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Winter, Oil Mixture on Canvas 15.8x22.7cm
Artist Note _____________________________________________________________________
I was growing up in the coastal village. I enjoyed watching the scenery, taking off my glasses. The colors, shapes and lights that I was watching back then have greatly affected my works. When I took off the glasses the shapes looked totally blurred. The sea and trees were blurred as they were one. People walking the beach and lights were beautifully dim. It was not realistic, but just beautiful, like dreams.
The shapes and actions in my art work are smudged and all the details will be sensed by viewers' imagination and emotion. I want viewers to be immersed in emotion and believe that blurred shapes and instant emotion make unexpected beauty. The reason why I painted people a lot comes from my memory of childhood.
When I was a kid, I got lost very frequently and every time I got lost I cried. Then, people around me who just passed by me, looked at me, talked to me and held my arms, looked very blurred just like my paintings. Their voices, temperatures and fragrances came to me as very unique colors and shapes. Their faces looked smudged like my paintings. Such memories affect my art work.


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PopCap's Bejeweled Executive Producer Leaves for Indie-Focused Studio
Add one more name to that list of ex-EA folks now at mobile indie game publisher Tilting Point: Giordano "Gio" Contestabile, who until recently supervised the Bejeweled franchise at EA subsidiary PopCap Games. Contestabile joined PopCap in 2007, right before free-to-play games went wild on mobile. Before producing the hit puzzle series Bejeweled, he managed the business end of PopCap's mobile games, including Plants vs. Zombies. As Tilting Point's new VP of product management and revenue, Contestabile joins fellow EA vets Tom Frisina, Dan Sherman, Steve Coallier and Jim Hsu.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fresh fruit and Ghirardelli chocolate are a winning combination for a Thank You, Housewarming or any special occasion. This great gift will have them oohing and ahhing with delight! Crisp green and red apples and juicy oranges are the perfect accompaniment to the huge variety of chocolates featured in this woven basket.
Red Apples (3 count); Green Apples (3 count); Oranges (3 count); Ghirardelli Filled Squares Bag (5.32 oz each, 1 count); Ghirardelli Bar (3.5 oz each, 2 count); Ghirardelli Solid Squares Bag (5.25 oz each, 1 count); Ghirardelli Bar (5.32 oz each, 1 count)
PERISHABLE GIFT SHIPPING: We recommend shipping 2-Day or Overnight for baskets with perishable items (fruit, cheese, chocolate). We also recommend these products are only shipped Mon-Wed or Thursday with Overnight delivery. We can only guarantee freshness if these guidelines are followed.
* Please note that on occasion, some items maybe substituted with other items of equal or greater value.
Copyright © 2020 Sdbrymans Privacy Notice | Conditions of Use


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Customer service
online help and faq´s
Details: Design by A Loja do Gato Preto Composition: Porcelain Inspiration: The It's On collection induces moments of contemplation and aspirational attitude towards life. It is inspired by the way of being and thinking of a cat. Each word is associated with trendy geometric pattern. We want to be
online help and faq´s
in all stores
Mastercard / Visa / Paypal
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In Grupo Senda, you'll find bus tickets in Ramos Arizpe, Coah. to any of our destinations. Travel with us and enjoy the many advantages that give traveling by bus, in addition to being much cheaper it allows you to live the road closely and discover landscapes on the road that you've never seen, all of this with the comfort and security that characterizes us.
Start looking for your ticket and begin traveling with Grupo Senda. Check our schedule and buy your tickets at ticket.gruposenda.com/en destinos_ciudades_link_home_3


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Patient Review
Billy Arthur PloetzNewbery OR, USA
Very happy with my treatment & my new teeth.
We're still open, we take patient and staff safety seriously. We are actively monitoring updates regarding COVID-19, as well as, updates related to the U.S./Mexico International border.
Based on information from the border control authorities, Traveling for medical/dental purposes is considered as essential travel, fulfilling the conditions to cross the border during its partial closure.
We stand ready to assist our patients and employees.
Very happy with my treatment & my new teeth.


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Album of Basha Members, China Burma India Veterans Association, Anthony Wayne Basha, Fort Wayne, Indiana
The Genealogy Center - Providing genealogical and historical information about Allen County, Indiana, the United States, and beyond.
Questions about military history & genealogy? Contact email@example.com. Questions about this site? Contact email@example.com. © 2004-2020, The Genealogy Center. This site last updated 9 May 2020.


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We offer comprehensive support services across a wide variety of open-source solutions
Our staff offer support expertise across user training, systems deployment and monitoring, hosting and systems administration. They are active contributors across a range of open source products as well as daily users of the products we support.
We have the reputation and the connections within open source communities internationally to provide you with the very best support available.
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We provide phone, email and online support for your open source applications with rapid resolution of trouble tickets through our issue management system.
Support is available under a range of service contracts to suit your needs, and we can offer 24 / 7 monitoring and support. Our support costs can be structured as per ticket, per seat or flat rate.


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Dawn Griffith, (thanks Dawn for sharing your sketch challenges with all of us) and these are what the ladies came up with...
I will do my best to remember who made which one
Janell used Dragonfly Dreams - love the coloring on her dragonfly wings
Chris used Sweet Storybook. Love, love that cute little mouse!
Linda made a darling baby card using Little Elephant stamp set and punch bundle
Inez chose Waterfront
And Shirley used Lilypad Lake and the Twinkle Twinkle Designer Paper
This was my choice using the Animal Outing Stamp Set
I sure hope I didn't miss any!!
Didn't they do a great job!!
Ok, I promised to share with you all the incentives going on for the month of July
If you love Designer Paper, NOW is the time to stock up with the BUY 3 GET 1 FREE Sale
ALSO: you may now purchase the new colors added to the STAMPIN' BLENDS Markers
Click HERE to shop for the Stampin' Blends Markers
NOW is the best time to sign up to be a part of Christi's Creative Crew. Not only will get you get $125.00 in product of your choice for only $99 + Tax, you will also receive an added 10 Ink Pads in the color family of your choice.
We added two wonderful ladies to our team already this month!! Welcome Jeanne and Debbie!!
Click HERE to check out all the color families
You may also choose from the In-Color families HERE (2018-2020)
OR HERE for the 2017-2019 collection
And if that is not enough, if you join Stampin' Up! in July you can preorder this limited-time product promotion that will be available to customers in August. This is a fantastic bundle that includes more watercolor pencil colors!!
Check it out!! between July 11 and August 10 you can get 50% off your first month of Paper Pumpkin if you are a NEW subscriber!!
An added incentive to subscribing to Paper Pumpkin is that I hold a FREE class every month (3rd Thursday of the month) where we come together to put our kits together. It's great to bounce ideas off one another and this FREE class is open to anyone who subscribes under me or if you are on my team and have Paper Pumpkin Subscription. We just love to get together!!
Christi Waite, Christi's Creative Crew
Thanks so very much for letting me be your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
Have an amazing day!
ChristiPin It Now!


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TPS restores cross country
City League commissioner of athletics Ed Scrutchins confirmed Wednesday that Toledo Public Schools will restore some of the athletic programs its board decided to cut a year ago when the district was attempting to offset a budget deficit of nearly $40 million.
Returning for the upcoming 2011-12 school year will be high school varsity cross country for boys and girls, as well as a modified version of four sports at the junior high level.
TPS restores cross country
Started by Guest_radiodavel_*, Jul 28 2011 08:46 AM
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977 but has lived and worked in the US. Her book Half of a Yellow Sun was a masterpiece about the Biafran war. As an "American African" (a distinction she makes from "African American"), she has a foot in both worlds and is good at capturing the nuance of racism in America. This book, although it is fiction, has a very personal feel to it, including some stories that she may very well be gleaning from her own experience. There are amazing snapshots of her Nigerian home country. Having lived for many years in a few African countries myself, I can relate to her descriptions and recognize her character types. Her book is full of insights about racism which she first encountered when she moved to the US. Her character Ifemulu says, " I only became black when I came to America."
Ifemulu and Obinze fall in love in Lagos when they are both teens. In Nigeria, at that time, there was a continual striving to move out to Western countries, and both achieve this at different times. But their relationship suffers when they are parted and both establish their own lives until they meet again, after many years. Ifemulu is still the gutsy outspoken unique woman that Obinze remembers, and Ifemulu realizes too late that Obinze was always the love of her life. What happens when Ifemulu returns to Nigeria and they meet again, is best left to the reader. This is a slow and thoughtful book and though the story is enjoyable, at times I felt a bit more plot would have made it even more compelling. The strength lies in the observations she makes and the eloquence with which she makes them. I especially enjoyed the section where she comments on the Obama presidential campaign.


