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Voters select SB 848: Allow Illegal Immigrants in Community Colleges
Raleigh, N.C. – Visitors to the Civitas Institute Web site have crowned SB 848, a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to enroll in North Carolina's community colleges and universities, as the year's worst bill. Sponsored by Sen. Charlie Albertson (D-Duplin), it defeated HB 120, public financing of municipal campaigns, by a 63-37 margin in the final round of voting.
Voting took place over the past eight weeks in an NCAA "March Madness" style tournament. The tournament began with 32 bills that Civitas staff had written about and nominated throughout 2009 as a "Bad Bill of the Week." More than 10,000 votes were cast throughout the tournament.
"The voters have spoken and declared SB 848 as this year's worst bill of the year," said Civitas Institute Executive Director Francis De Luca. "SB 848 was able to defeat some really bad pieces of legislation on its way to the title, so it truly earned its victory."
SB 848 defeated two bills that would license pedorthists (SB 619) and dog breeders (SB 460), a bill that allows students to earn money for good grades (SB 100) and a bill that repeals the ban on collective bargaining (HB 750) on its way to the championship.
"Sen. Albertson should be recognized for his decision to introduce a bill that has such widespread opposition," added De Luca. Civitas polling indicates that 70 percent of voters in North Carolina are opposed to allowing illegal immigrants in the state's community colleges. "Civitas Web site voters and North Carolina voters universally agree that this is a bad idea."
The weekly "Bad Bill of the Week" series will resume during the General Assembly short session beginning in May 2010 with next year's tournament commencing after the legislative session comes to a close.
For the full tournament bracket, please click here.


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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Corporate America is finally waking up to the extensive experience mature employees bring to the table and placing value on the benefits of retaining older workers.
With more than one worker out of four reaching retirement age by the end of the next decade, corporations are now in a mad dash to create a work environment that will convince older employees to forgo the leisurely pleasures of the golf course for the frenetic pace of the office.
"We saw these demographic trends coming but business often has a short-term mentality," said Lorrie Foster, who directs research on work place trends at the Conference Board. "Not a lot of companies were prepared and now they are feeling a lot of pain."
In a recent study, the Conference Board, a New York-based business research group, determined that the energy, health care and government sectors, in particular, are facing the biggest risk of a significant brain drain by end of the decade.
As a result, more companies are looking to keep older workers by investing in training programs and flexible work schedules, and offering to hire retiring employees on a consultant basis.
"While older employees do tend to be higher paid and can incur higher health care costs, employers are realizing that there is a trade-off in losing that knowledge from the organization," said Emmett Seaborn, a principle at Towers Perrin, an executive consulting firm.
He said some companies would be willing to give older workers more flexibility while also trying to control costs.
Butch Hawking, managing director at Kaye Bassman International, said the Dallas-based executive search firm is actively seeking to keep its baby boomer employees � many of whom are considered to be among its top performers.
"It's on a case-by-case basis, but we have individuals working flex hours, part-time, telecommuting and we've exhausted every known resource to accommodate our employees," he said. "It's a balance of love and profits because we know the cost of losing a bona fide superstar can be troubling."
Employers are also paying attention to the issue as they try to fill in gaps in the work force as older, more experienced workers leave.
AARP recently released its 2005 list of the 50 best employers for those over 50. (For the full list, click here.)
Among the factors evaluated: opportunities for employee development, the average age of the work force and whether the company provides flexible work arrangements for older employees.
Deere & Co (Research)., Whirlpool (Research) and Hartford Financial Services Group (Research) were among the publicly traded companies to make the list.
Jennifer Schramm, manager of work place trends and forecasting at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), said employers are finding it easier to score points with employees by allowing them to fix a schedule that's accommodating for their changing lifestyles.
That can include so-called telecommuting, or working form home, as well as part-time work at the office, or a combination of both.
From a corporate standpoint, there are financial perks in allowing an older worker to come in on a part-time basis. As part-timers, generally, don't receive the same health benefits as a full-time staff worker, companies can save a few dollars and still retain the expertise of a seasoned employee, experts said.
A recent survey by SHRM indicated that one in 10 companies reported offering a reduced schedule prior to full retirement to allow older workers a way to ease into retirement while passing along institutional knowledge to others.
"Keeping a retired employee on a consultant basis is also becomingly increasingly popular," Schramm said. "Forty-one percent of our members report that they are either doing it or are thinking of doing it."
The Conference Board's Foster added that corporations are looking to bring back retirees to train younger employees and other corporations, such as drug retailer CVS (Research), are actively recruiting older workers to appeal to older customers.
Corporations are also offering older workers new opportunities.
Gerry Lupacchino, vice president of client services at Novations/J. Howard, a consulting firm, said workers are often marginalized as they approached retirement age, given the perception among some that mature workers are a diminished resource.
But now more corporations are choosing to "rehire" older employees by involving them in mentoring programs, giving them access to coaching, strategy development and research programs.
It's a win-win for employers and employees, he said.
"Why employees stay with a company has less to do with compensation and more to do with the importance, influence and recognition a company bestows," Lupacchino said.
"If employees are engaged and allowed to work with others and share knowledge, its less likely that companies will lose their brain trust to retirement."
Find out how to negotiate flex-time, here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wholesale Jewelry
Wholesale Sterling SilverWritten by Jessica Duquette
In addition to wholesale sterling silver jewelry, gemstone jewelry makes a great flea market item. In fashion magazines everywhere, there are celebrities and runway models donning turquoise, jade and citrine jewels. They spend thousands of dollars on authentic gold and platinum, but you can push the same look with sterling silver.
Avid flea market shoppers know they can find a diamond in the rough on any given Sunday. These same people read fashion magazines and shop name brand discount stores looking to get the same stylish look for half the price. Break from the norm and try selling beautiful wholesale silver jewelry at very low prices and your business will attract all kinds of quality shoppers.
Complex Designs, Unpretentious Prices
From peridot to pearls and moonshine to malachite, these gemstones can be found in gorgeous wholesale sterling silver settings. You'll be amazed at the complex designs and the unpretentious prices available on the Web.
Once you've succeeded at Sunday's market, take your wholesale sterling silver business to the next level. Think of all the women who would love to show off new jewelry but can't afford the outrageous price tags that usually accompany these gemstones. Soon you'll be the talk of the town.


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This photograph shows the roll of honour of the Newport Mon Hebrew Congregation. It contains the names of all members of the congregation who served and fell in the Great War 1914–1919. Mentioned first is Captain Nathan Harris after whom the memorial hall of the Queen's Hill Synagogue was named.
Newport Monmouthshire Hebrew Congregation was founded in 1859 by orthodox Jews meeting at a temporary synagogue in Llanarth Street. A synagogue at Francis Street was opened in 1869 and consecrated by the Chief Rabbi Dr Herman Adler in 1871. In 1934 the congregation moved to the Nathan Harris Memorial Hall in Queen's Hill which was converted to a synagogue. In 1997 this synagogue was closed, and the congregation moved to the Prayer House by the Jewish Burial Ground on Risca Road. Within 20 years the congregation had dwindled to a few members able to attend and this too had ceased to hold services.
"History of our Shul. The First Hundred Years", published by Newport Congregation in 1959;
Oral history interviews with members of the Newport (MON) Hebrew Congregation, recorded in 2018 by JHASW.
Depository: Gwent Archives.


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This chapter deals with the color used for risography. What are special features in the composition, how big is the color palette of the Risograph and how do color separations work? Finally, it explains how color profiles can be created for the Risograph.
The Risograph uses an emulsion ink of a mixture of oil and water bases. 1. Emulsion (lat. Ex and mulgēre, "milked out") is a process in which an emulsifier is used to combine two incompatible substances, a finely divided mixture of two normally immiscible liquids with no visible segregation. Examples of emulsions are a variety of cosmetics, milk, mayonnaise, or even soybean oil. [Note]Emulsion, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsion, accessed on February 28, 2017[/note]


