb. 24, 2014 at 8:25 p.m.
Riverside Golf Course saw a pair of hole in ones recorded within 24 hours of one another over the weekend.
David Perez scored his first hole in one on Saturday. He made the ace on the eighth hole of the red course using a 7-iron from 172 yards away. The shot was witnessed by Jared Carpenas, Sal Perez and Isabel Perez.
The second hole in one was made by Larry Kocian on the fourth hole of the red course Sunday afternoon. The shot was made with a 5-iron from 180 yards away. It was witnessed by Jack Gilbert and Brian Christensen.


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Holistic Skin Care and Body Care
Women and Men
Mary Elizabeth Wist C.M.T.
(408) 287-8494
Email Liz • Request for Information
Years ago, while visiting a Spa town high in the Austrian Alps, I discovered an amazing hand cream that absorbed rapidly without leaving unpleasant greasy residues. I returned with enough to introduce the product to customers, and it was a great success! I have been using it during the hand massage with my Facials for many years now, and the clients who take it home not only purchase more, they buy more than one!
Speick Hand Cream
Many people like to travel with the Hand Cream in the 150ml tub, and they tell me they use it as an all over moisturizer (not face). The Shave Cream is really remarkable! It actually slows regrowth, and helps to condition the delicate, freshly shaven skin to prevent rash from developing, and to hydrate as well.
The magic ingredient is a small Alpine plant - Speick, also known as the Mary Magdalen Flower, the Alpine Valerian, and Valeriana Celtica. The moisturizing botanical oil from this plant, combined with Glycerin, Silica,and the mild waters of the Schlangenbad Thermal Springs synergistically work together to create products that are naturally soothing and moisturizing. Anyone who walks through the Alpine meadows in Autumn will be struck by the intense fragrance of this small plant with delicate white flowers. Even the surrounding soil is rich with the aroma. The intense light and clear mountain air give the plant its strong and distinctive characteristics.
Says one very satisfied, long time client of Skin Deep:
"Speick Hand Cream (is) an effective hand-care product that is absorbed rapidly without leaving unpleasant greasy residues. It moisturizes and protects the skin of the hands, and can be used as a body moisturizer as well."
Speick Shave Cream
An astringent, aromatic, and refreshing soapy shaving cream for wet shaving. Men and women alike see fantastic results with the mild blend of protective beeswax, glycerin, witchhazel, lavender water. Especially good for sensitive skin.
All Rights Reserved © 1999 - 2015
ME Wist® - Skin Deep Beauty & Beyond
Website Ownership and Intellectual Property


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What is Google Penguin & How to Overcome it?
Category : Search Engine Optimization
Nowadays, every online business owner is worried about Google Penguin update, what is it all about? How it affect your website, your business or your online brand? If your sites are hit by Penguin, how to overcome it?
Let's look into it and understand every bit, one at a time:
Well according to Wikipedia, "Google Penguin is a code name for a Google algorithm update that was first announced on April 24, 2012. The update is aimed at decreasing search engine rankings of websites that violate Google's Webmaster Guidelines by using black-hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, participating in link schemes, deliberate creation of duplicate content, and others."
Now, if you think your website(s) is hit by Penguin – what should be your next step to overcome this situation? Here are few tips to follow:


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Why the World Bank needs to ask Jim Kim some tough questions in his Job Interview
Guest post from Nadia Daar, head of Oxfam's Washington DC office Preparing for an interview is often traumatic – by this point I've done a few and believe me, Oxfam doesn't make things easy! And I've heard the World Bank doesn't either. Yet for the position of president, there is a widespread feeling that Jim Kim's upcoming interview with the Board of Directors this week …Continue reading


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France encouraging foreign entrepreneurs with French Tech Ticket
French startup & tech entrepreneur & influencer Roxanne Varza recently covered France's announcement that it will be creating a more attractive business climate for foreign entrepreneurs in France.
March 2, 2016 by Roxanne Varza
Today, was a big day for foreign entrepreneurs in France – who were received by the President at Elysée Palace. They are still few but the population is starting to grow. Especially now that La French Tech (France's national program to promote and support its local tech entrepreneurs) has successfully launched a program specifically designed for foreign entrepreneurs called the French Tech Ticket.
#FTTicket by numbers
50 teams from over 1,000 applicants were selected for the first edition of the program. They represent 23 different countries. And let me tell you, their projects are incredible. Startups from Israel, the US, India, Russia, Chile and more have come to France to develop projects that concern everything from diamond-based water purification to construction robots. When I met the startups in February, I was literally blown away. Seeing these entrepreneurs confirmed a long-held belief of mine; France is actually insanely attractive to foreign entrepreneurs.
Not so easy?
France may not have a reputation for being the easiest country to do business in – but that reputation is dramatically changing. The government is striving to make radical changes and is really listening to the needs of the local ecosystem. Today's event was proof to me that the administration is willing to make a difference. Obviously it's even harder when once is a foreigner in France – which is why the French Tech Ticket's approach is really spot-on. The 1-year program places entrepreneurs in various French incubators, provides financial support of up to 25,000 Euros, mentoring, tax breaks for the selected teams and more. It's a really great first step in the right direction.
Foreigners, welcome to France.
Every year I am contacted by people around the world who want to come to France but they don't know how to do it. Well, it's about to get a LOT easier. People who want to launch startups, work in companies and whathaveyou – there are visas and programs that will come out within the next year for you. Just wait and see.
More to be done.
There is still a lot more that we can improve but I am truly excited to see that the government is finally paying attention to such an important topic – and acting on it. People seem to always think that French startups are, well, French. Not anymore. France is really going global.


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A quick burst of 10 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
The statisticians at Fox News use classic and novel graphical techniques to lead with data >> Simply Statistics
Jeff Leek:
when flipping through the graphs I thought it was interesting to highlight some of the techniques they use to persuade. Some are clearly classics from the literature, but some are (as far as I can tell) newly developed graphical "persuasion" techniques.
Where by "persuasion" he actually means "lying" (and the headline's word "lead" should actually be "lie".)
Taiwan market: Asustek set to sell 150,000 units of PadFone 2 in the next six months >> Digitimes
Asustek Computer has achieved total sales of 25,000-30,000 units of its PadFone 2 in Taiwan since the device's launch I October, and with a white version to be released soon, the company expects total shipments in Taiwan over the next six months to reach 150,000 units, according to company vice president Benson Lin.
Steve Ballmer might call those numbers "modest".
China market: iPad occupies over 71% of 3Q12 tablet sales, says Analysys >> Digitimes
There were 2.6m tablets sold in the China market during the third quarter of 2012, increasing by 11.1% on quarter and by 62.5% on year, and the iPad series had the largest market share of 71.42%, according to Analysys International.
For business-use tablet models alone, Eben had the largest market share of 41.07%, followed by Samsung Electronics with 19.66%, Asustek Computer with 9.17%, ViewSonic with 4.37% and Lenovo with 3.89%, Analysys indicated.
In a blow to Android, judge says Moto patents can't get injunctions | Ars Technica
The fact that the bench trial over pricing was held at all wasn't a good sign for Motorola, and this new ruling is an additional blow against it.
The problem for Motorola is that it can't show it deserves anything more than monetary damages. An injunction is a powerful remedy, and in order to get it, a company has to prove it's been harmed in a way that a money award can't compensate for. But in this case, money is enough, US District Judge James Robart ruled.
"Because Microsoft will pay royalties under any license agreement from the time of infringement within the statute of limitations, this license agreement will constitute Motorola's remedy for Microsoft's use of Motorola's H.264 standard essential patent portfolio to include the Motorola Asserted Patents. Accordingly, Motorola cannot demonstrate that it has been irreparably harmed."
Robart went further than just dealing with the patents in his case. His order, he specified, applies "for Motorola's entire H.264 standard essential patent portfolio," including certain European patents at issue in a German action.
Big loss for Motorola Mobility (MMI), and thus for its owner Google whose whole rationale for buying MMI was to get its patents to fight back with. Without injunctions, the patents make MMI a low-earning rentier.
Breaking: John captured? >> Who is McAfee?
Friday 1: December:
We have received an unconfirmed report that John McAfee has been captured at the border of Belize and Mexico.
Windows 8 Sales: Good, Bad, or Ugly? >> Windows Supersite
Paul Thurrott:
I'm surprised no one else has questioned why launch-month license sales of Windows 8 weren't higher than 40 million units. That figure is double the normal sales rate for Windows--remember, Windows 7 sold about 20 million licenses a month for three years straight--but, looked at another way, it's only double the normal sales rate of Windows. How is it not more than double? Windows 8 is the least expensive version of Windows that Microsoft has ever sold, and the company is practically giving it away via upgrade programs for Windows 7 PC buyers (with a $15 upgrade) and a web-based upgrader for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 that costs just $40. Even the retail version of Windows 8 Pro, at $70, is significantly less expensive than the retail version of its closest predecessor, Windows 7 Professional, which cost $200, normally, though during a special promotion for that OS, it was briefly $100. So the cheapest Windows 7 Pro upgrade, back then, was $60 more expensive than the cheapest you can get today. Why haven't more people upgraded?
The new Microsoft's biggest rival turns out to be its old self.
Evan Buys A Microsoft Surface >> Evan's blog
My original sales rep takes the items over to the register, pulls out a tired old scanner gun and zaps my two items. The Microsoft laptop acting as the register immediately crashes. She looks up at me and says "Sorry my computer crashed. Just give me a second to reboot."
FTC should proceed with case against Google >> Huffington Post
Jamie Court:
When you stare down a $220 billion corporation, it's hard not to blink. But if the Federal Trade Commission doesn't deliver on its ultimatum to Google that it settle its antitrust problems soon for real relief or face prosecution, then consumers will never get the open and unfettered online and mobile access to information they deserve. While the government's battle with Microsoft in the 1990s was about whether the dominant software company could bundle software and an Internet browser, the antitrust case against Google is about whether one company should have so much control over online information that it can steer us any where it chooses for its own profit.
Court is president of Consumer Watchdog, an independent US body which makes its money from legal cases it claims on behalf of consumers.
Dangerous implications of politicizing antitrust law: Google critics hit new lows >> Disruptive Competition Project
Daniel O'Connor:
With metered data and limited bandwidth, consumers are disinclined to click links and browse other websites to get their answers. This is also why Google's competitors have assured investors that search engines are decreasing in importance as mobile users navigate to their services directly through mobile apps. If Google's search can't respond to a search for "Chinese Restaurants in Union Square" with a map of Chinese restaurants in Union Square and their respective ratings, the company stands to lose those eyeballs to competitors like Yelp. In fact, it already is.
Let's move on.
The DisCO (as it calls itself) seems to be peopled by denizens of the CCIA, which is funded by a number of big computer companies, including Microsoft and Google - though not Apple.
King of Samsung: a chairman's reign of cunning and corruption >> The Verge
While Lee Kun-hee once implored his workers to "change everything but your wife and kids," that change may not go far enough for Samsung. The traditional chaebol model has helped the company become one of the most successful in the world, but its conservative values are unlikely to help it become a major force for innovation. Lee Kun-hee's controversial time in charge has undeniably brought the company success -- for Samsung to become a truly loved brand, however, it must start looking to a new generation of leadership that prioritizes design and originality over ruthless competition.
You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard. To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service.


