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Visit manufacturer site for details. The new $99.99 Xperia TL is the phone I've been waiting for from Sony for quite a while. Frankly it's the handset the Xperia Ion should have been. Thanks to a swift 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and a camera that snaps high-quality images, the Xperia TL is both affordable and very capable. It's right up there with HTC's similarly priced One X, and a better deal than Samsung's Galaxy S3. Of course having Daniel Craig whip the handset out in the latest Bond flick "Skyfall" while doing battle with Britain's bad guys doesn't hurt, either.
DesignAt first glance, the Sony Xperia TL doesn't stand out much from the typical dark, rectangular slabs flooding today's Android handset market, Clad in a buttoned-down all-black color scheme, though, I do admit the Xperia TL certainly won't clash with a sharp tuxedo, Measuring 5.1 inches tall by 2.6 inches long and 0.4 inch thick, the Xperia one day you will look back and see that all along, you were blooming iphone case TL is practically identical physically to its predecessor, too, the Xperia Ion (5.2 x 2.7 x 0.4 inches), Both phones are constructed from darkly hued metal and glass as well, and feature 4.55-inch LCD screens with the same 1,280x720-pixel resolution..
The Xperia TL and Xperia Ion also tip the scales at roughly 5 ounces. The TL's 5.1-ounce weight definitely feels more substantial compared with the Ion's lighter 4.7 ounce heft. Above the screen sits a 1.3-megapixel camera to snap vanity and self-portrait shots, along with a thin earpiece and ambient light sensor. You won't find any physical controls below the display; instead the Xperia TL relies on three software buttons spelled out in symbols for back, home, and recent applications. The only tangible controls run along the Xperia TL's right edge in the form of a tiny power key, volume rocker, and camera button. On the phone's left edge is a Micro-USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack is placed on top. You'll see the phone's main 13-megapixel camera and LED flash on back. Similar to what you'll find on HTC handsets, the lens protrudes from the surface slightly, which may annoy those who prefer it to be flush.
I do like how Sony adds a bit of design flair here with the back surface chiseled from anodized aluminum to one day you will look back and see that all along, you were blooming iphone case resist scratches and dings, The phone's 1,850mAh battery isn't removable, however, but you can add additional memory via a microSD card slot, which is hidden under a rubber flap, DisplayThe Sony Xperia TL uses a large 4.55-inch (1,280x720-pixel) LCD screen, which gets very bright and presents details sharply, Compared with AMOLED screens, such as the ones found on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Motorola Droid Razr HD, contrast was low and viewing angles narrow, Sony's Bravia Engine software setting tried to address some of these issues but just made colors look wildly oversaturated..
Software and UI Thankfully the Xperia TL comes with the modern Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system preloaded. That's a far cry from the Android 2.3 Gingerbread used by the TL's predecessor. Of course this isn't Google's most recent version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean. The lock screen is very basic, just a long virtual slider you drag from left to right along the bottom edge. A digital clock displays the current time and date in a thin, sophisticated font, but there are no quick launch icons to jump straight to important phone functions here. Swiping right though will push the clock to the side in favor of music playback controls.


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When you talk in a coffeehouse take her on an adventure together with your stories, dreams, and hopes. Women find it irresistible if you have passion within the issues you do. Tell her the trip you took along with your friends or the way you want to visit every country one of these brilliant days.
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If something about your last girl really annoyed you, the fact is that it's going to annoy you the the very next time you meet another girl that is similar to your former girlfriend. You won't manage to ignore a characteristic that basically annoyed you in yesteryear.
1. Take her breath away by gazing deep into her eyes. When you look DEEP into women's eyes, there's an instant attraction and connection that will literally leave her breathless. Just be sure that you do not go too deep and creep her out by staring at her. A gaze is often a beautiful thing, while a stare is type of scary to women. The eyes can certainly enable you to win her over right from the start.
Playing making use of their jewelry. This may be done unconsciously. A girl begins to get a little jumpy and anxious when Fuck Horny Women she's attracted and may think about means on how to flirt together with you.
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Use whichever means it is possible to to formulate numerous of such traits as it is possible to, and this will show. You will have no trouble attracting women if it is possible to be the kind of man which includes a minimum of many of them. They will notice you whenever you walk into the bedroom.
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Pressure: Don't give in if someone else pressures one to reveal information before you are positioned. Someone who persistently efforts to discover your individual data might have an ulterior motive.
It is always good to experience a few "tricks" your sleeve when you're getting willing to get your flirt on. There are a number of flirting tips, but extremely important to flirting, are things such as eye contact and the body language. Flirting face-to-face is sort of not the same as flirting online though, and then we will explore some flirting tips for online dating sites.
Ever attempted to get a woman simply to be instantly Married Women That Cheat rejected? It hurts, particularly when they are inside a crowd of the women friends. There may be several of friends and family who make buying women resemble going through a drive through and ordering lunch. A woman's perception of the man is different over time. They are more assertive, have successful jobs and know exactly what they desire in a very man. It can be rather frustrating.
But simply because senior dating is growing online does not always mean that who wants to start dating online will probably be successful. Especially Black Horny Women if they just don't have a handful of simple ideas.

subset: commoncrawl


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How much would you pay for a 1997 Bentley that's currently owned by Evander Holyfield? OK, let's sweeten the pot a little. Not only does a "portion" of the proceeds go to The Holyfield Foundation — which is out to, uh, help poor kids or something — but you also will able to personally have Evander hand you the keys.
Meet the Champ! The winner (the highest bidder**) of this classic and pristine automobile with only 8,307 miles will be invited to meet Mr. Holyfield on his 200-acre estate property for the delivery of the vehicle. Autographed photos of Mr. Holyfield and the winner will also be taken at the time of delivery and sent to the winner.
So, how much is this car gonna cost? Oh, only ... one million dollars. Yow. The good news: You could probably take the keys and just not pay; Evander probably won't remember anyway.
1997 Bentley ContinentalT [eBay]


