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AVAST! THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD! In my current Pathfinder campaign, set in Golarion, I'm mashing up the Second Darkness Adventure Path, initially set in the seedy pirate-infested town of Riddleport, with the Freeport Trilogy, set in the seedy pirate-infested town of Freeport.
At the end of the first chapter of SD, "Shadow in the Sky," Riddleport is inundated by a tsunami. The AP doesn't make too much of it, it is kinda just "yes and it's all hard but they clean up and it's all better." I would like to run an adventure in the flooded Riddleport of the aftermath, and would specifically like something horror-oriented. So I'm looking for scenario suggestions.
The PCs are fifth level, and have a monk, a rogue, a cleric, and a ranger/druid. They're pretty buff and not nice, they're aspiring pirates and half of them are evil. I'm happy to use anything for Pathfinder, 3.5e, 3e, or even older editions. I have a lot of everything published for 3/3.5e, 2e, and 1e including most of the run of Dungeon Magazine, so I might have it already (the difficulty being rooting through all that!), or at least be able to get it at my well stocked local FLGS. I am kinda willing to consider PDF but I really like print better if I'm going to use it at the table. Even especially clever inspiration from other game systems (Cthulhu, whatnot) are welcome.
In in addition to an adventure, any resources on what I'm calling "Katrina horror" would be nice; I want to have the flooded urban environment to be a substantial part of the feel of the scenario. So you don't have to just suggest scenarios I can use straight, resources that might be helpful in running a D&D flooded-city horror adventure are welcome.
Edit: I ended up using a combination of Carrion Hill (Pathfinder module) and "The Stink" from Dungeon 105. Plus I basically reskinned all the random encounters - a "pickpocket" was a displaced person trying to swipe something, "giant roaches" were forced out by the flooding and took over a tavern, a "zealous merchant" was warning people away from his storefront with a crossbow, fearful of looters. Oh, and I exposed them all to cholera.


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With the increasing focus on cloud and datacenters, we are seeing a new ecosystem of technologies flourish that are devoted to "coding in the cloud" (or via service-based application tools delivery) and software layers that reside in other non-premise locations. Logically enough then, we hear talk of datacenter operating systems.
Mesosphere's highly creative marketing function is happy to claim to be the "world's first datacenter operating system" — so that's DCOS if you're collecting acronyms, and yes, there is a developer message.
"The industry needs a new type of operating system to optimize and automate the complex landscape inherent to the agile IT era: A growing fleet of distributed web, mobile, analytic server applications, operated as application-centric abstractions on commodity server and storage pools in dedicated datacentres and public clouds," claims Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, an investor in Mesosphere.
"In this environment, existing virtualization or orchestration software [offerings] are insufficient to deliver on the end goals: abstract complexity, optimize utilization, and simplify or eliminate human intervention in the face of dynamic failures, demand surges, constant provisioning, and upgrades. Mesosphere has assembled a team to deliver this software foundation that makes it as easy to run massive distributed server applications as it is to run an app on your smartphone or PC."
With a DCOS, developers and operators no longer need to focus on individual virtual or physical machines but can easily build and deploy applications and services that span entire datacentres. This DCOS approach to programmable datacentres — managing datacenters and clouds at web scale — has helped drive the success of Internet giants like Google and Twitter, as well as the hyper-growth of young companies like Airbnb and Hubspot.
Mesosphere's DCOS, built on Apache Mesos, provides developers an API to automate allocation and deallocation of datacenter resources to run today's most popular distributed applications, like Apache Spark, Apache Cassandra, and Google's Kubernetes (all natively supported by Mesosphere DCOS). A software development kit (SDK) aids quickly building applications that scale with built-in high availability and fault tolerance. The Mesosphere DCOS supports Linux applications and runs with Amazon AWS, Google GCE, Digital Ocean, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace, and VMware vCloud Air. The Mesosphere DCOS also runs on-premise on bare metal or on top of a virtualized private cloud, such as with VMware or OpenStack.
"Today's applications and services have outgrown single servers," said Florian Leibert, CEO and cofounder of Mesosphere. "The datacenter needs an operating system. The Mesosphere DCOS automates common operations and makes your entire datacenter programmable. We want to give developers the power of the underlying resources without forcing them to worry about the complexity of spanning hundreds or even thousands of machines. We are making modern, distributed systems as easy to build and operate as if they were running on a single machine."

subset: commoncrawl


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This is not a test prep unit (although it could be construed as such). My goal is not to simply expose students to test questions and format (although they will get an amazingly wide variety of exposure and practice). I want to help my students look back on the year and fill in the gaps and build on their foundation through repeated practice. All students need a chance to recall the things they have forgotten (or never mastered in the first place). Our curricula often push forward, build up and look ahead. But we can't forget to spiral back and give students an opportunity to revisit topics from past units. These lessons represent my attempt designing a rewarding and fulfilling review unit for algebra. It is an attempt to prepare students for the summative exams that we use to asses our curriculum design and mark student progress.
The lessons in this unit are built around a simple format:
The work reserved for the final 45 minutes of class is connected to a series of homework assignments. The materials are designed so that whatever students don't finish in class, they can do at home. If they finish the current assignment, they can move ahead and complete future assignments.
Each day, the lesson starts with some follow up on their practice work. Based on the previous lesson, I will be prepared to ask specific local and global questions about their work. Local questions can be anything specific to a certain aspect of a problem, like "how did you get that number there?" Global questions can be things like, "how does this example connect to the problem before it?"
During our most recent school dance, we had a small dilemma: what should the DJ play? Every year students are disappointed. They "hate" the music and demand that we improve the playlist. So this year we used sampling methods to resolve the issue. We collected and analyzed the data. After the dance we had zero complaints. How is this possible?
This is how I start the discussion with the students. I want them to identify how many students did we need to survey, who those students were and where did we find them. Many students are confused at the start of this lesson, they are wondering why they didn't see this survey. In fact, the most common misunderstanding is about why we didn't just ask everyone.
I remind them that with a sufficient sample, there is no need to ask everyone.
"Well how did you make sure that everyone would be represented?"
"Great question!"
I take ideas from the group and we agree that students from each grade and gender need to be represented. We also need to avoid asking biased groups, like "everyone on the football team." This means that a certain element of the survey selection needs to be random.
"What are some ways to choose random groups?"
"Classes are sorted somewhat randomly. So you could pick some classes from each grade level."
"That is one aspect of what we did. We asked 1 to 2 classes from each grade level (out of 4). What else do you think we did?"
Here we discuss the importance of randomness and the degrees of randomness of an event. Students agree that we might not be able to make something 100% random, but that we can certainly try things that are more random than not, like stopping students in the hallway at different times.
"The questions we ask are also important. We asked students for specific songs that they want to hear and other songs that they don't want to hear. Then we compared these choices for all of the responses and omitted songs that only appeared under the 'I don't want to hear this' column."
I then explain that this is qualitative univariate data, since students were simply listing what type of songs they did and did not want to hear. They can think of each song as its own category and then we count the frequency of mentions for wanting or not wanting to hear. I describe that we only used songs that students liked and were careful to arrange them in a way that "built up" momentum on the dance floor.
Perhaps the most surprising thing for students was that the sampling process actually worked for the dance. They agree that the music was the best it had ever been and are interested to learn that a mathematical approach was behind the success.
Then we turn to the practice problems at hand. Although they are much less fun, they revolve around the same concepts:
After the discussion around dance playlist, students are quick to point out that the bias here is in the concentration of younger participants. I ask them "how would you fix the survey question so that the data was not biased?" Students agree that if we omit data from certain age groups, we could ask something like "what are the driving habits of people under 35?"
We give students a set of data problems and a helpful template to follow along. The templates are set up to help me recognize when a student needs help. Here is a link to the Types of Data Template. In the template, my students rate how they feel about each problem as they finish and I look at these numbers to figure out if they feel comfortable with the material. I try and keep this rating system simple. Something like, give yourself a 4 if you really understood the question and give yourself a 1 if you felt really overwhelmed.