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Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #2158: There is - There are... left
There is - There are... left
There is or There are
-There is water on the floor: you can't count water, so that word is uncountable.
-There are eggs on the table: you can count eggs, so that word is countable.
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Multiple htmlspecialchars() warnings cleaned up. (Bugs)
Depending on how a web provider configures PHP, multiple warning messages may show up in a user's display involving htmlspecialchars(). It appears that the original coder of /includes/posting.inc.php issued some calls in the wrong order in lines 411 through 413. When the order was modified slightly, the warning messages were quelled and the code seemed to operate properly. Here's an ed style patch:
#patch posting.inc.php
if(isset($cookie_parts[1])) $smarty->assign('email',htmlspecialchars(urldecode($cookie_parts[1])));
if(isset($cookie_parts[2])) $smarty->assign('hp',htmlspecialchars(urldecode($cookie_parts[2])));
if(isset($cookie_parts[3])) $smarty->assign('location',htmlspecialchars(urldecode($cookie_parts[3])));
I tried to contact the developers by means of the "contact" link on this board, but have received no response so far. The corrected posting.inc.php file has been made available on the net, and the developers have been told how to reach it if they're interested.
Thanks for My Little Forum, and thanks for considering this suggestion.
Complete thread:
- Multiple htmlspecialchars() warnings cleaned up. -
2014-03-11, 14:51
- Confirmed! Multiple htmlspecialchars() warnings cleaned up. - Auge, 2014-03-11, 17:20


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The actress conceived daughter Sunday Rose, 11 months, after swimming in the Kununurra pools while filming Australia in 2007.
At least six other women fell pregnant on set, leading Nicole, 42, to state: 'There is something in the Kununurra water.'
Her comments have sparked a surge in pleas to the tourist board.
'We try to dissuade these women from being sent the water because of the difficulties of collecting and transporting it,' says a spokeswoman.
'We encourage them to come here for a swim if that's what they want.'
Meanwhile, Nicole's husband Keith Urban, 41, has dismissed reports they're expecting another child.
Continued below...
- Tips and advice on conception
- Use our ovulation calculator to work out your fertile days
- How to boost male fertility