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Moving Up
Rex Grossman, Redskins
I know – it's hard to drink the Rex Kool Aid so I'll be quick (occasionally, that line works on my wife). In the last two games, he's thrown for 603 yards with four touchdowns and three picks. He also chipped in a rushing touchdown in Week 11 against the Cowboys. He could do a face plant at any time but after the Jets this week, he gets the Patriots (32nd ranked pass defense), Giants (26th and slumping) and Vikings (29th). The schedule is definitely on his side and having Santana Moss back in the line up at wide receiver helps.
Kyle Orton, Chiefs
He's gotta be in and that's all I have to say about that.
Tyler Palko, Chiefs
After the Chiefs close loss to the Steelers this week, head coach Todd Haley said he wasn't sure if the recently acquired Kyle Orton would start at quarterback rather than Palko. With Palko tossing six interceptions and losing in fumble over the course of two games (including four turnovers to a Steelers defense that had accumulated just six over the first ten games of the season), here's guessing there's not much to think about. Of course, Haley somehow thought the noodle armed, accuracy challenged Palko was good enough to be an NFL backup so maybe these decisions aren't quite as obvious as they seem. I guess Palko as a backup isn't quite as offensive as Ron Jaworski saying that he had an opportunity to be the next Kurt Warner.
Running Backs
Moving Up
Roy Helu, Redskins
Last week, Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan opined that Helu wasn't ready to be the team's starting running back. Fantasy owners everywhere made sure Helu was sitting on their bench. Sure enough, Helu gets a whopping 30 touches against a stout Seahawks run defense and gains 108 rushing yards, 54 yards receiving and finds the end zone on a nice 28-yard run. And, oh yeah, he was in the starting line up. It's a mixed bag of run defenses on the horizon (Jets, Patriots, Giants and Vikings over the next four weeks) but given Shanahan's lack of consistency, it's hard to start Helu over a guy like the Saints Darren Sproles who is guaranteed to get 10-15 touches every week. That being said, the Redskins aren't getting to the playoffs, Helu is coming off a monster game and he has topped 100 total yards in all three games that he received at least 13 touches so doesn't Shanahan have to start him?
LeGarrette Blount, Bucs
After topping 1,000 rushing yards in 2010 despite getting significant playing time in just 11 games, the expectations for Blount this season were pretty high. Unfortunately, he's had a couple of bad games as well as two performances where he barely saw the field because the Bucs were trailing and he doesn't contribute in the passing game. However, Blount has been rolling over the past two weeks, topping 100 rushing yards in each game and even chipping in a career-high 56 receiving yards this week against the Titans.
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
It's been touchdown or bust for Lynch in 2011 and it was nice to see him get on a run of six consecutive contests with a rushing touchdown prior to this week's game against the Redskins. There was no rushing touchdowns this week but Lynch did top 100 yards rushing (24 for 111) for the third time in four games and also catch a pass for a 20 yard touchdown. He's rolling at just the right time for his fantasy owners.
Mark Ingram, Saints
Absolutely loved the MNF comment attributed to Saints head coach Sean Payton that the only thing holding Ingram back from being the Rookie of the Year was Payton's play calling (i.e. not enough touches for Ingram). Yeah, right. That and his atrocious 3.7 yards per carry and 3.6 yards per reception averages heading into Week 12. Giving credit where credit is due, Ingram arguably had a "career game" (little bit of sarcasm there, folks) with 13 carries for 80 yards and a score as well as two receptions for 14 yards. Maybe next week he will top 100 total yards for the first time in his career.
Moving Down
Steven Jackson, Rams
I was high on Jackson as the Rams entered the easier portion of their schedule but the team's poor passing attack and absolutely devastating injury situation along the offensive line has made it tough sledding for the big Rams back. After three straight 100-yard rushing performances, Jackson has been mostly shut down over the last two weeks by the Seahawks and Cardinals as they stacked the box, limiting Jackson to 139 total yards and no touchdowns in those games. The Rams reshuffled, makeshift offensive line reads, from left to right, Adam Goldberg, Jacob Bell, Tony Wragge, Jason Brown and Harvey Dahl.
C.J. Spiller, Bills
As I said in my column on Fred Jackson's season-ending injury, Spiller is ill-equipped to handle major touches and hasn't done much during his first two years in the league. Sure enough, the Jets shut him down easily this week with Spiller gaining 55 yards on 19 carries and catching three passes for 15 yards. He just hasn't shown anything to suggest that he is a capable NFL starter and his dancing in the backfield leads to far too many negative plays or minimal gains.
Daniel Thomas, Dolphins
With Reggie Bush stringing together a nice stretch of games, Thomas has seen his touches go down in games where the outcome is in doubt. After topping 16 or more touches in each of his first four games, Thomas has had two games with seven touches over his last four contests. And despite entering the league with a reputation as a solid short yardage option, the 228-pound former Kansas State product has found the end zone just once in his rookie season and that was on a pass reception.
Chris Ogbonnaya, Browns
Peyton Hillis made a surprise appearance in the Browns starting line up this week, essentially torpedoing Ogbonnaya's fantasy value. With Hillis getting a workmanlike 21 touches (and, no, he didn't do much with them, gaining just 71 yards), Ogbonnaya barely saw the field, gaining 20 yards on four touches. Ogbonnaya's not the most talented back in the league by any stretch but he did top 100 total yards in each of his last two games and with Hillis unlikely to be re-signed, it seems curious that the Browns gave Hillis so many touches.
Arian Foster, Texans
Just acknowledging that the presence of one T.J. Yates in the starting line up will impact Foster's production. He's still a top 10, maybe even top 5 running back the rest of the way but a monster performance may not be in the cards.
Matt Forte, Bears
With the fantasy playoffs just around the corner, Forte has put up his second and third worst fantasy performances over the last two weeks, gaining 85 and 84 total yards in the process and failing to find the end zone. This week, the Bears inexplicably gave backup Marion Barber ten carries to Forte's 12. Figure that one out. Is injury the issue? Who knows? Either way, Caleb Hanie starting with Jay Cutler out doesn't help matters. The sad sack Chiefs are up next followed by the Broncos, Seahawks and Packers for the fantasy playoffs.
Wide Receivers
Moving Up
Johnny Knox, Bears
Let's connect the dots. In the games that Jay Cutler started, Knox was averaging 4.3 targets, 2.4 receptions and 5.4 fantasy points per game. With Caleb Hanie under center this week, Knox had ten targets, catching four passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Looks like the backup quarterback likes throwing to his former backup wide receiver. Hopefully offensive coordinator Mike Martz took notice but we all know that Mad Mike works to the beat of his own drummer.
Laurent Robinson, Cowboys
This week against the Dolphins, Robinson hauled in seven receptions for 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With that performance, he has now caught 21 passes for 302 yards and five touchdowns in his four starts this season. While Miles Austin is expected back in the starting line up this week after missing three games with an injured hamstring, it's hard to see the Cowboys relegating Robinson to a pure backup role. Consider him a low end WR3 but worthy of a flex start if your league uses that position.
Roddy White, Falcons
White tested the patience of his fantasy owners for much of 2011 but their patience has been rewarded over the past two weeks with White putting up his two best performances of the season. He had 147 receiving yards in Week 11 against the Titans and topped that this week against the Vikings with ten receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. And look for that production to continue as the coaching staff has been feeding him the ball (27 targets over the past two weeks). Julio Jones was active this week but not fully healthy. Regardless, White is on a roll and the rookie's presence isn't expected to change that.
Percy Harvin, Vikings
In another case of "It's About Time", how about the Vikings Percy Harvin? Harvin was a dud over the first nine games of 2011, topping 100 total yards once and finding the end zone just once. He scored his second touchdown in Week 11 against the Raiders and totaled 94 yards. This week, he scored again and put up 106 total yards. That gives the multifaceted Harvin 344 total yards and three scores over the past four weeks.
Brandon Lloyd, Rams
I'm guessing that Lloyd likes St. Louis and his fantasy owners like him in St. Louis. In six games with the Rams, Lloyd has 71 targets (that's 11.8 per game and just one game where he didn't hit double digit), 31 receptions, 396 yards and four touchdowns. With 10.6 points per game, he rates as a high end WR2 with upside should the Rams somehow find a way to get the offense clicking.
Moving Down
DeSean Jackson, Eagles
Alligator Arms Jackson dropped not one but two potential touchdown passes this week in a must win game for Philadelphia at home against the Patriots. Both catches were plays that teams expect their top wide receivers to make and both times Jackson came up short. The worst one came on a crossing route at the goal line where Jackson dropped an easy catch at the goal line in order to protect himself. If you want to get paid like a superstar, come up big in a big game like a superstar. Kudos to head coach Andy Reid for nailing his so-called superstar to the bench in the fourth quarter.
Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
Tyler Palko is absolutely horrendous and figures to be replaced next week by Kyle Orton, who will have had a week and a half to learn the playbook. That hurts Bowe as does his disappearing act this week against the Steelers at the end of the game. With the game on the line and less than a minute remaining, Bowe raised his arm for the ball to come his way. It did. Bowe jumped. And in order to protect himself, he didn't bother to raise his arms, pirouetting in the air with his arms at his side. Steelers interception, game over. Another so-called superstar wide receiver who doesn't get it.
Andre Johnson, Texans
Johnson's a stud and you have to start him every week no matter who is at quarterback for Houston. However, I'm guessing that T.J. Yates was "trending" big time on Sunday after Matt Leinart suffered a suspected broken collarbone. It's one thing to go from Matt Schaub to Leinart and quite another to go from Leinart to a rookie 5th round pick from North Carolina. Whether it is Yates or veteran retread Kellen Clemens, Johnson's value is sinking unless the Texans find a veteran signal caller to spearhead the offense (Brett Favre anyone?).
Tight Ends
Moving Up
Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars
Suffice it to say that Lewis owners have been sorely disappointed with his performance in 2011, after he posted a career year in 2010 with 700 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. Hard to believe but the seven reception, 64 yard performance Lewis had in Week 11 was his best stat line of the year and his four reception, 47 yard outing this week was his second best performance of the season. So, he's trending up. Maybe next week, he will catch his first touchdown of the year (ugh).
Moving Down
Jermichael Finley, Packers
Let's pretend Finley's Week 3 explosion (seven receptions for 85 yards and three touchdowns) against the Bears never happened. Here's what Finley's stat line would read: ten games, 29 receptions, 428 yards, two touchdowns, 5.5 points per game. And 5.5 points per game is Heath Miller territory. Think low end TE2.