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Insulation & waterproofing solutions - CMAX board
Product name:
CMAX board (as known as construction board, tile backer board, insulation backer board, waterproof backer board, wet room backer board, XPS board.)
Product structure:
CMAX boards are made of high-performance waterproof extruded polystyrene (XPS Board), it has a 0.75mm coating on either side comprising a glassfiber mesh embedded in a polymer cement mortar.
Outstanding characteristics:
Both insulation and waterproof.
Product appearance:
The boards have straight edges. The color of the surface is grey and the core material is light blue.
Working temperature range:
50 to +80 °C
Standard dimensions and weight:
Length by width(mm*mm)
1200 x 600
1250 x 600
2500 x 600
2500 x 600
2500 x 600
2500 x 600
The board has the following tolerances:thickness:± 2mm width:± 2mm length:± 3mm.
Reaction to Fire:
The boards are classified as class E according to EN 13501-1. When the boards are covered with tiles, their fire performance should comply with local construction laws and regulations.
Effect on indoor environment:
CMAX board has been assessed as not emitting any particles, gases or radiation that may have a negative effect on the indoor climate or to have any significant effect on health.
Environmental declaration:
The product does not contain any substances on the observation list of dangerous substances published by the national environmental authorities.
Main applications:
Used as a watertight layer on walls and floors in houses, hotels and other wet areas such as bathroom, shower room.
Other applications:
Other places to be insulated and waterproofed.
1. as a watertight layer on walls and floors in wet rooms and bathrooms.
2. as an insulation layer in under floor heating to avoid heat loss.
3. as partition walls in wood or steel frames.
4. substitute for gypsum board and fiber cement board; insulation and waterproofing; lighter so that more easily to install.
5. As enclosures for bathtubs, water pipes, etc.
6,Can very easily and fast formed to be small shelves, washbasins, shower benches and soap boxes.
7. Combining with CMAX curved/shapeable boards, kinds of decorative models can be made with your infinite creativity.
Choose a way to fix CMAX board according to the substrate to be fixed. Normally, using modified tile adhesive for solid concrete wall/floor and strengthened by mechanical fixings when necessary while only using mechanical fixings for wood and steel frames.
1. Dry areas: reinforce all joints between boards, floors and walls by 125px or 250px wide self-adhesive tape.
2. Wet areas: reinforce by suitable waterproof tape.
Waterproof strengthen:
1. Strengthening all joints between boards, floors, walls and mechanical fixings placements by suitable waterproof tape.
2. Strengthening joints between walls, outside corners and inside corners by special corners.
3. Sealing pipe holes with special waterproof tape.
4. Strengthening once again by waterproof glue, liquid tanking membrane, tanking membrane paint, etc. when necessary.
Coating of panels:
Should always be covered by ceramic tiles, mosaics or other equivalent non-fireproof materials after installation.
Q: Are you a manufacturer of insulation materials?
A: Yes. ourselves manufacturer of thermal insulation board.
Q: What is the seaport near your plants?
A: The nearest port is Shanghai Port, there are about 100km from the port to our plant in Shanghai.
Q: What is annual production capacity of your main products?
A: 200,000 piecs per month.
Q: Do you have your own brands? And what are they.
A: Yes. we are a fortune 500 company, our brand is "CMAX"
Q: Is sample available for testing?
A: Yes. The sample is free.
We do OEM as well. Welcome to make an enquiry and we will give you quick response in 12 hours!
1. Manufacturer Overview
|Year Established
|Annual Output Value
|Main Markets
|Company Certifications
2. Manufacturer Certificates
|a) Certification Name
|Validity Period
3. Manufacturer Capability
|a)Trade Capacity
|Nearest Port
|Export Percentage
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|Language Spoken:
|b)Factory Information
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Tag Archives: red
In a pinch for some unique Valentines for your Little Pnut's school celebration tomorrow? We've got you covered. Here's a cute DIY idea that your Little Pnut will have a blast making keeping them quietly entertained as they learn through play.
What You Will Need
- Construction Paper in various colors or Valentine themed prints
- Foam heart stickers
- Pencils, 1 for each child
- Scissors
- Glue
- Double-sided Sticky Tape
Get Ready…
Depending on the age of your Little Pnut you may need to assist throughout this activity. First you will want to set all your work out on a fairly large table so that you can spread your heart feathers out allowing the glue to dry. Help your Little Pnut select the colored sheets of paper that they would like to use for their heart feathers. They will need two sheets per heart to create a 3-D effect. This is a great way to teach your Little Pnut how certain colors combined can create different looks and help them to understand what colors work together. Your Little Pnut will also need to count out the pencils to ensure they have enough for each friend.
Get Set…
First you will need to start by cutting out the hearts. Selecting the 2 sheets of paper your Little Pnut would like to use for their arrow feather hearts, fold both sheets together so that your cut hearts will be the exact size. Slowly and carefully have your Little Pnut cut out hearts in various sizes. Cutting is a great exercise to further define and enhance fine motor skills and to introduce the concept of large & small. If your Little Pnut is too young to handle scissors alone help your Little Pnut with this step.
Once all the hearts have been cut out it's now time to make the arrow feathers. Using glue make a thin line along the fold of one heart adhering the second heart on the seam. Let them dry.
While the arrow feathers are drying your Little Pnut will want to create the arrow tips. Using two foam hearts of the same size, have your Little Pnut set the tip of the pencil in the middle of one heart then cover the pencil tip with the second. This will form the arrows tip.
When the arrow feathers are dry, you will now add the feathers to the pencil. Lay the pencil eraser side in the middle of one side of the hearts next to the seam. Taking a piece of double-sided sticky tape you'll want to tape the pencil down leaving a bit of tape to cover part of the heart. Pinch the sides together to fold the pencil into the heart thus forming the feather part of the arrow. This should form the 3 wings of the arrow feathers.
There you have it, perfect Cupid's Pencil Arrow Valentines! Now duck and cover…
Happy Playing!
Developmental Milestones:
This activities focuses on the following Developmental Milestones for your Little Pnuts:
Fine motor development, number recognition, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination & cognitive development.
—Melissa Pia Bossola Beese, Little Pnuts Founder
Little Pnuts love to put their art on display, no matter what medium they have worked in. Today we have the perfect Valentines Day activity that lets them put their love on display just in time for that special day.
What You Will Need:
- Poster Paint, preferably in Valentines colors
- White Paper
- Heart shaped cookie cutters or other heart-shaped items. We used cookie cutters, little heart-shaped treat boxes and sponges cut into heart shapes
Get Ready, Get Set..
Pour some paint onto a paper plate or into a shallow bowl. Tip: A small piece of cardboard makes a good artists pallet too. Then, let your Little Pnut dip their heart shapes into the paint and stamp them onto the paper until their little heart's content. When they are done, set their paintings somewhere safe to dry.
Now for the fun part! Decide how to display your Little Pnuts art. Some ideas for you.
- Hang it as is
- Use it as wrapping paper
- Cut out heart shapes for it and string together to make garland
- Cut out heart shapes and tie them off individually with ribbon to hang around the house (that's what we did)
- Help your Little Pnut write a Valentine's message or To & From on the hearts and hand them out as homemade Valentines.
Happy Playing!
Developmental Milestones:
This activities focuses on the following Developmental Milestones for your Little Pnuts:
Fine Motor Skills, Focus and Concentration, Strategic Thinking, Color Recognition, Hand-Eye Coordination, Cognitive Development, Creative Play, Free Play.—Jennifer Haas, founder of Plain Vanilla Mom.


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The iPhone has managed to stay atop the news almost constantly since its launch last June—and sales haven't been too shabby either. Market research firm Gartner said that the company managed to capture 20 percent of smartphone sales during the third quarter of 2007, second only to RIM with the heavyweight BlackBerry at 39 percent. During last week's Macworld 2008 keynote, CEO Steve Jobs proudly announced that the iPhone topped smartphone sales by Palm, Nokia, and Motorola combined, right out of the gate.
But there have been some doubters. Skeptics have long said that the Apple won't be able to maintain the momentum after the early rush of Apple fans get their fill of iPhones. And since the iPhone's launch in the UK, Germany, and France last November, there have been rumblings that the device just isn't taking off overseas with the same vigor as it has in the US (and may not until there's a 3G version available). One Apple Store employee at London's Regent Street store recently told Ars that "sales have not been as good as the stores have hoped."
Now, The Inquirer has a piece claiming that iPhone sales overall are "dropping off real fast." This conclusion was drawn after doing some math on Apple's self-reported sales numbers. "Now we get to the interesting bit. The company gave a cumulative total of 1,389,000 to the end of Q3. If you add in Q4's figure, you get 3,704,000," notes the Inquirer. "So we've got a missing 296,000. Let's say there's 14 days between 30th December 2007 and the 200th day. That's a mere 21,142 units a day. Nothing near the 200,000 units figure which everybody was banding about."
Well, that would be true—if 200,000 was the actual number that "everybody was banding about." Unfortunately, Dennis seems to have a misplaced comma. Apple announced during the keynote that it sold 4 million iPhones during its first 200 days on sale, which it calculated to be an average of 20,000 units per day. This number is not only reflected in our own notes from the live keynote, but the notes of other sites like Engadget (which even has a photograph of the slide, clearly stating 20,000). So that's one major problem with the Inq's math (an error they have since realized and apologized for).
Data source: Apple
But just for giggles, let's see if we can find a more granular trend. Apple first announced that it had sold 1 million iPhones last September, 74 days after the device's release in the US. That averages out to about 13,514 iPhones per day. 20 days later, the quarter ended, and Apple said that 1,119,000 iPhones had been sold during the quarter. With 92 days in the quarter, that averages out to 12,163 iPhones per day. 94 days total after the iPhone's US release (the iPhone went on sale two days before the third quarter started), Apple said that a cumulative total of 1,389,000 iPhone had been sold—an average of 14,776 sold per day.
As we reported yesterday, the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 (the last three months of 2007) yielded sales of 2,315,000 iPhones. That quarter spanned 92 days as well, and averages out to 24,163 iPhones sold per day. That's more than twice as many per day than the previous quarter's daily average, but as the Inquirer points out, the iPhone was now on sale in the UK, Germany, and France, so an increase would be expected. That brings us to a grand total of 3,704,000 iPhones sold by December 30, 2007—186 days after the iPhone's first release.
That leaves 14 days between the beginning of the year and Apple's keynote (which took place on the 15th) to sell another 296,000 iPhones, averaging out to 21,142 per day. This smallish dip in a two-week span could be due to the iPhone's sudden flaming failure—or, more likely, could be due to the entire Mac universe waiting patiently for the keynote to come and go before buying (that's what I did). We'll be fair and say it could be a combination of both. After all, more than six months after its debut, people are finally calming down about the darn thing, especially since there haven't yet been any hardware changes.
But does that trend—ramping up from some 12,000 units per day sold in the first quarter to 21,000 per day by the time the keynote hit—indicate that sales have fallen to "a tenth of early estimates"? Obviously not. It clearly shows a steady increase in iPhone sales from June 29, 2007 until January 14, 2008. It may not be the entire world's favorite phone—it's just barely gaining traction among business enterprise users—but as it already has 20 percent of smartphone sales after being on the market for less than a year, it's certainly doing well.