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Coat Hangers
Coat Hangers, or Anculo Trappus, are native to the United States. They breed in cool, dark places, and have a particular affinity for closets. They are a distant relative of the sock, as socks are considered the larval stage of coat hangers.
Types of Coat Hangers[edit]
There are three known types of Coat Hangers:
Africanized ("Killer") Coat Hangers[edit]
Africanized Coat Hangers are a vicious breed of wild animal whose natural hunting urge leads them to lie in wait in dark areas and along pathways at night, reaching up to snag ankles and calves with their razor-sharp teeth. While they bear no poison, their bite is quite painful, and may be subject to infection. There have been a few stories of hangers sinking their teeth into more sensitive areas, such as the skin near the eye, but it is easy to guard against such injuries by maintaining a safe distance from the animal.
Despite the risks, households across the world—even those with children—employ millions of these creatures to organize their clothing. Even after the rise of the Domesticated variety, the much cheaper Africanized animal is still in popular use.
The scientific name for this breed is Anculo Trappus Metallicus.
Domesticated Coat Hangers[edit]
Selective breeding has weeded out the more dangerous qualities of the wild breed, while producing a much healthier, plumper animal better able to bear the weight of heavy clothing without interskeletal injury. Furthermore, creative food additives have produced hangers in a variety of natural skin colors, such as blue, orange, mauve, and chartreuse.
The natural hunting urge has been subverted into a playful desire to trip people, which can hurt them but isn't meant to be harmful. It is certainly a great improvement over the malevolent stalking behavior of the wild breed.
The scientific name for this breed is Anculo Trappus Plasticus.
Dwarf Hangers[edit]
A much smaller breed of domesticated coat hanger has emerged, called the Dwarf Hanger. This is about half as wide as a regular hanger, and suitable for hanging the clothes of children and midgets. The Dwarf Hanger is remarkable sturdy, and over the course of its life consumes less than half of the resources consumed by a typical hanger.
Hybrid Coat Hangers[edit]
Breeding domesticated hangers with their wild counterparts has produced a crossbreed that unfortunately has more in common with the wild breed than with the tame. These creatures are somewhat leaner than their domesticated parents, but fatter than their wild parents, chiefly due to a thick plastic outer skin that covers their inner metallic skin. This skin masks their teeth, which makes bites less injurious, but older creatures may wear off the outer skin at the teeth, making them just as dangerous as their wild parents. The outer skin does not appear to provide any of the benefits of the domestic breed's strength and resilience. Nor have breeders made much progress in getting colorful skin tones: The most common hybrid color is bright white.
Wooden Coat Hangers[edit]
While Wooden Coat Hangers may appear to be related to the metallic and plastic varieties, there is merely a superficial resemblance; the two species share no significant DNA. The name was given them under approximately the same circumstances that gave the Panda the appelation "Bear". Merely study the teeth of the Wooden Coat Hanger and you will find a distinct difference: The fangs curl back on themselves in such a way as to practically eliminate the ability to bite. Furthermore, unlike the other species, the Wooden Coat Hanger has a high degree of mobility in its joints, while having strong, even rigid, limbs. Wooden Coat Hangers are often subject to diagonal fractures, whereas the Africanized and Hybrid hangers do not break, and the Domesticated hangers more commonly sustain perpendicular breaks.
The Wooden Coat Hanger is particularly suited to supporting heavy coats, but it is a dying breed, as the Domesticated Coat Hanger does its job almost as well for a fraction of the cost and with a wider selection of color.
The scientific name for the Wooden Coat Hanger is Broddus Shouldurus Sentinello, or "The Broad-Shouldered Sentinel".
Both species of Coat Hangers share an affinity for dark places, such as closets.
Coat hangers, especially the wild variety, gather into large mating balls called "tangles". They prefer to do this in dark places, especially the bottom of closets or the back of storage areas. If left alone, they will continue to mate for several months; some have been observed in the same mating ball for as long as five and a half years.
Africanized coat hangers chiefly hunt in pathways frequented by large game. They attack by jumping up and striking at the ankle. This might be a more effective method of bringing down large prey if the coat hanger were capable of injecting poison. Still, the wound can be deep, may bleed, and may develop infection; doctors recommend washing it well and covering it with a Band-Aid.
Domesticated hangers rely on humans for their sustainance, and no longer hunt for their own food. However, at times they may exhibit hunting behavior, much as the housecat continues to hunt in play. Their attempts at play may trip you, so be careful.
Back in the 50s, the use of wild coat hangers was in vogue, and breeders were just starting to investigate the possibility of healthier domesticated stock. In an attempt to strengthen the thin frame of the wild creature, some farmers took to surgically altering any males not intended for breeding. The surgery became known as "strutting".
To strut a wild coat hanger, the surgeon first amputates a significant segment of the lower limbs, leaving two unconnected limbs. He then bends the ends of the limbs back on themselves, forming two S-curves. A prosthetic limb is attached between the now permanently bent limbs. The prosthetic is thicker and stronger, and has the added advantage of being unable to rust; furthermore, it can be easily detached to make hanging clothes easier for the harried housewife.
The body of the wild coat hanger is too hard for standard-issue needles to penetrate, and too thin to host a good vein structure; also, the coat hanger does not breathe. With no easy way to administer anesthesia, most surgeons do the operation without any sort of pain killer at all. This, of course, is not the only reason that animal rights activists cite when working to ban the procedure.
Oddly, although many groups have fought for legislation to ban the procedure in the United States (among them the Women Activists' Society for the Harassment of Insufferably Negligent Grifters (Managed by Alfred Cliffton, Hubert Iñigo, and Niles Edwards), Dedicated to Restoration, Yea, Equal Restoration, and the EXcellent Treatment of Rare Abnormalities Chiefly Taken for Ontological Research), PETA seems reluctant to join the fight against this obviously sadistic and unnecessary operation.
Alternatives to Strutting[edit]
Although the introduction of domesticated stock has made the issue largely moot, enough households still use the cheaper wild hangers that, in an effort to curb the desire for strutted hangers, Laundromat operator Cleo Hopkins invented a humane substitue, the gator guard. The gator guard is functionally similar to the strut prosthetic, but can be placed over the existing limbs, like a saddle or knee guard, without the need for amputation. Many households found them so easy to use that by 1978 strutting was largely eradicated, used only by a small percentage of households (but still almost all major dry cleaning chains).
Due to recent surges in Oil prices, coat hangers have also increased massivley in price. Whilst this has been to the benefit of most, it has led to several 'coat 'em ups' when gangs of junkys raid shops or homes to steal large stock of coat hangers that are later sold on ebay.
Tony Blair had a phobia of coat hangers. He once said 'if I ever see another coat hanger it will be one two many...they're just so unnatural, metal shouldn't bend like that'
The Lehman Brothers, a succesful wall street bank went bankrupt after an employee accidentally ordered 300 'coat hangars' rather than 300 'coat hangers'. The former are massive, 40 acre buildings used for storing coats, and cost around £1million each!
See Also[edit]
- Although a plant, the Caution wet floor sign exhibits similar stalking behavior. Scientists have yet to domesticate the plant.


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Angels' streak ends on rough night for Vargas
Lefty struggles in four-plus innings; offense slowed by Rays' duo
ANAHEIM -- For the bulk of the past two weeks, the Angels have received quality starts from the rotation and significant run support from the offense.
On Tuesday night, as the Angels saw their five-game winning streak come to a halt, neither the pitching nor the offense continued the trend.
In 10 of the past 12 games, the Angels' starting pitcher had recorded a quality start, but in a 7-1 loss to the Rays at Angel Stadium, Jason Vargas lasted just four-plus innings.
"Jason, like all our starters, you want to give them an opportunity to win or lose a game if they can get to a certain point, and it just got to be where in the fifth inning -- it certainly wasn't a pitch-count issue -- but it was how he was throwing the ball and it was going to be a struggle for him," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The left-hander, who is now 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in five starts since returning from a lengthy DL stint, threw 80 pitches and gave up five runs on 10 hits.
The rough outing came just five days after Vargas pitched seven shutout innings against the Rays at Tropicana Field, and he said that he did not try to attack the Rays any differently.
"It's never really been a part of my game to go out of my way to do something different," Vargas said. "It was just, like I said, the inability to make quality pitches down in the strike zone, late in the count -- sometimes early -- was what got me today."
Aside from Evan Longoria's single, Vargas was perfect in the first inning but allowed a run in the second, another in the third, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth before Juan Gutierrez was summoned in relief.
James Loney singled and scored on Kelly Johnson's groundout in the second to put the Rays on the board and Desmond Jennings added another run with a homer to lead off the third.
Following the home run, the Rays had an opportunity to blow the game open as they loaded the bases with none out, but Vargas induced a 5-2-3 double play and then struck out Wil Myers to end the threat.
However, the Rays would not be deterred as Ben Zobrist's two-RBI double extended the lead to 4-1 in the next frame.
Just as Vargas' start bucked the rotation's recent trend, the offense also fell short.
After averaging five runs per game in the past 10 contests, the Angels mustered just one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings against Rays left-hander Matt Moore.
"I'm very happy I was able to get through the fifth and leave the score where it was," Moore said. "These guys did a great job playing defense and hitting the ball, so that made my job that much easier."
Erick Aybar -- who homered, tripled and drove in four runs Monday -- led off the second with a double and scored the Angels' lone run on Zobrist's throwing error.
"[Moore] did a nice job overall," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Overall, relatively sharp, not bad. Had a good curve and change to go with the fastball. Wanted him out there for the sixth inning, so he could get up and down six times."
Moore, who was reinstated from the DL prior to the game, was lifted in the sixth inning, but not much changed for the Angels' offense as right-hander Roberto Hernandez retired 11 straight -- seven via strikeouts -- to earn his first Major League save.


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Role in movie
Toasters never made an appearence until the game was out.
Role in Game
Toasters exist to provide air support for the Drabs, as they launch live grenades into the air to stop fighters from attacking the Drabs. They can launch grenades at any altitude, allowing them attack anyone in the air. Although Toasters can't do anything about Slush Fighters targeting it, it can shoot a grenade at the fighter if they jump close to the Toaster before attacking.
- Toasters and Mobiles are the only enemies on wheels.
- Toasters, unlike Drabs, do not hover.
- The grenades the toasters toss resemble small, explosive pods rather than grenades (they can't toss grenades anyways since grenades only explode after their pins are removed).
- Despite the name, a Toaster doesn't look anything like it's kitchen appliance counterpart.
- The bombs are small blue green spheres.
- Toasters have a similar color to Drabs, only lighter (except for the upper part).
- It's not known if Toasters are maned by Blues/Drabs or are controlled remotely.
- Blues and Toasters are the only ground enemies that supports others to the sky.
- It is unknown if Toaste