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Gray Kitchen Cabinets Inspiration
Pictures of grey kitchen cabinets and backsplash is created to be the inspiration of for you. This image was published on May 9, 2017 and published by Natalie Fletcher this is fall into the category Kitchen, the size of image is 800 x 1187 and this post has 19 related images. If you have any questions please Contact Us. Hope it could inspire you, our beloved reader in geckogarys.com, back to article please click Gray Kitchen Cabinets Inspiration.
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Exposing Soviet Union's War on Christianity
Priest's Collection of Propaganda Posters Offers Lessons
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — While strolling through a popular flea market outside Moscow in 1999, Father Doug Grandon spied an old Soviet poster that spoke to him because it was about religion.
But it was a rabidly anti-religious broadside he had just found, a remnant from an intense, long-lasting effort by communist ideologues to drum religious devotion out of Russian lives.
Father Grandon's collection of Soviet posters, produced between 1918 and 1983, grew to more than 60, as he kept finding more exemplars on subsequent trips to Russia.
Over the last eight months, he has helped organize several exhibits in Colorado for the public to experience these dramatic examples of a 20th-century war on religion.
"The Soviet War on Religion" exhibit was first sponsored by the Archdiocese of Denver last October at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
Among the boldly colored images, priests are mocked as greedy hypocrites. God is portrayed as a slothful drunkard. Clergy are linked with capitalists as enemies of the Soviet working people. Parents are warned to avoid baptizing children because the sacrament spreads germs.
"The posters are eye-openers," observed Father Grandon, parochial vicar at St. Thomas More Church in Centennial, Colo. He also serves as a board member of the Mary, Mother of God Mission to the Russian Far East, which is reviving the Catholic community in Russia's easternmost territory, the largest diocese in the world.
"They're shocking historic documents, vividly harsh, and, I fear, they're particularly relevant today," the priest said.
The posters offer "a warning that this could happen again. Where you have a disrespect for the freedom of religion, a rampant kind of secularism, this could happen again," observed Father Grandon.
He added, "If we forget these horrific historical examples, and if we become lethargic in our political involvement, our prayers, in our practice of religion, our culture could be lost. It could happen even here."
Some 1,000 people visited the most recent Soviet poster exhibit at St. Thomas More over Pentecost weekend, May 18-20, including students brought from the parish school, guests at a lecture given by Father Grandon and parishioners, before and after Mass.
"The impact on visitors was powerful," said Irene Lindemer, editor of the church bulletin. "You realize that people died as a result of this campaign" of hatred against Christianity.
Ominous Picture
Viewed together, the posters represent an ominous picture of an intense government effort to divide people from the Church and thus from God.
Among the themes running through the exhibit, especially in the period immediately following the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 (when forces led by Vladimir Lenin took power by toppling a provisional government that had displaced the czar earlier that year) is aggressive antagonism toward the clergy.
Priests are depicted as predators who mislead and extract wealth from innocent people. They are shown manipulating people for money — by charging fees for baptism, for example — or being manipulated by their capitalist allies.
Fundamentally, the new communist dictators were trying to undermine any potential challengers to their power, and they saw the leadership of the Church as threatening their hold on society.
Between 1918 and 1920, the regime killed 28 bishops and jailed or killed thousands of priests.
The posters also depict devout grandparents as dangerous influences on youth. In a 1930 poster, an ugly old grandmother tries to corral her granddaughter to a church, above which blackbirds circle. The child, dressed in a Communist Young Pioneer outfit, strains to go to school. The text reads, "Religion Is Poison. Protect Children From It."
These negative images contributed to a public campaign to minimize the authority of Christianity, even as the regime was brutally repressing religion by closing churches, monasteries, charities and religious schools and seminaries.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which had 117 million members in 1914, was crushed over several decades. By 1930, approximately 80% of the village churches in the Soviet Union had been destroyed.
The Roman Catholic Church had 500,000 believers in 150 parishes before 1917.
Many were members of ethnic communities, such as the Polish, Ukrainians and Germans.
But by late 1930, only two Catholic churches in the entire country were still open, one in Moscow and the other in St. Petersburg, and most believers had been harassed, persecuted, jailed or even killed.
Iconographic Inspiration
Christianity as an obstacle to progress is another theme seen in the propaganda posters. Lenin is described as "cleaning the world of filth" in a 1920 poster that shows him sweeping away the kings of England and Prussia, a wealthy industrialist and an Orthodox priest.
As pointed out by author Victoria Bonnell in Iconography of Power: Soviet Political Posters Under Lenin and Stalin, the graphic designers who made them relied heavily on the visual tradition of Orthodox icons to create memorable compositions.
Red, for example, the dominant color in religious icons, symbolizes the blood of sacrifice and the fire of faith. Poster artists similarly use red as the dominant color signifying communist power and authority, as well as the proletariat's upward destiny.
Christian worship in Russia was heavily reliant on icons and decorative imagery, because most of the population was illiterate. The communists took this tradition and used it in ideological communication, which was a massive effort: Between 1919 and 1922, one official outlet distributed 7.5 million posters, plastering them on houses, in workplaces and in public buildings.
Top communist leaders were involved in the anti-religion campaign; Leon Trotsky led a special group charged with seizing church valuables. He believed that, ultimately, Christianity would be overcome by new distractions, such as film.
After World War II, propaganda posters portray religion as being opposed to medicine and science. Images that mock the power of prayer to heal or link the sacraments, such as Communion, with spreading disease, were posted in hospitals and clinics.
In a 1965 poster, a monk reads a newspaper report on the Soviet space program as his peers study The Lives of the Saints. The text reads: "Hurry up! We need to find the patron saint of cosmonauts!"
The fact that, in the 1960s, Soviet commissars continued to denigrate Christianity in public imagery suggests that the leadership was never confident that the "New Soviet Man" they aspired to create had forgotten God or his Church on earth.
Religion's Revival
And, in fact, the Russian people did not forget the Church.
Since the fall of communism in 1991, the Russian Orthodox Church has experienced a remarkable revival.
Between 1991 and 2011, the number of parishes grew from 12,000 to 30,675, and the number of monasteries and convents increased from 117 to 805, according to the Orthodox Church's information office.
The Catholic Church has also experienced marked progress in recovering communities that were almost extinct.
As of 2005, there were approximately 780,000 Catholics in Russia, which is about .5% of the country's population.
Father Daniel Maurer arrived in Russia just a month after the Soviet Union collapsed, and he has served in Vladivostok, in Russia's Far East, since he was ordained there, in 1992, in Most Holy Mother of God Church.
According to Father Maurer, the long, dark period of communist rule, when Christianity was ridiculed and suppressed, continues to create problems for the Church's health today.
While more people identify as Christians in Russia, the percentage that practices the faith regularly is very small.
Common issues such as alcoholism, divorce and abortion are also indicative of a society that has not been able to deeply live Christian values.
For Father Maurer, the situation in Russia, mainly as a result of the anti-religion campaign, calls on believers to think about how to "re-Christianize" the country.
Catechism is essential, but so is sacred music, according to the dedicated priest.
Art was used in the Soviet Union to get people to reject the Church. Now, art, in the form of music, is being used to encourage people in Russia to return to the Church and to facilitate Christian fellowship.
"The most successful way to create new bonds, to bring people together and to invite people to our church for the first time is through sacred music," explained Father Maurer.
He continued, "We were given the gift of the first organ. We have run the most successful concert series in the history of the city. We have a professional choir and our own chamber orchestra. Our organist is one of the best organists in Russia, so we have 12-15 organ concerts, all sold out, all religious."
Explained Father Maurer, "This music is directly related to the faith, so it is a highly functional gateway to the Church."
Victor Gaetan writes from
- Keywords:
- June 30-July 13, 2013


text: Seller: vuelectroniccomponents (48.100) 99.8%, Location: Manchester, Ships to: Europe, Item: 193056130306 BCP-1 Sound transducer piezo alarm 12VDC Sound level80dB MPM. BCP-1 Sound transducer piezo alarm 12VDC Sound level80dB MPM Sound transducer piezo alarm 12VDC Sound level 80dB Manufacturer MPM Type of sound transducer piezo alarm Operating voltage 12V DC Sound level 80dB Body colour black Kind of signal continous, intermittent Additional information Gross weight 0.04 kg Currently we accept PayPal only - as reliable, fast payment system. For customers outside European Union - we do international shipping, but please keep in mind that paying import duties, taxes, and charges are buyer's responsibility. For larger orders - always feel free to contact us about prices and we will try to do our best. Combined shipping - we require immediate for Buy It Now items so ebay does not automatically combine shipping fee. If you are purchasing multiple items - place an order and contact us trough ebay messaging - we will refund you difference between amount you paid actual shipping fee (this especially applies to small electronic components, IC's, SMD components etc. We have large warehouse with electronic components and IT related tools, only small part is listed on our ebay store so if you are in need for specific item - feel free to contact us - we cooperate with more than 5000 manufacturers. We are UK based company, and currently we operate from 2 warehouses For European Union buyers - no additional taxes/import fees etc. applies - we are truly UK based company, all the duties and taxes were paid by us when we imported goods from manufacturer! For buyers outside EU - import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying Goods from Manchester warehouse are dispatched via Royal Mail or UPS/DPD/TNT/Hermes (depends on item weight) - contact us if you prefer to use different delivery methods Goods from Riga, Latvia warehouse are dispatched via Post of Latvia or EMS. Delivery time depends on both Latvia Post and your country national post company. Normally parcel delivery time is from 4 working days up to 2 weeks. But since delivery times depends on buyers country post service - it sometimes may be delayed to 3-4 weeks. We strongly recommend contact your post office (by our expierence - do not contact local post office but try to contact regional office/sorting center) if your parcel is delayed. By our expierence - package may arrive to your post sorting center after few working days already but get stuck in sorting center. Important information: To avoid any fraud and scam - we send orders only to PayPal or Ebay registered addresses, no additional addresses are allowed! COMPANY INFORMATION: V&U ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS LTD ENGLAND REGISTERED COMPANY Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about ordering, payment and shipping or any questions regarding technical issues related to our items. For technical assistance please allow some time for response from our technical department, for advanced complicated questions we aim to answer in 24 - 48 hours, sometimes it may take longer if we need to receive support directly from vendor We kindly ask to not leave us negative feedback but contact us first - we will do our best to solve a problem Fastest way to communicate with us is ebay messaging system. Condition: New, Brand: MPM, MPN: BCP-1