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Jobs and Internships
CSB/SJU communication graduates have developed marketable skills in many areas. Graduates may choose from a wide range of possible careers such as: management, health care, sales, teaching, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, public relations, editing, public service, government service, human resource management, marketing and politics. Many of our students attend graduate school in communication studies, law or medicine. Any profession or career, as well as daily living, calls for good communication skills. The communication department prepares you for life as well as for work.
- Any internship approved by the Communication Department must be designed to use the skills of the Communication major.
- The prospective Communication intern must have completed 12 communication credits toward her/his minor/concentration or 20 communication credits completed toward her/his major.
- If the internship develops skills outside those addressed in the Communication major, the student should explore the option of splitting credits between Communication and another appropriate department.
- Although the internship carries Communication credit, a maximum of 4 internship credits may be counted toward the communication major, and a maximum of 16 credits will count toward graduation.
- Internships for more than 4 credits require the student to enroll in the Pre-Internship Seminar. Contact Jill Farry in the Internship Office to enroll.
- Students must notify the Communication Department of their intent to do an internship. This application is due at least one full semester before the beginning of the internship.
Application Procedure:
- Students must declare their intent to get an internship at least one full semester before the internship begins, but they are strongly encouraged to declare their intent to intern two semesters before the internship begins. A faculty member of the student's choice will review the student's declaration of intent and either: (1) accept, (2) reject, or (3) conditionally accept their application. Application forms are available from any Communication faculty member.
- The Communication Department will also review all applications. Students must make a case in their application that their coursework is appropriate to the particular internship they are proposing.
- A final, official university/college internship proposal is due the last day of each semester's appropriate registration period. This form is available in the Registrar's office.
- Students must be able to demonstrate progressive learning in their internships (i.e., students should not be doing the same things at the same levels at the end of the term that they did at the beginning. Instead, students must show an increase in the kind and/or level of work they are doing).
- Students are responsible for providing their site supervisor with copies of these guidelines as well as the general CSB/SJU internship guidelines.
- Assignments besides the several internship evaluations conducted through the Internship Office are set by the student's internship faculty moderator(s).
- All internships will be evaluated on an A-F basis for all Communication majors and minors. Others may opt to take the internship on an S/U basis, where an "S" means the student has completed at least C quality work.
Summer Internships:
Guidelines for summer internships are somewhat different. See your advisor for more information.
Current Class Standing (check one): sophomore junior senior
Advisor's Name:
- Which semester do you intend to intern?
- How many intern credits do you intend to earn? (check one) 4 8 12 16 other (how many? )
- Have you completed or are you currently enrolled in the preinternship seminar? yes no
- List the Communication courses you have already completed:
- List the Communication courses you intend to take before interning:
- Describe the general career area in which you wish to intern and explain your reasons. List any potential intern sites you have contacted or intend to contact.
- Describe which communication courses you have taken (or will take before interning) that have/will prepare you for this internship:
- Proposed faculty moderator:
- Have you discussed this proposal with your proposed moderator? yes no
Approved by:
Department Chair


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Newly added titles, plus a Complete Listing of everything on Indian Netflix
Change Netflix Region:
Sunday, January 06, 2036
Netflix India
Complete Netflix India Movie and TV Show Catalogue Listing
All the titles listed are available on Netflix India for instant streaming and online viewing. The Indian Netflix catalogue is changing regularly, so we update our catalogue listing every day with the new Indian content…check back often!
Every day we make 4 posts:
- New Movie Arrivals: New movies that have been added today, or in the past few days
- New TV Arrivals: New tv shows that have been added today, or in the past few days
- Alphabetical List: This is the complete list of everything available in this countries catalogue, in alphabetical order
- Release Date List: This is the complete list of everything available in this country's catalogue, in order of theatrical release date
Netflix Around the WorldWe also provide TV show and movie lists for Netflix around the world, including Netflix USA, Netflix UK, Netflix Australia, Netflix France, and Netflix Germany Take a look at our available countries/regions at the top of the page to see how the Indian catalogue compares to other countries.
And if you want to watch American Netflix or Netflix from other countries, check out How to Get American Netflix in India for easy-to-setup service that will allow you to switch your existing Netflix account between Netflix US, Canada, UK or the Netherlands! Sign up and watch American Netflix from India tonight!
How to watch American Netflix in India!
January 2017 Update: Want to learn how to get American Netflix in India, Australia, the UK or anywhere else worldwide? Check out get-american-netflix.com for information on a system that will let you change your Netflix country to the USA or one of 5 different countries! Don't miss out on thousands of movies and TV shows that you can unlock and watch from any country worldwide.
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Every week we post the best new movies released to Netflix worldwide! Check them out here, and then subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a video.
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New Movies | New TV Shows This is a complete listing of everything available on Netflix India, in alphabetical order. The total number of m...
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In a recent interview from Apps World in San Francisco, Patrick Mareuil from Ad4Screen chats with TheMail about
To find out more, watch the full interview below:
These are some key takeaways from the video:
If you have any questions after watching the video, feel free to ask them in the comments section below! Please visit TheMail's YouTube page for more video interviews.
For more performance marketing stories and exclusive content, make sure to like TheMail on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube, and sign up for our Email newsletter.


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Leonia's 14 acre Highwood Hills natural area was acquired by the Borough of Leonia using Green Acre funding in 1972 and 1980.The nature preserve is bordered to the east by the Plaza West Shopping Center, to the south by the borough of Palisades Park, and by dense residential housing to the north and west.
The property was acquired through the efforts of the Leonia Environmental Commission, mayor and council and citizens. The Leonia Environmental Commission, scouts and volunteers sponsor educational activities, clean-ups and special programs on occasion at Highwood Hills.
The preserve features 6 trails. The Main Trail goes in a north to south direction across the perimeter of the preserve and parallels a seasonal stream.
Sassafras saplings were found throughout the main trail. These trees grow well in open woods on moist, well-drained, sandy loam soils. This tree has three basic leave patterns making it a really interesting tree to look at. One of the types of leaves even looks like a mitten.
There are five trails which branch off the main trail. The Lizard Pond trail branches to the west of the preserve in a loop fashion. The pond leads to a vernal pond (Lizard Pond) which was mud at the time of my summer 2010 visit.
The Birch Trail, which heads to the east of the preserve in a loop fashion from the main trail, features a railroad tie staircase and bridges over the seasonal stream.
The Chestnut trail branches off the main trail at the extreme southern extent of the preserve. The Chestnut trail leads to the Gulch Trail or back to another railroad tie staircase. It was along this staircase that I found some cool turkey tail mushroom on some old logs.
The Gulch Trail either leads back to Lizard Pond Trail or the Douglas Spur Trail which connects back to the Main Trail. Each trail, regardless of the length, has character and is worth exploring.
The preserve is a unique remnant palisades forest located just minutes from the George Washington Bridge.
Contact the Leonia Environmental Commission for more information. The entrance to the preserve is located on Highwood Avenue in Leonia, NJ or off of Roff Avenue, Glen Avenue or 4th street in Palisades Park. Parking is available on Highwood Avenue near the entrance or on Roff and Glen Avenue.
Feel free to comment below with any bird sightings, interesting plants, memories or suggestions! Thank you and have fun exploring!


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The ancestry of modern humans has gotten much more interesting in recent years. Completion of the Neanderthal genome came with a bit of a surprise: they may be extinct, but many modern humans carry pieces of their genome, a sign that our ancestors had some rather significant interactions with them. About the same time, we learned that there was another group of archaic humans called the Denisovans present in Asia at the same time; nine months later, we learned that our ancestors had slept with them, too.
The evidence came in the form of DNA that was unevenly distributed within modern human populations. Modern humans had gotten their start in Africa, but Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA is rare or absent in African populations. Instead, it's more common in Asian and European populations, which suggests that interbreeding only took place after modern humans had migrated out of Africa.
What the study didn't touch on was why DNA sequences from archaic humans is still around. Was interbreeding frequent, and the DNA that remains simply present by random chance? Or did specific regions end up providing our ancestors with an evolutionary advantage? A study that will appear in today's issue of Science indicates that, for at least some sequences, the answer is the latter: they're still here because they're useful.
The DNA sequences in question encode a group of related genes called HLA. These genes serve a very specific purpose: they take pieces of proteins from inside the cell and present them on the cell's surface, where the immune system can look them over. If the immune system doesn't like what it sees, it will launch an attack against the cell. In this capacity, the HLA genes are key to determining whether tissues match well enough to allow an organ transplant with a minimal risk of rejection.
But the genes didn't evolve simply to make organ transplants difficult. Instead, they help the immune system recognize when a cell has become infected with bacteria or a virus. When a cell is infected, the HLA proteins display pieces of the proteins made by the bacteria or virus. This gets detected by the immune system, which then eliminates the infected cell. Different HLA genes provide better protection against some pathogens than others, so it's helpful to have a diverse set of them. Humans, in general, do.
The question the authors of the new paper ask is how we got them. Normally, when you look at a DNA sequence that varies among human populations, the greatest variation occurs in pygmies and Khoisan speakers in Africa. That's because these groups appear to have split off from the modern human population before it migrated out of Africa, and have had the longest time to pick up changes in their DNA. Many HLA variants, however, don't show this pattern. Instead, some forms of the genes are present only in Asian and European populations. In fact, one specific allele that is absent in the two African populations mentioned above is most closely related to some versions found in chimps and gorillas.
The simplest explanation for this, the authors argue, is that this version of the gene was lost by the ancestors of modern humans, but got reintroduced in Asia by the interbreeding that went on there. So, the authors downloaded the HLA sequences from the Denisovan and Neanderthal genomes, and examined whether they might be present in modern humans. The patterns matched what we'd expect from interbreeding exactly. The Denisovans interbred with populations that ended up in Papua New Guinea after traveling through Southern Asia. And, when looking at HLA alleles, the authors found that "All four combinations are present in Asia and Oceania, but absent from Sub-Saharan Africa, and uncommon in Europe."
In one case, the Densiovan allele is present at frequencies of over 50 percent in China and Papua New Guinea, but not present in Africa at all. In another, the allele had started to spread back along the route of migration, appearing further west in Asia.
Neanderthals show a similar pattern, except they interbred with modern humans earlier, and so had their genetic contribution carried into more of Europe and Asia. A few of their alleles have even made their way back into Africa, although they remain present at low levels compared to elsewhere.
The authors point out that the molecular data indicates that Neanderthals and Denisovans were present in Asia for roughly 250,000 years before modern humans left Africa. That would have given their immune systems plenty of time to adapt to the local hazards, which would mean that their HLA genes were likely to provide an advantage to the newly arrived humans. They suggest that it should be no surprise that, once interbreeding had provided some copies of these favorable variants, they'd end up spreading widely within this population.
Right now, however, this remains the first published case where there is strong evidence that we've retained DNA sequences from archaic humans because it was adaptive. There's no doubt, however, that others are poring through the sequence databases, looking for cases of other genes. Given time, we just might find out that the decision to interbreed with the locals was an extremely useful one for our ancestors.
Science, 2011. DOI: 10.1126/science.1209202 (About DOIs).