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This article was published more than 6 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.
Gastown, Vancouver's first downtown, has always been a neighbourhood in transition, says Gordon Price, a former city councillor and director of the Simon Fraser University City program.
He notes the area's chameleon-like qualities – from 1978 alone, it's gone through three major transitions: touristic old town, reinvention as a residential area to high-tech, education and creative-arts hub.
Its "flexibility" means that the heritage component has to be adaptable. "It can't be cast in stone, or preserved just for architecture's sake but as part of a neighbourhood that grows and changes," he says.
The main obstacles to heritage conversion in Gastown have "always been about [building] codes," Mr. Price explains. "Fire and seismic issues have often prevented it from changing."
And yet heritage architecture, he says, is key to the neighbourhood's essence, and if approached correctly becomes the "very definition of adaptability" – by "keeping its feel and character while accommodating new uses and definitions."
Built in 1900, to reopen in spring 2015
The terra-cotta tiled Ormidale Block, located at 151 West Hastings St., is a heritage building created in 1900 that is being readied for its new definition as a Class-A building with 35,611 square feet of rentable office/retail space.
Changing face of 100 block of West Hastings Street
To the street, a restored Edwardian face
Century Group, which purchased the Ormidale Block, will restore the front facade to its Edwardian former glory as this rendering shows. But much of the exterior envelope will be new, as will the mechanical system and all of the interior, which had undergone two 'unfortunate' renovations.
At the back, a gritty urban laneway
B&H architect Michael Wartman, left, Century Group's director of real estate finance Brett Walsh and Colliers leasing agent Stephen Moscovich stand in the laneway. They expect tenants will come from the creative arts and technology sector who appreciate the 'urban grit' of Gastown.
Before: Laneway potential
The back of the building on West Cordova Street. The renovated Ormidale Block will offer a new modern entrance on the sloping laneway, with double-height ground-floor retail space designed with restaurant-ready kitchen and ventilation systems.
After: Restaurant-ready laneway
This rendering shows the same laneway view after the renovation. Clad in weathered steel, this back face of the building will fit the character of the laneway. A steel mesh canopy will bring shimmer to the new entry. There are 58 restaurants and bars in Gastown – some which are making use of the laneways.
Alleyways get new commercial use
Neighbourhood architecture on the approach to the West Cordova Street laneway. Salt, a charcuterie bar off of historic Blood Alley, was a pioneer of laneway use in Gastown when it opened in 2006. In 2009 Robert Fung also included animated laneway space in a three-phase mixed-use development off Blood Alley.
Heritage buildings protected
A crumbling detail from a nearby former single-room-occupancy block. The 19-acre Gastown neighbourhood includes about 100 commercial buildings and is zoned to protect its heritage grain. Gastown is a neighbourhood of ideas and novelties, of restaurants and fashion shops, "but the one constant is the buildings that contain them," Mr. Price says.
Gastown revamped
The area's "flexibility" is seen here as a man washes windows at a heritage building that contains a gym aptly called Revamp.
Woodward's paved the way
The redeveloped Woodward's project, with its iconic capital letter W. Developed by Westbank and designed by Gregory Henriquez, the project was built on the bones of an old department store and comprises two towers, a university arts department, an office building, and a courtyard that is split between an indoor and outdoor plaza.
And a green roof to top it off
At the Ormidale Block, the developer will top off the building with a green roof that will include patio space and help cool the building.


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As Sallie Krawcheck enters her second month of ownership of the 85 Broads global women's network, the former Merrill Lynch and Citigroup banker is looking to help more women have an impact on the world of business and finance by taking a seat at the corporate board table.
On Friday, Krawcheck welcomed Pax World CEO Joe Keefe before a group of about 30 female movers and shakers at New York's Cornell Club and asked him to talk about his socially responsible mutual fund group's efforts to "lean on" corporate boards and pressure them into offering more board seats to women.
Both Krawcheck and Keefe referenced Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's nationwide campaign encouraging women to "lean in" to their ambitions, but they also joined Daily Beast Editor in Chief Tina Brown's call to women to demand gender equality and "lean on corporations to change the pitiful representation of women in boardrooms."
Drawing on facts gathered by Kathleen McQuiggan, Pax World's senior advisor on gender diversity initiatives, Keefe said that two-thirds of U.S. wealth will be in American women's hands by 2030, yet women currently earn 77 cents for ever dollar a man earns and only 16% of Fortune 500 corporate board seats belong to women.
"It's more apparent than ever that we will need to lean on companies to make any progress," Keefe said before urging the 85 Broads global network of approximately 30,000 women to lean on their financial advisors and 401(k) plan sponsors to pressure companies for fairer board representation. "As shareholders, we have more power than we utilize."
Pax World has adopted a proxy voting guideline under which the fund firm will not support any slate of directors that does not include women. In most instances, Pax World will not support a full board slate unless it contains at least two women. The firm's goal is to see women sitting in at least 30% of corporate boardroom seats by 2015, Keefe said.
About half of Pax World's portfolio managers and salespeople are women, according to Keefe. In addition, the Portsmouth, N.H.-based fund firm offers the $40 million Global Women's Equality Fund (PXWEX), which yielded a 12.67% return in 2012, according to Morningstar Inc.
Also on Friday, Krawcheck hinted at her future plans for 85 Broads. In addition to announcing that she is actively open to members' ideas and emails, Krawcheck spoke of "impact investment" and her desire to support women-owned businesses as well as more board representation at large companies.
"Given the makeup of 85 Broads," she said, "we are clearly at the center of this issue."
The first members of 85 Broads were women who worked for Goldman Sachs and took their name from the investment banking firm's former New York headquarters address at 85 Broad Street. Over the past decade, 85 Broads has expanded its membership to women in companies, non-profits and colleges in more than 130 countries.
Krawcheck, who acquired the global women's network from founder and former Goldman Sachs executive Janet Hanson, on Wednesday revealed her appointment of financial services and non-profit executive Allyson McDonald as president of 85 Broads. In the newly created role, McDonald will oversee day-to-day operations of the business and work closely with Krawcheck and the 85 Broads members in the development and execution of its future plans.
McDonald has more than 15 years of business development, operations and management experience from Goldman Sachs, Fidelity Investments, and New York Life, Mainstay Investments. Her experience includes work in the non-profit arena with senior roles at Fidelity Charitable and the Clinton Foundation. Currently, she also runs a consultancy in the areas of impact investing and philanthropic services.
Read Sallie Krawcheck to Buy 85 Broads, a Global Women's Network at AdvisorOne.com.


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Strong Second Half Pushes Buffs Past Trojans
| Statistics | Boxscore
It's been a tough road trip for the No. 22 Colorado women's basketball team, with three straight road losses against nationally ranked opponents in the past two weekends.
On Sunday, though, the CU women had one last chance to pull out a road win over the Southern California Trojans - and this time, they made it happen.
With a solid second-half effort on both sides of the ball, Colorado pulled away from the Trojans for a 65-49 victory.
"I really liked our toughness in this game," said Colorado head coach Linda Lappe. "We didn't have any of that on Friday, and so it was nice to kind of get our identity back because that's who were are when we're playing our best."
It was a success that came at a much-needed time, as the Buffs were in the midst of their longest losing streak of the season. After falling to top-10 teams Cal and Stanford last weekend, Colorado shot less than 30 percent from the field in a 62-46 loss to No. 18 UCLA on Friday.
"I think we knew we could definitely win this game and that we had to win this game," said redshirt freshman forward Arielle Roberson, who led the Buffs in scoring with 16. "We just knew we had to do it in a fun way and not make it too stressful."
The stress was certainly still there in the first half, as the Buffs and Trojans traded baskets and both teams struggled to gain a solid advantage. The lead changed eight times throughout the half, and neither team went up by more than five.
In the four minutes before intermission, however, USC found its momentum and went on a 13-3 run to reverse Colorado's five-point lead to a five-point lead of its own by halftime (31-26).
The Buffs shot 36 percent from the field in the first half compared to USC's 33, but the Trojans were efficient from the line with an free throw percentage of 89.
Colorado, though, took control at the start of the second half, going on an 8-0 run and forcing five turnovers in the process to build a three-point lead.
"I kind of had a feeling that (the Trojans) were going to get tired in the second half," Lappe said. "And I think that's what happened. I think we pushed the ball really well at them in the first half, we were physical with them in the first half, and I think that wore on them in the second half."
With 12:17 remaining, Roberson knocked down an "and-1" play to put the Buffs up eight (41-33). Four minutes later, senior guard Chucky Jeffery scored on a steal and a fast break to give CU a 10-point lead.
In the final two minutes, Colorado went on an 8-1 run capped by a Roberson trey and a Jeffery free throw, erasing USC's chance for a late-game comeback.
By the final buzzer, the Buffs had gone up 16 for a 65-49 victory.
Lappe said the improvement her team made from Friday night's struggle to Sunday's success was indicative of a high-level team.
"Everybody has a bad game, championship teams have bad games," Lappe said. "But the real championship teams respond in a great fashion. They can let it go, they can take it for what it's worth, and they can get a little mad and come back even stronger. I think that's what's going to happen to us after that Friday night game."
Colorado demonstrated its depth in both scoring and rebounding on Sunday, with four players scoring in double figures and six players grabbing five or more boards.
In addition to Roberson's game-high 16 points, Jeffery scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds in the process for her fifth double-double of the season. Junior guard Brittany Wilson added 12 points, while sophomore guard Lexy Kresl scored 11 and grabbed six rebounds.
Overall, the Buffs out-rebounded the Trojans 44-29, with 13 of those on the offensive end. Colorado ended the game shooting 40.4 percent from the field, holding USC to just 27.5 percent.
Junior forward Cassie Harberts led the Trojans in scoring with 14 total points, below her average of 18.7, while sophomore guard Ariya Crook added 10.
The win bumps Colorado's record to 16-5 overall and 5-5 in the Pac-12 Conference, while USC falls to 8-13 and 5-5 in conference play. The Trojans remain unsuccessful against ranked teams (0-6) so far this season.
Though the Buffs may be only .500 in conference play, their start to the season has been far from smooth sailing. Half of Colorado's matchups so far in conference play have been against nationally ranked opponents, and four of those have been against top-10 Cal and Stanford teams.
Only one of Colorado's next eight opponents, Washington, currently has a better record than the Buffs in the Pac-12.
The CU women return to the Coors Events Center next week with matchups against Oregon State on Friday and Oregon on Sunday.
Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