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STAPLETON, Ga. - Mr. E. J. Kent of Baker Street, entered into rest Saturday, January 4, 2003, at the residence. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later. Friends may call at the residence from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Lowe Funeral Home, 113 W. Gibson Street, Warrenton, Ga. (706) 465-3333. firstname.lastname@example.com
The Augusta Chronicle January 5, 2003
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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"Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father"
Mosiah 1–3
LDS manual: here
To show how the gospel sets up impossible, confusing, and damaging expectations for people
From all my years of teaching Gospel Doctrine (either here or in church), there's a principle I've learned about prophecy:
It's crap.
Wait, that wasn't the principle! The principle is this:
All prophecies either
- turn out false (but become plausible if reinterpreted creatively enough)
- turn out true, but in ways that anyone could have known at the time
- turn out true, because they were written after the thing happened.
All the stuff about Jesus in the Book of Mormon is in the latter category. The Old Testament (contra Jacob) doesn't mention Jesus at all. It's so vague about him that the people who knew the scriptures best resisted him the most. But how about the Book of Mormon, which was written after people had heard of Jesus? Suddenly it's all about teh Jesus! They can't stop talking about Jesus. How about that?
Mosiah 3:5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
3:6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
3:8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
I mean, check that out — the Book of Mormon writers practically had his damn mobile number. They're calling him by name, they're calling themselves Christians — and strangely, they're still living the Law of Moses, so that must have been confusing.
"Why are we sacrificing animals again?"
"Just do it; don't worry about it."
"But this won't matter in a few years."
"That's why we're not writing any details down in the Gold Plates."
What's more likely: that Book of Mormon prophets were so amazing that they knew stuff that other Bible prophets didn't know — or that someone in the 1820s sat down and wrote it?
It's not just the knowledge of Jesus that marks the Book of Mormon as a 19th century document. It's the subject matter that the Book of Mormon presents. Check out this odd reference to the status of infants, which preoccupied theologians in the 1800s, and precisely no one in Biblical times:
Mosiah 3:17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
3:18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
Isn't that kind of a 1830s thing?
When I was at the dear old Brigham Young U, I found that you could read forbidden documents at the library. Well, they weren't forbidden; you could give your student ID to someone in the Special Documents collection, and while they were sending your details to the Strengthing the Members Committee in Salt Lake, you could read the documents there.
I decided to check out the "Position Papers", a set of documents generated by the Reorganised Church of JCoLDS when they were making their break from traditional Mormon theology in the 1960s. For some reason, I was interested in Chapter 11, about their reasons from shifting away from the Book of Mormon.
As we examine the Book of Mormon, shorn of any intention solely to amass data in support of preconceived notions about it, we must honestly admit that there arises an awareness of certain problems concerning traditional understandings of the Book. The problems include:
3. Its propensity for reflecting in detail the religious concerns of the American frontier. Alexander Campbell in 1832 pointed out that every major theological question of the frontier was covered in the Book of Mormon, including infant baptism, ordination and ministerial authority, the Trinity, regeneration, the fall of man, the atonement, transubstantiation, fasting, penance, church government, religious experience, the general resurrection, eternal punishment, and even the burning questions of Freemasonry, republican government and the rights of man.
It certainly did seem to me as though the Book of Mormon did have a preoccupation with issues as they were in the 1800s. It seems that what they say in General Conference is true: the Book of Mormon is "written for our day" — but this is because it was written in our day.
Main ideas for this lesson
Unprofitable servants
King Benjamin is giving his great address to an improbably large crowd.
Mosiah 2:19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!
2:20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another —
2:21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another — I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
I'm remembering back to my LDS days, and thinking about all the effort the church took. Three hours every Sunday is just a start. For many, there are extra meetings during the week, including ward and stake leadership meetings and Seminary. Then there's temple attendance. Oh, and cleaning the buildings.
Not to mention going on a two-year mission, and giving 10% of your income for the whole of your life. There's more, but it all works toward the same point: The LDS Church has a really high bar to be considered basically active.
But even after all of this, what this scripture tells us is that no matter what you do, you're still unprofitable.
Ask: How does this make someone feel, if they're trying to do their best in the church?
It's such a glaring scripture, and I think it calls for some kind of explanation. What is it doing here? What kind of function does this idea serve?
You could argue that it's designed to motivate people who aren't doing all they can. But what about people who are knocking themselves out, and get so little in return?
I think it goes beyond the motivational. I see this as an out-clause. Here's how:
Religion is a con. It makes phoney promises that fail. And when those promises fail, there has to be a way of getting the mark (the person being conned) from blaming the religion. How to divert their disappointment? By setting up impossible conditions for success.
"Oh, you're not feeling fulfilled? Bad things happening anyway? Well, have you been you coming to church? You have?
"Have you been praying? Oh.
"How about reading the scriptures? Attending the temple? Having Family Home Evening…?
"How's your home teaching? Aha… home teaching a little spotty? That was probably it. Bring those stats up, and I'll bet you'll be in line for some blessings pret…ty soon."
It's a fantastic way of explaining away failures — it's not the church's fault; it's yours, you unprofitable servant, you.
And of course there's the usual benefit: if the church asks for more, it gets more. And the investment fallacy means that members who have given their all will be less likely to question their belief — you must believe it, or you wouldn't have given so much, right? And if you walk away, you'll lose everything you've invested!
Mosiah 2:22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
2:23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.
2:24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
Again, the church doesn't want just some of your time and attention. It claims the right to have it all. Forever and ever.
Mosiah 2:25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.
No matter what you do, you'll never be worthwhile under this system. You are less than the dust of the earth.
But of course, if you're running a church, you can't just heap this kind of abuse on people all the time. That's why there's a parallel narrative: I am a child of God. You're a chosen people, a special generation held in reserve, etc. The church can pull out this story when it needs to, and this makes people feel bonded to the organisation. But if people feel too special, the church can remind them of the "dangers of pride" (which is only really dangerous to the church itself), and it can hit them with the "less than the dust of the earth" story. It can switch between these two stories whenever it needs to.
Seen this way, the church resembles nothing more than an abusive and narcissistic partner, for whom this hot-and-cold tactic is typical (see point 3 on that link). The abuser builds you up if you do what they tell you, but they also remind you that you'll never be good enough.
Benjamin continues by talking about the "natural man". Repeat it with me, if you remember it.
Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
- What has the Lord inflicted upon you?
- Why does Benjamin think it's okay for the Lord to "inflict" things upon us?
- Why is it important for us to feel helpless like a child in this situation?
Have a read of this commentary from the LDS Lesson Manual:
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: "After the fall of Adam, man became carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature; he became fallen man. . . . All accountable persons on earth inherit this fallen state, this probationary state, this state in which worldly things seem desirable to the carnal nature. Being in this state, 'the natural man is an enemy to God,' until he conforms to the great plan of redemption and is born again to righteousness. (Mosiah 3:19.) Thus all mankind would remain lost and fallen forever were it not for the atonement of our Lord. (Alma 42:4–14.)" (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 267–68).
• How can we "[put] off the natural man"? (See Mosiah 3:19. Discuss answers as shown below.)
a. Yield to "the enticings of the Holy Spirit." How does this help us "[put] off the natural man"? (See 2 Nephi 32:5; Mosiah 5:2; 3 Nephi 28:11.)
What Benjamin is telling us is that the way you are is wrong, and if you want to be saved, you have to act other than the way you are.
Now I agree that sometimes, I am a bag of slop. Like everyone, I can gravitate to a level that isn't the best for me. I eat too many Doritos, I can be self-absorbed, and if I want to be my best self, I have to exert some energy and overcome some of my slouchy bad habits.
But there's a difference between saying, "Sometimes I'm a bit lazy or uncaring, and I need to work on that," and saying "The way that I am is essentially broken, and I need someone else to make me whole." The first one points to, and enables, self-improvement. The second one instills a sense of permanent inferiority that offers the church as a solution. It is not a way to build self-reliant people. It's a way to build broken people.
Why the Gospel is terrible
Now we've seen enough of the gospel's program to understand why the gospel does not work. Just for a reminder, according to the church's "plan of salvation", we are here on earth in a kind of probationary state. Our ability to return to God depends on the choices we make here.
But this plan is stacked against us at every turn.
1. We have been created with an inbuilt tendency to sin.
As King Benjamin says, "the natural man is an enemy to God." God inexplicably made us want to sin.
But God could have made it so that we wouldn't want to do anything wrong. This wouldn't have involved a curtailment of our agency. He had to make us some way or another, and it would have been just as simple to make us in a way that didn't involve a preoccupation with things he doesn't like. For example, I have never been curious about alcohol or drugs — not that I think those are wrong anymore, but trying those things out has never been a part of my nature. I still have agency; I'm just not interested in them.
It would have been possible for a super-smart God to think of a way to make humans that aren't interested in sin, without curtailing their agency. Why didn't he? Why did he make a decision to stack the deck against us?
2. We can't trust our own moral compass.
Having given us a tendency to want to sin, God also created us with faulty moral intuition. Not only is the "natural man" an enemy to God, but he tells us that we can't trust the answers we get from our own moral reasoning.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Let's think through this, because this one thing unhinges the entire contraption.
My ability to return to God relies on me making good choices. But God gave me a brain that provides faulty moral intuitions. If I can't trust my own ideas of what's right and wrong, then I have no way of knowing what "good choices" are.
You could say, "That's the point. You're not supposed to trust your own moral instincts. You're supposed to obey God and 'yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.'"
But if I can't trust my own moral compass, then I can't even be sure if that's the right thing to do. If God gives us a faulty ethical lens and says "Go to it", then the whole thing stops right there. How could I even tell the difference between good and bad choices if I can't trust my own ethical filter? Unless I have a reliable moral compass, the whole task becomes impossible.
3. Satan
On top of all this, God allows a perfectly evil being to tempt us. If I knew of an evil being, I would keep them far away from my kids, but God's like "Go for it," which is another way that he's a terrible parent. To help us, the Holy Spirit gives us signals that are indistinguishable from emotions, impressions, or dyspepsia. (That's if we don't offend him, in which case, he buggers off.)
Even prophets get it wrong in this process, so what chance do the rest of us have?
Ask: Could you convict even the worst criminal under this system?
4. Self-esteem sniping
And after all this — a sinful nature, a broken compass, and access to bad influences — our self-efficacy is constantly being undermined and belittled by the gospel itself. We're reminded that we're less than the dust of the earth, that we owe God everything, and that there's nothing we can do to be considered worthy.
Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone: the gospel is a terrible system. It's a set up. God could have made it any way he wanted, but he chose to put us in a situation with impossible, contradictory, confusing, and demeaning expectations. This contemptible god belittles us, and expects us to praise him in return.
The appropriate response is the same as it should be for any abuser: we must cut him off entirely, and work within a loving and supportive community to build our own lasting self-respect. Our morality isn't perfect, but we can work to improve it without the petty sniping of a demanding and jealous father figure.
Additional lesson ideas
Every pore?
Now here's a linguistic curiosity. When Jesus (allegedly) prayed in Gesthemane,
Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Was there really any blood? The wording is "as it were", which usually signals a turn of phrase, not a fact.
But fast-forward a couple thousand years, and Mormons will tell you that Jesus bled "from every pore". This wording appears in our reading.
Mosiah 3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
I seem to remember many church talks where the speaker solemnly asserted that if you were in extreme agony, you might bleed from one pore, but Jesus bled from all of them.
I guess there's a condition where people bleed from their pores, but I got curious as to whether this might be a linguistic artefact. What I mean is that the wording "he bled from every pore" seems to roll off the tongue very easily. Could it be that it was just a phrase that people were accustomed to saying, and Joseph Smith (or whoever) simply wrote the well-known idiom into his book, which Mormons then took as gospel?
If the phrase "bleed * every pore" were in common usage around Smith's time, this would explain how it worked it way into the Book of Mormon, and why Mormons now think Jesus had a particularly gory night of it in a garden.
In fact, this is exactly what we see if we look up "bleed * every pore" in Google's Ngram Viewer.
Follow the link at the bottom to 'bleed at every pore' from 1768 – 1832, and you'll find lots of examples, some of which I've copied and pasted here. Note that these examples use the idiom 'bleed at every pore' even when no actual bleeding is going on, which confirms that this was an idiom that people were accustomed to using in various situations.
1821: And, when they sicken and die, the hearts of their parents bleed at every pore.
1796: still there are circumstances in his situation wHich cause the heart of humanity to bleed at every pore.
1820: Thus this unhappy nation, by a miserable and mistaken policy, is doomed to bleed at every pore
1812: whether we stand by them, or whether we forsake them, those gallant nations will still continue to bleed at every pore.
1815: without reviving the ferocious and appalling doctrine of constructive treason, which once made England bleed at every pore
And that's how (I suspect) a common expression worked its way into Mormon doctrine. A metaphorical statement graduated into a literal belief.
This is something of a one-off in my experience. We already know that believers re-interpret literal statements as metaphorical ones when they're deemed implausible. This is the only case I can think of where a belief went the other way.
EDIT: Redditor Elijah_Unabel made a point that was too good not to share: there simply isn't enough blood in a human body to bleed from every pore.
Yesterday my young son asked me how many pores are in the human body. I wasn't sure off-hand, but the most common answers on Google are 2 billion or 3 trillion (although 3 trillion pores seems pretty high given that there are 37.2 trillion cells in the entire body). I asked my son why he was interested, and he referred to Jesus bleeding from every pore. From that aspect, we might just include sweat glands, of which there are about 2 million. My son and I then ran the math and came up with the following.
We can assume there are about 90,000 drops are in a gallon (about 20 drops per ml). At the extreme of 3 trillion pores, this gives us over 33 million gallons of blood. That's going to be a bit messy. If we go with 2 billion pores, we get about 22,000 gallons, still enough to fill a couple backyard swimming pools.
Finally, if we just count sweat glands, we get 22 gallons. Not nearly as impressive as the numbers above. However, the average person only has about 1.5 gallons of blood, so bleeding out 22 gallons is still a pretty impressive trick.