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By Mike Tupa
Well, chalk one up for the Bruin Fieldhouse leprechauns.
They cast a little magic in crunch time to help elevated the Bartlesville High School Lady Bruins to a crucial victory in their home finale.
With a Class 6A regional crown on the line, the Lady Bruins edged Edmond Deer Creek, 55-52, to seize the trophy and a spot in the area playoffs winner's bracket.
Avery Allen and Erin Shoemaker each buried two free throws in the final 32 seconds to rescue the win for Bartlesville, which improved to 25-0— matching the 1991-92 Lady Bruin team for the most total wins in a season.
With time running down Monday, the Antler girls of Deer Creek were coming on like a speeding freight train — threatening both Bartlesville's perfect mark and regional title hopes.
Trailing 11 points going into the final period, Deer Creek girls went into overdrive to pull within one point, 53-52, with 10 seconds left.
But, Shoemaker's two free throws with eight seconds left — and an errant, last-gasp three-point shot at the buzzer by the Antlers — sealed Bartlesville's destiny.
It was pure magic.
Jena' Williams amassed 21 points — including five three-pointers — to spearhead the Bartlesville attack. Allen and Shoemaker contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively.
But, all of the starters contributed key scoring. Destiny Harris dropped in two field goals — and Trinity Parker canned two free throws — in the second quarter to help the Lady Bruins pull out to a 12-point halftime lead, 32-20.
But, Edmond Deer Creek came on strong in the second half — aided by the 6-foot-2 Harris being whistled for her fourth foul and being banished for several minutes to the bench.
While she was in the game, the long and lean Harris loomed like a nightmare for Antler inside shooters. Not only did she swat several layup tries, but she also altered some shot attempts so much, the trajectory appeared destined for Albuquerque rather than the basket.
Perhaps some of the positive karma for Bartlesville — including several missed Deer Creek layups — was due partly to those little elves — dressed in Bruin blue, of course — dancing in the rafters.
The second period.
That really provided the difference in the game.
Bartlesville routed Deer Creek during the period, 16-6, to take permanent command of the lead.
In the other three quarters, the Antlers outscored Bartlesville, 46-39, in what was definitely the Lady Bruins' closest call this campaign on their homecourt.
Bartlesville head coach Krista Binam —in her third year at the Lady Bruin helm —achieved a 25-win season for the second or third time in her coaching career.
But, Monday's triumph didn't follow Bartlesville's normal script — close early and then bury an opponent.
After the game, Binam labelled Deer Creek as "a great team."
The Antlers burst on the board with a layup by Vann — a sophomore that appears likely to leave a huge imprint on the Oklahoma girls basketball before her prep career is done.
Allen answered with a three-pointer — off a feed from Williams to bump Bartlesville into his first lead, 3-2.
The teams continued to trade points throughout the opening quarter, which ended with the Lady Bruins clinging to a two-point lead, 16-14.
However, Bartlesville surged on a 12-1 run to open the second quarter, extending the gap to 13 points, 28-15.
But, unlike most other Lady Bruin foes this season, Deer Creek featured the talent, coaching and determination to weather the storm.
During Deer Creek's fourth quarter rally, Shoemaker knocked down a key trey, that ultimately would be the difference.
Bartlesville 55, Deer Creek 52
Deer Creek 14-6-10-22—52
Bartlesville 16-16-9-14—55
Deer Creek
A. Carruthers 2 4-8 8, B. Scott 2 0-0 4, K. Kline 1 0-0 2, B. Meuser 1 0-0 2, S. Vann 10 4-5 25, A. Scott 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 8-13 52.
Erin Shoemaker 3 5-5 13, Trinity Parker 0 2-2 2, Avery Allen 5 2-3 15, Jena' Williams 7 2-2 21, Destiny Harris 2 0-0 4. Totals: 17 11-12 55.


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Art and Autonomy
Novelist George Konrad speaks about the state, the artist, and "The quiet revolution of self‐rule."
As a victim of both Nazism and Stalinism, the author argues that one "cannot trust the state, only a few friends at best." His aim in life has been to have private conscience, not public loyalty, choose between right and wrong, and to make sure this happens, he has become a writer.
"The Long Work of Liberty." New York Review of Books (USA), January 26, 1978: 38–41.
[This address was read by the author, a prominent Hungarian novelist, at the Venice Biennale on Cultural Dissent in November 1977. He has written: The Case Worker, New York: Harcourt Brace, 1974; and The City Builder, New York: Harcourt Brace, 1977.]
Regardless of the peculiar form of its ideology, right or left, communist or capitalist, the state creates a culture that subordinates its citizens. The state places responsibility in the hands of the leaders and installs a censor in the minds of its subjects. The true symbol of the totalitarian state is the exemplary bureaucrat who is more loyal to the state than to his friends. On the other hand, the writer or literary artist is committed by the creative force which compels him to expression, to tell the truth as his conscience perceives it. The act of creation is itself a radical act in which the artist tests the limits of his consciousness. While the literary artist uses the word to express the truth, the state relies on crude or subtle forms of coercion. "The gallows erected by the state are not more decent than a gun thrust out of the window of a speeding car. In our century more than 100 million people died as a result of orders given by statesmen. No common criminal can match this record.… There is no political doctrine that does not reserve the statesman's right to be an accomplice in murder."
Socialism is a term to describe all that has happened in Eastern Europe since 1945 and will continue in the future. Socialism is not merely an ideology, but a general term for an existing social framework. Despite the state's apparently all‐pervasive and enduring culture, we may predict the development of an alternative culture, parallel to that of the state, and based on individual consciousness and the irrepressible human desire for ever more personal freedom. Not at first backed by institutions or even any organized movement, the new culture begins when the autonomous self reacts against the manipulated self. The breaking up of the state's culture and its monopoly of power is a joint undertaking in which, consciously or unconsciously, the entire society participates. Out of this struggle a parallel culture based on individual consciousness begins to leave its mark on every phase of societal life, even upon the state culture. "Freedom is a beautiful word even for an idiot. The desire for it, like the desire for sex, can be suppressed only temporarily."
The quiet revolution of self‐rule is slow in coming, but it begins with the individual who does not subordinate his conscience to the needs of the state. The vocation of the literary artist in this revolution is, in a special way, to be true to his own conscience, to express through his art a lifelong striving for personal autonomy, seeking this utopia through continuous self‐liberation.
Finally, western intellectuals must be cautioned against labeling certain literary artists from Eastern Europe as "dissenters." There is no such thing as "dissident" literature; the term itself indicates the acceptance of a politicization of literature. True literature and true art (regardless of its national origin) strives to defend the concretely human against the violent and stupid formulations of the abstractly human. Every decent writer is a one man party and church. Lacking his own individual world view which is expressed in concrete images, he has nothing; neither Marxism nor anti‐Marxism will help him produce good literature. Political or state culture knows the dissident writer; autonomous culture, that of the individual, knows only the good artist or the bad.


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Big City BBQ Party Box
Summer parties inevitably mean impromptu dinner with friends which also equals dishes and cleanup - but it doesn't have too. Enter our Big City BBQ Party Box - stylish making it a night to remember but easy cause there is virtually zero dishes that will need to be done.
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What started ten years ago as a dream to provide a holistic approach to promoting wellness and recovery for families in need became a reality when Jewish Family Service recently opened its Barbash Family Vital Support Center.
"Today we take a big step forward-all of us together-as we begin a journey that will touch lives and change lives every day. Today we take a big step toward fulfilling Jewish Family Service's vision of leading our community to a place where everyone lives with hope, stability, and dignity," said Beth Schwartz, Executive Director of Jewish Family Service.
Schwartz's comments were made October 27, 2013 at the community-wide grand opening celebration of the Jewish Family Service Barbash Family Vital Support Center, located on the Clifton campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. With the support of funders and private individual donors, an unused campus building that had housed a swimming pool and lockers was fully renovated into the warm and inviting Vital Support Center.
"In a remarkable transition of space, the building now contains a beautiful reception area, private rooms for client assessments and meetings, a large activity room and kitchen, and a state of the art food pantry. In this Center, Jewish Family Service will serve hungry people, facilitate wellness and recovery programming to people living with chronic mental health issues, and provide case management services to people striving toward self-sustainability," said Lee Sherman CEO of the Association of Jewish Family and Children's Agencies (AJFCA). AJFCA, which is headquartered in Baltimore, represents 125 Jewish Family Service agencies across North America.
The transition was more than that of a building; it was also a transformation of an agency. Over time, as more families in need were coming to Jewish Family Service for assistance, its staff recognized that a bag of food or a rent check was not enough to maintain stability. The new Barbash Family Vital Support Center is Jewish Family Service's realization of the dream to address the full spectrum of hardships that accompany hunger and poverty- homelessness, fear, isolation, stress, and despair.
"Ten years ago we opened a food pantry in the basement of Golf Manor Synagogue. We are forever indebted to Rabbi Chanan Balk and Golf Manor for providing rent-free space for so many years. It was in this basement pantry that Vital Services Department Director Fran Gafvert began dreaming of a more holistic approach to battling food insecurity, poverty, and mental illness," said Schwartz.
Cincinnati Vice-Mayor Roxanne Qualls recognized the important role the Center will fill in our community and thanked everyone who made the Barbash Family Vital Support Center possible not just for the people in the Jewish community, but for all of those in our Cincinnati community who will find this a place of refuge, support, and help.
The food pantry is open to Jewish Family Service clients as well as all people in need who live in Cincinnati's 45220 zip code. It is the only food pantry in the region that also includes a section with a full array of kosher foods and meat.
The Vital Support Center offers a best-practice and evidence-based program. It is also the only place in our community that addresses the unique needs of people experiencing hunger, poverty and mental illness who desire to be served within a Jewish cultural setting. For example, Jewish Family Service clients can enjoy Jewish holiday themed parties, rabbinic support, and Hebrew classes.
Said Shep Englander, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, "This truly is a historic day because it is not only the day when we launch what will be a national model, but also the day when we celebrate a partnership and collaboration that is truly unique." He added that the Vital Support Center is right at the heart of the caring pillar of the Cincinnati 2020 initiative to secure our future as a welcoming Jewish community that provides an exceptional quality of life for every one of its members. "The Center is a result of what has always been one of the core values of our community—caring for people in need by reducing poverty and isolation."
Because of the unique collaboration of several organizations and individual donors, Jewish Family Service was ultimately able to bring the Barbash Family Vital Support Center to the community's individuals in need.
"Here's where the stars and planets all lined up for us," said Schwartz. What had started with an original planning grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati (now called Interact for Health) grew to include financial support from the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and several individual donors including the Bernie and Pam Barbash Family and the George and Anne Heldman Family. Finally, as Jewish Family Service was touring several potential properties, Hebrew Union College suggested its campus as a possible location.