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Balcony Rooms with view of Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base. Jan-2009
Guantanamo Bay ferryboat seen from hotel restaurant. Jan-2009
Guantanamo Bay at breakfast at Hotel Caimanera. Jan-2009
Find peace here with a rocking good novel. Jan-2009
Cubans enjoying a warm January morning out on the still waters of Guantanamo Bay. Jan-2009
Another peaceful spot to escape to - and appreciate your liberty - while smoking a fine Cuban cigar
Nigel at a Caimanera nightclub (1 of 2) with wonderful chaperons & friends. Jan-2009
Guantanamo Bay mangroves. Jan-2009
Caimanera Hotel Lobby. Jan-2009
Cuban guests enjoying Hotel Caimanera. Jan-2007
Hotel Reception. Jan-2009
Big swimming pool and children's water-slide. Jan-2009
Caimanera Hotel is located like a castle on the highest hillock, in the fishing village of the same name, which is in the heart of the Bahia de Guantanamo, better known as Guantanamo Bay. The South of the village is actually bordered by the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base.
Hotel Caimanera with natural decorations and ambience is a model of simplicity and good taste. It is has been newly renovated for 2009. It looks great.
Offering excellent service and a historically unique location, it is the prefect setting for a memorable vacation in a truly warm Cuban carefree atmosphere, made all the better by the sheer irony of being so close to a culture so obsurdly opposite.
The hotel has been closed to foriegners for many (Bush) years until February 2009. Now (for the moment) it is open again to foreign tourists from Cuba-friendly countries. You must come in a group (7 to 40) with tour guide, and provide passport details of all visitors two weeks in advance. Also there is a LUNCH ONLY stop combined with a tour of Los Monitongos. The guide and the tour are bookable with firstname.lastname@example.com. The security checks in the Caimanera zone are very tight for good reason, as you might expect. But it all adds to the excitement.
It would be surpising if you didn't feel very special and privileged if you visit here in 2009.
More info and photos of Hotel Caimanera can be found at hotel caimanera .com
© 2013 Nigel Hunt
Cafe / snack bar
Children's swimming pool
Games room
Hotel was recently renovated
International cuisine
Laundry & Ironing Service
Modern building
Mountains nearby
Nightclub nearby
Nightclub, disco or dance hall
Pool bar
Poolside snack bar
Safety - doctor in hotel - on call 24hrs
Safety - uniformed security personnel 24hrs
Shop(s) with basic supplies, souvenirs & gifts
Swimming pool
Telephone - national & international calls
Description and facilities details coming soon.
Air conditioning
Bathroom (ensuite)
Double bed
Hot & cold water
In-room safe
Terrace or balcony
Three beds
Twin beds
UK Sales :: Audrey :: +44 20 7498 8555 or 0800 298 9555
USA & Canada Sales :: Jeffery or Bastien :: Toll Free 888 361 9555
Havana Tourist Center :: Idelsis :: +53 7 863 9555
(less than 10 days)


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Beeswax Wraps - Cheese Pack
Beeswax wraps have a breathable quality which makes them ideal for storing cheese and keeping it fresher for longer. This means no more wincing at wet, sweaty cheese wrapped in plastic in your fridge (we've all been there!) and less food waste! With our Cheese Pack, not only do BeeBee Wraps keep your cheese happily fresh for days and weeks on end, but with three different designs, you can easily identify which of your favorite cheese each BeeBee design is keeping fresh! Wahoo! Of course you can also use this pack for other foods besides cheese :)
Wrap | Wash | Reuse
- Made with beeswax, tree resin, organic jojoba oil infused into an organic cotton cloth.
- Wash in COLD water with eco-friendly dish soap. No microwaves or hot temperatures.
- Lasts one year or longer.
- Three medium wraps - 26 x 26 cm
Our goal is to offer you the best shipping options, whether you live in the Netherlands or an international country. Every order is provided with Track & Trace so you can follow your package.
- Shipping time: Delivery usually takes about 1-3 business days after your order is processed.
- Shipping costs: €4,95 for all orders.
- Free shipping: If your order is above €50,- then the shipping costs are free.
All of our orders will be shipped with Fietskoeriers, which is the most sustainable shipping option available in the Netherlands. The bicycle courier collects the packages from us daily and they strive to deliver all packages in the Netherlands within 24 hours.
The bicycle couriers deliver the packages from Tuesday to Friday between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM. If you are not at home when the delivery person comes to your door, they will always try to deliver your package to your neighbors. Is it not working with your neighbors? The bicycle couriers make three delivery attempts, after three failed delivery attempts your package is returned to us at Plastic Free Amsterdam On Saturday, the packages are delivered by DHL, in collaboration with Fietskoeriers.nl.
Change delivery day or address?
If your package is delivered by bicycle, you can. The track & trace message you receive will state whether your package will be delivered by bicycle. To change the delivery day or delivery address, it is best to contact Fietskoeriers.nl via the chat function on the website, mail or via Whatsapp:+31 6 14435193.
How does Fietskoeriers.nl work?
The city is the domain of bicycles. That is why green gas cars drive to the outskirts of the city and the bicycle couriers deliver the packages by bicycle from there. In this way, we reduce the traffic pressure in the city and limit CO2 emissions to a minimum.
These bicycle couriers currently cycle in 30 cities, but not yet in the rest of the Netherlands. It is therefore possible that their partner, DHL, will deliver your package. And that is still sustainable! By combining delivery in rural areas with a different carrier, the vans are fuller and no CO2-emitting vehicles are added on the highway. DHL also has the sustainable bar high, by 2050 they want to be completely emission-free. The track & trace message that we will send you states whether the bicycle couriers will deliver your package or whether DHL will do so.
- Austria ( home - €10,30; service point - €6,50)
- Belgium (€8,00)
- Czechia (€13,55)
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- France (home - €11,75; service point - €8,75)
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- Italy (€15,40)
- Latvia ( home -€17,45; service point - €16,30)
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- Lithuania (€16,30)
- Luxembourg (home - €9,75; service point - €7,35)
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- Poland (€13,55)
- Portugal (€14,10)
- Slovenia (€15,20)
- Slovakia (€14,10)
- Spain (15,20)
- Sweden (€13,05)
- United Kingdom (€9,45)
- Shipping time: Delivery usually takes about 2-5 business days after your order is processed.
- Shipping costs: The shipping costs are displayed next to the country name. We do not have a standard international shipping fee because we want you to know exactly what the costs are. This way you know you won't pay too much.
You can pick up your order in our storage unit in the Bijlmerbajes located on H.J.E. Wenckebachweg 48 in Amsterdam. You can choose for pickup at checkout. Carefully read the instructions given.
If you have any questions, you can contact us:
- Contact form
- E-mail address: email@example.com


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You know how they say the way to a man's heart us through his stomach? Well good god, I must have been a man in a past life because that saying totally applies to me. I would take a food present over a wussy bouquet of flowers or some weird grandma print scarf any day. Last week, the hubster brought me half of his sandwich from lunch and I swear, I almost married him all over again. For the record, if you're going to woo anyone with half a leftover sandwich, make sure it has roasted wild mushrooms, gruyere, and caramelized leeks.
So when the hubster presented me with an entire jar of Biscoff Spread, I told him he had just covered my presents for the next few birthdays and anniversaries. What is Biscoff Spread you ask? Only the most amazing food invention ever. You know those crunchy cinnamony Biscoff cookies you get on a Delta flight? Well imagine a jar of cookies in creamy form and you have Biscoff Spread. I once got a tiny plastic sample cup of the stuff at the Fancy Food Show and I was ecstatic. To have an entire jar of the perfectly smooth, cinnamony goodness was mind boggling.
I ate a few (okay, many) spoonfuls of the spread straight out of the jar as I worked on our Thanksgiving menu. Call it brain food, if you will. The big stuff like the turkey and stuffing and potatoes were settled but something was missing. And then it dawned on me. See, we always make a few small nibbles to have out while we prepare the big meal. That way, people can take a small break from cooking the meal of the year, grab a handful of nuts or chocolates, and chat about something other than baking or broiling. There was one year where we made dinner at a bachelor friend's house and were forced to eat dry cereal straight out of the box while preparing the big meal because well, that's all he had besides the Thanksgiving fare. Well cereal and a bottle of mustard so you can see why we opted for the cereal.
Maybe the answer was to share my beloved Biscoff spread with my family. It took some mental convincing to agree to share that jar of crack, I mean, spread, but I felt it was the right thing to do in the spirit of Thanksgiving. I began searching for recipes for possible pre-giant meal nibbles and buried amidst the crazy complicated recipes for cheesecakes with Biscoff spread in the crust, filling, and topping and cupcakes with eighteen steps all involving Biscoff, I found a humble little recipe for a Biscoff Oatmeal Cookie. It sounded simple. Almost too simple.
I tested the cookies during a midnight baking session late last weekend (apologies for the dark pictures). And as soon as the cookies were finished, I ate a few in the name of quality control. And I was blown away. These might be the best oatmeal cookies you'll ever have. Chewy in the middle with perfectly crispy edges, and with a rich, deep sweetness from the brown sugar and Biscoff. Make the cookies for Thanksgiving. Crumble them up and use them to make a crust for your favorite pumpkin pie. Use them as streusel topping for your sweet potato casserole. Or better yet, leave them out in a pretty tray for people to nibble on as they prepare the big meal.
And as Thanksgiving approaches and we all take stock of our lives, I'm thankful for family and friends who humor me with food presents. And just in case it needed to be said, I'm thankful for cookies. Always thankful for cookies.
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, Biscoff spread, sugar, and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extra and beat until smooth.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Chill the dough 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Form the cookie dough into rounded 1 1/2 tablespoons and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are golden and just firm around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack.
Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod.