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Essential Oil Blend – Indian Summer
Indian Summer. Excellent diffuser blend!! Your house will smell amazing. A crisp, fresh blend that reminds one of a cool walk on an autumn morning--knowing the sunshine of the day will warm us later. A blend of Sweet Orange, Lime, May Chang, Patchouli and Sage oils. 100% essential oils.
***use in your favorite electric diffuser, follow diffuser directions.
***add water to a tea light diffuser and add 5-6 drops of oil
***replace the wax in an electric wax warmer, add water and drops of oil
***add a few drops to your body lotion
***drop a few drops into the pooled wax of a burning candle for instant scent
***add drops to water in a bottle to make your own room or body spray
***add a few drops to a potpourri warmer
***simmer water on a stove or warmer and add drops of oil for scent
***Do you make your own lip balms? Try a few drops of this blend in them.
Whether for aromatic or therapeutic purposes, diffusing oils are the simplest way of putting essential oils into the air for inhalation or purifying the environment. Essential oils do not mask odors, they eliminate them as their molecules are full of oxygen. These oils diffuse clean and you will notice their difference from the heady fragrance of the chemicals on the market. And besides, they are fun and the smell is heavenly as it slowly diffuses throughout your space!!
Breathe better, feel better and live better! Diffuse today.
100% essential oils of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis), Lime (Citrus aurantifolia), May Chang (Litsea cubeba), Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) and Sage (Salvia officinalis). Do not apply to skin undiluted.


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Live the life you love, and love the life you live.
Wow, damn near one year to the day and here I am putting my "annual" post up on my Junknet site - although I know the content on the arcade portion of the site is useful and gets a ton of hits, I don't use it for much else, nor have I even updated the arcade stuff anymore. I am still in the hobby and and somewhat active after taking a breather in 2016. Since then I've fiddled with several new hobbies, and even considered a hobby of trying new hobbies LOL.
Not sure what else to say, other than I'm hoping to revamp/upgrade the site soon, its obviously very dated. Don't worry, the donor TV list and tube swap articles will remain online!
Still around...while I don't update the site much I am still monitoring emails and adding some occasional content. I still believe in owning my own lil personal piece of the net :-)
Venturing into new interests so some new sections may be added in, we'll see.


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Mami Tomoe by GSC
It has been a while since I last write a figure review, but today we have Mami Tomoe, a character from the series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. This 1/8 scale figure of her from Good Smile Company was sculpted by Hironori Tokunaga and was released in May 2012 at a MSRP of 7800 yen.
Overall Pose and Sculpt
Mami stands on one leg and is posed such that it looks like she's twirling, giving her a very dynamic feel. The concern with any one-leg figure is the tendency to lean over time, but Mami is very well-balanced and after half a year I have not noticed any leaning. Her sculpt is very accurate to her character design from the colours, to body proportions, and even the number of holes in the belts on her corset and curls in her hair.
For reference, here is her anime character design.
Her default pose has her without her muskets, but Mami's hands can be replaced with ones that hold two of her signature flint-lock muskets. Personally, I find that she looks cooler with her weapons, but they do increase the amount of space she takes up. Mami is originally about 20cm tall, but her muskets increases the figure's height by about 5cm or 6cm.
In the above picture taken from behind, you can see just how shapely Mami is. She is already famous for her bosom, but Mami also has nice long legs and her skirt (or lack thereof) also helps accentuate her lower assets. The curls in Mami's hair are also nicely done. They aren't blobby like a lot of other figures, but maintain a stringy look, the way hair should be.
From the side you can see more of Mami's figure. Considering her chest and hip size, Mami has an amazingly thin waist. Hironori Tokunaga definitely managed to capture her sex appeal in this figure.
The face is one of the most important parts of any figure because it identifies the character. Puella Magi Madoka Magica characters are a bit different from the average anime character since they use Ume Aoki's character designs, which tend to have much wider faces. This is not a problem for Good Smile Company as they have replicated Mami's look perfectly. The figure maintains her wide face and as I stated before, the pointed nose helps to keep it look like Mami from different angles thanks to the shadow that it casts. Other parts that GSC has done well are keeping Mami's half-closed eyes, the lines in her blush, and having her bangs off in the correct direction.
Paint Job
Good Smile Company typically does a good job painting their figures and Mami is no exception. I really had to look to find anything wrong. Most of the paint is applied smoothly and uniformly. The only paint clumps I could find were in Mami's curls and even then they're barely noticeable.
As with most of Good Smile Company's figures, Mami is at least partially painted by machine, creating very fine lines with no spatter. This is evident in her stockings and upper portion of her boots.
One area where the paint was off a bit was on the belt buckles of Mami's corset. While difficult to see, some of the silver paint for the belt buckles does find its way onto the sides of the belts.
Fine Details
One of the things that I dislike about a lot of figures is how the hair ends abruptly when it reaches the neck. Mami's hair has some detail to it that actually makes it look like how hair should end.
Another good aspect of Mami's hair is that her curls do have some strands sculpted into them, making it look more natural (or as natural as anime gets). The white fluffy portion of her hat is also very nicely done. Fluffy or fuzzy things usually don't turn out well in figures because of the limitations of plastic, but Mami's hat still looks good. The only thing I found off was Mami's soul gem hair ornament, which looks red-orange rather than the orange colour it should be.
Mami's not entirely perfect; I always gripe about how terrible hands look on figures and Mami doesn't fare too well in this category. Her fingers look like carrot sticks due to a lack of visible joints.
The muskets tend to draw your attention away from Mami's hands when they're equipped. They have an intricate design along the sides that is very impressive given the size of each musket.
By far the most disappointing aspect of this figure, as with the previous Puella Magi Madoka Magica figures from Good Smile Company, is the base. It uses a basic semi-transparent orange base with nothing on it except the copyright holder and country of manufacture.
Of the three puella magi I've reviewed so far (Madoka, Homura, and Mami), Mami is my favourite. Her pose is dynamic and shows off her character's most appealing parts and the quality of the figure is superb. Other than the plain base and poor hands, all other cons are barely noticeable. This Mami figure is definitely the figure to get if you're a fan of her character.


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My 5 year old daughter is super into the game Uno. I think the word is addicted. If you'd agree to play 50 games with her, she'd do it in a heartbeat and then want to play 50 more.
It's a great game. Strategy, bit of math, competition, etc.
When playing and she deals, I started to notice she'd try to deal herself certain cards. When my wife inquired one day why she does that, her answer was
Some Draw 4 cards have scratches.
That never occurred to me. She won't admit she scratched the cards herself so that part remains a mystery, but nevertheless, I am already worried about what trouble she may get herself into later in life.


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fdisk [-u] [ device ] fdisk -l [-u] [ device ... ] fdisk -s partition ... fdisk -v
Hard disks can be divided into one or more logical disks called partitions. Linux needs at least one partition for its root file system (/root) but for efficiency we will learn which partitions are required to have it properly configured.
Invoking Fdisk displays a menu driven program for creation and manipulation of partition tables. It handles DOS, BSD and SUN type disk-labels (also known as disk slices).
In the UNIX world, device = (hard drive) uses the following convention for labeling the drive:
IDE hard drives: /dev/hda, /dev/hdb, /dev/hdc
For SCSI hard drives (/sda means SCSI drive A)
For ESDI hard drives ( /eda mans ESDI drive A)
Note a device name, is followed by a partition number when created. For example, /dev/hda1 is the first partition on the first IDE drive in the system. IDE disks can have up to 63 partitions, SCSI disks up to 15.
I want to make emphasis that when you work with Linux, The partitions can be done differently. Fdisk is not the only way to create partitions for Linux; as a matter of fact there are better options. After all you might end in a lot of trouble using fdisk. Instead of fdisk I will show you the best way how to partition a Linux box using a utility that comes with Linux called Disk Druid.


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On the way up the Oregon coast I spotted a West Coast Game Park Safari billboard in a town named Bandon. It promised that you roam around the park with the animals, and got to play with baby lions, so I obviously had to find this place. Again, it is kind of off grid as you'd probably imagine, but wasn't overly hard to find. The safari itself is alright… you can purchase bags of feed and step in with hundreds of deer, goats, birds, lamas, etc and they all bum-rush you so that you'll feed them. It's pretty insane having that many animals rush at you at once, but they are all very friendly and socialized. Don't expect to hold on to your feed for long, since they are relentless and won't leave you alone until it's all gone. After that they lose all interested in you and will wonder off to the next sucker that's there to feed them.
If you want to meet/pet a specific animal you'll want to call ahead of time to see which ones will be available the day you're going. The day I was there I got to pet a lion, tiger, and bear (no… just don't). There are also a lot of other beautiful animals you can check out, but you end up feeling bad for them being caged up in such a small area.
Overall it was a nice stop on the way home, and worth the money to get in ($17.50 for an adult).