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In times of horrific tragedy and grief, volunteer chaplains assigned to police and fire departments are often called to counsel families in their most trying moments.
Where many would rather turn away, chaplains are tasked to offer pastoral support and aid in extreme crisis calls.
Since 2003, the DuPont Police Department has been supported by Greg Ford, a volunteer chaplain under the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy.
"Probably the biggest thing I do as a chaplain is being a good listener," said the 58-year-old, who also is the senior pastor at New Beginnings Church in DuPont. "People want to tell their story. There is so much hurt and pain in life and working through it is not always easy.
"As a chaplain you become a confidant and a safe person that people can come to without reprisal and fear of being judged or critiqued," Ford said. "My desire is to always offer people hope and a new beginning."
His interest serving as a pastor led him to serve in a pastor capacity in the military. He served in Army Chaplaincy from 1975-1979 as a chaplain assistant at Fort Carson in Colorado. During a break in military service, Ford completed his Masters of Divinity in 1986. Afterward, he received an appointment as an Army chaplain. He served at Army bases in California, Maryland and Hawaii. He was stationed in Germany for a time and his last assignment was as the 1st Brigade Chaplain at Fort Lewis in Washington state where he retired as a major.
A memory Ford holds dear is serving soldiers in Iraq during the Gulf War.
"Being in a real-world mission was definitely an eye opener to the needs of soldiers," Ford said. "When deployed to Iraq, the reality of being in a team ministry was not only more evident but was highly rewarding."
TPCC provided the training to Ford in 2003 that certified him as an affiliated Tacoma-Pierce County chaplain.
"Greg is a phenomenal chaplain," said Trudy Cane, volunteer chaplain coordinator at TPCC. "He comes with a lot of expertise in caring for others and is a good guy all around."
To donate to the TPCC, a nonprofit organization, visit t-pcc.org/donate. Monetary gifts are tax deductible and enable TPCC to serve victims, victim families and first responders, without any financial obligation. Donations also help pay for chaplain uniforms, mileage reimbursements, and continuing education and training.


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Only 20 available!
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Every year just about everyone gets upset about the Oscar nominations, even the smarties, because sometimes you've just got to scream about something stupid to feel alive. That's fine, even if it sucks. What I'm more interested in, at least by the standards of "can anything about this monied charade that celebrates America's worst aesthetic practices make me, a sour little leftist, even somewhat happy," is the Academy's decisions to recognize movies that otherwise receive a fraction of attention compared to their peers in the field. They're not going to gross a lot of money, and they're certainly not going to win, but their name is there, a sign that even the voters' instincts — which largely remain old, white, and male — can align in the right direction, and some people might be incentivized to check them out. That's a win, inasmuch as anything about this monied, ass-kissing charade can be a win.
This year, that movie for me is Pain and Glory. Now, I recognize the irony of considering Pain and Glory, a movie directed by Pedro Almodovar (one of the most acclaimed foreign directors of the last 30 years) and starring Antonio Banderas (a verified Hollywood star), to be under-recognized, even by the standards of the Academy. There are more obscure selections — like, say, Corpus Christi, Poland's entry into the Best International Feature Film category, and a movie I have not seen. But Pain and Glory was my favorite movie of 2019, and so I'm going to highlight it here because this is my blog, and also because there is no chance it will win in either category it's nominated for (Best International Feature Film is going to the excellent Parasite, and Best Actor is going to Joaquin Phoenix for the execrable Joker).
Pain and Glory is a semi-autobiographical movie about a man named Salvador Mallo (Banderas), a successful film director in creative and bodily decline, loosely based on Almodovar himself. Following the re-release of one of his first movies, Mallo begins reminiscing about his childhood and his mother (Penelope Cruz); the movie often flashes back to the past, induced by Mallo's experimentations with heroin, as he tries to find what ails him in the present. The two are linked, obviously, and it's only when he comes to terms with the past that he can move forward.
That itself might feel like familiar emotional terrain, especially for Almodovar, the work of whom has often looked at how events from the past explicitly and implicitly (and always unexpectedly) influence the present. Here it's guided by a masterful performance from Banderas, who sheds his hunkish Hollywood presence for something more reserved and damaged as he plays an intractable near-genius whose successes have led to a deeply painful, lonely life. He's too sick to go out; he isn't working; most of his relationships have atrophied; he feels like a terrible son, even though his mother is now dead. To highlight his lethargy, we're introduced to Alberto Crespo (Asier Etxeandia), an early collaborator who Mallo reconnects with after a long gap in friendship, whose work has been less critically validated but whose contrasting good health and creative vibrancy are obvious for the audience to see.
A lot of deeply moving stuff happens as a result of all this, and while the movie is hard to "spoil," it just needs to reveal itself for you, so here is where I will stop summarizing. It's the first Oscar nomination for Banderas, who's sort of like Matthew McConaughey — a '90s heartthrob revealing new depths in his advancing age. In 2017, Banderas suffered a near-fatal heart attack, which influenced the way he plays the degenerating Mallo; in an interview with People, he said he realized what mattered most to him: "family, friends and recovering the actor I once was." The melodramatic flair of that last clause undergirds his performance in Pain and Glory, especially considering the additional parallels to real life: Crespo is possibly a stand-in for Banderas himself, as he and Almodovar collaborated in their youth before Banderas went off to Hollywood, and made a bunch of mediocre movies that brought him great fame at the expense of his creative self.
That People has written multiple times about Pain and Glory is a quirk of Almodovar's career: because he works with Hollywood stars like Banderas and Cruz, his work receives mainstream attention that other directors don't. Their cumulative history gives Pain and Glory its meaning, as the actors channel their understanding of their friend and his life into their performances. There's a tenderness that they might rarely get to display in their more mainstream, American offerings, and it feels like a gift to watch talented actors parlay their stardom into bringing attention and value to such a personal, lovely film. It's also just really funny, adding a lightness to material that could be stultifying and depressing in the wrong hands.
It feels like Banderas could've won in another year, as the Academy does love to recognize journeyman Hollywood stars like McConaughey and Sandra Bullock. The narrative is right there for magazines like People to push. Banderas will lose, but you can see the Pain and Glory and be glad it exists, and that enough people cared about it to give it some recognition. It's not a huge win, but considering how terribly political the Oscars are, it's enough.


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An analysis of middle ultraviolet dayglow spectra.
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Walden, Billie S.
Cleary, David D.
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Gnanalingam, Suntharalingam
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Middle ultraviolet spectra from 1800 to 3400A are analyzed. These spectra were obtained from the March 1990 rocket flight of the NPS MUSTANG instrument over the altitudes 105km to 315km. The data were compared with computer generated synthetic spectra. A least squares fitting procedure was developed for this purpose. Each data point was weighted using the standard deviation of the means. Synthetic spectra were generated for the following emissions: N2 Vegard-Kaplan; N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopf ield; NO y, 8, and e; 01 2912k, Oil 2470A; and Nil 2143A. Altitude profiles for the emissions were obtained. Tentative identification was made of the OIII 2853A emission. A comparison of VK and LBH profiles demonstrates the process of N2 A-state quenching by atomic oxygen.
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PVC duck small size. Can be squeezed to relieve stress. Size: 5X5.5X5CM
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Tarzan of the Apes (1918) Scott Sidney
Labels : 10's , Adventure , Scott Sidney , USA , 2 com
Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
Genre: Action | Adventure
Country: USA | Director: Scott Sidney
Language: Music with English Intertitles | Subtitles: None
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 | Length: 60mn
Dvdrip H264 Mkv - 688x538 - 29.970fps - 1.07gb
Kohn and Alice Clayton set sail for Africa. Mutineers maroon them. After his parents die, the newborn Tarzan is taken by a great Ape, Kala. Later the boy finds his father's knife and uses it to become King of Apes. Binns, the sailor who saved the Claytons and who has been held by Arab slavers for ten years, finds the young Tarzan and then heads for England to notify his kin. A scientist arrives to check out Binns' story. Tarzan, now a man, kills the native who killed Kala; when their chief is killed the black villagers appease Tarzan with gifts and prayers. The scientist's daughter Jane is carried off by a native, rescued by Tarzan (who has burnt the native village), aggressively loved by him ("Tarzan is a man, and men do not force the love of women"), and at last accepts him with open arms.
Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
If you enjoy this blog, you can support it by buying a NITROFLARE premium account from the links above. For just a few bucks, you will get full speed and unlimited downloads from a great filehost. If you find a dead link, just leave a com on the post REUPS AND REQUESTS and I'll try to fix it as soon as possible. Cheers.