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Iconographer and Russian historian launches unique website featuring "Hagia Sophia," Church of the Holy Wisdom
An interesting new site illustrating the history of Constantinople's Church of the Holy Wisdom — popularly known as "Hagia Sophia" — recently appeared on the internet.
A "must visit" for Orthodox Christians, especially those interested in Church history, iconography, mosaics, and ecclesiastical architecture, the site gives special attention to the magnificent "Deesis" mosaic in the church's south gallery. Depicting Christ flanked by the Theotokos and Saint John the Forerunner, the exquisite mosaic was uncovered in the 1930s. It is one of the world's most beloved images of Our Lord.
Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the early sixth century, Hagia Sophia replaced two earlier churches, the first built in 380 AD. It is an engineering marvel, inasmuch as its massive freestanding central dome — the world's largest of its kind — has withstood everything from earthquakes to invasions for 1500 years. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD, it became a mosque. Its current status — that of a state museum — dates back to the early 1900s.
The site is the work of Bob Atchison, an iconographer and Russian historian from Seattle, WA who now lives in Austin, TX. His interest in Hagia Sophia, and especially it's Deesis mosaic, dates back to his childhood.
The site, which includes invaluable historical information, illustrations, maps and plans, and original photographs not readily found elsewhere, is of special interest to Orthodox Christians in general, and specifically to those desiring deeper insights into Orthodox Church history, iconography, liturgy, and ecclesiastical architecture.
The site may be accessed here.


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Girls' Boots
Shop our fabulous range of girls' boots and you'll find a pair perfect for every occasion. We've all the latest styles like classic ankle boots for girls, biker boots, and calf length boots. Our affordable collection of girls boots includes an array of colours and materials to go with every outfit. Plus, we have a great selection of colourful wellies and walking boots for those days out in the country.


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Another entry to the Retro slot series from Microgaming, Retro Reels Extreme Heat is a hot and burning new phenomenon. The red flaming interface and symbols give a sizzling touch to the classic fruit machine. it's a simple slot game that mixes modern polish with the traditional outlook.
Retro Reels Extreme Heat symbols
The only difference seen in this slot from the original Retro Reels is its bright red hot interface. All the symbols of Retro Reels Extreme Heat are seen in a blazing fire. Burning brightly are the single, double and triple bars and 7s symbols. Adding coolness to this hot slot are the cool fruit symbols including cherries, lemons and bells. An extra is the Dollar symbols which is also the top paying with 10,000 coins for landing 5 of them on the reels.
গেম বৈশিষ্ট্য
Retro Reels Extreme Heat is a 5 reel 30 payline slot game from Microgaming. A classic pub machine upgraded to 30 lines it has a small betting range of 0.01 to 0.25 coins per spin. Adding variety to the traditional slot is the new re-spin feature added. The player is allowed to individually spin on a reel for the same wagered bet at an extra cost.
শহর থেকে বহু দূরে: The Burning Dollar scorches all other symbols to dust by replacing them to be part of the winning payline. Pocket the 10,000 coin jackpot before it all burns up when 5 of these symbols appear on the reels.
ছড়িয়ে:2 or more of the scatters will win scatter payouts for any position on the reels. The scatter wins are added to the total payline after being multiplied by the total bet.
The Flaming Free Spins Bonus symbol is triggered by the 3 or more of the free spins bonus scatters. 3 or more of these symbols wins you up to 20 free spins where all wins are doubled. Don't forget the re-spins feature where players can have a scorching run to win an even bigger payout. Add the re-triggerable free spins and you will have a better chance to pocket wins up to 440,000 coins during the free spins.
প্রতি স্পিনে ন্যূনতম / সর্বাধিক বেট (£ / $ / €): 0.01 – 0.25
জ্যাকপটস (£ / $ / €): 10,000 coins (base game), 440,000 coins (free spins)
সমাপ্তি চিন্তা
Retro Reels Extreme Heat is a hot and fiery version of the original Retro Reels. Increased paylines and the extremely high payout from free spins and re-spin feature takes this classic fruit themed slot to a new level.


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The mobile application colorID, by Winfield & Co. LLC (and available for download from iTunes for $1.99), is a color recognition tool that allows users to capture, identify, and share colors on the go. A recent blog post by Austin Seraphin highlights a profound use of this application: used in conjunction with the iPhone's standard VoiceOver screen reader and iPhone camera, colorID speaks the names of colors. This allows visually impaired users to hear a narrative of color as they experience it. Below is an excerpt from Seraphin's blog; find the entire post here. Read more about accessible applications here.
The next day, I went outside. I looked at the sky. I heard colors such as "Horizon," "Outer Space," and many shades of blue and gray. I used color queues to find my pumpkin plants, by looking for the green among the brown and stone… I then found the brown shed, and returned to the gray house. My mind felt blown. I watched the sun set, listening to the colors change as the sky darkened. The next night, I had a conversation with Mom about how the sky looked bluer tonight. Since I can see some light and color, I think hearing the color names can help nudge my perception, and enhance my visual experience.


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CHRIS MARCH'S BUTT-CRACKER SUITE Premieres Off-Broadway at HERE Arts Center Tonight
HERE presents the World Premiere of Chris March's Butt-Cracker Suite! Written, directed, and designed by Chris March ("Project Runway" and Bravo's "Mad Fashion"), previews begin tonight, November 24. Opening of this limited run Off-Broadway engagement is set for November 30 at HERE.
Chris March's Butt-Cracker Suite! is an outrageous re-creation of "The Nutcracker" set, of course, in a trailer park. Dancing pink flamingos, cans of Spam, and ugly Christmas sweaters come to life on Christmas Eve… but no Sugar Plum Fairies or Snowflakes in this version! March promises to brighten your holiday season by turning "trash" into this season's most unique and outrageous show. With a lot of fun music, over-the-top costumes, fabulous dancers, and just a hint of blasphemy, this show is the tacky gift that keeps on giving!
The production will star Sara Brophy, Michael Dauer, Joshua Dean, Vassiliki Ellwood, Ashley Munzek, Andrea Palesh, Kristen Schoen-Rene and Dana Winkle, as well as Chris March himself. The production team includes Benjamin Franklin (choreographer), Jennifer L. Bachofner (lighting), Masako Kataoka (sound) and Nathan K. Claus (stage manager).
March returns to his theater roots with this new holiday comedy. Drawing upon his special brand of no-holds-barred outrageousness, March continues to parody pop culture from his roles in "Christmas with the Crawfords" to his many television appearances. For more info visit www.butt-crackersuite.com.
Chris March is a Drama Desk nominated New York costume and fashion designer known for his appearances on "Project Runway" and his own Bravo show "Mad Fashion". With celebrity clients including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Chaka Khan, Chanel, and (yes!) even Meryl Streep. For more info visit www.chrismarchdesigns.com.
This production is a part of the Sublet Series@HERE, HERE's curated rental program, which provides artist with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support.
Chris March's Butt-Cracker Suite! runs tonight, November 24 - December 29 on the following schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 8:30pm; Saturday at 8:30pm & 10:30pm; and Sunday at 4pm & 8:30pm with added shows Nov. 26 at 8:30, Dec, 26 at 4 and Dec 28 at 10:30pm. There is no show on Christmas Day. HERE Arts Center is located at 145 Avenue of Americas at Dominick Street, one block south of Spring Street (accessible from the C,E trains at Spring Street). The box office is open after 5pm on show days or 2 hours before any performance. Tickets are $50, available at 212-352-3101 or www.here.org.