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Price: $22.50
Backgammon precision dice have machine-balled corners (bevelled corners) compared to standard casino dice which have sharp corners. The balled corners allow for greater spin and tumbling of the dice when they are thrown. The balled corners also result in a perfectly circular face on each side of the die. Precision dice have smooth flush surfaces, unlike the pitted, concave surfaces of non-precision dice. Precision dice are used in casinos to guard against trick rolls and to ensure the randomness of each roll.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Toll Free (USA & Canada) 1-866-260-2058
URL: https://www.gammonvillage.com/shop/itemdetail_print.cfm?pid=1198


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Syria's latest effort to quell anti-government protests appears to be unsuccessful: Protesters hit the streets in Damascus and Baniyas after the Syrian government passed a law lifting the country's decades-old state of emergency. Changes include the abolition of a state security court, which tried political prisoners, and a new law allowing peaceful protests, which will still, however, require permission from the Interior Ministry. President Bashar al-Assad is expected to sign the law.
Crowds surge, "martyrs" are carried from the protest field, and gunshots ring out through the night—view videos from Syria's most recent protests as the country marches toward revolution.
After a mix of soldiers, police officers, and security forces attacked a sit-in demonstration in Homs—Syria's third-largest city—that left up to four people killed and as many as 50 others wounded, President Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian regime offered concessions to its people on Tuesday, while issuing a stern warning to end protests.
Videos and digital photos of the protests rattling the regime's nerves are surfacing on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, and The Daily Beast will be gathering those that paint a picture of just what's going down in the Syrian Arab Republic.
I Witness: Secret Service Arrested Students
A tweet by a Syrian journalist bears witness to the arrest of students protesting at Aleppo university on April 20th.
RT @ freelancitizen: #Syria i wetness: secret service arrested students in #Aleppo university freedom demonstration today less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android Favorite Retweet ReplyHCHOUKRIhchoukri44
A University Erupts
A brief video allegely shows students carrying a fellow protester--a medical student--injured in the crackdown at Aleppo University.
Another video from the same person shows the demonstration outside the "Faculty of Arts" at Aleppo University.
Storming the Street
A man can be seen walking slowly through the street, yelling 'Allahu Akbar!' at unseen forces. Then, they appear--dressed in black, wearing white helmets, and firing guns in the direction of the man off-camera.
A Funeral
This video, reports the Lede, "is said to show a funeral on Tuesday for two people killed in the raid on the square."
The Moment of the Shooting
The following video, originally posted on Facebook, shows protesters running from gunshots fired by unseen security forces. This was taken in the Syrian city of Homs, near the square they've renamed "Tahrir," after Egypt. Halfway through, protesters on the run can be heard shouting "Allahu Akbar!"
In Response to the Statement of the Ministry of Interior
A crowd gathers in Banias, Syria, and chants in response, the video title says, to the Interior Ministry's recent statement warning the protesters against participating in any sit-ins.
Lattakia March
Protesters marched through the Syrian port city of Lattakia at 12 a.m. local time Tuesday.
GRAPHIC: Body of a man killed by an explosive
The following allegedly shows doctors examining the body of a protester killed by an explosive. The video's lone commentator, Omar222, says "We" consider the victim to be a martyr, while wishing for the "Curse of God" on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Gunshots and a Body in Blue
In this :17 second video, two protesters can be seen carrying the body of a third--in a blue shirt--as gunshots ring out in the background. The title explains the victim was killed in the Homs sit-in.
We Want Freedom
A series of photographs posted by SyrianJasmine, a Twitter user chronicling the country's protests in Banias, a city in northwestern Syria, show the signs of the revolution. The following three were posted on Tuesday evening, local time.
Gunshots in the Night
This two-minute video, posted by UgaritNews, shows protesters running through the night as gunshots ring out all around them. Around the 1:30 mark, a protester, perhaps wounded by a bullet, or hopefully, simply resting, is shown propping himself up on the abandoned street.
Street Graffiti
A cellphone video shows various anti-regime statements scrawled out with spraypaint on the Syrian streets.
Brian Ries is tech and social media editor at The Daily Beast. He lives in Brooklyn.


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The People's Fest III
After a month and a half of dreary days the rain ceased falling in time for the first weekend of May. The sunshine was welcomed with open arms as New York tried to shake itself dry for a few days … Continue reading
Posted in Festivals, Muzak Tagged everything, fest, festival, music, My Best Fest, People's Fest, person, question, where? 1 Comment


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Dog Memorial Cards
The perfect way to remember your best friend and faithful companion. Carry the memory of your beloved pet with you everywhere you go with a favourite photo and touching reminder always at hand. Our beloved pets become so much a part of our families and homes, a dog memorial card is the perfect way to honour their memory and remind you every day of the special role they played in your life and the happy times you shared together.
Choose your favourite photo and upload it using the upload link along with your pets name and relevant details to order your dog memorial cards. Printed in full colour on high quality card stock and finished in Gloss or Matte lamination for a long lasting and durable finish.
The handy A7 size fits neatly in your purse or wallet so it's always close at hand.
Supplied in a pack of twenty cards so theres one for all of your family and friends.
Size: A7 (105mm x 74mm)
Stock: 350 gsm white card
Print: Two sides, full colour
Finish: Matte or Gloss
Pack size: 20 Cards
If your preferred quantity is not listed, please Contact Us for a quotation
firstname.lastname@example.com | (041) 980 4445 or use the quotation form
Artwork Requirements
When supplying your own artwork your files must meet the following specifications:
- Print ready PDF files must be provided
- Artwork must be set to include 3mm bleed and 4mm safezone
- Colour mode must be set to CMYK
- Image resolution must be 300dpi minimum
- Images must be embedded
- All fonts must be outlined
For templated items such as Wedding Stationery, you simply need to provide us with the relevant text content in any format. For more information on setting up print ready files please see our technical advice section. If you have any questions with regard to your artwork or would like to know more about our custom graphic design services, please feel free to Contact Us
firstname.lastname@example.com - (041) 980 4445
Standard Paper Sizes
The most common standard paper size in use is A4 which is a standard letter size and the size commonly used in desktop and home printers. A4 is a useful reference for paper sizes since all the other sizes are either a multiple or division of this size, i.e - A4 is half of A3, A5 is half of A4, A6 is half of A5 etc.
A3 - 297mm x 420mm
A4 - 210mm x 297mm
A5 - 148mm x 210mm
A6 - 148mm x 105mm
A7 - 105mm x 74mm
Standard business card size is 85mm x 55mm. Use this link for more information on standard paper sizes


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Located in the Golden Horse Barracks building, the Mainz State Museum is one of the oldest museums in Germany.
The historical prosperity and international standing of the cosmopolitan city of Mainz are reflected in the numerous collections. Important artistic and cultural treasures include archaeological discoveries from pre- and early history, exhibits from the Roman empire and art and culture from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and baroque, right up to the 20th and 21st centuries.
Opening times:
Tuesday 10am-8pm, Wednesday-Sunday 10am-5pm
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Mer hjelp får du fra nettleserleverandøren ved å klikke på ikonet:


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ST. LOUIS, July 6 (UPI) -- A cross and another image resembling either a fish or the number 6 etched into the Busch Stadium pitcher's mound have been erased, the St. Louis Cardinals say.
While the Cardinals' management says the second image was a 6 meant to be a tribute to Hall of Famer and all-time Cardinals great Stan Musial -- who died this year -- a team fan says it clearly was a fish, another common Christian symbol along with the cross.
Team General Manager John Mozeliak said the images were the work of the Busch Stadium grounds crew.
Mozeliak said when he learned of it from a story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he asked the practice be stopped.
"It's just not club policy to be putting religious symbols on the playing field or throughout the ballpark," Mozeliak told the newspaper Saturday. "I didn't ask for the reason behind it. I just asked for it to stop."
The GM said he's fine with baseball-related artwork. The grounds crew regularly cuts the outfield grass to include the shape of the iconic St. Louis arch, which frames the center field scoreboard.
"If you want to stencil 'STL' or something like that [onto the pitching mound], that's fine," said Mozeliak, "but that's not something we've asked anyone to do."
The River Front Times, a St. Louis weekly newspaper, reported June 25 that reader and Cardinals fan Michael Vines had sent an email saying he had noticed the symbols on the mound on numerous occasions.
Vines contends the second symbol is a fish, not a 6, and considered wrong for the Cardinals to display "religious iconography on the infield at Busch Stadium, a place of hallowed ground not just for Christians, but for Cardinal fans of all religions, including none at all."


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Yesterday was my birthday.
It was a wonderful day being thoroughly surprised by my husband, cupcakes at work, and lots of hugs from my amazing boys.
There are a few more birthday wishes I wouldn't have minded receiving for my birthday though:
- How about some sleep? The night before my birthday was another long one with Mr. Brian. So I spent my first day of being 32 with rather large dark circles under my eyes. I'm trying to remember that he just goes through these cycles and soon we'll be back on a really good sleeping pattern.
- A bump up on some waiting lists. We've been impatiently waiting to get some in-home support for a long time. And we're on a 6-9 month waiting list for the Lurie Center for Autism at Mass General. We could really use a little bit more extra help and we could use it now.
- A housekeeper. Hey, a girl can dream right? I have pretty much given up on ever having a clean, organized home while I work full-time. It's just not going to happen.
- A winning powerball ticket. I guess that means I actually have to play the lottery though, right?
- Someone who will take all the calories out of my food for me. You know like Peter did in the dream sequence on The Sweetest Thing. Am I the only one that remembers/watched that movie?
- A positive pregnancy test. Just throwing that out there. Every one and their mother knows we're trying because I was such a loud mouth about it in the months leading up to our wedding. I honestly thought it was just going to happen. And every one and their mother asks me every month if I'm pregnant yet. Believe me, I won't be shy about yelling it from the rooftops when it does happen. 13 months of trying to conceive just sucks.
- My sanity. I think it's around here somewhere.
- A vacation. Hey, we're going on one at the end of August so this one will come true! I can't wait to have a week off with the three most important men in my life!
- Balance. Hahaha, the unattainable balance between me time, my family, my social life, work, my hobbies, and so on.
- You know screw all of this and just give me a cure for autism. Yup, there I said it. Everyone in the autism world know's there is this big disagreement between parents and individuals with autism on whether or not we would cure autism if we could. People say that taking away a person's autism changes who they are. I call bullshit. My son's personality, his smile, his giggles, his ability to find the good in the bad, his kindness- that's all him. The upset stomach, GI issues, inability to talk and then be so frustrated, the difficulty sleeping, the self-injurious behaviors and so on- that's his autism. I want him to be happy and healthy. That's not too much to ask.