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For many years the name "Earnhardt" was synonymous with NASCAR. First with the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. then with his son Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Earnhardt name was front and center in the sport.
That all changed in 2017 when Junior stepped away from fulltime racing. Sure, he is still in the booth, but on track the Earnhardt name was no longer at the front of the field every week.
That didn't mean the Earnhardt name was completely absent.
Jeffrey Earnhardt carries the name, but he's not interested in using it to make any inroads or grab any attention. In fact, if he has his way the 29-year old grandson of Dale Earnhardt Sr., will make a name for himself on his own.
"My grandpa is the guy I looked up to, nothing against him," Earnhardt said Thursday. "I'm out to prove myself…I feel like if anything I've got the hard work side of it like my grandpa had, but I'm out to prove who I am. The Earnhardt name's great and obviously something I have a lot of respect for and appreciation for but at the end of the day I'm out here to prove who I am as a driver. "
Jeffrey has made 75 Cup starts, 66 starts in the Xfinity series and 10 in the truck. But those starts have been in less than stellar equipment.
That's about to change.
Earnhardt signed a deal late last year to enter nine races in the Xfinity series for Joe Gibbs Racing this season, and Thursday Xtreme Concepts announced that they will field a team with a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. They will enter Earnhardt in five Xfinity races and two Cup races this season.
No matter which team he's racing for, Earnhardt will be looking to make his own name in the sport. And he hopes to do just that this season.
"I haven't really had the opportunity to go out and perform and this is going to give me that," Earnhardt said." With performance comes more sponsors, more interest and makes the pathway a little bit easier."
And if this new team doesn't work out maybe there will be an opening at a team that was associated with his grandpa for many years.
"I wish the best for Jeff," said team owner Richard Childress the same team owner Earnhardt Sr. won six of his seven titles with. "I wish we could come up with the sponsorship it would take to put Jeffrey in a car today; I'd love to put him in a car and let him go out and have another Earnhardt driving another RCR car."


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"They were hired because of what they did to women."
Celebrity Big Brother is back with a bang – and this year the contestants have all been selected due to their involvement in "media storms".
And while the CBB house has hosted its fair share of controversy over the years, this year's 'Eye of the Storm' line-up may be the most divisive yet, especially when it comes to these two male contestants.
Former Corrie star Nicola Thorp has slammed the show, calling out their decision to recruit Hardeep Singh Kohli and Dan Osborne, given the past accusations made against them.
Hardeep was suspended from his role on The One Show, after being accused of behaving inappropriately towards a female colleague.
At the time he issued a statement, which read: 'Nobody has accused me of sexual harassment. I recognise I overstepped the mark and have apologised unreservedly.'
Dan Osborne, on the other hand, was axed from The Only Way Is Essex after he was heard threatening to stab ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin.
'Hardeep's 'scandal' was due to his sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague,' Nicola wrote on Twitter. 'Therefore CBB are literally PAYING him for having been a sexual predator.
'And they have given both him and Dan [Osborne] a platform to attempt to redeem themselves in the public eye and to kickstart their careers.
'While women are still scared to report sexual harassment at work for fear of ruining their own careers, Hardeep is taking money for having done it.
'We must stop celebrating and rewarding this behaviour. These men were not hired for their celebrity status. They were hired because of what they did to women. Sexual harassment is not entertainment. #metoo.'
Celebrity Big Brother airs nightly on Channel 5.


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A viewer's neighbor has refused to fix the sewer issues on his property. As a result, the viewer can smell the raw sewage in his own home. Can the viewer sue his neighbor?
The Law & You is a nightly feature on channels WBRE-TV 28 and WYOU-TV 22 where the attorneys from Fellerman & Ciarimboli answer legal questions. If you have a question that you want answered by the Law & You attorneys, please submit the form on this page or call the hotline at 1-888-570-HURT.


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A fourth-generation Californian, Nathan Turner grew up in San Francisco bay area, surrounded by a large extended family. He is an East Bay boy and attended St. Mary's College! Enjoy reading about Nathan's favorites. They are wonderful! Thanks again Nathan.
Upon moving to Los Angeles, Nathan successfully merged his greatest passions – design, travel and food – into his eponymous shop. Located on North Almont Drive in Los Angeles, Nathan's store has become an expression of his years traveling, a faithful source for the country's leading interior designers, as well as some of the most stylish individuals from coast to coast. An avid cook, Nathan equipped his store with a full kitchen so that he could host intimate dinners and parties on site.
Nathan's parties, products, and designs have been featured in major national and regional publications including Domino, Vogue Living, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Food & Wine, and C Magazine.
In 2008 Nathan launched the Nathan Turner for Elite Leather collection of upholstered furniture. He recently launched his book Nathan Turner's American Style: Classic Design and Effortless Entertaining.


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Join our one day Great Ocean Road tour and you're treated to the most spectacular coastal views you've ever seen! This stunning Australian National Heritage listed road is a bucket list must-do when you're travelling Oz.
With a distinct culture, arts scene, and growing list of things to do in Melbourne, our tours expand your horizons and take you off the beaten path in this popular city. Explore the options for Melbourne tours with Colourful Trips below!
Our Phillip Island Eco Tour highlights the best of Victoria's nature and wildlife; you'll hand feed kangaroos and wallabies, see wild koalas, watch sheep shearing, and see the famous penguin parade!
Travel between Australia's biggest state capital cities and spend a day and night in our national capital, Canberra. See and learn more about Australia in the capital city named by
This overnight tour is perfect for those who cannot decide between travelling the Great Ocean Road or exploring beautiful Phillip Island because if you have two days, you can do both!


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Planes - Byron Barton
iOS Universal Books
Soar above the clouds as you interact with many different types of planes in this exciting book app for new readers! Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. Complete with moveable objects and brightly colored illustrations, learning is fun with Byron Barton's "Planes"!
Explore the Story:
- ENCOURAGE literacy skills with highlighted narration
- LEARN new vocabulary with tappable words and pictures
- INTERACT with animations & movable objects on every page!
- RECORD your own narration & share it with others
- KEEP kids in the story with parental controls
Designed for children ages 2-5
The Reviews Are In:
- Gold Medal - Mom's Choice Awards
- "Recommended App - Parents' Choice Awards
We'd Love To Hear From You!
- Please share your thoughts in a review! Your experience matters to us.
- Need tech support? Contact us at [email protected]
- Say hello to us on FB! facebook.com/oceanhousemedia
Official HarperCollins licensed app: www.harpercollinschildrens.com
What's New
- optimized for full 64-bit performance
- bug fixes


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Time flies when you're having fun...
Corne worked for a week with the World Horizons Youth Development Team on their annual Stewards Trust camp.
(Stewards trust is a Christian charity devoted to discipling young people, families and older people, through camps and house parties)
I was a mini bus driver for them for the week, driving them to various outdoor activities around the Gower and also leading them on a overnight mountain expedition in the Brecon mountains.
They were a fantastic group to work with and we believe God had done great things in the kids and the leader's lives.
I praise God for safety on the roads driving the kids and also for a fun filled refreshing week(being away from house and mummy duties).
Annelie has recently turned 18 months old.
I love ....
- how excited she is to see me in the morning when I first walk into her room, how she jumps up and down in her cot with joy!
- how she loves the porridge that I make her each morning, that she has a good appetite!
- that she cannot wait to get outside and will walk me to the door in the morning as I leave for work wanting to come outside too!
- that she giggles at my funny dances and funny faces, that she finds me funny!
- that she has TinTin teddy and she knows it as daddy teddy because it looks like me!
- that I can stick her out over a ledge to feel the rush of the wind, and she loves it!
- that we go to the beach to build a house out of driftwood, and she will just sit there as I build the playhouse around her, watching and waiting for daddy to join her when he is finished
- that she loves the big orange Land Rovers! How she runs to them in the car park, to stand in the drivers seat, pretending to drive and beeping the horn!
- that she trusts me, that my being present gives her confidence!
- how she coped with the rough travel conditions and 45c heat in Iraq, I know I can push her yet further!
- that she is happy to be picked up and cuddled by anyone around the world!
- that she just legs it outside as soon as the front door is opened or as soon as we let her go, I love her desire to go, explore & discover!
- that she is cuddly & will walk over to me to embrace me when I come home
- how she loves the water, loves to splash and swim and put her head in the water
- how she loves her bed and reaches for it as we enter her bedroom at night
1 John 3:1 (NIV)
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
Annelie and Daddy