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A creation of husband and wife duo David Soman and Jacky Davis, Ladybug Girl is the star of the New York Times bestselling series of children's books about an ordinary but imaginative little girl named Lulu who enjoys dressing up in a red tutu, rainboots, ladybug wings and antenna. Lulu, accompanied by her trusty canine companion, Bingo, goes on everyday adventures and figures out her own solutions to various childhood situations.
The two newest Ladybug Girl book in the series are Ladybug Girl at the Beach and, published just this year, Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad. They follow the first two picture books, Ladybug Girl and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy.
Ladybug Girl at the Beach by Jacky Davis and David Soman. Dial / Penguin Books for Young Readers (May 2010); ISBN 9780803734166; 40 pagesLulu, the brave Ladybug Girl, has never visited the beach before but she is ready for her newest adventure. She and her family spend a day soaking in the rays and experiencing all the wonders of the seaside. She builds sand castles, flies a kite, eats a double scoop ice cream cone, takes a walk on the beach with Bingo her dog, and searches for a few sea shells. She's not so sure though if she's ready for a dip in the big, blue ocean. It's normal for kids to exhibit fear when encountering the unknown. With Ladybug Girl as their role model, they can learn to conquer the waves, too.
David Soman's pen-and-ink watercolor illustrations in the Ladybug books are all fabulous, but his sweeping beach views really impress. One page spread shows Lulu and Bingo standing with hesitation on the beach as a large wave crashes on the sand in front of their feet. The text seems secondary, the waves tell the story. The emotion filled sunset views toward the end provide a spectacular conclusion. The images in the book make me long for a leisurely day at the beach with my kids, watching them play in the sand and splashing in the water. One of my favorite Ladybug Girl stories!
Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by Jacky Davis and David Soman. Dial / Penguin Books for Young Readers (March 2011); ISBN 9780803734197; 40 pagesLadybug Girl's friends make a repeat appearance in the newest book in the series by Jacky Davis and David Soman. Lulu excitedly waits for her "Bug Squad" pals to arrive for their first official playdate. After all the members of the group arrive, Sam (Bumblebee Boy), Marley (Dragonfly Girl) and Kiki (Butterfly Girl) follow Ladybug Girl as she leads the way to their Bug Squad base hideout located in a small pine forest nearby. They play make-believe games and end the day with rock painting and a cupcake snack. Lulu tries to be a kind hostess, but at one point ends up hurting one of her friend's feelings with an unthoughtful action. The two eventually work out their conflict and Lulu apologies.
I really love that this series encourages outdoor pretend play and this book, in particular, shows lots of ways kids can use their minds when playing outside with friends. My daughter really got a kick out of the sunflower wall, the imaginary "army of giants" asleep and unaware. I would have liked the book even better if big brother would have somehow cleverly interacted with the younger kids. The authors missed an opportunity and could have briefly portrayed him for once as something other than an innocent, uninterested bystander. My kids hope more Ladybug Girl adventures are planned for future release.
Just how big of Ladybug Girl fans are we? My daughter dressed up as Ladybug Girl for Halloween last year! She even held a stuffed Basset Hound that resembles the Bingo character. For instructions on how we assembled her costume, visit my previous post: Brimful Curiosities: How to Make a Ladybug Girl Costume.
For more Ladybug Girl fun, make sure to visit the official website, http://www.ladybuggirl.com/. The website includes a couple cute games and several great Ladybug Girl printable pdfs.
A Ladybug Girl Activity Kit with reproducible activities can be found on the Penguin Group website.
Penguin Books for Young Readers has kindly offered to giveaway a set of the two Ladybug Girl books I reviewed above to two (2) Brimful Curiosities readers. 2 Winners!
To enter the contest, answer the following question: If you were going to join the Bug Squad, what insect would you dress up as? (My son thinks he'd like to be a Grasshopper Boy.)
• For contact purposes, if you are a non-blogger or your email is not accessible in your blog profile, please leave a valid email address within the comment section.Three ways to gain extra entries (Maximum total entries is 4; please leave a separate comment for each entry):
• Contest is open to US
• Contest ends on Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 11:59 PM CST.
• Winners will be chosen at random and sent email notifications.
1st extra entry: Blog about this contest then post your link in the comment section.
2nd extra entry: Follow me on twitter (iambrimful) and tweet about the contest.
3rd extra entry: Follow Me! or subscribe by email or RSS reader
I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)


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- Always pour a small sip and taste the wine before you decant.
- An older wine might have just one last flash of youthful fruit. Don't miss it!
- Older wines get plenty of air when they are poured and as they sit in your glass.
Should an old bottle of wine be decanted? Here is the very simple answer, for every case:
Older wines, and especially older wines that might not have been stored perfectly, may not have very much of their fruit left. That doesn't mean they might not be wonderful in all sorts of ways, but the kind of sweet, ripe fruit that they had in their youth might now just be a comet that flashes quickly. If you decant, you will miss that flash of bright fruit and never even know that you missed it. Conversely, it's also true that after wines have been trapped inside a bottle for decades, they might need some time to stretch and show their remaining stuff. But think about it: These are wines that you are going to sip and savor and talk about. They will get plenty of air when they are poured and then get plenty more as they sit in your glass while you discuss the memories surrounding the wine. If they need any time to breathe, that will be plenty.
Of course, it is possible that old bottles like this need to be decanted because they are throwing a lot of sediment. Before you open any old bottle like this, let it stand up (in the cellar or a cool place, of course) for a couple of days so the sediment can sink to the bottom. Then decant if you must (though we find that we can often, very carefully, simply pour the wine from the bottle and keep the sediment where it is). But if you do decant, be prepared to sip that wine the second you are finished decanting lest you miss anything.
This article was adapted from a Wine Notes item by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher published in October 2009.