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Need a Grilling 101 refresher? Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about grilling.
You'll find lower-fat and lower-calorie versions of casseroles, soups, stews, wrap, salads and more among our favorite healthy dinner options.
From the first cookies to the final toast, the holidays are all about making, baking and sharing food. Let our annual Holiday Cookbook recipes inspire a season of good eats.
We love drop cookies for a no-fuss baked treat. Our recipes include chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, coconut cookies, oatmeal cookies and more.
Love peanut butter? Try it in our recipes for cookies, cheesecake, scones, brownies, truffles, bar cookies, fudge, pie and candy.
Not sure what to do with that leftover bird? Try our ideas for soups, casseroles, pot pie, sandwiches and salads.
Flavor pancakes with apple, fill them with cream cheese, add multigrain options — choose the recipe that suits your tastes!
What do you love to cook in fall? Chili, stew, pot roast, meat loaf, pie, pumpkin bread, squash, dumplings, beans, sweet potatoes—that's what our Facebook fans tell us. Dig in to these recipes...
Enjoy the nutty flavor of wild rice in side dishes, soups, stew, casseroles and more.
Our two-for-one recipes cut the prep on delicious weeknight meals. Make Meal 1, stash half, add a few ingredients the next night and—shazam!—you've got Meal 2.


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The only problem with Jonathan Kauffman's regular Wednesday round-ups of the week's most interesting food stories? The Seattle Weekly writer is too modest to include his own work, such as his Tuesday blog post "A Day One Pig Would Die." (Warning: It's graphic about the death part.)
When I had first heard of the semi-underground dinner titled "Snout to Tail: Celebrating the Demise of Hector; Long Live Hector," it struck me as similar to Brasa's 2006 "Life of a Pig" dinner, but with a bit of snark that I didn't love. Kauffman, though, got beyond either snark or foodie gamesmanship, attending the slaughter as well as the meal and writing a clear-eyed perspective on both.


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The Green Scene in Tucson is growing and you are an important part of it. To stay connected
to Green Pueblo mappers and receive updates on this project and related events, enter your
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Category: Growth
Inception Date 9/10/1999
Family: Forester Capital Management Inc
Fund Analysis
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing at least 65% of its net assets in the common stocks of large companies that have market capitalizations greater than $8.0 billion. The Fund invests in the stocks of large U.S. companies that it believes are undervalued and have great appreciation potential.
Calendar Year Returns
Sector Weightings
Top Holdings
1Forbes rates funds separately in both up and down market cycles. Funds are rated against their peers and are awarded letter grades (A+ to F) based on peformance in bull and bear markets. Market cycles are defined by an index or blend of indices. Stock funds, for example, are rated and benchmarked over four bullish and bearish cycles using the S&P 500 as a benchmark. The peformance benchmark for Balanced funds is a 50/50 blended index of the S&P 500 and the Merrill Lynch corporate/government bond index. Most bond funds are rated for five years, with each month treated as either a bullish or bearish month. Exception: taxable junk bond funds, which are presently rated over a 12-year period corresponding to the three most recent market cycles of the Merrill Lynch high yield bond index. 2Annual expense ratio plus brokerage commissions paid by the fund for buying and selling securities. p: Prior year.
Company Data
Forester Capital Management Inc
100 East Cook Avenue, Suite 201, Libertyville, IL 60048
Phone: 800-388-0365
Fund Manager(s):
Thomas H. Forester
Manager(s) start date:
More Funds Like This
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Fund News
A Decent Decade For Index Investors
Using Gold as Calamity Insurance
It's All About Your Asset Allocation
The Key To Investing Success: Start With A Plan
Investors Misfire With Target-Date Funds


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Denver, CO – June 16, 2015 – MachineShop, the industry leading Internet of Things (IoT) Middleware Company, announced today that they have enhanced their platform by adopting the Vert.x Application Framework (vertx.io).
Vert.x is an asynchronous, event-driven application platform for the Java Virtual Machine that's designed for modern mobile, web, and enterprise applications. Built for high volume and scalability, the Vert.x framework will provide for significantly higher throughput for the hundreds of API-based services that comprise MachineShop's platform.
The transition to Vert.x supports the company's continued push towards zero latency solutions for enterprise IoT and the Industrial Internet.
According to MachineShop's Chief Technology Officer, Greg Jones, "The light-weight, high performance Vert.x framework allows MachineShop to process ten times the volume of requests that were previously possible with the same number of servers. The recent advancement reinforces our commitment and leadership around real-time capabilities for the Industrial Internet and its mission critical applications."
In virtually any deployment model – edge or cloud - MachineShop can ingest many thousands of simultaneous messages, translate the raw data, run rules and trigger events all in a matter of milliseconds. All of this can be done without requiring agent software to be deployed or any firmware modifications.
In addition to the capacity for higher volume, Vert.x also follows a true polyglot approach, which means developers can choose from a variety of different programming languages to build their apps, be it JavaScript, Ruby, Groovy, Java, or even a mix. This further reinforces MachineShop's commitment to absolute flexibility for developers working with IoT devices and data. The move to Vert.x is one of a number of recent product enhancements aimed to improve the scalability of MachineShop's intellectual property.
To learn more about MachineShop's offerings visit their website at www.machineshop.io.
2/15/2018 » 2/22/2018Skill Works: Skills-Based Hiring & Training
2/21/2018Day at the Capitol
2/27/2018February Policy Webinar | Member-Exclusive Event
2/28/2018Securing the Edge and the World of IoT
3/1/2018Box Lunch N' Learn: The Death of Enterprise Content Management


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galaxiecruzin aka Alex B
I like to make stuff
I am in the testing a prototyping stages of an open source XZ vacuum pick and place machine. Once things start coming together, products will be made available here.
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Joined: 20 Nov, 11
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The Menstruant in Medieval Jewish Mysticism
My close friend Sharon Koren's book, Forsaken: The Menstruant in Medieval Jewish Mysticism, has been released.
This book addresses a central question in the study of Jewish mysticism in the medieval and early modern periods: why are there no known female mystics in medieval Judaism, unlike contemporaneous movements in Christianity and Islam? Koren demonstrates that the male rejection of female mystical aspirations is based in deeply rooted attitudes toward corporeality and ritual purity. In particular, medieval Jewish male mystics increasingly emphasized that the changing states of the female body between ritual purity and impurity disqualified women from the quest for mystical connection with God.
Offering a provocative look at premodern rabbinical views of the female body and their ramifications for women's spiritual development, Koren compares Jewish views with medieval Christian and Muslim views of both female menstruation and the possibility of female mystical experience.


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The announcement at a national football association news conference in Johannesburg was widely expected as Mosimane has been a South Africa assistant coach for four years.
Hosts South Africa were eliminated in the first round of World Cup 2010 after drawing with Mexico, losing heavily to Uruguay and defeating France.
Parreira, coach of the 1994 Brazil World Cup-winning team, indicated when he took control of South Africa a second time last November that he would step down after the World Cup.
Mosimane faces a difficult immediate challenge with South Africa in the same 2012 African Nations Cup qualifying group as defending champions Egypt, Sierra Leone and Niger.
Egypt have won the last three Nations Cup tournaments and west Africa minnows Sierra Leone triumphed at home and drew away when they faced South Africa in qualifiers for the 2010 African tournament.
Long-time whipping boys Niger showed dramatic improvement this year with the national team qualifying for the local footballers-only African Nations Championship in Sudan next year at the expense of Nigeria.
Mosimane signed a four-year contract which also covers the 2013 African Nations Cup in Libya and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
He inherits from Parreira a team ranked joint 66 in the world beside Macedonia and 12 in Africa behind powerhouses like Egypt, 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Mosimane is a former Bafana Bafana striker who sprang to coaching prominence at Pretoria club SuperSport United early this decade after succeeding former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
He has hinted that South Africa should use two strikers rather than the one favoured by Parreira while several pundits believe axing error-prone centre-back and captain Aaron Mokoena is a priority.
South Africa play a friendly match on Aug 11 before opening their Nations Cup campaign at home to Niger the following month and travelling to Sierra Leone during October.


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She's being tipped as the next hottest thing in Hollywood, and true to form, Emma Stone looks stunning in 99% of her photos. Emma is back to her fiery red best after a stint as a blonde, and likes to use makeup to highlight her large blue eyes and generally perfect face. She has some fabulous makeup looks for red hair, and this one is also quite good, however there is some slight clashing going on that we need to discuss. If you look like Emma Stone, you can probably pull this look off, but if you don't, use these tips instead.
The main problem with this look is that Emma's skin tone (like most natural redheads) is fair and pink-based (cool). She has used a gorgeous dark grey eyeliner and silver eye shadow for an icy cool eye. This matches her skin tone well and really highlights her light eyes.
The rest of her makeup however, is not the best choice for her skin and hair. Emma is wearing an orange-based red lipstick and peachy blush, which is too warm and clashes with her silver eye shadow. While it's not the end of the world, using warm and cool shades on your face will make your makeup look heavier, and generally look more messy, and less fresh.
If you have red hair and fair skin like Emma, use a berry pink lipstick instead with silver eye shadow for fantastic results.
See more Emma Stone's hair and makeup looks.