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To attach your computer to a product (Multis, Quattros and Inverters), you need a driver for MK2-USB (ASS030130000) / MK3-USB (ASS030140000) and an RJ45 UTP cable (ASS030064xxx and ASS030065xxx). Hacking into the software and disabling the copy protection, or illegally producing key codes that unlocks the trial model making the software a registered model creates a cracked version. Danger administration is an important issue in the direction of software mission failure if it is not managed well timed and successfully. PC: Obtain the ISO image, burn it to CD and boot from it. Your new router will run for 24 hours and not using a license (flip it off to stop the timer).
Software is written in a number of programming languages; there are numerous programming languages in existence, and each has at the very least one implementation, each of which consists of its personal set of programming tools. Go to 'Windows Replace' and test that your laptop is set to obtain and set up updates automatically. The software did exactly what it was told to do. The reason it failed is that it was informed to do the mistaken factor.
Use the UniFi® Video app to speak with an NVR (Community Video Recorder) by way of remote or local entry. Such sites will often have a discussion board or a spot where you can talk about issues or go away positive feedback concerning the software. As programmers eagerly poured software into essential techniques, they became, increasingly more, the linchpins of the constructed world—and Dijkstra thought that they had maybe overestimated themselves.
The 911 outage, at the time the most important ever reported, was traced to software running on a server in Englewood, Colorado. The revenue of a software engineering intern at Fb is comparable, with month-to-month incomes of over $6,500. A part of the draw for patrons, especially in aviation, is that whereas it is possible to build extremely reliable software by hand, it may be a Herculean effort.
Some respected software creating companies are SiliconEdge, get web site rating, Lucrosus, Software developers UK and Endeavor. Nevertheless, some embedded techniques run embedded working techniques , and these systems do retain the distinction between system software and utility software (though typically there will only be one, mounted, application which is all the time run).


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Do you love painting but haven't touched the paints in a while? Here's the perfect chance to explore your creativity and get in touch with your inner artist. Ditch your phones and get your hands on colours and canvas and create this stunning painting all with your fingers!
You will be guided step by step from the scratch. Canvas, colours and other art materials will be provided along with food and beverage coupon worth Rs. 300/-. No prior experience in drawing/painting is needed.
Beginners, non-painters as well as artists are welcome. Oh yes, your beautiful masterpiece is for you to carry home! Art is an excellent therapy which soothes your mind and soul. Just the very act of creating something makes you aware of your creative abilities which then you would definitely like to explore.
About the artist: Damini Sargam is a professional artist based in Mumbai, working for clients across India, Germany and Switzerland. She specializes in making oil paintings, portraits, human figures, landscapes, theme based and abstract paintings
Date: 14th December 2019
Time: 12pm-2pm
Price: 1650
Venue: Doolally Taproom Khar
Never miss a great event & get weekly updates of great events.


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As Christians, we believe that God wants to bless us as individuals and as a community of Hugglescote, whether we are people of faith or not. Jesus said that he had come so that we could have life in abundance; fullness of love and joy, strength of body, mind and soul.
We believe that we are called to share God's blessing with Hugglescote through practical acts of care and kindness and by praying for our community. We have committed to pray for every house in the village, asking God to bless those living in it with abundant life. We are putting a card through each house as we pray for it letting you know.
If you would like prayer for something specific feel free to put your prayer request on the back of the card and drop it into the prayer box at The Oasis Café on Central Road. If you don't believe in prayer, that's OK too, just write your shopping list on the back, or you can come and have a free coffee on us at The Oasis.


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U&I x Monster Children
Aussie label U&I has more in mind than just sunbaking.
"With countless women's swimwear brands on the market looking like even the briefest rendezvous with salt water will see them instantly destroyed, U&I is leading the pack for labels blending function and style seamlessly. Based out of Torquay, Melbourne, the swimwear label has just released their new range After The Rain, and it's good enough to live in this summer. The Australian made pieces feel as good as they look, with clever contouring and classic colour palettes making up the bulk of the new wardrobe staples."
Read the full article by MC


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Material Marvels: Nidarosdomen
Nidarosdomen is the world's northernmost gothic cathedral, centralised in Trondheim, northern Norway. Idha Valeur takes a look at the historical cathedral, Norway's national shrine.
Building Nidarosdomen commenced in 1070, but was not finished until the year 1300. And over the course of the 700 years since, this beautiful church has hosted many a wedding.
Nidarosdomen, or Nidaros Cathedral, was built on the grave of King Olaf II of Norway, the viking king who christened the country and became the eternal king of Norway. The beloved king, Olav den hellige, died in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. After his death, rumours about miracles involving his corpse began to flourish. One such belief was that a blind man had regained his sight after getting the king's blood on his hands and rubbing it into his eyes. Also, a year after his death, his grave was dug up and rumour has it that the smell of roses burst out of his casket, and that the king's hair and nails had grown. Due to these miracles, Bishop Grimkjell declared him holy and he was named Saint Olaf. The king's remains were then put back into his casket and placed at the altar of the cliff church in Nidaros. A wooden church was built at his original burial place, Nidaros Cape.
The cathedral acts as the central church of the country, and has been used to give blessing to both Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja of Norway, as well as housing the regalia, which are now exhibited at the Archbishop's Palace.
A look into soapstone
Nidarosdomen is predominantly built of soapstone – a metamorphic rock that mainly consists of talc along with varying amounts of micas, chlorite, amphiboles, pyroxenes and carbonates. Soapstone is a soft but dense rock and has high heat resistance, which makes it a good option for architectural use.
Reportedly, it took an estimated 37,000 tonnes of soapstone to build Nidarosdomen.
Dr Per Storemyr, who holds a doctorate on the building blocks of Nidarosdomen, counted 23 types of soapstone, as well as 14 varieties of marble and limestone used in the building of the cathedral, according to researcher at Geological Survey of Norway Tom Heldal's article Nidarosdomen was built using 70 types of stone published on forskning.no.
Rune Langås, Director of National Centre for Restoration, explained to Materials World that despite Norway having large rock resources, the population have traditionally built most of their houses using wood.
'With the christening of the country, so came the churches and, according to a papal decree, the churches should be built in stone,' Langås said. 'Likewise, the foreign church builders who came to Norway had knowledge of building in stone, not with wood. That the choice fell on soapstone when Nidarosdomen – and other contemporary church buildings and monasteries in the country – should be listed, is seen in the fact that soapstone is a common rock in Norway.
'The population knew where to find it and knew the material's use and processing properties. Since very far back in time, soapstone had been used for various purposes in primary industry and households, for example, yarns, spinning wheels, wafers and cookware. It was thus well known that this rock could be relatively easily recovered from the deposits and processed with simple aids.'
Langås explained that the soapstone was mostly locally sourced, which was common for many stone buildings in other countries across the ages. 'Limestone, sandstone, marble and soapstone are all considered as rocks that are easily extracted and shaped. For building Nidarosdomen, soapstone was the most obvious option,' he said.
'Soapstone has high compressive strength, which must be regarded as an advantage in terms of the weight-load the stones further down in the building are exposed to. It is also an advantage that "fresh" and crack-free soapstone absorbs minimal water, compared with other stones. However, this does not mean that it prevents leaks and other moisture-related problems. The problem does not lie with the stone,
but the joints.
'Something that can be considered an advantage and a disadvantage are the thermal properties of the material. Soapstone stores heat and cold air. The advantage is that heating and cooling takes a long time, which basically contributes to a stable indoor climate. However, condensation-related problems may occur in the case of prolonged heat or cold periods and sudden changes in weather conditions,' Langås explained.
While it can often seem permanent, soapstone, like all stone, breaks down over time. How long that takes depends on the quality of the material. With the vast restoration project going on at Nidaros Domkirkes Restaureringsarbeider (NDR), a government appointed national centre for the conservation and restoration of historically significant building in stone, the team is continuously on the hunt for good quality soapstone. This work is carried out by the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), in collaboration with NDR craftsmen
'As all stone breaks down over time and eventually becomes so bad that it needs to be replaced, so there will always be a need for access to the raw soapstone. Ensuring stable access to stone of the desired quality is a major challenge. Although we have large soapstone deposits in Norway, all quarry activities are closed. The solution may be that NDR, resumes earlier practice and breaks the stone ourselves.
'Before this can happen, a number of conditions such as material quality need to be clarified, which is done in cooperation with NGU. Quality is not just about durability, processing properties are also important when the material is to be formed accurately and with great detail. In addition, logistics need to be taken into account, as many old soapstone quarries are protected under cultural heritage, so cannot be used again today.'
The restoration work
The cathedral was built in stages over the years and features a nave with aisles, a transept, as well as an octagon facing east. There are two towers at the west front and a mid tower. Several fires hit the cathedral hard during medieval times, and it was left partially ruined from the reformation period up to the 19th Century. Although the five fires caused a vast amount of damage to the cathedral, the octagon is still largely in its original condition – the best part of the cathedral from medieval times, according to the Department of Cultural Heritage of Norway.
And with the fires, so started the restoring work, with the aim to restore the church to its former glory at the end of 1200s. Restoration work started in 1869 and soapstone was collected from the quarries at Bakkaunet og Øysand. 'Eventually, other clay deposits were used, so that Nidarosdomen, today, consists of stone from at least 60 different quarries around the country,' Langås said.
NDR was established in 1968 to handle the restoration and maintenance of Nidarosdomen and Erkebispegården (The Archbishop's yard). The decision to rebuild Nidarosdomen was partly due to it being named in the 1814 Constitution as Norway's coronation church. 'In the wake of this followed a growing national awareness that Norway should appear as a significant country with a long and magnificent history. This had to be symbolised and what would be better suited to the purpose than Nidarosdomen in restored medieval splendor?' Langås said.
NDR consists of six arms called workshops, each with their own specialism. In the stonemason workshop, stone is hewn to make replacement blocks for the ones that cannot be saved and must be replaced. The stonemason workshop also repairs stones with minor damages. The bricklayer workshop's main responsibility is masonry across the various restoration projects. This workshop also developed the custom-made limestone mortar used in the works today. 'The mortar is produced at NDR, where we also burn the limestone ourselves,' Langås said. The blacksmith section produces the tools and aids for other workshops, as well as restoring and maintaining metal items, such as locks, fittings, hinges, fences and even the church steeples.
Building up NDR's collection of gypsum models is the plaster workshop's main task. 'Most of the original collection was stored at the Archbishop's Palace and was lost in the fire there in 1983. The plaster castings are indispensible 3D documentation of sculptures and ornamentation. These are used as models when the sculptors need to reproduce a broken object in stone. The plasterers also produce stucco rosettes and plaster figures for sale,' Langås explained.
The carpentry workshop covers restoring, maintaining, refurbishment and fitting work on the buildings within NDR's administrative area, as well as providing expertise on material quality. And finally, the glass workshop restores the cathedral's leaded and stained glass windows.
Not only are all individual workshops dedicated to maintaining and restoring this unique cathedral, but they are also part of a national competence centre for the restoration of listed stone buildings. Langås believes the most important aids in the restoration process have been archive material, which has given insight into the choice made by predecessors, the soapstone itself and the lime mortar used.
Celebrating 150 years
Nidarosdomen was declared rebuilt in 2001. In 2019, it will mark 150 years since restoration work began in 1869. Although the cathedral was officially claimed as rebuilt in 2001, by that time NDR was already starting to plan restoration work for the rebuilt cathedral.
'First we tackled the south façade of the choir, which was completely restored in 2010,' Langås said. 'Then restoration of the King entrance was initiated. Due to stability problems, this building part was completely dismantled. We are now in the process of rebuilding it and expect to complete this project in two to three years' time. Parallel with this we are planning the next restoration project – the north façade of the choir.
'The plan is to continue this way until we have worked around the entire building. And by the time that is completed, then it is probably time for new restoration of the first restored parts of the cathedral.'
If you happen to be in the northern part of Norway in the winter months, take a walk up to Nidarosdomen and look at the grand cathedral and all of its beautifully restorded details in its finest winter coat.