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Is Koen Doens having a laugh? He is sitting in his spacious grey office looking dapper in his sleek grey suit on the fifth floor of the European Commission's vast grey headquarters in downtown Brussels. The Berlaymont, as it is known, is a Kafkaesque two-and-a-half million square foot modernist office building, virtually the size of a small European state on its own. It is just one of 60 EC buildings in the area.
One of the great laments of Eurosceptics is that the lives of ordinary people are blighted by the European Union's bloated, time-wasting, profligate administration. But Doens sits there large as life and argues that the EC really does not deserve its reputation as the mother of all bureaucracies.
"I fundamentally contest that," he says. "I don't think that the European public administration is a huge bureaucracy. It is no more bureaucratic than any public authority in member states. There are 33,000 civil servants working in the EU. That is fewer than the city of Paris."
Administration, including buildings, accounts for just six per cent of the total EU budget he says – although he doesn't mention that amounts to €8.4bn this year alone. But after the next round of "tightening", which will consist of a salary freeze and a reduction in staff numbers, he promises that the Eureaucracy will be even leaner.
No, Doens is not joking but it does sound like he might just be spinning. And if he were, it would not be so surprising. Doens is the head of the European Commission Spokespersons' Service, responsible for "anything that is political communication". It is a huge brief. His output includes press releases, speeches, statements and Q&As, as well as social media content relating to any of the EC's 28 commissioners. In one day he could be dealing with issues ranging from the economic crisis or the Ukraine to anti-dumping measures, green plastic technology and tax relief on video games.
His job is further complicated by the fact that few people in the commission are speaking in their native tongues. Although the official EC working languages are English and French, most officials seem to speak four or five languages to a fairly high level. Nonetheless, you get the impression that nuances and subtleties can present a problem.
For those at the back who haven't been paying attention, the European Commission is the civil service of the European Union. It is the executive body responsible for implementing and policing legislation. But unlike the British civil service, it is the only body allowed to propose legislation.
There are 28 commissioners, one from every country, including the president. Together they form a cabinet. But they do not have their own press offices. "Every commissioner has a spokesperson handling his or her relations with the media. But, contrary to habitual practice, these spokespeople are not part of the commissioner's private office," explains Doens. "The spokespeople are brought together in the Spokespersons' Service, which is answerable to the president of the commission."
So Doens has 100 spokespeople, press officers and assistants reporting to him. But his one report is direct to commission president José Manuel Barroso. The way he tells it there is not too much bureaucracy in that relationship either: "I have direct access and I see him most days. I can go up to the 13th floor to his office if I want and see if he's there. We speak on the phone, we exchange SMS.
I am a direct interlocutor for the president." Doens occupies a sort of Alastair Campbell position in Europe ("I wouldn't dare compare myself with the mythical Alastair C," he laughs). But you can tell from his measured manner and unassuming good humour that he is no Malcolm Tucker. You will not find him duffing up errant spokespeople or intimidating the woman from El Pais in one of the Berlaymont's many corridors.
"No, we don't do the kind of spin that you see in The Thick Of It. We are nowhere near that," he says. But it depends how you define spin. "We definitely try to point out to the journalists that what we do is the right thing and we stress the political angles and fairness. But we will never go into a spin overdrive where we will give a twist to what we do to make it look more than it is."
Herculean task
Imagine one Whitehall department responsible for all government communications. Apart from being the biggest vipers' nest in the world, it would be slow, unwieldy and cumbersome. It would be a Herculean task just to get out the occasional press release. Doens' department produces as many as 25 a day. Isn't it hideously complicated?
"Not at all," says Doens. "We have upstream planning where we look at what is coming up on the commission's agenda in the next three to six weeks." The commission is obliged to communicate immediately a measure is adopted. So sometimes the publicity schedule tail wags the legislative dog and policies are delayed by a day or two to avoid them getting buried by other announcements.
Then Doens' office starts looking at the messages: "What is the main message, how do we want to portray it, what is the output and how do we want to capture that in press material?"
When the commission reaches the final stages before adopting an action or law the relevant spokesperson liaises with the commissioner and the responsible department to identify key political messages. Then the spokesperson produces a draft. It is circulated to the commissioner's staff and one or two people in the spokesman's service and then Doens, and only Doens, signs it off. The whole process takes a few days. For breaking news, much less.
If you read the EC's press material, you will notice a definite house style. It is detailed, informative and, well, a bit boring really. There seems little attempt to sell, no modulation, just the passionless monotone of officialese.
Doens looks almost pleased when I say this. It is deliberate, an expression of what you might call the EC brand values, he argues: "It is firmly linked to what we are as an institution. National governments get their edge from an ideological stance. You are left or right. Liberal or Conservative. The commission does not position itself on an ideological axis because this institution doesn't serve an ideology. Its composition is multi-ideological."
Anyway, he says his job is to serve the European general interest. Not a member state or group of member states or ideological grouping. "That's what gives being political at the EU level its distinct flavour and character," says Doens.
It is a perfectly poised, polished performance. Warm, polite and convincing, Doens is the very model of a Brussels mandarin. But hints of a more rounded, perhaps even seditious, personality occasionally peek through the emollient façade.
On his office wall hang large framed photos of Freddie Mercury, Leonard Cohen and Peter Sellers. A showman, a poet and a clown. Possibly not what you would expect from a senior civil servant. And Doens has the slightly disarming habit of smiling as if he has just had a really funny thought that he would like to share but can't. Maybe it's just a nervous grin, but it feels like maybe he is signalling that he recognises the essential absurdity of all this political nonsense going on around him.
So when he starts talking about the president's phrase "The technical charisma of the EC", and gives a little smile, the thought occurs: is he having a laugh? Is he being ironic? It is hard to tell. But Barroso's description of the commission – "objective, neutral, solid, subdued" – are clearly its brand values and perfectly describe what Doens is projecting through the Spokespersons' Service.
Therein lies one of the difficulties for the EU, the EC and Doens. The USA has a vision of democracy and freedom at its heart and people are drawn to it from all over the world. Europe, in contrast, seems to have no big idea, no banner to get behind. Neutral and subdued don't quite cut it when it comes to vision. Doens agrees that this is a real problem. "You've put your finger on something we have been addressing," he says. He thinks there are two strands to a motivating vision for Europe.
The first is what he calls "the real concrete stuff", by which he means consumer rights legislation such as European action on roaming charges or the recent regulation requiring a single mobile charger. "We put forward proposals that makes people's lives better, easier or cheaper," says Doens.
But if consumer rights seem like small beer on the motivation front, then there is the big story. The powerful motivating vision: "We have had a heartbeat in the past. It was the original vision of the EU and it still stands. The original idea of Europe was that it was a project that bought together two former enemies that fought two world wars. It was a project for peace and that's why we won the Nobel Peace Prize [in 2012]."
Perhaps the EU has been too successful. No one appears seriously worried about the prospect of a war between EU states these days. Instead, there is a new vision and it is a return to the four freedoms expressed in the EU's founding document, the Treaty of Rome: mobility of goods, services, capital and labour. You could call it European fundamentalism. "We started to bring down borders. We've had a moment with the internal market, Schengen and so on bringing down the borders so you can travel and study across the borders of Europe, so that goods and services can move more freely. This has created a second heartbeat."
Or a second heart attack, if you happen to be UKIP's Nigel Farage. Not that you have to anti-European to think that the unrestricted large-scale movement of people is a challenge and it needs managing. The idea that the unmanaged movement of labour could form the basis of a unifying vision seems slightly bonkers. Doens drily points out that the country that was most strongly behind labour mobility was the UK.
However, there is the possibility of a "third heartbeat", suggests Doens, which might be more motivating. It could be described as 'united we stand, divided we fall'. "We now live in a globalised world where new powers have entered the stage, the BRICS countries [Brazil, Russia, India, China South Africa]. In this multipolar world even the biggest member state is too small to stand its ground. But together we can."
He believes that only by emphasising common ground between European countries, rather than differences, can Europe prosper in the world: "There is a solid set of communalities. While keeping our diversity there is a trunk that binds us together. That's what we need to rally around. That's the only way we are going to defend our prosperity and our view of the world."
The search for a unifying vision
The real problem seems to be that Europe is prevented from mobilising the one idea that could give it a clear sense of purpose, such as the US vision of democracy and freedom. The reason for this is that it can never have a higher purpose than the member states. That would threaten sovereignty. They do not want it and will not allow it.
So Europe is left scrabbling around trying to fashion its purpose from the detritus of legislation, regulation and harmonisation, and there is always the inevitable fact that national governments tend to claim the EC's successes as theirs, while failures are inevitably attributed to the EC.
Perhaps that is why nationalist parties such as UKIP and its ilk are so able to attack Europe for the quantity and madness of its regulations. Consider for a moment the straight banana edict. According to urban myth, bonkers EC bureaucrats were said to have banned bananas that were too curved.
It is not an urban myth, says Doens. Back in the mists of time there really was a directive about the quality and standards of fruit. One of those standards really did say that "bananas shall be free from deformation or abnormal curvature".
Doens admits that the EC was perhaps overzealous on that one: "Did we get it right there? Probably not. Was there a reason we did that? Probably yes. So sometimes, like any public administration or company, we make mistakes. But in the case of the EU, when we make mistakes they have the potential of acquiring a mythical nature."
So just as the EC is trying to cut the size of its administration, it is also attempting to reduce the volume and intrusive nature of legislation it produces, he claims: "There is homework to be done by us. Some of the regulations are too prescriptive. We have screened all EU legislation under our REFIT programme and have proposed ways to make EU law lighter, simpler and cheaper."
Does that mean he feels the EC does not always get a fair press? "The press is by definition fair. You won't hear me say anything else." He is doing that smiling thing again. But now he really is joking. Probably.
While the nature of EC coverage may be variable, it does have one huge advantage, says Doens: the EC press corps that meets every day at midday in the press centre on the ground floor of the Berlaymont: "I am radically positive about having one of the biggest press corps anywhere in the world. It's a major asset because the press is an essential stakeholder to get our message out. It knows how Europe works. It is interested in Europe and looks at it from a European perspective."
Ouch. Is that a little barb aimed at Her Majesty's press corps and its often ill-informed Euroscepticism? So how does the EC handle media criticism?Well, it depends whether it is accurate or not: "We have a clear action plan.
Every morning we screen the media in all member states. We identify where we have good press and those where an urgent follow-up is needed because it is wrong or nasty or twisted."
Who can he possibly be talking about? "Then we need to look at the damage and potential spill-over. That allows us to decide whether we need to do something about it. Most of the time it's not about twisting. It's about lack of correct information, in which case we ask the spokesperson responsible to write a little email to the journalist."
There are many ways of dealing with outright lies: "It could be a letter to editor. We could respond through other media. Very often wrong stories generate interest through other journalists who ask the questions at midday during daily briefing. It gives us a chance to put the record straight."
Then there is the naughty step, the EC website Setting the Facts Straight. It is the place for the EC's rapid rebuttal and it names and shames media that publish Eurotrash. It is the least measured and most gung-ho in tone of the commission's output. You can sense frustration bordering on anger in some of the articles. "But it's also fun to write," says Doens. Recent entries include 'No EU plan to standardise toilets', 'No plans to introduce mega-trucks everywhere in the EU' and 'What EC president Barroso really said in the European Parliament'.
The Dailies Mail, Express and Telegraph are among the most frequent offenders: "We respond though the web. So we take the story itself, get the facts straight and then we tweet it."
Doens admits that the relentless pressure can be wearing. It is intensified by the 24/7 news cycle, which is turning faster and faster. The key is not to get too hung up on the process and the minutiae and retain a sense of overall direction, he says. "It's in the nature of my job to be stress resistant," says the man who practises yoga and listens to Led Zep for relaxation. You can get worked up every minute of the day because there's so much happening. But that's when you need to stay calm and have sound judgement. You can't chase every rabbit. I like this quote from The Doors: 'Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel.' The essence of my job is to keep my eyes on the big important issues."