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Life is full of ups and downs, lefts and rights, twists and turns, rights and wrongs. Resilience carries us through all the illnesses, injuries, and insults encountered along the path. The dictionary definition of resilience is the "capacity to recover quickly from difficulties". This ability can be cultivated and developed. As resilience grows, recovery time shortens, and the residual impacts of the original incident diminish, ultimately leading to resistance. Thereafter, everything just barely tickles.
Let's take a cold for example, in general, most people take 10-14 days to recover from an upper respiratory viral illness. There are some, though, who get back on their feet, symptom free, within a few days, while others might still be coughing and tired 3 or 4 weeks out. A few people can nip it in the bud as soon as the first inkling of the illness manifest. An unfortunate few die. And then there are the ones who can emerge unscathed from a room full of snifflers and sneezers. Resilience determines recovery time, resistance is the force field protecting against physical or psychological intruders.
The qualities of resilience include structural integrity and strength, combined with elastic pliability, a certain cushioned bounciness, and a versatile adaptability. Resilience is not predetermined nor static. It's constantly waxing and waning, usually around a baseline, set in part by one's natural constitution, yet subject to a trend in any direction. The range of resilience is wide, extending from delicate fragility to robust hardiness. Let's consider the many factors influencing the fluctuations and course of resilience in an individual and a community.
At the macro level, regard the resilience in the global ecosystem. Ecological resilience can be measured in the time it takes to return to a state of balance or stability following a disturbance. There are several characteristics that contribute to the resilience of our galactic home. Cyclical rhythms, daily and annual, offer the opportunity for cleansing and renewal. The atmosphere is a buffer that deflects and absorbs radiation and toxins. Biodiversity offers variety and flexibility, as does our glorious variable terrain. Evolution is adaptation, which is resilience in action. Our planet continues, so far, to bounce back from all manners of trauma including, but not limited to, forest fires, deforestation, pollution, fracking, mining, oil spills, and the extinction of species, just to mention a handful of the wounds she suffers. Even if climate change turns out to be the last affront to which humans bear witness, the earth will continue buoyantly spinning while persisting in its incessant revolution around the sun at 67,000 mph.
The resilience of a nation to internal and external forces depends largely on flexibility, integrity, and responsiveness in the political and economic structure. It can be assessed by the capacity of a system to incorporate a change and reorganize in such a way to maintain its essential identity and functionality. The main measurement being how well the residents are cared for by each other and the government. Homelessness, violence, poverty, epidemics, maternal mortality, mental instability, communal disharmony, illiteracy are all indicators of a failure in functionality of a state. The governing constitution and the economic system provide the basic structure. The integrity within those systems determines its strength. To the extent a nation respects the basic human rights of its inhabitants, actually of all people regardless of where they live, and is responsive to the needs and best interests of the people, that society will enjoy the stability and plasticity that characterize a resilient state. Maintaining friendly and responsible international relations is essential to protecting oneself from intruders, and garnering support in the event of an invasion. Ethical business practices and safe labor standards are as important as the absence of political corruption and social discrimination in cultivating the capacity to recover from the natural ebb and flow of market and political undulations. A clean environment is a national responsibility for it offers its occupants a buffer by which to recover from the bumps and bruises of daily life. It is also an essential obligatory contribution to preserving the health of the planet. Strength, flexibility, and adaptability.
In the same way a nation is responsible to its citizens and other states, a group in which members protect and nurture each other creates a supple and sane association. The structure in a community is created by its common culture. The execution of those customs offers a solid ground on which to walk together. Rituals, such as pubertal rites of passage, graduations, baby showers, weddings, funerals are an expression of communal support through all the stages of life. Even in this, rigid adherence offers no room for growth and evolution. The cushion in a community arises when people watch out for each other, take notice when a stranger is lurking about, step forward when someone needs help carrying groceries in, or bears witness while one gives birth or passes on. A home nestled in the refuge of friends is a place from which one can spring back from the trials of daily living. Communities characterized by safety, security, camaraderie, and cooperation recover together better. Schools that honor learning and teaching create respectful, participatory citizens. Police who actually protect and serve help us navigate those really rough patches we can't manage alone. Smooth roads even out the ride. Safe, pleasant, meaningful work keeps us out of trouble. Nearby markets, open libraries, knowledgeable, kind clinicians, clean hospitals, closed sewers are all convenient, pleasurable, and facilitate recuperating from life, and death.
This brings us to our breakable yet sturdy bodies. This is the locus where most of us focus when we think about cultivating resilience. Sleep is the foundation of a resilient body and mind, followed closely by food and movement. That triad is interdependent, like a three-legged stool, that increases strength, flexibility, and agility. Relaxed, calm breathing is the spirit that keeps your throne upright. Climate appropriate clothing, hats, helmets, seat belts, and condoms, all protect the precious temple we inhabit and offer additional padding for a bounce back. That just covers the basics. There are supplements, practices, procedures, acupuncture, massage and a whole host of other interventions which can bolster resilience, but we're just sticking to the essentials here. Daily routines create structure for cultivating strength, integrity, and endurance. The lapses in discipline encourage adaptability. Improvising fosters a responsiveness to the present moment. That's the triad (discipline, laxity, improvisation) for the triad sleep, food, exercise) for the triad (strength, flexibility, agility).
The way we think determines our reality. When it comes to resilience, pliability in thinking is the name of the game, whereas stubbornness will take you down in a flash. Rigid things don't rebound. Ideology and fundamentalism leave no room for growth, expansion, or adaptability to the present circumstance. Of course, structured thinking gives strength and foundation. Reading, writing, arithmetic, logic and creativity are all necessary to create an integrated mind. However, to learn to think freely step out of standardized, institutionalized mass education take your brain down unexplored paths and talk with an open heart to people who disagree with you. Read voraciously. Shut off that algorithm in your browser that feeds you articles based on what you already like. It is in those new territories and difficult conversations the viewpoint unfastens enough to become fascinated with fresh concepts and paradigms. Sticking to what you know, like, and are comfortable with is one sure way to narrow and stiffen your intellect. Atherosclerosis of the mind. Don't do it. Get cognitively uncomfortable.
Despite all the poetry and sad songs, the heart is an unbreakable organ. The key to emotional resilience is to add ballast to your keel with every life experience. Feel your feelings as fully as possible, in the physical and present moment, while keeping a balanced awareness of the transient nature of those very true feelings. As you promote your own poise you find you can sail your ship in the stormiest of seas without capsizing. You can be laying out, riding nearly horizontal through a gust or a gale, all the while staying tethered to your equanimity. Knowing your tribe has a safety net ready for you helps your emotional resilience immensely. Loving personal friendships and intimate relationships give you the sense someone's definitely got your back. A solid self-esteem built by your integrity and endurance, fortified with a hefty dose of self-love, keeps the wind at your back. Strength. Flexibility. Adaptability.
Spirit, the life force animating all of it, is constant, unchanging, unaffected. It requires no resilience because nothing impacts it. It is already unbreakable and perfectly pliable. Through thick and thin, when one's own spirit is secured to the Great Spirit of which we are just one small fraction, and which we all share, then all the other factors of resilience fall easily into place. Connecting with spirit is quite simple: remain firmly rooted in the present moment. The present moment arises and falls with the breath: inspiration, expiration, in-spirit, ex-spirit. Abide in the breath, which is here and now and nowhere else, and, rocky or sleek, the path unfolds before you.


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Our BioBlitz on Denniston Plateau in March has revealed how important the area is for rare and threatened insects, including a new species of day-flying moth.
Brian Patrick's entomological team found a total of 77 insect species during the March 2-4 BioBlitz, providing more evidence that Bathurst Resources' planned open-cast mine on the plateau would cause irreparable damage to a unique environment.
"The highlight of our survey was the finding of this new species of day-flying geometrid in the genus Arctesthes," Brian said in a report on his team's findings.
DNA analysis has confirmed the distinctiveness of the Denniston Plateau species of moth and it will be named soon, he said. The moth was found flying by day across flat wetlands on the plateau. No others were found and it is believed the species was just starting to emerge as adult moths at the time.
The habitats studied by Brian's team included a range of wetlands, streams, shrublands and forest patches. Many other species were rare or threatened, suggesting the habitats on the plateau are very natural and diverse.
"The high number of rare and restricted insect species found on the Denniston Plateau, in addition to one new moth species, indicates a special place with a variety of special habitats," he said.
"Overall, the Denniston Plateau, particularly the southern and less disturbed end, is important for the conservation of New Zealand's special insect fauna."
"The Denniston Plateau is an important part of the jigsaw in conserving and understanding the insect fauna of New Zealand and therefore it is imperative that it is protected and studied so as to understand the evolution of our landscapes and biota."
Natural history film-maker, author and photographer Rod Morris took part in the BioBlitz and since has been holding a series of talks around the country explaining why Denniston Plateau must be protected. On April 26 he spoke - with Forest & Bird Ambassador Sir Alan Mark and others - to a crowd of 150 in Dunedin.
Rod is also scheduled to speak in Motueka on May 7 and in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast on June 6.