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Frankly, I have been called that and I recently found out what it was.
Pulling it from.... umm... Urban Dictionary....
So then I went like, "Okay....??" Question mark.. question mark.. still a bit confused... Then I came across... THIS-****** - Someone who is obsessed with Japan/Japanese Culture/Anime, etc. and attempts to act as if they were Japanese, even though they're far from it. They use Japanese words but usually end up pronouncing them wrong.
1. A person so obsessed with japanese culture that they ignore their own.
2. Someone obsessed beyond healthy levels with anime.
3. People who ruin activities for other people with overzealous references to said anime.
4. People so oblivious to reality they only care about anime.
Someone who thinks Japan is superior over EVERYTHING.
So which is it?KEEP IN MIND: that a non-japanese person can like the culture, watch anime, speak the language and RESPECT THE CULTURE, while still keeping in touch with there own. Which keeps them from being a anime fan.
I don't think I am one to be honest. I mean I really am fond of the Japanese culture... and I do not like my own... (Chinese. Because I know how Chinese people can be at times and it just irritates me because I can not believe I am Chinese...) but I do not cling on to Anime and Manga as much as others. I mean I 'like' the idea of Anime and Manga.. but I dont 'obsess' over it. And also, many people think I gave myself a nickname. Incorrect.
My nickname isnt Sakura BECAUSE of Sakura cardcaptors or Sakura from Naruto or Sakura from Fate/Stay Night... ect.
My nickname came from my long lost friend from Elementary School before she left to the mainland. She's a sentimental person and she thought I might relate to this flower. (She's still long lost too.)
What is your term of a ******?
Are you one? Whats the difference?
Have you been called that before?
Were you confused just as much as I was?
Is there a fine line?
Edit: Am I not supposed to use that word....? >___>;


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This course surveys the major developments in art and architecture from the Paleolithic period through the high Middle Ages. Emphasis falls on the ancient civilizations of the Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece and Rome, the early Christian world, Byzantium, Islam and the Middle Ages in Western Europe. The approach is at once historical, in that visual forms and types of images are studied in their development over time and across cultures, and anthropological, in the sense that cultures are studied at isolated moments as a way of better understanding the significant roles art and architecture play within them.
|Distribution Area
|Arts and Humanities
|1 course


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Dirt Isn't The Only Thing
As you probably know outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution cigarette smoke, car exhaust and hundreds of other chemicals. When you and your family members come into your home you carry those pollens , bacteria, and chemicals in … Continue reading
Posted in Infomational Tagged abrasive textures, allergens, area rugs, back to school, carpet, carpet cleaning, carpet tips, carpets, chem dry, chemdry, clean, cleaner, cleaner home, cleaning, cleaning advice, cleaning help, cleaning tips, concrete, dirt, dogs, drier, drier home, dust, dust mites, facebook, family owned, family owned and operated, florida, grout, healthier, healthier home, healthy, help, instagram, lake worth, misconception, natural, natural products, palm beach, palm beach county, palm breeze, palm breeze chemdry, pet odor, pet odor removal, pet smells, pizza, pollen, professional, PURT, royal palm, safe for kids, spot removal, stain removal, stains, stone, testimony, testures, tile, tile cleaning, twitter, upholstery, upholstery cleaning, way to go, wellington, west palm beach, yelp Leave a comment
Beware of Dirt!
A very common carpet misconception- "you should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet." Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dirt, like sandpaper, is abrasive. When your friends or family step foot or even a single toe onto your carpet … Continue reading
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Carpet Cleaning Experts
5 Reasons to Choose the Experts at Palm Breeze Chem-Dry 1. Values Palm Breeze Chem-Dry adheres to a set of core values that guide our thinking and lead to our decisions. These values help us accomplish our mission of providing … Continue reading
Posted in Why Palm Breeze Chem-Dry? Tagged advice, carpet, carpet cleaning, chemdry, cleaning advice, cleaning help, cleaning tips, experts, family owned, help, palm beach, palm beach county, palm beach countyc, palm beachw, palm breeze, palm breeze chemdry, professional, professional services, stone cleaning, tile, tile cleaning, tips, upholstery, west palm beach, why us Leave a comment
Wool Carpet Care
Wool Wisdom One of the most crucial areas of carpet maintenance is removal of spots and spills. It is of utmost importance to act quickly when anything is dropped or spilled, and always have the necessary cleaning materials at hand. … Continue reading
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Spot Removal Tips
Spot Removal Steps 1. Act Quickly! Most carpet available today has been treated with a stain-resist treatment, so many spills can be removed if immediate action is taken. The longer the delay, the higher the probability of a spill becoming … Continue reading
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Social Gaming is a huge fad and thanks to sites like Facebook and gaming companies like Zynga, social gaming has taken off in a very big way. Games like CityVille on Facebook are played by around 90 million users, while Farmville is played by over 43 million users.
20% of US population has played a game on a social networking site and more than 68 million Americans will be playing social games by 2012. What's more interesting is the fact that 55% of social gamers are female, which goes on to show that women are more attracted towards casual games.
Another interesting stats about social gaming is that, much of the revenue of these companies actually come through the sale of virtual goods. These virtual goods can be purchased through in-app purchases, for example you can buy more seeds for your farm and so on.
Another interesting fact is that farmers on the virtual game Farmville out number real farmers in the United States by 80 to 1. Now only if they could put their farming skills to some use . Interestingly, the infographic also notes that over 50% Facebook users sign in to their account just to play games. The amount of time they spend on the site is more than what they spend on several other top sites combined.
For more such interesting stats, check out the Infographic created by Single Grain below.


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Young Guru
GRAMMY-nominated engineer/mixer Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton was the recent guest for an installment of The Recording Academy's 5 Questions With … series. Held at The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., Young Guru discussed working with GRAMMY-winning rapper Jay-Z, his biggest career moments, favorite studio gear, and how artists can help make the engineer's job easier. Part of the discussion was driven by questions submitted by fans using the #5QW hashtag on Twitter.
"The biggest thing that an artist can do is to come prepared," said Young Guru on how artists can help make engineers' jobs easier. "The studio is to record music, it's really not to write music."
View video from 5 Questions With … Young Guru
Based in New York, Young Guru started DJing in high school and college. He attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he met Chucky Thompson, a producer Young Guru cites as a mentor. Thompson helped establish Young Guru on the New York scene and the latter subsequently relocated to the city and began working with rapper Derrick Angeletti.
Young Guru met Jay-Z in 1999 when he was recording sessions with rapper Memphis Bleek, who was then signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Impressed with his work, Jay-Z asked Young Guru to serve as an engineer at the defunct Baseline Studios. The studio shuttered its doors in 2003 and three years later Jay-Z opened Roc The Mic, where Young Guru also worked.
Young Guru subsequently went on to work as an engineer/mixer on several of Jay-Z's albums, including 2001's The Blueprint and 2009's The Blueprint 3. He earned the third GRAMMY nomination of his career in 2010 for his engineering/mixing on Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State Of Mind." Prior to that, he earned two GRAMMY nominations for Album Of The Year for Nelly's Nellyville (2002) and Kanye West's The College Dropout (2004).


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Large Face Masks (non-medical / washable) - 001
Made in Canada
Ships from Ontario - Canada.
- 3-ply material for maximum protection (Unique model)
- Soft-flex elastics allows for easy to wear and comfortable ear-hooks.
- The third layer of fabric forms a pocket to insert a filter for added protection.
- Nose-wire installed (inside fabric) to allow for shape-fit-wear and to prevent your
glasses or visors from humidity and for tighter fit. Your nose-wire comes in small
pack for installation after the initial wash prior to first use.
- Washable
- One set of replacement flex elastic ear-hooks and nose wire are included.
- 75% to 100% Cotton / outer layers and lining
- 100% Canadian Made.
- All sales are final.
- Ships within 48 hrs.
This product has no magnets inside.
The fabric was pre-washed and the mask was steam-ironed.
However we recommend you do wash your mask prior to first use.
Package deals:
The seller / manufacturer cannot guarantee the exact material colours and patterns you will be receiving. All patters are while supplies last. However we do guarantee manufacturing quality.


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Here are audio recordings I made of the speakers from last night's ccSalon SF at PariSoMa. Right click or control-click on the speakers' names to download the MP3s.
- Chris DiBona, Open Source Program Manager for Google, Inc.
- Evan Prodromou, co-Founder of WikiTravel and founder of Identi.ca
- Nathan Yergler, Creative Commons' Chief Technology Officer


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Dark Horse Comics is currently holding a flash sale in its digital store, featuring the comic entries in the Mass Effect catalog. Single issues are going for $.99, while the bundles are going for at least half off (the Homeworlds bundle in particular is a great deal). You can also get The Art of the Mass Effect Universe in digital format on sale as well.
Furthermore, the one-off Blasto: Eternity is Forever issue is free for any digital store account-holder. Of course, while
absolutely not necessarily canon, it's still a entertaining read.