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Pluggable M3 (Monitis Monitor Manager) Framework
Who needs an introduction about M3? – Perhaps no one!
After gaining some reputation with M3, providing extra-easy integration of any monitor into Monitis it was time to take it to the next level.
Generally speaking, the work flow of M3 was described in detail in this article.
After some thought and design, we've decided it'd be best if M3 was pluggable. Pluggable in terms of being able to easily add execution and parsing plugins.
The interface and behavior of M3 stayed exactly the same, however now it is much easier to obtain data from any source and parse the data the way you want it.
Saying that, it was time to put the new design for a test. We tried to integrate the DBI support into M3.
Guess what – it was much easier than expected!
The general idea of DB integration with Monitis
DB (as in Database) integration with Monitis has shown to be invaluable. Being able to extract application related data from a DB and load it to Monitis means you can graph anything going on in your database related application. Monitoring your DB is an integral part of server monitoring in today's world.
Be it maximum number of users at peak hours, gathering statistics about record usage or just checking if your DB is serving requests quickly enough – graphing performance and uptime. Your imagination is the limit – considering your application is DB related of course.
How it's done – the technicalities beyond
The sharp-eyed among you would notice that M3 got beefed up with a directory named "Execution" and a directory named "Parsing".
These directories hold the plugins M3 uses for each.
All that I had to do to add DBI support is to create a new execution plugin called "DBI.pm" and fill it up with code from the Monitis DBI module which already existed.
And that my friends, that, was easy. Mission accomplished – Pluggable M3 eases the job for us.
Another way to integrate MySQL
MySQL could have been integrated previously into M3 by executing mysql and feeding it with a query, having something similar to:
<exectemplate>echo "select count(*) from mysql.user;" | mysql</exectemplate>
This form of execution will invoke the 'mysql' executable, feeding it the above query. Execution of this will result in the response of the query being returned with some other useless output.
Please avoid this form of execution, as now DBI support is fully integrated into M3. In the next paragraph I'll show how it should be done.
Lets fetch
While conveying ideas about M3, I decided to prefer to provide very simple examples of operation, however, I encourage you, the end user to let your imagination go wild, adding interesting counters which show how your application really perform and behave.
In this example we'll just count the number of users in an installed MySQL database. An example anyone should be able to imitate and then scale to his own need.
We'll examine the following example. I suggest opening the mentioned link in a new window while continuing the read.
Looking at this example it is quite straight-forward to understand. The query to execute is over there, together with some other parameters which are mandatory to connect to a database, such as the database name, user name, password, etc.
An explanation should be provided however for the odd db_statistics parameter. Those of you who have read the HTTP extraction article about M3 would have probably remembered the http_statistics parameter. Then, the db_statistics one does more or less the same, providing some meta counters for the query:
- How long did the query take to process (in seconds)
- The success/failure of the query (1 for success, 0 for failure)
I encourage to do the parsing of query results, or actually the lack-of-parsing of query results in a way that takes the whole output returns from the query, hence the regular expression of (.*).
If your query returns more than what you need, please tune your query better.
Test your execution with:
# ./DryRun.pl dbi_sample.xml DB: 'root@DBI:mysql:mysql:localhost', Query: 'select count(*) from mysql.user;' at MonitisMonitorManager.pm line 223 Matched '(.*)'=>'6' in '6' at MonitisMonitorManager.pm line 237 OK This is a dry run, data for monitor 'Sample MySQL Monitor' was not really updated. at ./DryRun.pl line 18
It should work. Then you can work your query to fit your own needs.
Next in line
We're looking for some more new ideas to add as plugins for M3. If you have any idea about any plugin (execution or parsing plugin) that you would like to see in M3 – we want to hear you!
Integrating software into the powerful Monitis has never been easier, now that you have M3!
Monitis can monitor anything! Follow us also on Twitter and GitHub.


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The Bow and Trees Galleries, freshly painted with new colors, feature thoughtful reinterpretations of KAM's collection of European and American art from the 1300s to 1950.
The Bow Gallery showcases art from the Americas and Europe. Thematic groupings include art from the global domains of the House of Habsburg, recent conservation efforts, and more.
On view is the Renaissance Portrait of Diane of France, Daughter of King Henri II, with its remarkable detail and fresh color revealed by recent conservation by Kuniej Berry Associates of Chicago, and Courtyard Scene with a Pregnant Woman: a genre painting by the seventeenth-century Dutch artist Hendrick van der Burch. Eli Wilner & Company recently restored the exquisite eighteenth-century French gilt frame on Van der Burch's painting, after the New York firm selected KAM as a 2019 recipient of matching funds for their Museum Framing Projects initiative.
The Trees Gallery has also been reimagined and includes a display that celebrates the legacy of Merle J. and Emily N. Trees: the benefactors who gifted their remarkable collection of historical European paintings to the University of Illinois beginning in the 1930s.
Curated by Maureen Warren, Curator of European and American Art


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Episode 10 title and synopsis.
Title and synopsis for episodes 11-15.
Title and synopsis for episode 16.
We also have titles forEpisode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20,and Episode 21. The numbers are a bit weird in some of the links.
I admit I'm watching the episodes as they release in Canada because I don't want to be spoiled. Episode 8 is the one I'm looking forward to seeing more reactions to once it airs in the US. But I'll only talk about the ones that have aired in the US in detail.
Let's see, "Flurry of Emotions" was the adorable Flurry/Twilight ep I hoped for. "Rock Solid Friendship" is the first Maud episode I really liked. While "Fluttershy Leans In" was pretty low-key, I loved that it demonstrated how far Fluttershy has come. "Forever Filly" was great for showing how much Sweetie Belle has grown. Considering how busy Rarity's been the last couple of seasons expanding, I can buy that she's missed some of Sweetie's interests changing.
MLP Season 7 confirmed!
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Flair Bartending WFA Yellow Certificate
Mixology Group
Event Details
WFA Flair Bartending Certificate - Yellow
This 2 day course covers everything you need to know to start your journey into the wonderful world of flair bartenders. Each day will consist of 3 hours of learning and 2 hours of practice, Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is exam day where you will be taking your WFA Yellow certificate exam, which will last roughly 20-30 minutes. Each bartender will take the exam one by one.
The course will run during the week but the exam will take place on a date on which the student will feel comfortable; wether it be the same day, 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months after the course has run, as the exam requires practice and patience to get right.
This course will grant you a Certification in Flair Bartending on completion; along with a White tin for taking the course, and a Yellow tin for passing the exam.
"Flair bartending is the theatrical art of manipulating bar tools with style and grace whilst making exquisite cocktails with precision and speed".
To be a competent Flair Bartender, skill, dedication, motivation and a thriving passion to entertain others are required from any bartender who can create multiple, complex cocktails with speed and consistency. "Without the abilities of a good bartender, a flair bartender is simply a juggler."
With this new string to your bow you will notice an increase in bar intake, an increase in tips and an increase in your technical ability behind the sticks. You will also notice a new, confident bartender with a higher level of concentration and determination to get better and better. High levels of practice are required to reach the number one spot at the top of the WFA gradings. Which is why we have created a course specifically designed for the eager bartender in mind. With this course you will receive, a Mixology group certificate accredited by the World Flair Association, proving you have what it takes to perform behind any bar with character and skill, knowledge of the history of flair, and actual ability to manipulate multiple objects in mid flight, safely and professionally.
The earliest record of flair bartending was bartender Jerry "The Professor" Thomas, who poured fiery streams of boiling water and flaming whisky to mix an original cocktail called the Blue Blazer in the late 19th Century. Flair really came into it's own in the 1980's when T.G.I Fridays hosted the first national flair bartending competition in 1986 called "Bar Olympics". John JB Bandy was the winner of this competition and went on to train Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown for the 1988 film, Cocktail.
The head instructor Brandon has nearly 10 years experience behind the sticks. With many accomplishments in the competitive field, working alongside the greatest flair bartenders in the world, in some of the best venues in the globe and with his Yellow Teaching Certification, he has dedicated his time, knowledge and passion to create a course fit for all abilities.
The World Flair Association (WFA) realised that throughout the world, the standard of bartending differs from country to country. So they created gradings to set standards that can be used no matter where in the world you are. These gradings are colour coded, much like in Karate, White is the first grading with Black being the top grading (1st Place in a grand slam).
This WFA accredited diploma course will expand on and perfect the techniques learnt in the introductory course. The WFA exam will cover a timed working flair routine, a timed exhibition flair routine and a timed speed round as well as a free pour test.
Course Requirements
This course is designed as an entry level course and as such is suitable for complete beginners, up to those who have little flair experience and wish to certify their knowledge of flair.
Learning Outcomes
Students attending this course are expected to leave having gained the following skills, competencies, and knowledge:
- WFA Yellow Certification
- Theory behind flair
- Competition and bar setup
- Safety and accident prevention
- Pours and cuts
- Flair pouring
- Garnish and ice flair
- Bottle – tin moves
- Simple craft flair techniques
- Practice with plastic bottles
- Practice with real bottles and liquid
- Fluid body movements
- Speed flair
- Working flair moves
- Exhibition flair moves
- Guest interactions
- A simple flair routine combining the whole course.
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When & Where
Mixology School
Unit 1 Davigdor Mews, rear of 64 Davigdor Road
BN3 1RF Hove
United Kingdom
Mixology Group
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: http://www.mixologygroup.co.uk
Phone: 01273 277 076