text: Listen My Impressions of Opening Ceremony Team Great Britain at the Opening Ceremony Rob Powell | janv. 30, 2013 | Europe Eurasia: Great Britain This is going to sound really cheesy but the arena was full of so much love and joy; high fives were in abundance, big smiles all around, laughter, cheers and cuddles. I have never seen anything like it. You may know that Special Olympics is across the globe, but it's only when you attend a World Games that you see how huge the movement is. This is surely the world's biggest (and best) kept secret – how something so international, diverse, multi-cultural, inspiring, heart-warming and downright cool can happen without the world looking on is unbelievable. We used Great Britain pin badges to swap with other teams to build a collection and pin on our credentials passes. It's a bit of a Special Olympics tradition and the team (and myself) had great fun approaching the other teams to swap badges. It was like being back in the school playground with soccer stickers! I also set up my own little challenge, to get as many photos of other Special Olympics'emblems. Please check out how I did! About Me:I am the Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at CMS Cameron McKenna LLP, Europe's leading legal and tax service provider and a proud sponsor of Special Olympics. Related:http://2013wintergamesgbteam.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/tales-from-korea-3/ Read More Stories Athlete, Unified SportsJosé Martínez MoroteCoach Unified SportsManel CeleiroUnified Track: Breaking Down Barriers, TogetherDavid Albertini Le Malawi lance des programmes innovateursKarl Hejlik Renaissance grâce au don de l'ouïeStephen CorbinEsprit sportif et compassion en football unifiéPaige OkunUn simple récit de Basket-ballWill SchermerhornVous avez vécu une expérience que vous aimeriez partager ?Partagez votre expérience Plus d'histoires


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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Commissioners have issued a new contract to the SAXET Gun Show but the event organizers aren't signing on the dotted line just yet.
On Tuesday, the Commissioners sent the organizers a revised contract asking for specific changes.
The County is asking vendors that are not federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) to conduct a background check before selling a firearm at the Expo Center.
In a response to KXAN News, SAXET said they "cannot accept or enforce a contractual agreement made by two parties that have no legal ramifications either by Federal, State or Local laws to the individuals."
SAXET also said they can't take it upon themselves to enforce those terms.
The County also lists several other security provisions:
- All displayed firearms must be rendered inoperable by security straps or removal of the bolt prior to entering the show, and remain secured during the event. If it is necessary for the security strap to be removed to demonstrate the action of the gun, the firearm must be inspected before and after demonstration of the action, and the strap must then be replaced immediately – without exception.
- No exhibitor may deliver a firearm to ANY buyer without the security strap.
- All firearms brought to the show by the public will be inspected and secured by show staff- often local sworn law enforcement personnel – prior to the firearm being admitted into the show.
The last SAXET Gun Show at the Travis County Expo Center was held the last weekend in January. If a new contract is not agreed upon, eight proposed gun shows at the Travis County Expo Center from March 2014 to January 2015 will not happen.


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(For more resources on Microsoft products, see here.)
Configuring applications to run with elevated privileges on-the-fly
Despite all the possible workarounds to launch an application or set of commands with elevated privileges from a standard user account, Windows doesn't provide any built-in means of allowing system administrators to configure a particular application to launch as the currently logged in standard user, but with an administrative token. Consider a situation where you don't have time to fix an application that won't run as a standard user, but don't want to grant administrative privileges just for the sake of one application. While it may be possible to start the application using a secondary logon, this is impractical in most cases.
Solving LUA problems with Avecto Privilege Guard
Privilege Guard is a third-party solution, from Microsoft Gold Partner Avecto, that allows system administrators to dynamically add or remove privileges by modifying the logged in user's access token as it's assigned to new processes. The client-side component, provided as an .exe or .msi file for GPSI deployment, is implemented as a user-mode service and supports Windows XP (or Windows Server 2003) and later. Privilege Guard is licensed on a trust model, so it doesn't adhere to a strict object count in Active Directory.
Client settings are deployed with User or Computer Group Policy using a flexible architecture that separates policies, applications, messaging and access tokens. Programs can also be grouped together to minimize the number of policies applied.
Defining application groups
For each Application Group, you can define one or more programs using the following categories:
- Executables
- Control Panel Applets
- Management Console snap-ins
- Windows Installer Packages
- Windows Scripting Host (WSH), PowerShell scripts and batch files
- Registry Editor files
- ActiveX controls (matched by URL or CLSID)
Application Templates can also be used to quickly locate built-in Windows tools such as Performance Monitor or System Restore. In the screenshot that follows, I used an Application Template to locate the Disk Management console (diskmgmt.msc) in Windows 7. The default setting is to match processes by file or folder name, but processes can also be matched by command line switch, file hash, publisher or any combination thereof. Privilege Guard supports matching by publisher certificate when Windows binaries are indirectly signed using Windows Security Catalogs.
Additional options include:
- The ability to match processes if Privilege Guard detects that an application will trigger UAC.
- To determine whether child processes spawned by the matched parent process inherit the privileges of the user's modified access token.
- To suppress elevated privileges on File Open/Save common dialogs to prevent users from modifying protected files.
Defining access tokens
We can define the rights allotted to access tokens in Privilege Guard based on the privileges assigned to Windows built-in groups. Rights can also be added or removed on an individual basis. The access token below uses the built-in Administrators group as the basis for assigning privileges.
An access token's integrity level can also be overridden.
Any combination of groups, privileges or integrity levels can be added or removed in an access token.
Configuring messages
While it may be preferable in many situations to silently elevate privileges when a user starts a legacy application, organizations can use Privilege Guard to generate fully customizable messages, in multiple languages if necessary, that are displayed when applications are blocked, or if users are required to confirm their credentials or provide a reason for launching a process with elevated privileges.
The drop-down menu under Message Type can be set to Allow or Block Execution, and determines not only the type of message that's displayed, but enforces the corresponding block/allow action.
Defining policies
The final task is to define a policy to bring the entire configuration together and determine how it is applied. Here we can choose to apply our policy to all users (using the built-in Everyone group), or select individual users and groups; set the application group, access token and optionally message included in the policy. We can configure multiple sets of actions for application groups, access tokens, messages and auditing (Application Group Actions and Auditing).
Optional settings include the ability to configure Privilege Guard shell integration for specified application groups so that a process can be launched from Explorer's context menu with a modified access token, allowing advanced users to elevate applications on demand. System administrators can also enable logging options for the purposes of software metering or monitoring privilege use.
Solving LUA problems with Privilege Manager
BeyondTrust's Privilege Manager provides system administrators with a solution that allows them to define applications or processes that launch as the logged in user, but with an administrative-level access token. Privilege Manager is divided into client and server software. The server software, or snap-in software as it's referred to, installs on a server in your organization and updates Group Policy Object Editor for policy configuration and provides Group Policy Management Console integration. The client software installs on each device to which Privilege Manager policies will apply.
Let's take a simple example of how Privilege Manager might be used. We'll configure a policy that allows standard users to start Notepad with administrative rights.
Defining Privilege Manager rules
We start by deciding what kind of rule we want to apply, in a similar vein to Software Restriction Policy (or AppLocker in Windows 7), but the options for targeting applications are slightly expanded:
Privilege Manager Rules:
|Rule name
|Path rule
|Target an application by its program file path
|Hash rule
|Target an application by a hash of its file
|Folder rule
|Target all applications in a folder
|MSI Path rule
|Target installations by MSI file path
|MSI Folder rule
|Target installations by MSI file folder
|ActiveX rule
|Target an IE ActiveX control installation
|Certificate rule
|Target an application by its certificate
|Shell rule
|Target any application started from Explorer
|CD\DVD rule
|Target a CD-ROM or DVD
Once we've chosen the rule type, we can enter the path to our application manually or use the browse button to choose from a list of predefined Windows applications, control panel applets, and wizards.
Per-Computer or Per-User Policies
Policy Maker policy settings can be applied to the computer or to specific users. Additionally, Policy Maker can be used with local policy settings or Group Policy.
Two additional options require users to enter their credentials again before the process or application is launched (apply rule only if user can authenticate) or require users to provide an explanation for launching the application, which is logged by Privilege Manager (require user to enter text justification).
Assigning permissions
Here we get to choose the permission level with which the process or application will launch. You can choose to add or remove a group from the logged in user's access token.
Adding or removing individual privileges
The Privileges tab gives us more granular control to add or remove individual rights.
Specifying integrity levels
We have the opportunity to specify the integrity level with which the process should launch under Vista and Windows 7.
In this article, we have examined Avecto Privilege Guard, one of the third-party tools available for solving Least Privilege Security problems.
Further resources on this subject:
- Solving Least Privilege Problems with the Application Compatibility Toolkit
- Tools and Techniques for Solving Least Privilege Security Problems


text: Marc wrote: > If a chemical is a known mutagen <snip> > I don't think the person would have to get > cancer. They would just have to show that they were exposed to a potential > carcinogen I'm jumping into this very late, but I feel the need to point out that mutagen and carcinogen are two different things. Just because some compound is a mutagen does not automatically make it a carcinogen (and vice versa, actually). Let's at least keep our terminology straight, John