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Saluting both its vast library of classic animation as well as its current crop of top-rated hits, on October 1, Cartoon Network will launch its milestone birthday celebration by replacing its regular programming line-up with a full day of birthday-themed episodes from such beloved classics as The Looney Tunes, The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory alongside more contemporary hit series including Adventure Time, Regular Show and The Amazing World of Gumball. The day-long event will also include a world television premiere of an original music video presented at 6:58 p.m. (ET/PT) as a tribute to Cartoon Network's creative achievement over its first 20 years; and then viewers will be treated in prime time to the milestone 100th episode of Adventure Time (7:30 p.m.) and the much-anticipated Season 4 premiere of Regular Show (8 p.m.).
CARTOON NETWORK'S BIRTHDAY PARTY will continue each weekend in October as well, presenting select classic theatrical shorts and network series episodes spotlighting the top six finalists among creatively-themed categories that viewers can enjoy and review before logging on to CartoonNetwork.com to vote for their all-time favorite picks. This 20th Birthday celebration will culminate on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3 & 4, with an afternoon on-air tribute announcing the fan-selected winners of each category, bringing a fitting crescendo to the birthday festivities.
"Across our 20 year history, Cartoon Network has always surprised and entertained its audiences with funny and unique content that can only happen on Cartoon Network," said Cartoon Network President and Chief Operating Officer Stuart Snyder. "We started with the foundation of a programming library of classic animated shows and characters, but have since grown to produce dozens of innovative, original new characters and award-winning series, movies and specials. We've quite a lot to celebrate and we wouldn't want to do it without actively involving the fans that got us to where we are today!"
Birthday Party Episodes All Day on Oct. 1
The Oct. 1 birthday tribute will kick off at 6 a.m. ET/PT with a selection of birthday-themed theatrical shorts and series episodes starring many of the immortal Looney Tunes characters: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester & Tweety and others. Immediately following, Cartoon Network's latest cast of original characters—Mordecai & Rigby from Regular Show, Finn & Jake from Adventure Time, Gumball & Darwin from The Amazing World of Gumball—take the stage with an equally hilarious, if more modern look at "birthdays gone awry." Later in the day, contemporary classics from Cartoon Network's rich history of originals—The Powerpuff Girls, Kids Next Door, Dexter's Laboratory, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Chowder, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Flapjack and My Gym Partner's a Monkey—join the 20th Birthday on-air revelry.
Highlights of the Oct. 1 all-birthday-themed line-up include the following:
· Adventure Time: "Belly of the Beast" & "Mystery Train" – 8:30 a.m.: In order to cure the stomach ache of a giant, Finn & Jake must break up a big party happening in his belly. Following that, Jake takes Finn on a train ride for his birthday, but things take a turn when they find themselves in a high speed whodunit!
· Chowder: "The Birthday Suits" & "Apprentice Appreciation" – 10 a.m.: Chowder and the gang must make a special delivery to a food suit-themed party. However, when the dish spills over, shrinking their fruit costumes, they must find new costumes before making it to the party. Then, It's Apprentice Appreciation Day, and Chowder is looking forward to his annual Slawberry Cake. But when Mung hears that Endive is throwing a huge party for Panini, he decides to throw Chowder a bigger party with ice sculptures, a food animal circus, and no slawberry cake!
· Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: "I Only Have Surprise for You" – 12 p.m.: Bloo, Wilt & Coco convince the rest of the Imaginary Friends and Frankie to plan a big surprise birthday party for Mac. However Mac wants no part of it for fear that Bloo will somehow humiliate him. Are Mac's fears justified in the end?
· The Powerpuff Girls: "Birthday Bash" & – 3 p.m.: Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles are excited to celebrate their birthday, but are unaware that especially dangerous and destructive "gifts" await them from Townsville's arch enemies Mojo Jojo, Princess, Him and The Amoeba Boys. Afterward, the Powerpuff Girls invite their friends from Pokey Oaks Kindergarten to their house for a slumber party, but do not realize that Mojo Jojo plans to sneak into the house as Mojesha, so he can destroy their plans.
· Codename: Kids Next Door: "Operation C.A.K.E.D" & "Operation P.A.R.T.Y." – 4 p.m.: The Kids Next Door attempt to stop a birthday party for their arch-enemies, the Delightful Children From Down The Lane. But a big surprise and a monstrous guest stands between them and the greatest birthday cake ever. Later on, it's Kuki's birthday, and girls including Numbuh 4 are invited! But what happens if a certain girl tries to sneak out the prized Rainbow Monkey cake?
· Regular Show: "Free Cake" & "Party Pete" – 5:30 p.m.: Mordecai and Rigby want some cake, but lack the money to buy it. They find out its Skip's birthday and try to throw him a surprise party, but as usual, things go terribly awry. Next, Mordecai and Rigby look for help when their awesome house party turns lame.
Original Music Video Pays Tribute to Cartoon Network's First 20 Years
At 6:58 p.m. ET/PT, Cartoon Network will conclude its birthday-themed programming with the world television premiere of an original music video produced especially to celebrate the network's 20 years of animated entertainment. Featuring original music by Mad Decent and original animation created by London-based ILOVEDUST, this two-minute music video spotlights nearly 100 cartoon character all-stars who've contributed to Cartoon Network's remarkable legacy. Shortly following its premiere, the music video will be made available for free download at iTunes, Xbox and Amazon.com, as well as subsequent viewing at CartoonNetwork.com, Cartoon Network's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/cartoonnetwork and Cartoon Network's Facebook page.
At 7 p.m., Cartoon Network's top-rated Monday night line-up of original animated comedies will then present special servings of its current hit series, including two important programming highlights—the 100th episode of the award-winning Adventure Time (7:30 p.m.), and the fourth season premiere of the #1 show among boys 2012-to-date, Regular Show (8:00pm). To whet viewer appetites, Finn and Jake help the frog people deal with Price Huge for the 100th episode of Adventure Time and Mordecai and Rigby are the only ones who can save their park from the grips of destruction in the season four premiere of Regular Show. Both shows represent the ongoing legacy of signature original programming that Cartoon Network has achieved across its first 20 years.
Viewers Invited to Pick Their Favorites from Cartoon Network's 20-Year History of Characters and Shows
Across the first weekend in October (Oct. 6 & 7), CARTOON NETWORK'S BIRTHDAY PARTY (11 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET/PT) will extend a special invitation to all viewers to participate month-long in a fun online voting opportunity at CartoonNetwork.com where fans can pick their all-time favorite cartoon characters and shows from Cartoon Network's first 20 years of family entertainment. As one might expect, voting categories will be appropriately creative for a cartoon world where anything can happen: "Bestest Best Friends," "Catchiest Catchphrase," "Favorite Blue Character," "What Show Would You Join?", "The Baddest," "Sweet Ride" and "Favorite Four Legged Friend." Of course, fans also will be able to vote in more traditional categories, including "Favorite Character," the "Best Action Team," "Best Gadget" and the "Best Cartoon Place to Live."
Over the following three weekends, Oct. 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28, Cartoon Network will carve out a seven-hour, mid-day programming birthday tribute (Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sundays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.) to remind viewers of the ongoing viewer-voting promotion at CartoonNetwork.com, spotlighting animated finalists with favorite episodic samples of why they especially qualified for each category. Ultimately, on Saturday, Nov. 3, and Sunday, Nov. 4, viewers will be treated to a "Winners Weekend" to learn who America voted for as their favorites among key categories, with on-air tributes to winning characters and shows running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Further details surrounding CARTOON NETWORK'S BIRTHDAY PARTY programming highlights may be found in October television schedule listings.


text: Himachal Pradesh is home to several hill stations. Situated on the River Beas, Manali is one of the most visited hill stations in Himachal Pradesh. Shimla in Himachal Pradesh boasts of old world charm and monuments. Chamba and Dharamshala in the upper reaches of the state of Himachal Pradesh are extremely popular with those seeking peace and quiet. For adventure lovers, Himachal Pradesh offers great trekking and hiking trails in Khajjiar, Chail and Kufri.


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There are 1,341 companies in which 120 private equity funds have invested close to $51 billion more than five years ago. As private equity investments in companies approach the five-year milestone, investors start to squirm about exits and collecting a return on their investments. Unfortunately for these private equity investors, an exit has proved to be elusive, thus depressing their return ratios substantially and even leading to the shutdown of some funds and possibly threatening the future of this very important asset class in India. Is this merely a case of a marriage between private equity investors and their portfolio companies gone awry or was there a fundamental mismatch right from the start?
Ask a private equity investor for the firm's investment process and a typical response is, "We back credible, trustworthy management teams with who we share a strong chemistry, that have the vision to spot large market opportunities and possess deep execution skills to build successful businesses. We think of ourselves as partners to entrepreneurs and add tremendous value through our vast network and experience".
An investment decision supposedly made on this premise of trust and credibility with the entrepreneur, seems to lose this character in the investor agreement between the entrepreneur and the investor and acquires a strong flavour of distrust and need to protect oneself at all costs.
A typical private equity investment agreement (term sheet) issued by a private equity investor to an entrepreneur and a simplified interpretation of it read like this.
1: Preference shares: Our shares will carry preference over yours. Yes, we are your 'partners' in building this business, but we will be treated preferentially.
2: Preferential accumulated dividend – Our shares will carry a 9% dividend from the day we invest. Even if the company doesn't have enough profits yet to pay dividends, it can keep accruing. We will collect all of our accumulated dividends first as soon as the company is profitable enough before the entrepreneur who built the business can claim any dividend.
3: Voting rights – Our dividend accumulating preference shares will also carry higher voting rights than your shares. Simply put, our vote will be twice as important as yours.
4: Guaranteed return of 25% - We will need a guaranteed return of 25% on our investment. Yes, it's not a loan or uncollateralised debt but since we are taking a 'risk' on you, our special form of equity will get a guaranteed return. If the business doesn't perform well, we are entitled to our guaranteed returns as bank loans but if it does very well, then we will be entitled to our share of profits, unlike a bank loan.
5: Put option – After five years, we have the right to force you to buy our shares at a price that will give us that guaranteed 25% return. Even if the company doesn't have the money to buy back our shares, you can mortgage your house, family Jewellery or do whatever it takes to buy us out and give our money back.
6: Drag along/Tag along/Veto rights – If after five years, we change our minds, we can force you to sell your company to anyone at any price. On the other hand, if you want to sell the company or your shares to anyone, we have the choice to either veto it or tag along with you.
7: 3x liquidation preference – Should the company shut down, we will have the first right to take out three times our money from the liquidation proceeds of the company before you get a penny.
8: Board rights/Right to appoint CFO – Since we don't trust you to not run away with our money nor do we think you can run your business efficiently on your own, we will appoint a disproportionate number of board members, a new CFO and new auditors. However, despite this, if the company still fails, we are entitled to our guaranteed returns and other protections.
Steve Jobs is famously supposed to have told his design team about consumers, "Don't listen to what they say; watch what they do". This aptly sums up the subtle tension that permeates entrepreneurs and private equity investors in India.
The investment terms that most private equity firms have adopted in India are a replica of 21st century American private equity investment terms that many first generation Indian businesses are being forced to fit into. Maybe herein lies the most important lesson in private equity investing in India—this display of lack of trust through these investor agreements is perhaps a wrong starting point and possibly a signal that the company does not merit investment in the first place.
Private equity is pivotal to India's private enterprise-led growth model that can catalyse job creation by private businesses unlike China's government-led development model. Hence it is critical that this asset class succeeds in India and conceivably by staying true to higher risk-higher reward nature of equity, perhaps the mutual trust between businesses and investors can be restored and the asset class can flourish.
(The author is the CEO of an investment bank and a successful angel investor. Views expressed here are his own.)