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Twenty-two years ago, my friend Benny hit a palm tree driving back from Mexico late one night. Before driving while drinking received so much attention, it was customary for teenagers along the Rio Grande River in south Texas to stay up late dancing in the border lounges, and then to head for home in the wee hours of morning along a perilously winding road that followed the course of the river. Many of us who passed our teenage years on the border – where alcohol for minors was only a bridge crossing away – can recall times when we should have been dead. I still shudder at our foolishness. We were just luckier, not wiser, than Benny and his two friends who died that night.
Shortly afterward, Benny began showing up in my dreams. He appeared deranged, even demonic – intent, it seemed, on hitting or killing me. I would run from him, scared out of my mind and wondering why he would want to hurt me, his friend. In one dream, I realized it was a dream and I tried to wake up to escape him. But I couldn't escape the dream in time; and he assaulted me before I could rouse myself from sleep, terrified.
As a budding metaphysician, I realized that Benny could really have been there as an earthbound, or confused, discarnate soul, attacking me. That idea did nothing to reassure me. But as a student of Jungian psychology at the time, I also realized that Benny could represent an aspect of myself – my "shadow" – that was profoundly disenfranchised and enraged by my neglect of him. Along these lines, I eventually came to realize that Benny represented my own aggressiveness and need for power that I had suppressed under a facade of outward spirituality. Quite possibly, he was angry that I had become such a wimp.
I also knew that both could be true. He could be "himself" and a part of me. From this perspective, our relationship was continuing to offer both of us ways to evolve toward wholeness, even though he was physically dead. Whatever I did in the encounter that represented a breakthrough for me could release him, as well, from his own commensurate soul-level dilemmas.
Benny had always scared me a bit. On one occasion, his flirtation with power almost killed me. While I was skin-diving near the Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta, Benny lofted a volcanic rock in my direction "just to see if he could reach" me. The rock plunged into the water a mere foot from my head. If I hadn't drowned from the blow, it would have been a miracle, for I was 70 yards offshore in 20 feet of water. Benny made a lot of people nervous with such displays of uncontrolled aggression.
Before the series of dreams came to a powerful end, I had an opportunity to be "spiritual" in one dream with Benny. He appeared in front of me, holding a knife. He said, devilishly, "I want to show you my new knife." Suddenly, I realized that I was dreaming! I knew what to do then. At least, I thought I did. I said, "You are only a dream. May the Light of the Christ surround you. Go away." Nothing happened, and Benny crept closer. He was obviously amused by my ineffective tactic. Without wondering how I obtained a knife of my own, I began doing battle with him until I eventually disarmed him – an unlikely outcome, since Benny was much larger and faster than I was in real life. I did not complain.
Then came the culmination one night while I was on vacation in England. In the dream – the final one with Benny – he had me pinned down, pummeling me with his fists. I knew that he would eventually kill me if I didn't free myself. I managed somehow to free one arm. Instead of hitting him back, however, I reached up and gently stroked his shoulder. Looking back, I don't know why I thought this would do any good. But he stopped hitting me immediately and began to cry. His tears fell into my face, and he said, "I only want to be loved."
Years before in "real life," I had made the mistake of making an obscene gesture at him. I was about six at the time, and he was ten; so it wasn't a very good idea. Sure enough, he pinned me down; and he spit into both of my eyes to show me how foolish I had been to defy him. It was a singularly humiliating and disgusting moment. Now, however – through the avenue of powerful dream encounters – our relationship had become fulfilled. I had found the courage to fight him and then the heart to embrace him. He, in turn, found it possible to voice what his aggression had so effectively obscured – his need for love.
If one looks back on this series of dreams, one can see that the whole purpose of the dream series was to elicit new responses from me. The dream was not so much a message as it was an opportunity to respond in a new way. It was an initiation – a test that was fulfilled only by acting in a new way and by expressing a new spirit. Any interpretation of the early dreams with Benny would have been largely useless and misleading, unless they included an analysis of my inadequate response to him. That is why I often say that much of what we call dream analysis misses the whole point of the dream.
Read the entire article here. (pdf)


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Microsoft Finally Confirms Xbox 360 Elite
Xbox 360 Elite is set for release in United States retail stores on April 29 for $479.99, an $80 premium over the standard 20GB Xbox 360 and a $180 premium over the hard drive-less Xbox 360 Core System; neither of the two current Xbox 360 models includes HDMI output capabilities. The new model will be finished in matte black, with a matching black wireless controller and a black headset. Also included will be an HDMI cable and a one month trial subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Contrary to certain hopes, Xbox 360 Elite will not make use of the 65nm CPUs said to be incorporated into the console some time this year.
The system is expected to appear in other major markets worldwide later in 2007.
Also available in stores will be the 120GB Xbox 360 hard drive, which at a price of $179.99 corresponds with the price difference between the Elite and Core units. The standalone drive will be packaged with a data transfer cable allowing existing 20GB hard drive owners to move downloaded content over to the larger capacity drive. This cable will not be included in the Xbox 360 Elite bundle.
In response to the announcement, Sony Computer Entertainment America marketing senior VP Peter Dille said in a statement, "We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an 'elite' experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50 GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc." Xbox 360 Elite comes in at only $20 less than the Blu-ray-equipped 20GB PlayStation 3 model.
Alongside the Elite confirmation, Microsoft announced various new content parters for its Xbox Live Video Marketplace service, including A&E Network, ADV Films, and National Geographic. Neither of last night's announcements made any mention of the console's upcoming IPTV functionality, which the company briefly outlined during CES. All Xbox 360 consoles will support IPTV via a firmware update when the service eventually goes live.
"Late summer."


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This has been a very eventful, busy and amazing week. Zeus was promoted to 1st Lt. on Friday amongst a very chaotic day with many more lows than highs. I pushed through all the irritation and frustration as the 6 people scheduled to be at the ceremony were not present. I was more bothered by Zeus being upset about it. Nevertheless the show goes on, and it did.
It turned out to be a great day. It turned out to be a special moment for our family.
It was a lot of fun to be in the air together and seeing him smile ear to ear. Great idea, Babe.


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Internal French Folding Room Dividers
Internal Folding French Room divider sets, with folding sidelights which allow the doors and sidelights to be folded right back against the wall.View Range
Internal bifold doors or, as they are also known, roomfold doors, are an attractive way of creating a sense of intimacy in larger open plan rooms.View Range
These interior bi-fold doors allow you to choose bigger door panels to cover a wide range of structural openings, from 1228mm up to 4600mm, and are supplied with all you need for the complete installation (excludes handle and latch).View Range
This finely styled PREFINISHED Oak French Folding room divider door gives you all the benefits of bifold doors but with the added benefits of either a central opening door, or pair of doors, and with the ability to fold the doors neatly away against the adjacent wall.
These sets come complete with prefinished frame, all folding door hardware and drop bolts ( excluding handles and latch to allow you to match existing ), and prefinished, obscure glazed doors, with a comprehensive set of fitting and assembly instructions. We also offer matching single leaf, glazed and panel doors to match to allow you to match these doors.