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First, the mayor likened that state senators up in Albany, whose squabbling effectively took control over New York City schools that the mayor fought so hard to get and turned it back over to the Board of Education, to a bunch of Nazis.
Initially, it was a much more subtle dig. During his weekly radio interview, the mayor said it was pointless to try and negotiate issues like mayoral control, and used the example of Neville Chamberlain. Now, for those of you not up to date on your British history, Chamberlain was the prime minister who tried to appease the Nazis through negotiations and engagement. We know how that turned out.
The whole thing might have blown over, but some senators took offense, and a plucky New York 1 reporter ran with it, telling the mayor at a recent Q&A that some senators felt the mayor compared them to Nazis, to which the mayor replied "I certainly did."
A spokesperson for the mayor later said that Bloomberg didn't hear the question correctly, but it didn't take long for the ball to get rolling, and on Tuesday, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Councilman Bill de Blasio, who is running for citywide office this year, aanounced a press conference denouncing the mayor's remarks. As far as we know, the mayor has never likened either one of them to Nazis, but if there is a Denouncement Train leaving the station, best to hop on and not get left behind.
That press conference was eventually cancelled, after the mayor personally called the pair and convinced them that is really was an honest mistake. Denouncement averted!
Now, making a reference to the Holocaust in any situation is never a good political move, but it just might be trumped by uttering that other "N" word. Check out what Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney had to say Monday when talking about Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, whose seat she plans to challenge in a primary against the wishes of her own Democratic Party:
"It's the NRA, it's immigration, it's all these other things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, 'It was like saying n-r to a Puerto Rican.' I don't know-I don't know if that's true or not. I just called. I'm just throwing that out. All of her-well, what does she stand for?"
Holy...! Now, maybe Maloney was just showing that she likes to keep it real on the hard streets of the Upper East Side (okay, she also represents the largest public housing project in the country, but mostly the Upper East Side), and isn't some know-nothing upstate politician who got handed her job by the governor.
But what the hell!
You know the spin doctors in Maloney's camp went into to full-blown crisis mode once that quote hit the Interweb. Here's what they came up with:
"I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting. It's no excuse but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated."
So, everybody just lay off of Maloney. The person you should be upset at is some insensitive Puerto Rican person with Maloney's cell phone number.
Gillibrand was supposed to make an appearance in Queens that same afternoon, but didn't show up, claiming she was suddenly called away on important business. Yeah, right. After she heard what Maloney said we think she went to her nearest watering hole and kicked a few back and called it a day. Getting elected is going to be easier than she thought.


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MONTVILLE � All it takes is one goal, but getting that could prove to be elusive when the Norwich Free Academy boys soccer team takes on East Lyme in the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship match at 7 p.m. tonight at Montville High School.
The boys title game will be preceded by a match between the two most far-flung members of the league. Woodstock comes from the northeast corner and East Lyme from the southeast. The Vikings and Centaurs get underway at 5 p.m.
The previous two meetings between East Lyme (12-1-5) and NFA boys have produced all of one goal.
�It�s going to be a great game,� NFA coach Rob Briones said. �They are a very good team very sound, very disciplined and have a very good defense. I�m looking forward to it.�
Still on a high
The Wildcats (12-4-1) come in off a momentum-building victory in the semifinals on Wednesday night. Mason Rivera�s header just 56 seconds into the second overtime ended a trying game. The Wildcats survived an early barrage by Waterford, including an unsuccessful penalty kick, and then played the last 40 minutes-plus with only 10 men because of a disqualification for a pair of yellow cards.
�The kids are going to be pumped, but we have to make sure that we are well-rested,� Briones said.
The first matchup produced a scoreless tie at Fontaine Field in Norwich. The Vikings managed to score � Jeremiah Northcutt put one past NFA keeper Seth Strader with 15 minutes, 31 seconds left � in the second meeting at East Lyme High.
Stellar defense
It�s not like East Lyme can�t score, because it�s produced 37 goals this season. But prior to a 2-1 overtime win over Stonington in the other ECC semifinal on Wednesday, the Vikings had scored twice in their last six games. Their record in that span was 5-0-1. That�s because they allowed only one goal in those five matches. East Lyme had 12 shutouts this season.
�We know that we�re not giving up a goal, or if we do, it�s only going to be one, and if we give that up, all we need is one to tie or get a win,� Vikings coach Paul Christensen said after East Lyme�s win over NFA last month. �I think the confidence in the defense has allowed the offense to grow and really helped us become a pretty tough team.�
Rivera said, although it may sound like tough, physical battles between the two, physicality is not an issue when the Wildcats and Vikings play.
�We�re both very technical teams, so it will be a great soccer game, great to watch,� Rivera said. �We just have to come out with the heart and energy that brought us through (the semifinal match with Waterford). We were tied at 2-2 and it really didn�t faze us. There were times when we faced frustration, but we got through it and got the �W.� �
Girls final
Woodstock Academy comes in as the favorite against East Lyme in the championship opener as the Centaurs have already prevailed twice, 3-1, at home and, 3-2, in overtime on the road this season.
�I don�t think (the team) is happy to play them again, but I�m happy to play them again,� Woodstock coach Dennis Snelling said. �I think it�s a better matchup for us with their skill and the speed. It�s a good warm-up for states.�
Emily Becher, the Centaurs� leading scorer, said Woodstock has respect for East Lyme�s size and skill.
�We will go in, like every game, prepared and ready to win,� she said. �You have to beat the best to be the best.�
Becher added the biggest challenge will be to keep Meredith and Isabelle Moore under control. Isabelle Moore scored both of the Vikings� goals in their semifinal win over St. Bernard on Wednesday.
It will be Becher, meanwhile, whom the Vikings will be keeping close tabs on.
�She�s a great player,� East Lyme coach Rachel Redding said. �She�s fast as lightning. She�s gonna be a handful. That�s OK. It will be hard work not only to play against her, but against that whole team.�
Waterford coach Rob Brule said the teams have contrasting styles. East Lyme likes to possess the ball in midfield and then move the attack up while Woodstock plays more direct and knows who it�s weapon is (Becher) and �helps her a lot.�


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Adoption provides a child with a life-long legal and emotional family relationship. It includes the legal transfer of all parental rights from the child's mother and father to another person or couple. Adoptive parents have the same rights and responsibilities to their child as parents whose children were born to them.
A public agency adoption is one facilitated by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare or other state or county social service department and is limited to the adoption of children within the foster care system. The focus of a public agency adoption is to locate families for the children in their care. Thus, these programs do not help you find a child to adopt.
A private agency is state-licensed and may be for-profit or non-profit and may or may not have a religious affiliation. Private agencies may specialize in domestic infant adoption, special needs and/or international adoption. These agencies will help you find a child to adopt.
An independent adoption is one in which the birth parent places the child directly with an adoptive parent for the purpose of adoption.
They are children who were removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Children needing adoptive homes from foster care look like other children and have a wide range of abilities and personalities. Children of minority backgrounds are overrepresented in foster care. Many of the children have special needs. Most are school-aged. Brothers and sisters need families where they can live together.
In most cases, when children are placed in foster care, the plan of first preference is to return the child to his birth family. When it remains unsafe for the child to return home, the plan may change to adoption. The majority of children adopted from foster care are adopted by their current foster parents. For that reason, families whose exclusive goal is adoption are encouraged to contact one of Idaho's licensed adoption agencies or certified adoption professionals.
You can learn more about the specific children available for adoption from Idaho's foster care program who are not being adopted by their current foster parents on the following websites: Idaho Wednesday's Child, Northwest Adoption Exchange or AdoptUsKids.
Many children in need of adoptive care are described as having "special needs". "Special needs" can refer to: the age of the child; the need to be placed with at least one sibling; and/or emotional, developmental or medical problems.
Some special needs are the result of abuse, neglect or abandonment experienced by the child. Other special needs have biological causes. Examples of special needs include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, learning disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and fetal alcohol and drug syndromes.
Regardless of their special needs, the important thing to keep in mind is that these are children in need. What they need most is the stability of a strong, loving family to support them.
Every state has laws which define who can become an adoptive parent. In addition, each adoption agency or program may have their own requirements. A prospective adoptive parent cannot have been convicted of child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, a crime against children or homicide.
Adoptive parents are as varied as the children needing homes. Successful adoptive parents are everyday people who come from all races, religions, incomes and educational backgrounds. No two families are alike. For the Idaho child welfare adoption program, these families:
Children in foster care have been through a lot of life-changing experiences in their short lives. The maturity, coping skills, experience and knowledge you've accrued over the years will aid in caring for a child as an adoptive parent.
Idaho law requires an adoptive parent be at least twenty-five (25) years of age OR fifteen (15) years older than the child they are adopting. Individual adoption agencies may have additional age requirements. There are no maximum ages for adoption from the Idaho child welfare adoption program.
Families who are interested in domestic or international adoption become eligible by having an adoption home study completed. The need for an adoption home study for grandparent and step-parents hoping to adopt their grandchild or step-child is determined by the court, however, all families adopting a child from the child welfare system must have an approved adoption home study.
A home study is a written assessment of a prospective adoptive family's ability to parent an adopted child. It is a written reflection of the family and their lifestyle. By reading a family's home study, a child's social worker is able to get a general impression of them and begin to determine if a particular child will fit with that family. In Idaho, adoption home studies may be completed by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, licensed private adoption agencies or Certified Adoption Professionals. As part of the home study process, a family may be required to attend adoption education classes. The person conducting your home study will visit you at your home to interview your family.
Home studies may be written for a general type of child, or a specific child. They include the personal history, health and financial statements and criminal background checks for each adult living in the family home. An adoption home study with a positive recommendation for placement is needed before a child can be placed in your home for adoption.
Families may contact the Idaho Careline at 2-1-1, check the Yellow Pages or search online for local licensed adoption agencies. A list of Certified Adoption Professionals is available here.
A step-parent adoption is when a step-parent petitions the court for adoption of his or her current spouse's child. In order for the adoption to occur, the parental rights of the other birth parent will need to be terminated, either through agreement or as the result of a court hearing. You may need to have an adoption home study completed. It is advised you consult with an adoption attorney to learn about the requirements for the process. Additional information can also be found in the Stepparent Adoption Factsheet for Families on the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Every agency involved in placing children for adoption has their own defined process. Birth parents placing their newborns for adoption frequently have input on the selection of the adoptive parents. In other circumstances, the agency makes the placement decision. However, in each situation, the family chosen for the child will be the one the agency feels can best meet the child's needs.
Each state has a process for the selection of adoptive families for children involved in their foster care system. Idaho uses local selection committees to identify the family best able to provide for the child's current and future needs.
The Department uses websites such as Idaho Wednesday's Child, Northwest Adoption Exchange or AdoptUsKids to give a glimpse of a child's personality and their needs in an adoptive family. The profiles are designed to provide a basic description of the child's individual strengths and challenges while maintaining the child's confidentiality. When you identify a child you may be interested in adopting, you will need to follow the instructions contained on that website to inquire about that child. The social worker will likely need to speak with you and/or review your adoption home study to determine if you may be a possible fit for the child prior to providing you with additional information.
The parental rights of the child's birth mother and birth father must be terminated in order for a child to be legally free for adoption. Idaho requires children placed for adoption through a licensed adoption agency or the Department to live with the adoptive family for at least 6 months prior to finalizing the adoption.
A legal risk adoptive placement is one in which the child is placed in the home of the adoptive parents prior to becoming legally free for adoption. These situations can be very positive for the child and the family as it allows the child to move to his or her permanent placement as quickly as possible. Prior to moving to a legal risk adoptive placement, the agency responsible for the care of the child will be actively pursuing the termination of parental rights necessary to free the child for adoption. The placement is considered a "legal risk" because there is always a possibility the child may not become legally free for the adoption.
Adoption providers set their own fees which vary based on the type of adoption. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports adoption costs of:
Home study, legal and placement supervision fees contribute to the costs of adoption.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare has no fees for the application or home study process for families who are becoming licensed and/or approved for both foster and adoptive care for children placed by Children and Family Services (CFS). If a prospective parent wishes to be considered for adoption only, or chooses to use their completed home study to be considered for placement of a child not in the custody of CFS, the prospective family will be required to pay an application fee of $50 ($25 for a single applicant), a home study fee of $450 and a $55 fee for processing their background check. No fees are charged for the supervision of the adoptive placement, however families do need the services of an attorney to finalize the adoption.
Financial assistance for adoption may be available through one or more of the following sources:
Adoption Assistance:
Individual states, including Idaho, offer adoption assistance programs for eligible children with "special needs". Most children in foster care are considered "special needs." Adoption assistance can include up to $2,000 reimbursement of adoption-related costs, a monthly subsidy for the ongoing care of the child and a Medicaid card to assist with medical expenses until the child is 18 years of age. The program is not available for international or step-parent adoptions.
Adoption Tax Credit:
You may be able to take a tax credit for qualifying expenses paid to adopt an eligible child, including a child with special needs. The adoption credit is an amount subtracted from your tax liability. Learn more through the IRS website.
Employer Benefits:
A number of employers offer adoption benefits. Contact your Human Resources department to inquire about the availability of adoption benefits.
Military Benefits:
The military provides active-duty personnel a reimbursement for most one-time adoption costs. The National Military Family Association provides further information.
Loans and Grants:
Loans or grants are available through a variety of organizations such as adoption agencies, foundations and banks.
The length of time it takes to complete the home study assessment depends on how quickly your application, personal and medical references and background checks are received by your home study provider as well as how long it takes to complete any training they may require. Typically, the home study process takes no more than three months.
Many variables determine how long it takes to complete an adoption. The type of adoption (domestic, international, foster care) and type of child (age, sex, race, health) in which you are interested make a difference. In general, the more flexible and open you are to the type of child you wish to adopt, the more quickly you may be selected as an adoptive parent.
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is a binding agreement between all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It sets forth the requirements that must be met before a child can be placed from one state into another state. The Compact ensures prospective placements are safe and suitable before approval, and it ensures the individual or entity placing the child remains legally and financially responsible for the child following placement. More information is available on the Interstate Foster/Adoptive Placements page.
Only if you are returning to an application you started before August 11, 2018 click HERE


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DWTS11 Preliminary Power Rankings, Part II
So last week, I formulated who wouldn't last past the midpoint of the competition in part I of my season 11 preliminary power ranking. Today, I'll reveal my top half – and who I think is going to walk away with that mirrorball trophy. Enjoy & dicuss!
6.) Florence Henderson & Corky Ballas – I think these two could be interchangeable with Michael & Chelsie, depending on how memorable Florence can be. No doubt Florence will likely be the better dancer – she's had legit experience, plus the footage I've seen of her practicing so far looks reeeeaaally good. She seems like a very focused, hard worker. She's also got the boon of being the oldest cast member, which seems to bring its own voting fanbase with it. The one problem I think Flo might have is the comparisons she's likely gonna get to Cloris, since that's been Corky's only other partner – and she and Cloris are NOTHING alike, besides their older age. While part of Cloris' appeal was her outrageous behavior, it's something we're not going to see out of Flo…like I've mentioned before, Flo is very demure and classy, and not the type to throw out off-color comments and innuendo. As for Corky and his fanbase…that's a little harder to predict. He's only been on the show once before, and it seemed like it was his partner's outrageous behavior that kept them around so long. I'm not sure if Mark's (or Derek's, for that matter) fans are gonna throw any votes his direction, or if he has enough of a fanbase of his own to really make a difference. Regardless, I'm actually kind of excited for these two – it will be nice to see what a dynamite choreographer like Corky can really do with a partner that's willing to work.
5.) Kurt Warner & Anna Trebunskaya – Now Kurt could be the worst dancer in the competition this season, and I still don't think he'd get sent home any sooner than week 6 or 7, just due to being a former NFL player (the worst any of them have done is 7th place). On top of that, he's the first quarterback we've ever had on the show, and the QB's are typically the most well-known players on each team. But I think Kurt could actually be pretty good, if his work ethic during dance practice is anything like his work ethic on the football field. And really – Kurt just seems like a genuinely good guy. Comes from humble roots, evangelical Christian, family man, does a lot of charity work…I'm not sure there's a more likeable guy in the competition. He also seems to have a goofy side (see The Great Previous Dance Experience Debate, Part II), which always seems to balance nicely with a serious work ethic. I think Anna has also beefed up her fanbase after having such a breakout season with Evan – people have warmed to her considerably, and she seems to have gotten a good deal more comfortable with her own choreography. But while these two will likely be Mr. & Mrs. Congeniality this season, I don't think Kurt necessarily has the dance chops (or the explosive personality) to make it to the semifinals.
4.) David Hasselhoff & Kym Johnson – I'm saying this right now – I don't think the Hoff is going to be a fantastic dancer. Decent, maybe; but not great. However, I do think he will be this season's funny man, and that will take him farther than his dance skills will. From the bit of media that I've seen so far with him in it, I'm having flashbacks of Donny in season 9 – the Hoff is definitely hamming it up. Very chatty, cracking a lot of jokes, but seems enthusiastic…I do think he'll make an honest effort, but I'm just not sure he's got a ton of natural skill to pair it with. But that's ok, because if there's one thing Kym is really good at, it's taking an okay partner and giving them choreography that really lets them shine – I think that's exactly what she did with Donny & Warren, and I'm sure that's what she'll do with David. Plus Kym is quite possibly the most likeable female pro in the competition – mellow, sweet, and drop dead gorgeous. I think they'll look good together, and will likely be one of the couples out there that is truly enjoying themselves – it probably won't trump some of the better-dancing couples, but I could see it taking them to the semifinal.
3.) Jennifer Grey & Derek Hough – Looks like Heidi and I are in agreement on this one – Team Jenougher will probably make it to the finale, but just don't quite have the juice to go all the way. Like Heidi, I agree that Jennifer's age and recent health issues will likely hinder this pair a bit; however, I do think she will be a sentimental fave with the voters, and they will come out to vote for her in big ways…even if she isn't the greatest. She does have a big advantage in having Derek; choreographically, I think he's the strongest male pro and the one most likely to bring out the best in his partners. He's also got an uber-strong fanbase, and they're smart about how they vote. The only thing I can't really predict is if there's going to be any backlash from his win last season – I can't decide if those that are still pissed about Nicole winning are going to refuse to vote for Derek now, even if they really do like what he's doing with Jen. Ditto for the same people that are clinging to the (flimsy) notion that Jennifer is a "professional dancer" and that DWTS is strictly for stars with "no dance experience" (keep dreaming) – are they gonna refuse to vote too, just on principle? By the same token, are they gonna refuse to vote for Brandy, Florence, & the Hoff too? I would like to think that in a season like this, with a fairly level playing field, that people wouldn't try to concoct conspiracy theories like that – but there's always some renegades. That whole mess aside, I do think these two will be one of the stronger couples this season…but I'm not sure they're going to have enough momentum to win.
2.) Brandy & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – I'm sure there will be shock, awe, and outrage over this one, but when it comes down to it I just don't think Brandy is going to be the stereotypical "pop-star ringer" that everyone is saying she is. As we proved with the previous dance experience post, Brandy's career has not been nearly as dance-heavy as, say, Nicole, Sabrina, or even Mel B's. And unlike Nicole & Sabrina, who were still in the high point of their careers when they did the show, Brandy's been out of the spotlight for a little while now…aside from an album she released last year that flopped, and the reality show she has with her family on VH1 (which I'm not sure paints her in the best light), she hasn't really been up to anything "big" in over 10 years. I'm not sure how much of her original fanbase is still invested enough to come out and vote for her, which will likely cause her to rely heavily on pulling people in with great dancing. And from what I've seen from the media so far – Brandy seems like a focused, hard worker, but doesn't seem to be a natural when it comes to ballroom. However, I do think she has an advantage in having Maks, who does have a large fanbase, and is a good choreographer – when he isn't pissing off the judges or throwing fits (then again, like Heidi, I blame a lot of his less savory behavior last season on Erin, who seemed to bring out the worst in him, for whatever reason). However, it is encouraging to see Maks & Brandy practicing and no tantrums being thrown by either party – the energy between them seems much more synergistic than it was between him and some of his other partners. I daresay this will likely result in some really good, memorable routines. However, when it comes down to it, I think they're no match for…
1.) Rick Fox & Cheryl Burke – Ok, pick your jaw up off the floor, and let me explain why I think these two could be the couple to beat this season. First off, athletes generally do well (duh) – and pretty male athletes tend to do REALLY well (think Jason Taylor, Apolo Ohno, Helio Castroneves). And when a pretty athlete teams up with a pretty female pro – watch out. I have already said multiple times that I think these two are going to be this season's most handsome couple. Plus Cheryl is statistically the strongest female pro on the show – two wins, one 2nd place finish, one 3rd place finish, and 2 trips to the semi finals in her 9 seasons on the show – and she's also one of the toughest, which Rick has said works well for him. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Rick is not completely inept in the rhythm department – ex-wifey Vanessa Williams was a fantastic dancer, and I can't imagine that a little bit of know-how didn't rub off on him during their 5-year marriage. Rick also has the boon of being a star not only from his basketball career, but also his acting career – he's appeared on quite a few TV shows. Both he and Cheryl seem to have pretty good-sized fanbases on their own, too, which gives them a bit of an edge over couples where the celeb isn't as popular as the pro, and vice-versa. Seems like this couple has a pretty good hand to play…but they do seem to be keeping their poker face up. Not a whole lot of media leakage on these two, which makes me think that they're really trying to play up the whole surprise factor when Rick turns out to be pretty damn good. Cheryl seemed to do the same thing with Gilles, and look how he panned out. But I daresay it will be interesting to see what these two have up their sleeves 😉
So there you have it – I've laid out my predictions for this season's couples, without any of them having actually set foot on the floor. Definitely hoping for some surprises this season, since this is the most level the playing field has been in quite some time. But what do you guys think? Am I onto something? Am I full of crap? SPEAK UP! 😀