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My Mom and I wanted to go to the county fair so we loaded Landon up (potty seat and all), and off we went to see some animals. Landon was such a trooper in the heat, but he loves seeing the man on the horse, cows, sheeps, chickens and bunnies. The highlight, however, was this little car ride. He was the first one on, and the last to get off. He sat patiently while the other kids got on, and he had such a great time!
You can tell by the smile on his face that he was so excited! He loves driving cars, and he even had his hands on the wheel at 9 and 3!
His latest obsession is pirates! ( thank you Nana for taking him to Carl's Jr. for a kids meal)! He really isn't mad, he's just consentrating on his "ocular" and what he sees. The stick in his hand has a pirate flag on it. He hasn't put these things down all week!
Here's another shot of our early morning pirate all happy and running around sayin "Yo -Ho!" He's potty trained now and doing really well! He's excited that we are having a baby and has me open my mouth to hear if it's crying. I tell him the baby can't cry because it's swimming, and he gets all confused, but usually ends up snuggling my belly. He's going to be such a good big brother!


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- 1 stick of butter
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour 12 individual (about 1 cup size) bunt tins. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugar together. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture. Mix well after each egg. Add the chocolate and vanilla. Mix well. Add the sifted flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the milk. Mix well. Fill each tin 1/2 full with the batter. Place some of the peanut butter chips in the center of the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the chips. Place in the oven and cook for about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes in the pan. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder, powdered sugar and milk. Mix until smooth. Spoon some of the glaze over each bunt cake. Allow the glaze to set, then serve.
Recipe Details
- Source: Emeril Live EM1C17 [4]
- Dish Type: Dessert [5]


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In the first of his monthly columns for Dezeen, V&A senior curator Kieran Long argues that today's obsession with authorship and celebrity "leads to serious imbalances in the way we see design in the world" and calls for an overhaul of the way design is curated in the twenty-first century.
Long, who was an architecture journalist before being appointed to curate design, architecture and digital at the V&A last year, points out that museums like the V&A focus on handmade, one-off objects at the expense of the mass-produced, anonymous objects that predominate in the real world. "The museum is more or less silent on the era of extraordinary Chinese manufacturing we are living through," he says.
Below he sets out "95 Theses" for contemporary curation, including provocative statements such as "Ugly and sinister objects demand the museum's attention just as much as beautiful and beneficial ones do" and "Museum curators have as much in common with investigative journalists as they do with university academics".
Every morning, on the way to my office, I pass a sign that reads: "Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.†At the Victoria & Albert Museum, the building is always telling you to do something. The didactic, Victorian and Edwardian decoration asks you to pay attention to nature, to design and manufacture, to the provenance of objects, even where your food comes from. But this particular sign is deeply serious in its upper-case, gilded typeface. It can be seen only by V&A staff, and most often by the people who empty the bins in the service road at the back of the museum.
As a motivational slogan, it's espresso-strength, but it also betrays an emphasis at the V&A on the handmade, the artisanal and the one-off that design institutions, the media and designers themselves share. An object that an artist's or craftsperson's hand has touched has far more chance of making it into the V&A's collection than something mass-produced or anonymous.
In our China gallery, for very good institutional reasons, there are no contemporary, mass-produced objects. The twenty-first century is represented by artisanal glass and works of conceptual furniture design: the museum is more or less silent on the era of extraordinary Chinese manufacturing we are living through. Dezeen has a similar emphasis: while the site is catholic in its tastes, the anonymous, the mass-produced and the semi-designed are suppressed in favour of the work of a fairly coherent group of designers.
There are all sorts of pretty reasonable explanations for this. The most banal is, of course, that star designers are click bait: celebrity matters, especially in the media. On the other hand, some might argue that designers' work is simply better than the anonymous manufactured stuff that surrounds us. It's easier to love the milled aluminium monocoque of Jonathan Ive's Macbook than the awkward black plastic housing of a traffic light.
The emphasis on the authored leads to serious imbalances in the way we see design in the world. In future months, I will use this column to try to broaden the conversation about what design is, to try to move beyond a myopic interest in what designers and architects do, toward understanding what their work tells us about the world we live in. The others writing here (Sam, Alexandra, Justin and Dan) are all much better at this than me: I'm looking forward to reading their work. read more
- Corresponding Between Found and Made: An Interview with Jessica Stockholder - October 5, 2016
- Plant Humans of the Future: An Interview with Saya Woolfalk - August 30, 2016
- Reading with My Whole Body: An Interview with Essi Kausalainen - August 29, 2016


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The Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB for Sprint (Silver) features a 5.5-inch retina HD display, the A8 chip for faster processing and longer battery life, the M8 motion coprocessor to track speed, distance and elevation, and with an 8MP iSight camera, you can record 1080p HD Video at 60 fps and slo-mo video at 240 fps! Additionally, iPhone 6 Plus also comes with the latest iOS 8, the world's most advanced mobile operating system.
iPhone 6 Highlights
iPhone 6 Technical Details
iPhone 6 Specifications
Data, Connectivity & Wireless:
System & Software:
iSight Camera:
FaceTime HD Camera:
Dimensions & Weight:
iPhone 6 Features
5.5" Retina HD display with 1920-by-1080 resolution
Features 1920 x 1080 resolution and 401 ppi to vividly display games, video, photos, Web content and more in sharp detail. Shatter proof glass and oleophobic coating resists scratches and bumps.
A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and with M8 motion coprocessor
Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone processor and 1GB of RAM delivers outstanding overall performance for opening and running graphics-intensive games, streaming videos and more.
iOS 8
iOS 8 of iPhone 6 Plus offers faster load times and other performance enhancements and comes with big updates to apps you use every day, like Messages and Photos. A whole new way to share content with your family.
8-megapixel iSight Camera
The 8-megapixel iSight camera with Focus Pixels, True Tone flash, and optical image stabilization enables you to capture high quality 1080p HD video recording cat 60fps and slo-mo video recording at 240 fps.
FaceTime HD Camera
Allows you to capture 1.2MP photos, record 720p HD video and manage FaceTime video calling over Wi-Fi or cellular.
Fingerprint identity sensor
Touch ID Fingerprint identity sensor lets you securely, privately and easily access your iPhone with the perfect password: your fingerprint. Additionally, Touch ID safely and conveniently approves your purchases of music, books and apps from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store, with a single touch and without having to enter your password or billing information.
A-GPS with GLONASS
The built-in GPS function of the iPhone 6 Plus lets you get your real-time location on maps, driving directions, and more.
4G LTE Speed
iPhone 6 Plus is LTE capable. 4 LTE provides lightning fast connection (up to 150MB/s) for downloading apps, streaming content and connecting to social media like FaceBook or Twitter.
Siri - Your intelligent assistant
Ask Siri to make calls, send texts, set reminders, and more. Just talk the way you talk. Siri understands what you say and knows what you mean.
What is in the box
Tell us what you think about Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Silver (Sprint), share your opinion with other people. Please make sure that your review focus on Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Silver (Sprint). All the reviews are moderated and will be reviewed within two business days. Inappropriate reviews will not be posted.
Have any question or inquire for Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB Silver (Sprint)? Please contact Customer Service. (Our customer representative will get back shortly.)