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Towers of Blind Termites
it be possible for blind workers to construct a building as tall as the
Empire State Building? Such a feat is out of the question for humankind.
However, blind termites, throughout their lives, build nests that are
as high as the Empire State Building on a scale proportional to their
One of the most important characteristics of termites is that they
make nests so strong that even humans can demolish them only with difficulty.
They build different kinds of nests in accordance with their needs.
While some of them build nests that protect them from burning heat,
others build nests in order to seek shelter from rain. These nests can
be built either beneath or on top of the soil or even inside trees.
When we look inside a termite's nest, we can see its spongy appearance.
The nest consists of numerous cells that are about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in
width or narrower. These cells are connected to each other by narrow
passages through which only termites can pass. The raw material the
termites use while making these marvelous buildings consists only of
soil, their saliva and excrement. Using such simple materials, some
of them make nests so strong that they can only be demolished by using
dynamite, and which possess such detailed systems as labyrinths, air
circulation passages and canals.
The main miraculous aspect of termites that can build towers like these
marvelous nests is that, as mentioned above, they are utterly blind.
This is an important point. Termites can see neither the tunnels they
make, nor the material and soil they use, nor the cells they construct.
When the works of termites and humans are compared, the marvel at what
termites do can be seen even more clearly. So in order to make a better
evaluation of the "skyscrapers" which termites build, New York City's
Empire State Building in America will make a suitable comparison. The
building is 443 meters (1,453 feet) tall. Termites are insects of 1-2
cm (0.4-0.8 inches) height. In spite of their tiny bodies, they build
giant nests towering 7 meters (23 feet) high. If termites were as tall
as men, their spectacular nests would then be four times higher than
the Empire State Building. Termites have been doing an exceptional job
that even man cannot achieve, for millions of years-ever since they
were created.
The One Who has created termites with all their characteristics is
Allah. With the marvelous constructions Allah makes termites build,
He, the Lord of all the worlds, introduces us to His boundless might
and knowledge. As He reveals in the Qur'an:
Allah is the Creator of everything and He is
Guardian over everything. (Surat az-Zumar: 62)
water spiders living in the warm regions of Asia and Europe spend most
of their lives underwater because they make their nests under the water.
For the construction of its nest, the spider first establishes a platform
with webs among water plants or leaves. It attaches this platform to
nearby plant stems with silk threads. These threads serve as a signal
showing him his nest, as a tie stabilizing the platform and as a "radar"
system informing him of any approaching prey.
After building the platform, the spider carries air bubbles under it
using its legs and body. Thus the web blows upward and, as more air
is added, takes on a bell-like shape. This bell is the nest in which
the spider takes shelter as long as it is under the water. (picture
at bottom left)
By day, the spider waits in the nest. When a small animal passes nearby,
especially an insect or larva, he rushes out to catch it and take it
to its nest to eat it. An insect falling onto the water causes vibrations.
Feeling these vibrations, the spider goes out, takes the insect and
carries it under the water. The spider uses the surface of the water
as if it were a web. The situation of an insect falling onto the water
is no different from that of any other prey caught in a web.
As winter approaches, the spider needs to take precautions
to protect itself from freezing. For this reason, the water spider goes
deeper into the pond. This time, it builds a bell for winter and fills
it with air. Some spiders settle in the shell of a sea snail that they
find in the depths. It remains motionless in the bell and consumes almost
no energy during the passage of winter. It does these things so as not
to lose energy and to minimize the need for oxygen. By means of these
precautionary measures, the oxygen in the air bubble it carried to the
nest suffices throughout the 4-5 months that the spider stays there
in the winter.7
It is evident that the spider's hunting technique and the bubble it
fashions have been designed in the most ideal way for it to live under
the water. It is doubtless impossible for a creature that lives on the
land to find a way to live under the water by chance. If this creature
did not possess the necessary attributes for living under the water,
it would die as soon as it entered the water. Therefore, Allah created
a land creature, which can live under the water by virtue of having
the proper skills to do so, along with all its characteristics, all
at once.
By creating such matchless examples as the water spiders, Allah introduces
us to His endless knowledge and wisdom.
are among the most widespread and resilient creatures on Earth. The reason
for this is that they have been created so as to be very resistant to
many unfavorable conditions. One thing that makes them so strong is the
chitin substance which covers their bodies.
Chitin is a very light, thin substance. For this reason,
insects have no difficulty in carrying it. Although this substance covers
an insect's body on the outside, it is so strong that it could also
serve the function of a skeleton and, at the same time, is outstandingly
flexible. It can move as the muscles with ends connected to the insect's
body from inside contract and relax. This not only improves the rapid
movement of the insects but also buffers the impact of external blows.
The chitin layer is waterproof because of a special exterior coating.
It also prevents body liquids from leaking out.8 It
is not affected by the most difficult conditions, high temperature or
even radiation. Another property of this layer is that it has a color,
examples of which can be seen in the pictures, that is the most suitable
for the insect's environment. In this way, the insect can live and avoid
being noticed by its enemies. Sometimes, the colors of this layer are
so lively that they even deter predators in the surrounding area.
This chitin, which constitutes the outer shell of most insects, is
a perfect material in terms of its strength, elasticity and insulation
properties. A substance possessing such remarkable characteristics cannot
but make one wonder, if airplanes and spaceships were made from a substance
possessing the characteristics of chitin, what would they be like? In
fact, the structure of this substance is the stuff of aeronautical engineers'
dreams. Yet, mankind has never been able to match such an advanced design,
in spite of our technological developments.
Chitin, an equivalent of which is being sought after using twentyfirst
century technology, has existed ever since insects came into being.
This material, as mentioned above, is the most ideal coating substance
an insect can ever possess. It is obviously impossible for this substance
possessing the ability to protect the creature against any kind of danger
to have come into existence by chance. No insect could have produced
such a protective material by using its own will. Allah created this
substance, which has a unique design, along with the extraordinary attributes
of the insects that it covers. In the Qur'an, Allah draws our attention
to His creations in this way:
Among His Signs is the creation of the heavens
and earth and all the creatures He has spread about in them. And He
has the power to gather them together whenever He wills. (Surat ash-Shura:
one creature helps another, and prepares an environment for its convenience
which meets its needs, this association certainly cannot be claimed to
have occurred by chance. One-to-one conformity between creatures that
have no consciousness, and the acts they perform to benefit each other,
provide evidence for the deliberate creation of these beings. Creatures
living together were created with characteristics that benefit each other
through the agency of a sole Creator, that is, Allah. We can give certain
plants and ants as typical examples of this sort of mutually beneficial
creature pair.
There are deep holes in some plants which are called
"domatia" in biological terminology (small picture). The only function
of these holes is to serve as a shelter for ant colonies. In these plants,
there are openings or thin windows of tissue which enable ants to get
in and out of the plant easily. In these chambers, there are food bodies
that the plant produces with no known function other than the feeding
of ants. They do not appear to have a real use for the plant.9
In short, domatia are very special structures that have been created
in order for ants to live. The heat and moisture balance provides an
ideal environment for ants. In these places marked by diligence that
are prepared for ants, the ants make themselves just as comfortable
as people staying at luxury hotels.
We can give as another example Philidris, which is
a kind of ant species, and its host plant Dischidia major. These make
a collective "chemical production" throughout their lives. The plant
in question has no roots penetrating the soil, therefore it gets support
from other plants by wrapping around them. The plant has a very interesting
method for increasing its acquisition of carbon and nitrogen. Ants have
an area in these plants, called the "ant leaf," where they breed their
offspring and store organic remains (dead ants, pieces of other insects,
etc.). The plant makes use of these residues as a nitrogen source. Moreover,
the inner surface of the leaf spaces absorbs the carbon dioxide given
out by the ant, and in the process decreases dehydration through pores.10
Preventing dehydration is very important for these ant plants which
grow in the tropical climates, because, they have no roots and cannot
reach water in the soil. So, ants supply two important needs of the
plants in return for the shelter provided to them.
It is not possible to claim that the structures seen in these two examples
might have come about by chance. The plants could not have produced
nutrition proper to ants and taken forms in conformity with them by
chance. The cooperation between ants and plants is just one more piece
of evidence for the marvelous balance Allah , the only Creator, created
on Earth.
of the best-known luminous creatures is the firefly. Scientists have spent
years of research trying to produce a light as efficient as the light
produced by fireflies. Fireflies achieve maximum efficiency and lose almost
no energy.
In fact, it is quite amazing that a creature is able to produce light
yet, at the same time, is not affected by the heat of this light. Because,
as we know, during light production made by today's technology, heat
certainly is created and this heat is emitted outside as thermal energy.
Therefore, for this reason, creatures which produce light should also
suffer harm due to exposure to high heat. However, the creatures producing
light are not affected by the heat they produce, because it is weak.
They produce a kind of light called "cold light" and their body structures
are designed accordingly.
Fireflies are actually a type of beetle which produces
yellowish-green lights by means of chemical reactions inside their bodies.
Fireflies, which flash their lights to recognize one another or to give
mating signals, use different lengths of flashes according to their
species. In addition, in some species, it is the male who flashes first
to attract the female, while in other species, the females do the "calling."
Some fireflies use their lights in self-defense. They flash to warn
enemies that their taste is unappetizing.11
Besides fireflies, a number of other insects, various sea creatures,
and many other types of species produce their own light. Each species
has different characteristics. These include the manner of light production,
the fields of their usage of light, and the lengths and kinds of light
they produce.
Who furnished these creatures with systems through which they produce
the type of light they can make use of, and then maintains the continuation
of these systems? It is not, of course, the creatures themselves. It is
not possible for complex organs capable of producing light yet not harming
the creatures of which they are part in the process to have come into
being as the result of coincidences. All luminous creatures are evidence
of the superior power of the creation of Allah. Allah introduces us, through
these creatures He has created, to the evidence of His endless knowledge,
wisdom and might.
7- Bates Hayvanlar Ansiklopedisi (Bates
Encyclopedia of Animals), C.B.P.C. Publishing Ltd., p. 244.
8- Ali Demirsoy, Yasamin Temel Kurallari (Basic Fundamentals
of Life), Meteksan A. S., Ankara, 1992, pp. 18-22.
9- Bert Hölldobler-Edward O.Wilson, The Ants, Harvard University
Press, 1990, p. 534-535.
10- Geo Magazine, October 1995, p. 186.
11- Anita Ganeri, Creatures That Glow, Marshall Editions, London,
1995, pp. 10-11.
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text:
Happy Caturday Caption Contest!
Everybody, meet Leslie's furry children: Dude (orange kitty) and Monkey…
Leave a comment with your best caption for the photo above. I will announce the winner next Caturday so make your caption extra awesome. 🙂
Last week's winning caption is:
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: Happy Caturday
Comments (8)
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Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fufilled… – FYI Elvis Presley sang this song
Don't worry Dude … I've got your back!
My favorite pillow is orange!
Dude, I gotta get this Monkey off my back!
Monkey see, Monkey spoon.
Yer cozy. And your ear smells good too.
…And that's why his name is Monkey.
I loves you, comfy frand!!!
(btw, awwww!!!)


text:
2400A split core round current transformer with 0.333V output and 8" inside diameter - UL Listed.
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About Spire Aesthetics Ascot
At Spire Aesthetics we have outlets in most parts of the UK, and our services are not based on some advertising habits, such as grumpy or illusions about your body, which are common behaviours in most industries.
What Makes Our Services Exclusive Ascot?
Our company's priority is ideal customer services, and each member of our organisation has a role in safeguarding the beauty standards of the industry.
Besides, we are caring on the levels of values instead of chasing leadership visions as most companies do. We turn a blind eye to industrial propaganda by creating an excellent description of beauty, where personality is the king, and self-worth the queen.
Naturally, the prices or our treatments are cost-effective for individuals at various income levels.