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SANDY, Utah (Friday, July 27, 2012) – Real Salt Lake (13-7-3, 39 points, West #2) got a pair of goals from FW Álvaro Saborío to beat Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9-7-7, 34 points, West #3) 2-1 in front of a crowd of 18,702 at Rio Tinto Stadium on Friday night. Saborío twice gave RSL the lead, opening the scoring in the 33rd minute and cancelling out Vancouver FW Darren Mattocks' second half equalizer with a 58th minute strike.
RSL controlled most of the match's early stages, holding the majority of possession and creating a few half chances through the run of play. Vancouver wasn't able to generate much in opening minutes, only creating on the counterattack or through set pieces.
The Claret-and-Cobalt took the lead in the 34th minute, when Saborío buried a penalty kick into the bottom-left corner. RSL captain Kyle Beckerman drew the PK, challenging Jay DeMerit for a header in the box and forcing a hand ball from the Vancouver captain. Saborío easily converted, moving to 11-for-11 from the spot in his RSL career.
Vancouver's best chance of the first half came four minutes after Saborío's goal. Mattocks ran onto a long ball deep in RSL's half, dribbling to the top of the 18 before dragging a relatively open shot wide of the far post.
RSL started the second half poorly and Vancouver quickly took advantage, tying the game through Mattocks in the 52nd minute. Vancouver MF Camilo set the play up, chipping a gorgeous ball over the RSL defense and into the right side of the box. Mattocks did the rest, running onto Camilo's pass and slotting home past RSL GK Nick Rimando.
Vancouver continued attacking after the equalizer, nearly taking the lead just a minute after tying the game up. Mattocks was at the heart of the play again, playing a back pass to the top of the box to MF Jun Marques Davidson, who hit a driven first time shot off of the left post.
The 'Caps weren't done attacking, coming close again in the 57th when Mattocks headed a corner kick just wide of the right post from close range.
RSL regained its footing – and the lead – in the 58th minute, getting a second goal from Saborío to go up 2-1. Substitute MF Ned Grabavoy started the play, finding MF Javier Morales open on the left wing. The Argentine playmaker quickly lofted in a curling cross and Saborío did the rest, majestically climbing over Vancouver DF Martin Bonjour to head home just inside the left post.
Vancouver would've equalized for a second time had Rimando not come up big in the 71st minute. The veteran keeper absolutely stoned Camilo, beautifully blocking the Brazilian's hard 12-yarder.
Already down a goal, Whitecaps FC went down a man when GK Joe Cannon was shown a straight red card in the 76th minute. DeMerit played a poor back pass to Cannon and RSL FW Fabian Espíndola made the 'Caps pay, beating Cannon to the ball outside the box and putting a touch around the veteran goalie. Espíndola would have been in alone on goal, but Cannon handled the ball several yards outside the 18, giving referee Kevin Stott no choice but to show him a straight red.
Despite playing with only 10 men, Vancouver had another near miss in the 82nd minute, when substitute FW Kenny Miller acrobatically headed FW Dane Richards' cross just wide of the left post.
RSL saw the rest of the match out with little incident. The team has a quick turnaround ahead of its next game, opening its CONCACAF Champions League schedule with a Group 2 match at Costa Rican champion C.S. Herediano on Tuesday, July 31. RSL will travel to Costa Rica on Sunday, flying into the capital city of San Jose on a chartered flight. The team will return to Utah on Wednesday and resume training later in the week ahead of its Aug. 4 league match at the Colorado Rapids.
Click here to access video highlights and the MLSsoccer.com MATCHCENTER for RSL-VAN
Real Salt Lake Match Notes – RSL 2-VAN 1
- Saborío's two goals give him six in five games during the month of July. The Costa Rican international now has 13 goals on the season, one more than his previous RSL best and just three shy of the team record of 16 set by Jeff Cunningham in 2006.
- RSL is now 10-1-0 in 2012 when scoring the first goal.
- The team now has an all-time mark of 27-4-5 when Saborío scores.
- RSL's 42 points is the second-best mark through 23 games in team history, trailing the 2010 squad by just one point.
- Real Salt Lake began the match with three regular starters – Olave, Grabavoy and DF Chris Wingert – on the bench. Olave didn't even make the 18, with head coach Jason Kreis choosing to rest the banged-up center back ahead of Tuesday's CCL match. Both Wingert and Grabavoy came into the match as second half subs.
- MF Luis Gil and DF's Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Kenny Mansally filled in for Grabavoy, Olave and Wingert, respectively. Watson-Siriboe was the only one to play the entire 90 minutes, as both Gil and Mansally were subbed out in the second half.
- Friday's win is the first time this year that RSL has won without Olave in the starting lineup. DF Tony Beltran is now the only Real Salt Lake player to have featured in all 13 of the team's wins.
- Captain Kyle Beckerman returned to action on Friday, six days after missing RSL's 2-0 win over Colorado due to a red card suspension. It wasn't certain that Beckerman would feature in Friday's game after playing 34 minutes in the MLS All-Stars' 3-2 win over Chelsea FC in Chester, Pa. on Wednesday night.
- RSL is now just one point behind San Jose for the Western Conference and MLS lead. The Earthquakes – which have a game in hand on RSL – host Chicago on Saturday night.
Goals by Period 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake 1 1 2
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0 1 1
Scoring Summary: RSL – Álvaro Saborío (Penalty) – 34'
VAN – Darren Mattocks (Camilo) – 52'
RSL - Álvaro Saborío (Javier Morales, Ned Grabavoy) – 58'
Misconduct Summary: VAN – Jay DeMerit (Foul) – 33'
VAN – Joe Cannon (red card, hand ball) – 76'
VAN – Darren Mattocks (Foul) – 86'
Real Salt Lake (4-1-2-1-2) – Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Nat Borchers, Kenny Mansally (Chris Wingert, 72'); Kyle Beckerman (C); Luis Gil (Ned Grabavoy, 56') Will Johnson; Javier Morales; Fabian Espíndola (Yordany Alvarez, 85'), Álvaro Saborío
Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Reynish (GK), Justin Braun, Emiliano Bonfigli, Sebastian Velasquez
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4-3-3) – Joe Cannon (Ejected, 76'); Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit (C) (Jordan Harvey, 85'), Alain Rochat, Lee Young-Pyo; Jun Marques Davidson, Gershon Koffie (Kenny Miller, 71'), Barry Robson; Camilo (Brad Knighton, 77'), Darren Mattocks, Dane Richards
Substitutes Not Used: Atiba Harris, Carlyle Mitchell, John Thorrington, Matt Watson
Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee's Assistants: Jason Callum, Jonathan Johnson
4th Official: Allen Chapman
Attendance: 18,702
Time of Game: 1:53
Weather: Clear and 95 degrees
www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.ESPN700Sports.com