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What am I trying now?
Sunday, May 19, 2019 4 comments
Without the intensity of the Orangetheory workouts, my weight has been slowly creeping up again despite going to Planet Fitness and working out on my own. So here I go, trying some more things to see if any results actually happen. I joine... Read more
Early morning workouts?
Monday, March 25, 2019 6 comments
I've been going to Planet Fitness since November. Kind of hate it. I get out of work between 4 and 5, and by the time I get to the gym, it's mobbed. The crowded part doesn't bother me as much as the fact that most of the people there are just... Read more
Back to square one...again
Saturday, November 17, 2018 6 comments
Changing things around in my life again. After two years at Orangetheory, I have been seeing zero results on the scale. I'm a bit stronger...I can do a hundred squats at a time, I can row 2000 meters in under ten minutes, and I can carry all t... Read more
Still limping along
Wednesday, June 06, 2018 1 comments
I haven't posted since January, when I was surprised by some happy results on the scale. that was short-lived. The weight went right back up. I've been in perimenopause for a couple of years now...hot flashes, the whole deal. I had gone ... Read more
My scale must be malfunctioning
Saturday, January 27, 2018 3 comments
The scale must be broke. Something is different. The numbers are going down. I've lost 4 pounds this month. I'm .7 away from having the numbers in the tens column move down. This hasn't happened in ages. I've been restricting calories,... Read more
New year, same old me
Wednesday, January 03, 2018 4 comments
It's been a while since I've posted; the school year has been quite hectic. I finished the Orangetheory weight loss challenge back in November, with a grand total of 4 pounds lost. Needless to say, I did not come even close to winning ( I think... Read more
Orangetheory weight loss challenge
Saturday, September 30, 2017 2 comments
I haven't posted in a while. I took about five weeks off from exercising after I broke the toe. Then work started, and my new job position is super hectic. I came down with a respiratory infection (pretty much every educator gets sick in the f... Read more
Major setback
Saturday, July 29, 2017 1 comments
I was so proud of myself and my progress after I saw all my stats from Peak Performance Week. Starting to actually feel like I was getting into shape a little bit. Went to last Saturday's class (the 5th class of the week), felt like crap. No... Read more
Orangetheory: Peak Performance Week
Friday, July 21, 2017 2 comments
I made it through PPW. Apparently Orangetheory does Peak Performance Week every six months so that members can see their progress. I started a month after the last one, so this was my first. I can use all the stats as a baseline to see how mu... Read more
Orangetheory: 50th class!
Monday, July 17, 2017 1 comments
Five months. I've been going four days a week since summer school started. This week I'm upping it to 5 classes a week. This week is "Peak Performance Week"...a different challenge each day designed to set a baseline for future progress. I g... Read more
From three classes a week to four
Saturday, June 24, 2017 0 comments
I've been going to Orangetheory three times a week for the last four months. This week, I added a fourth session...two days in a row, Friday and Saturday. Made it through the class, and then came home and mowed the lawn. My lawnmower is one o... Read more
Orangetheory: four months
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 1 comments
I've been to 41 Orangetheory classes now. I've lost about 5-6 pounds. Not a lot. I'm enjoying the workouts for the most part. I don't really like running on the treadmill. I hate burpees with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. But I rea... Read more
Orangetheory: 35 classes
Tuesday, June 06, 2017 3 comments
I did my first 5K Sunday morning. Well, I only ran a tiny little bit of it. It was very rough terrain through woods and meadows. But I did it. And I didn't finish last. I came in 80 out of 102 in my age group, and 123 out of 155 overall. My... Read more
Orangetheory-27 classes
Wednesday, May 17, 2017 2 comments
Okay, so I've been going for almost three months. IN the last two weeks, I've noticed that my numbers haven't been as impressive. I thought that maybe my heart rate monitor was malfunctioning. I asked about it at the front desk, and they laug... Read more
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In charge of new business concepts for the air transport industry at SITA, Caroline is not formatted to follow the mainstream in any aspect of her life. Curious, approachable, easy to engage with, Caroline's knowledge of scientific, new-tech, but also societal, artistic and educational topics is impressive.
You have some strong beliefs? Talk to Caroline, and you may well start doubting (some of) your certainties. She will kindly challenge you and nurture your thinking like nobody else. Mother of 2, she travels the world with her family, but never with more than a small backpack for the whole family.


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Seated Figures
The very creative work of Sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz. One of many superb sculptors at an Exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. This installation is "Larger than Life" which makes it compelling viewing.
Just though it was an idea for Cees B&W Challenge of Tables and Chairs.
More details of the challenge here:- https://ceenphotography.com/2018/11/01/cees-black-white-photo-challenge-any-kind-of-tables-or-chairs/
2nd November
(C) David Oakes 2018


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A scam email has been sent to the wrong address in South Australia - lobbing directly into the inbox for the Adelaide police.
The email claimed to be from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and showed some classic warning signs of being bogus including poor spelling and threatening language, cybercrime sergeant Jonathon Newman said.
It suggested there was a claim against the company, or in this case the force, and it had seven days to respond.
It also provided a suspicious link to click on to reply.
Sgt Newman said scammers were always active.
"Unfortunately they will try to trade on the good name of widely known brands, in this case the ACCC, and send out emails indiscriminately in the hope of catching someone who is not paying close attention," he said.
"This can mean both business and personal email addresses can receive emails of this type."
Sgt Newman said the best approach with this scam was to simply delete the email.