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In the absence of a reader, a layperson will commonly be blessed to perform the duties of a reader.
An ordained reader has the following duties:
- Read Old Testament readings during services,
- Read the epistle during the Divine Liturgy and other services,
- Chant psalms,
- Chant the verses for prokeimenons, the alleluia, the antiphons,
- Sing other appointed hymns during the divine services.
In addition to this, the reader will usually:
- Construct the services according to the typicon.
- Sing in the choir.
As a member of minor clergy, a reader - according to his abilities - might be entrusted with the duties of:
- Cantor
- Catechist
- Other leadership roles in the community.
Immediately before ordination as a reader, the candidate is tonsured as a sign of his submission and obedience upon entry into the clerical state. It is a separate act from ordination. The tonsure is performed only once, immediately prior to the actual ordination of a reader, which the ordination rite refers to as "the first degree of priesthood". However, it is not the means whereby a person becomes a reader. Readers, like subdeacons, are ordained by Cheirothesia - literally, "to place hands" - whereas Cheirotonia - "to stretch out the hands" - is practised at the ordination of the higher clergy: bishops, priests and deacons. It is through ordination - not the tonsure - that one is made a reader or subdeacon; this is highlighted by the fact that the tonsure is performed only once and is not repeated before the ordination of a subdeacon. The confusion has arisen by the common reference to a man being "tonsured a reader" which, while widespread, is not technically correct. The office of a reader subsumes that of a taper-bearer, and the service of ordaining a reader mentions both functions.
After being tonsured, the reader is vested in a short phelonion, which he wears while reading the Epistle for the first time. This short phelon is then removed (and never worn thereafter) and replaced with a sticharion, which the reader wears thereafter whenever he performs his liturgical duties. This practice is not universal, however, and many bishops and priests will allow a reader to perform his function dressed only in a cassock or (if a monk) outer cassock (riassa/exoraso). Often, a bishop will decree what vesting practice he wishes to be followed within his own diocese; for an example, see here, section VIII.
In contemporary practice, any layman may receive the priest's blessing to read on a particular occasion.
In the Pre-Nikonian Russian Church, there existed an additional junior grade of reader called psalomshchik (in Slavonic, Ѱаломщикъ), whose sole function was to read the long Kathisma Psalms, thus permitting the reader and chanter to save their voices. This office survives in those churches that utilise the Pre-Nikonian Russian ritual: Old Believers (both priested and priestless), those parishes under ROCOR or the Moscow Patriarchate. The title of psalomshchik survives in the later reformed Nikonian Russian rite as an alternative, slightly archaic and quaint name for chanter.
This order is higher than the doorkeeper (now largely obsolete) and lower than the subdeacon.
Byzantine icons often show readers and church singers wearing a stikhar-like garment (more loose and flowing than the modern stikhar) and a pointed hat with the brim pulled out to the sides (see here, lower left corner). This distinctive garb is now obsolete.
Readers are permitted to wear a cassock, although many do so only when attending services; this is done as a sign of his suppression of his own tastes, will and desires, and his canonical obedience to God, his bishop and the liturgical and canonical norms of the Church. Readers will generally not wear a clergy shirt.
While reading in church, the reader will generally wear a sticharion; and in some places, will do so when receiving communion.
A reader is usually tonsured by the bishop, though in some traditions, an archpriest or archimandrite may do the tonsure with the bishop's blessing if he is not available. In monastic communities, the ruling archimandrite may tonsure those monks over which he rules.
External links
- Readers, Cantors, and Church Music in Early Eastern Christian Worship, by Andrew Stephen Damick
- Instructions . . . For the Church Reader
- Some material retrieved from Wikipedia article on 'Reader', 4/Mar/2011 revision.
| This article forms part of the series


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The first thing that catches your eye inside Mary and Louise's 1891 Victorian Italianate house is a quirky coat rack: A row of sparkling, antique door-knobs in various shades of glass line up along a piece of upside-down baseboard.
"I built it myself," said the creative and energetic Mary, who also sawed the legs off a dining table to create a coffee table for the living room and made a West Coast chandelier out of tiny lights and arbutus boughs for the dining area.
"I had this idea for a long time," said Mary, who enjoys the outdoors, especially kayaking in the Broughton Archipelago and hiking in the U.K. She bought the James Bay house in 1979 and has gradually remodelled it ever since. She and her partner of two decades, who asked not to reveal their last names, say the makeover is almost done.
"This house was the victim of a really bad reno," Mary said, noting that when she first started reshaping it, she found newspapers dating from the 1950s in the walls - hence her approximation of when the work was done.
The previous owners had no appreciation of heritage.
They had dropped the ceiling from 10 1 ?2 feet to eight, crazily covering the tops of the main floor windows. They installed acoustic tile on the ceilings, panelled the walls in fake mahogany and covered up three attractive arches.
Mary uncovered these when she returned the ceilings to their full height, and added decorative Italian-style plaster brackets to enhance the arch ends. "The previous owners has dropped the ceilings to run ductwork," she said with a wince. "Back then a home like this was not really old enough to be thought of as significant. People didn't care."
But she saw the potential.
'Igrew up in an old house on the Peninsula and it kind of ruined me for modern houses. I basically bought this house because I love the look of old houses, the details, the proportion," Mary said.
A member of the Hallmark Society, she enjoys doing scale drawings. "I love fooling around with designs on graph paper."
And besides, the house had so much else going for it. "It's on a cul-de-sac, so it's very private; it's an easy walk to downtown; the lot faces south, so there's lots of sun; it's right near Beacon Hill Park; and I liked the neighbourhood."
Mary tackled the two-storey, three-bedroom house one project at a time, learning as she went and often acting as her own general contractor. "I did it room by room, from top to bottom, as I could afford to."
All the wood had been painted, so she decided not to spend ages taking it down to bare wood, though she did strip it to some degree before repainting, so as not to lose definition of the architectural profiles.
More than half the window and door mouldings had been removed and discarded by previous owners, so she had the existing ones copied so new ones could be custom made by Vintage Woodworks, a local heritage millwork supplier. Other key helpers were contractor Alf Small and painter Ken Martin.
Much of the work was invisible, including new perimeter drains, wiring, plumbing, gas furnace and seismic upgrades. The house is now bolted to its new foundations.
Rooms were gutted, taken down to the studs, with lath and plaster removed and new drywall installed. "The poor drywaller had to cut every board on four sides because there were no square corners."
Picture rails, tall baseboards and storm windows were added throughout, along with a small wood-burning stove. "I grew up in house heated with wood - it's the nicest kind of heat."
When she bought the house, it had a "bowling alley hallway" from front to back, down the east side.
She moved the living room wall and cut off the alley to create a new dining alcove and allow more light into the middle of the house. She also created a large opening between living and dining rooms, and added sliding glass doors to expand the visual space even more.
Mary was quick to stress that this was an update, not a restoration, and the new kitchen does not attempt to mirror the original style of the house.
Louise has helped a lot in the last two decades, with renos to bathrooms and kitchen, but said, "Mary had all the really ugly, messy stuff done before I came on the scene - for instance, she had already torn out the turquoise shag that had been soaked in cat pee."
The new kitchen is a room they both love, especially as it was so poorly laid out before, with only one tiny window in the south wall.
"It's really an efficient kitchen now, and opens onto a wonderful deck," Louise said. "The Canadian granite was very cost effective and we used it as a backsplash too."
Pointing to the modern stainless steel stove, fridge and dishwasher, she joked: "These are the boomer versions of a harvest gold or avocado appliance."
Despite the modern touches, the house features lots of antiques.
Mary and Louise enjoy antiquehunting at local auctions, as well as up and down the Island. Just outside the kitchen, they have an antique icebox they turned into a storage cupboard and a beautifully made Scottish sideboard constructed with no nails or screws.
Around the corner from the kitchen is a newly minted multiuse laundry room, with sink, toilet and large storage cupboards.
"The new kitchen saved so much space, we gained a laundry room," Louise said.
In the late 1800s, there was no bathroom in the house, just an outdoor biffy. A previous owner carved one out of the master bedroom, but it was small and poorly designed, with a tub in front of the window that made it awkward to access. By reconfiguring the fixtures, they eked out enough space for a new mahogany cabinet. By using glass block in the bathtub wall, they took advantage of natural light.
Mary said she is pretty handy and has done everything from sanding and painting to demolition inside the 1,400-square-foot-home. She credits her strong, practical side to growing up on a farm on the Peninsula, where her family cultivated "every fruit and vegetable you could in this area." They also raised livestock.
She and Louise love fresh produce and have developed a small but productive veggie plot in their back garden.
"We had a tiny cabbage for dinner last night, along with the last two beets," Mary said.
Now that the home is complete, Mary is redesigning their garden, adding new beds, paving stones, rock walls and an irrigation system. Part of her gung-ho pre-retirement planning included construction of a garden shed-cum-greenhouse.
"We really enjoy this space, and the little shed has made such a difference."
Writer Grania Litwin and photographer Frances Litman are known for their sense of style and knowledge of outstanding design. They tour homes around the south Island, talking to homeowners, interior designers, architects and artists who influence the way we live.


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If you're looking for unique and stylish gifts for couples- look no further! We've found the perfect gifts to give to the perfect pair.
Whether they've finally bit the bullet and said "I Do", hedged their bets and moved in together, or are celebrating many happy years of marriage, we have found dozens of great gifts for couples to mark that special milestone in their lives.
While couples may not always agree on everything we're sure they'll concur that gifts for couples are a welcome treat, whether you choose something personalised to commemorate a special date, an experience gift they can enjoy together or an item that relates to shared hobbies and interests. The honeymoon period doesn't last forever, but at least they'll have their memories.... and some seriously nice things.
If you know someone with a taste for the high-life, what better gift that this luxury Sunseeker Cruise? Forty-foot long with luxurious interior, this powerful beauty is able to...Price: £199.00 From Red Letter Days
Left your Christmas shopping until last minute? Keep calm and carry on...Read more
© People Love Presents 2020 Web design by D3R


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There were a few reasons Taylor Swift had to make a wardrobe statement last night at the People's Choice Awards:
It was her first red carpet since breaking up with Harry Styles and Katy Perry, who's dating her ex, and appears to be very happy about it, was there too. It doesn't mean that Taylor and Katy despise each other, of course not. But when you're suddenly single, again, and the guy who broke your heart doesn't seem to mind going public with his next, and she shows up at the same event, and wins a lot of awards too, well, if you want to look extra, extra, extra good, this is understandable.
And she made a great choice.
Well done on avoiding sparkles and sequins. Well done on the cleave plunge. Well done on the earrings and the no fringe. And thank you for confirming the breast enhancement? Seems like it was a modest enlargement. Too bad her acceptance was so lame. Can we blame Olivia Munn for that?
As for Harry, he was out last night too at a private dinner hosted by Tom Ford. Fancy! I've decided I now want Harry to be with Selena Gomez. One love could yield so much good gossip, including a major Justin Bieber meltdown.