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Stock Quotes
Washington D.C. 7/20/2007 08:06 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Florida Poll Released by Survey USA: Barack Obama 50%, John McCain 47%
Florida Poll Released by Reuters Zogby: Barack Obama 49%, John McCain 48%
Pennsylvania Poll Released by Survey USA: Barack Obama 52%, John McCain 43%
Quarter 2 fundraising reports showed that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton cleaned house against the Republicans. The Democrats fundraising success was in large part due to the proliferation of the Internet that has made it easy for small donors to donate.
The top tier Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney received very significant portions of their money from large donors. John McCain and Ron Paul relied on small donors. Ron Paul is estimated to have received 14% of all small donor donations to a Republican candidate.
If one were to consider a donation as a vote, then Ron Paul would have received 14% in this unscientific poll. This falls in line with a few of the latest live event straw polls. At the Cobb County Straw Poll in Atlanta, Georgia, Ron Paul placed 2nd with 17% of the vote. At the California Republican Assembly Straw Poll, Ron Paul garnered 12% of the vote.
The scientific national and state polls archived at USAElectionPolls.com shows Ron Paul is roughly around 2-3% in any of the polls. The web site warns us of the unscientific nature of straw poplls because they point out that Rudy Giuliani was in sixth place at the Cobb County Straw Poll with only 10% but is in first or second place in most national and state polls.
But they do point out that something can be said for Ron Paul to consistently hover around the low teens in these straw polls. The consistency of Ron Paul's performances across two separate state straw polls and the recent Q2 fundraising poll shows that:
To see the calculations made that got Ron Paul 14%, visit Ron Paul's Q2 Fundraising Poll.
Receive alerts for USAElectionPolls.com to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts


text:
About me...
About me...
Someone just asked me....
Who am I ? That's a great question...
You'd never believe it if I told you! Haha
Let's see, I've been sewing since being a wee one. Maybe around 5 or 6 my mother taught me. The first thing I made was an apron. And I never stopped. I made all of my clothes through High School. I remember coming home after being an Exchange Student to Australia and one girl stopped me in the shopping mall to say: "I remember you from school, you used to wear crazy clothes. You wore a dress with frogs on it once." I just started laughing.
I was planning to go to FIT in NYC, but I gave it up to be an Exchange Student. Which was the year I designed my "LoriAnn" logo. I printed and silk screened it as one of my projects. After that... it's been a non stop roller coaster.
When Ebay opened in 1995 I think, I jumped on the band wagon and started selling bodices. I just went with it from there and came up with my own Pirate designs. It's actually something I still sell today. Once it got into a steady pace I decided to be more creative and move into Movie Gown Reproductions. I did the Sleepy Hollow gown first. It opened my eyes to bustles and I was hooked. Oh and when Pirates of the Caribbean came out... I couldn't make enough of the Elizabeth Swann gowns. And then my Sweeney Todd Reproductions! WOW!
I remember being the first person on Ebay to use the word "Fantasy Gown" I had a good few years until other people caught on to what I was doing and they were copying my listings and trying to reproduce my work selling cheaper. That's the sort of move that kept a fire under me and I try to keep designing new pieces every year. I even had a lady admit to me in an email that she only bought my bodice to copy it, but it wasn't worth her time to do all of the grommets! That's what makes my pieces unique. I love to use grommets. I think they look sexy. My goal when I started actually the concept of my designs and to move in the direction of costumes, were to make pieces that are basic and can go with all of my other items. That way clients could have several different looks with only a few pieces. And they'd only need to add a piece each year or so to create another look!
Times have changed over the years. I left sales on Ebay to the overstock and mass production people and moved on over to Etsy where the creative minds are blending together to create a magical crafty world! I mainly sell corsets and bustles in Etsy but the Pirates have always been popular. Renaissance costumes aren't what they used to be because the market is just flooded with them. And now there is STEAMPUNK! What a wild and crazy eclectic genre. It is the rage right now and so exciting to design! I never dreamed I'd be making hoodies or spats! But there you have it. Cosplay... let's go there for a moment! I started getting asked to do video game characters and comic book characters several years ago and I think I found my extreme passion! I love the vibrant colors that can be used and the dramatic impact these characters have! I love to see pictures of smiling faces when I receive photos from each event. It really is what keeps me going. I like to make people happy. The cosplay then led me to a dream I never imagined possible...
In late Oct 2014 I received an email from Simplicity Patterns. I asked my husband "Do you think this is real?" I emailed back and asked what they were looking for and it all just snowballed into one crazy fast ride. I can officially say now that I am a designer for Simplicity Patterns. How crazy is that! Two patterns are releasing June 2015 that will include 5 costumes. I'm so excited! I can't believe they even knew who I was in my little corner of the world.
I do this because I love it. It's like breathing. If I didn't do it, I would shrivel up and die. I love to make people happy and see their smiling faces in pictures they send to me. How great is that? My job is 100% satisfaction. I wake up and get to work. My husband has to let me know sometimes that I need to stop when the 2am mark rolls around on the clock! I've been married for 25 years and I have two beautiful daughters that I've been able to stay at home and be apart of their lives. I'm living the dream.
Have a great life! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
The pictures below are from 1989 When I was 18, and created my LoriAnn Logo!
And this is me.... today.
2016 Interview with The Daily Dot Geek
"Designer transforms your favorite fandoms into fashionable costumes" by Lisa Granshaw
2015 Simplicity Creative Group Spotlight Video Interview
"Behind the Scenes with Simplicity Designer LoriAnn Gerlisky
2016 article with The Daily Dot Geek
"These new Deadpool and Mulan-inspired gowns are drop-dead gorgeous" by Lisa Granshaw
Publications - Covers
Publications - Riot Vixen Magazine
Publications - Petite Alternative
Publications - L.A. Weekly (The Morgan Twins)
Publications - Cosplay Culture Magazine


text:
Congratulations !!!
…on your upcoming nuptials.
I am wedding minister Dan Kennedy. I have been involved in weddings in one capacity or another since 1969 when I was ordained by the Universal Life Church to conduct the wedding ceremony for some very close, dear friends who wanted a non-denominational, non-traditional ceremony.
Since then I have been a wedding singer, a wedding planner, a wedding host, a videographer, a wedding disc-jockey in addition to my wedding ministry. So I have not just performed but have also assisted and observed many, many ceremonies. With all that experience I can help you in planning a memorable ceremony for the most important day of your life.
Some people want it rather simple. Others want to take the time to pay honor to some of the special people in their lives like their mothers. Feel free to browse through my website to see the many options which can be included if you wish. My purpose here is to help you in organizing your thoughts and maybe even make a few suggestions as you get ready for your complementary, pre-wedding consultation.
Please feel free to contact me for your no obligation Price Quote.


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I think anyone who has trained aggressively has at one time or another had to be horribly honest with one's self. It is painful, but great motivation and results come of such honesty.
Here's some of my feelings on this, one of those occasions. I would very much like to hear about some of yours.
The first clue that I had today that happy valley is out to take people down came from a 47-year-old, obviously living with her eyes wide open since her heart attack ten days ago, and hardly able to take in everything that her new perception delivered.
"Obese? I thought I was just a little fat, but them papers say I'm obese"
I refilled her anti-platelet, admired the outside hospital for having her on something to slow the heart, something to drop the cholesterol, and two meds to thin her blood….ah, what the Las Vegas casinos have taught us about acute coronary syndrome (and you better believe that the "do everything possible so we don't get sued when some guy's heart stops by the slots" is the source of our present standard of care).
The second clue came by me being at the end of a week of dirty eating, my allergies steaming and me not having a better stimulant than the five minutes after eating something caloric morbidicus now that I have ditched caffeine for good. Jojo pulled out a ham that had been in the freezer for ten months, and made powdered potatoes that were left over from my most recent climbing trip. I ate like I was from Iowa…sheesh, I wanna live here, why not eat like it every once and a dang while? When I got off the treadmill later on Jojo was strangely relieved and informed me I finally looked like myself again. I at first thought it was because I was now sweaty and hadn't been so in a week, but she said that my face literally had lost caliper.
And its final whether or not I want it to be. I'm not of the breed that can hack this kind of living and eating. Maybe its because of the lean wheat farming stock from which my dad comes, or the faint touch of Comanche or Cherokee (can never right remember which one, I can't) from mi mum's side, but try as I may to think I am capable of living happy and large, it ain't me, and everyone with a hair of insight into my better good has seen it.
So Mom, Mike, Mark, Andy, Frank, Daniel, Jeremy, and above all Joanne: you guys were right, and I, the fat guy who pens this at an angry 12:21 a.m., was wrong.
I'll salt diurese on the treadmill again three more times, and eat only salt absent foods for the next 36 hours. The sweat suit jogs will resume in the Iowa heat, and caffeine is on the menu.