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A little girl who lost both her feet after her dad accidentally ran over her with a lawnmower has defied the odds to keep doing her favorite thing — dance.
Emma McGraw, 11, ran into the garden while dad Joe, 46, was cutting the grass on a ride-on mower when he backed into her, cutting off both her feet.
The Maryland youngster, who was just 5 at the time, suffered profuse bleeding and was airlifted to hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.
Now she wears a prosthetic right leg after losing the foot from the ankle down, and wears a prosthetic foot over the one third of her left foot that remains.
The determined schoolgirl had four surgeries during a month in hospital and spent six weeks in rehab after the trauma to relearn how to walk.
Now she's such a natural with her prosthetics that she's returned to doing the thing she enjoyed most before the accident — dancing.
Talented McGraw loved jazz, tap and ballet as a young child and practiced every week but was left unable to dance at first as she adapted to her new limbs.
She whirls and waltzes when she performs onstage with the other girls in her class – and most of the spectators have no idea of what she's been through.
"I thought she was never going to be able to dance again but Emma has always been a determined little kid," Jen McGraw, the girl's mother, said.
"When I'm dancing if I can't point my foot or move it around I can shuffle my body to make it look like it's being pointed instead of actually doing it," McGraw said. "I try to do things in different ways. A lot of people think it is inspiring so I just try to keep doing it so I can inspire others."
Jen, who is a teacher, said that one of the hardest things about the accident is that people assume she was riding on it or that the family wasn't acting responsibly.
"I left the room for a minute, we were getting ready to leave to pick up my older daughter Molly from dance class," she said. "My husband was backing the lawnmower up as he was putting it away and she ran behind him. She fell over and he went over her.
"He had assumed she was in the house with me. He felt something and stopped and pulled forward and realized it was Emma," she said. "I was just completely in shock. My husband called my name and I thought, 'Oh, maybe she skimmed her knee.' The whole thing was a nightmare.
"A paramedic who lives near us came right away and we had wrapped her up to try and stop the bleeding," she said. "Emma was awake the entire time talking. She said, 'I don't want to go to the hospital, just put some water on it.'"
McGraw was airlifted to John Hopkins in Baltimore, where she underwent surgery with her anxious parents by her side.
Doctors tried to reattach the part of McGraw's left foot that her parents had retrieved but her body rejected it and it had to be removed again.
In 2012 McGraw started attending camps held by the No Limits Foundation for children with limb loss which have helped build her confidence.
She even went to Washington D.C. to back a campaign calling for assurance that prosthetic limbs are covered by medical insurance.
Jen said she continues to do everything she did before – including dancing.
"Her prosthetic isn't the type of foot that can pivot so sometimes for some of the dance moves they have to do she figures out another way to do it," Jen said. "When I see her up on the stage I'm just so proud of her. She doesn't let anything get in her way.
"If she wants to do something she figures out a way to do it, even it's not the same way she would have done it before the accident," she said.
"Emma is a special girl. Her compassion speaks volumes," Mary Leighton, founder of Camp No Limits, said.


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Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses are popular for use in commercial and homeowner landscapes. Attractive foliage, showy flowers, and distinctive seed heads make many annual and perennial grasses suitable for fresh and dried floral arrangements. Ornamental grasses can be added to an existing nursery operation or become the focus of a specialty nursery.
Container-grown and bare-root ornamental grasses are produced by nurseries for several different markets. Retailers market directly to the end consumer, typically homeowners. This is most commonly done either through retail nurseries, which produce some or all of their own plant material, or garden centers, which purchase their inventory from a wholesale nursery. A demonstration garden of ornamental grasses growing with other perennials often enhances retail sales. Ornamental grasses can also be sold at retail prices at local farmers markets. Mail-order nurseries also sell directly to the end consumer, but their plants are shipped directly to the customer rather than sold at a retail outlet. This is a great option for nurseries that produce specialty plants and whose customers are plant enthusiasts located across the country or globe. Wholesalers produce plants that are typically sold in large batches at significantly lower prices to landscapers, retailers, or other nurseries that grow and resell the material at a larger size. Wholesale production is usually most efficient when a limited number of plant species are grown in large numbers.Re-wholesalers purchase large orders of various plants from wholesale producers and resell the plants to landscapers requiring diverse but smaller orders. Landscape nurseries produce plants for their own in-house landscaping service, but may have a retail outlet as well.
Plant material sold as ornamental grasses may include sedges (Cyperaceae) and rushes (Juncaceae), as well as true grasses (Poaceae). There are hundreds of cultivars in these groups, including native tall prairie grasses such as switchgrass and big bluestem, as well as many introduced types. Species and cultivars vary in terms of plant height, growth habit, time of bloom, color of foliage and flowers, and life cycle (annual or perennial). Some ornamental grasses are invasive, either from underground rhizomes (such as, ribbongrass) or from self-seeding (particularly some Miscanthus sinensis cultivars). Select species and cultivars that are adapted to local growing conditions, non-invasive, and in demand for the intended market.


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The explosion in popularity of social media sites, from bookmarking to blogs and social networks, has arguably changed the online publishing game completely. "Just as 10 to 15 years ago, the Web changed the publishing industry … social [media] is creating the same kinds of changes today," says Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish, a global interactive marketing company.
Domenic Venuto
More Blogs
Condé Nast Entertainment President Oren Katzeff on Video Production During COVID-19 Pandemic
Trusted Media Brands CEO Bonnie Kintzer on Launching into New Verticals & Diversifying Revenues
Delish CRO Dan Fuchs on Consumer Revenue & Taking a 'Brand-First Approach' to Advertising
Q&A: CEO Gemma Postlethwaite on SourceMedia's Evolution, Relaunch as Arizent
Digital Consolidation: Here for the Long Haul or Another Passing Fad?
USA TODAY's Head of Consumer Products on Delivering Value to Readers & Advertisers


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10/10 ign
Our goal is for Newgrounds to be ad free for everyone! Become a Supporter today and help make this dream a reality!
10/10 ign
This was more like the songs in the flash video. Okay... I guess...
i like we like to party
boooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggg gg
teribel why:
1:it said sonic outtakes not 3 sonic and the rest nothing to do with sonic 2:why is the japanese the bonus i cant understand a word theyer saing! 3:its boring i was expekting to watch something not watch amy wave! 4:i was expecting outtakes from sonic games not music from sonic films and other games BOOOO BORING THIS WAS BAD


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View Map
Choose a break duration, click on an available date, then click Book.
This self-catering holiday cottage is a modern mobile home, which is just 2 years old. Located just a few metres from the beach in its own grounds, it is ideal for a holiday by the sea. The interior has been furnished and equipped to a high standard.
LOUNGE/DINING AREA: Comfortable sofas, flat screen TV, DVD/CD player, electric coal effect fire. One of the sofas opens out to form a double bed. Dining table with 4 dining chairs.
KITCHEN: Modern, fitted units with hob and full size oven, plus a microwave oven.
BEDROOM 1: With double bed, and built in wardrobe and bedside cabinets.
BEDROOM 2: With 2 single beds, bedside cabinet, and wardrobe.
DOGS: Welcome
OUTSIDE: Private garden which is fenced, but there is currently a gap at one end for parking access. Private parking for 3 cars.
WIFI: BT Openreach is available.
BEDDING AND TOWELS: Not supplied
CHANGEOVER DAY: Saturday
Choose a break duration, click on an available date, then click Book.
We'd love to hear from you.


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The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) presents its developments and advancements in diode lasers and UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at Photonics West 2020, San Francisco (USA), February 4-6, 2020. At the German Pavilion, the institute showcases its full range of capabilities, from design through chips to modules and prototype systems. BeamXpert, another FBH spin-off, demonstrates its software, enabling real-time simulation of laser radiation in optical systems. The FBH is also well represented at the accompanying conferences (1-6 February) with 20 scientific contributions. In addition to its established diode-laser-based light sources, the FBH exhibits at the booth a terahertz camera sensor that operates in a broad frequency range between 500 - 2500 GHz. It offers high sensitivity of NEP ≤ 50 pW/Hz0.5 along with a fast response time. Therefore it is ideally suited for imaging systems used for quality control in industrial applications. It can also be integrated into medical equipment, e.g., for diabetes diagnostics and spectroscopy.
Further exhibits at the booth comprise:
High-power diode laser stacks for high duty cycle operation
In industrial laser technology continuous wave high-power diode lasers are used as pump sources for fiber and disk lasers, where they have conquered the multibillion-dollar market of cutting and welding. There are also many current and emerging applications in industry and basic research for high-energy-class pulsed lasers, which need customized pump sources. To address such high-pulse-energy applications, the FBH combines efficient large aperture (1200 µm) single emitter diode lasers into novel passively-side-cooled multi-kW class stacks, to support high duty cycle quasi-continuous-wave pump applications. Available sources include > 3 kW stacks at 940 nm for pumping Yb:YAG (1 ms 200 Hz) and in a first demonstration at Photonics West 2020 (LASE – Conference 11262, Session 1), > 1 kW stacks at 780 nm for pumping Th:YAG (10 ms 10 Hz).
Next generation lidar laser source for line scanners
FBH's high pulse power laser source with a 48-emitter diode laser bar is ideally suited for 3D object detection, e.g., for line scanners in automotive LiDAR. Scanning lidars emit rapid laser pulses which are reflected by objects. The return time of each pulse is then measured by a detector, thereby creating a point cloud of the measured surface. Unlike point scanners, which capture objects point by point via 2D steering mirrors, line scanners use a laser array. Scanning points are thus measured over a wide line covering a large area via 1D laser beam steering and detection of returning laser pulses in a detector row. The FBH laser source delivers 4-10 ns long optical pulses with >600 W pulse peak power at 905 nm wavelength. The wavelength shifts with temperature by 0.06 nm/K only. The DBR-stabilized laser emission has a width of 0.15 nm and >30 dB side mode suppression. The bar is electrically driven by a new in-house developed high-speed GaN driver providing current pulses of up to 800 A with 100 kHz repetition frequency and higher.
Compact dual-wavelength laser turnkey system for Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy (SERDS)
SERDS is a powerful and easy-to-use tool to extract Raman signals efficiently and rapidly from disturbing backgrounds such as fluorescence and daylight. Based on FBH's dual-wavelength Y-branch DBR-RW lasers, the institute has developed a compact turnkey system, which is a fully operational light source with integrated temperature control and five individual current sources to tailor and adjust the emission. It is programmable using an USB interface. The system offers fast alternating operation between both laser lines for SERDS to extract Raman signals efficiently from disturbing backgrounds. The spectral distance between the two SERDS wavelengths can be electrically adjusted using implemented on-chip micro-heaters. The system has been demonstrated for wavelengths around 785 nm and 671 nm and successfully utilized for measurements on food, soil, and plants.
Visit the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut and its spin-offs at Photonics West 2020, German Pavilion, booth 4545. For an overview regarding FBH contributions to the accompanying conferences see: https://www.fbh-berlin.com/


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Mazda's eminent suitability for many, if not all, with its CX-5
Beguiled by Mazda for many years, Iain Robertson recalls sometime ownership but highlights the 'shock factor' that occurs to anyone strange to the brand, a state readily achieved with the firm's excellent CX-5 SUV.
Driving so many different motorcars on-going, it is consummately easy to become numbed by the experience. Come on. We have all been there. Even the archetypal, thirteen years old 'car-spotter' is going to be bamboozled by the numbers of new models making the headlines following ever-briefer gestation periods between them all. They all blend, sometimes too seamlessly, into one amorphous automotive blob.
Of course, there are stand-out models, for which, in my role, I am immensely grateful, but they are truly few and far between. Yet, from a long line of 'do-things-ever-change' circumstances, I can recall being confused about recognising one brand's latest offering over another's on several occasions during the past half a century. Therefore, it is fair to suggest that they never do…change, that is.
In recent times, I have adopted a fresh policy. When a new model (requested by me, for the customary week-long period) arrives for critical road test purposes, I let the car stand in the driveway for a day, at least. Usually, somebody in my locale spots it and makes comment (thank heavens we still have some community spirit in Lincolnshire). Then, I drive it around my customary 50-miles test route…first time to maximise the fuel economy (and obtain a ball-park figure), the second time to give the car its head and establish other elements of its dynamic package. It is usually enough.
The rest of the test period is spent on photographic pursuits and the overall driving experience arising from 'living with' the car. I follow the same pattern consistently, as it turns up some fascinating, repeatable, semi-scientific aspects. However, unless I turn my notes immediately into the editorial material you are now reading, much of them can become hard to discern mush. Yet, I mentioned a novel, if minor, adjustment to my far from perfect regime. It is to garner a hands-on view from a relative stranger (not to me, just the product).
My next door neighbour is an interested party. Interestingly, self-employed, he works in the automotive sector. Therefore, you might fairly expect him to take an informed slant on things automotive. Yet, his knowledge about car specifics is scant. In my book, this makes him an ideal candidate for a 'cold test'. In many respects, his opinion is precisely the same as that of anybody undertaking a test drive at a car dealership…flung the keys, a 15-minutes bomb-around-the-block is the best that person might hope for and, yet, a purchase decision is anticipated on that basis. As a result, I hold his 1/672nd, or 0.15%, slice of my test period in high regard.
Handed the keys of the Mazda CX-5, I was (as usual) open to his comments, upon his errand return. He was thoroughly warm towards the CX-5. He loved its steering, brakes and handling, also describing the interior as a place where 'everything falls to hand' naturally. Asked if he would contemplate a new CX-5 on his driveway, he gave me an categorical 'yes'.
Perhaps I should also highlight that my neighbour has provided similar acid test responses to every Mazda review car that I have experienced in the past 12-18 months, without exception. It is the only brand that seems to satisfy his every whim and, ironically, he has never owned a Mazda. To me, such an open view summarises the Mazda brand appeal. Whether it is linked to the firm's 'Kodo' design ethos, which presents some of the (subjectively) best looking mainstream motorcars on sale currently, or the on-point engineering 'nous' exhibited by each Mazda, is open to question, as superficial exposure cannot hope to replace the 'lived-in' experience. Yet, the vast majority of initial thoughts, especially those governing the spending of cash (whether the individual's, or the bank's), are what remain with us, justifying and affirming the human's rights throughout the 'ownership' period. We all do it.
There is no denying that in a one-size-fits-all preferential society Mazda sits comfortably. Yet, a hard to decipher aspect lies in the 'reward' that each Mazda provides to its driver. Fit is one thing but the capability of being well-driven from a cold start is a vital element that few carmakers manage as adroitly as Mazda. The CX-5 slips into that glove with consummate ease.
The medium segment of the SUV sector is populated busily. Rivals include the latest Honda CR-V, the ageing but classy VW Tiguan, Toyota's RAV4, Ford's Kuga, the slightly larger Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai ix35, Kia Sportage, the smaller Skoda Yeti and even the significantly more costly BMW X3 and Audi Q5, among others. However, the Mazda CX-5 percolates to the top in every comparison, except perhaps brand perception.
As my neighbour highlights, its steering is superb and, without doubt, the best essential factor of any motorcar. The ride quality is resilient and comfortable, exhibiting minimal body-roll, yet remaining supportive and stable. The Mazda is also well-equipped but not in a 'look at all my gear' manner, with the notable exception of the sat-nav screen, which is surrounded by stitched hide, an unusual accoutrement set within the plastic 'soft-touch' dashboard moulding. Even the multi-switched, multi-adjustable steering wheel/column features controls that fall neatly and logically to hand. The owner of a CX-5 2.2D SE-L Lux Nav will want for very little.
In this guise, the model lacks the 4WD of some of its rivals (most of which have 2WD variants in their ranges anyway), which is no demerit, as it helps to maintain operational costs within the bounds of sensibility. Powered by a slightly larger 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel, which develops a modest 147bhp, incorporating Mazda's unique SkyActiv-D technology, it is a supremely efficient power unit. In fact, it is enough to propel the CX-5 from 0-60mph in just 8.9 seconds, which is well up with the class's top performers, while its maximum speed is given as a respectable 126mph. However, this does not result in penalties at the fuel pumps, where I obtained a wholly respectable 47.4mpg in normal running about, with a peak of 56.4mpg (against a typically sky-high 61.4mpg on the Official Combined cycle). Its 119g/km CO2 figure equates to an annual VED of just £30.
The car's six-speed manual transmission is controlled by a slick and sporty gearshift, with a pleasantly weighted clutch pedal and effortlessly smooth progress up and down the well chosen ratios. Interior space is well proportioned, with comfortable seating for five people and an enormous boot, thanks partly to the lack of a spare wheel (a puncture repair kit is provided as a get-you-home facility). Cabin storage is also well resolved, with deep door pockets and a useful centre bin between the front seats. Despite fitting into a 4.5m long, 1.8m wide footprint, as a family estate car, the Mazda CX-5 is a clear winner.
Having owned several Mazdas in my time (818, 323 and RX3), I know them to be ineffably dependable and sturdy of build. None of them lacked character. Each was innovative and they all delivered markedly above expectations but were immediately recognisable and highy attractive. I still harbour fond memories of Mazda ownership.
Yet, I mentioned the brand's perception a few paragraphs back. It was not a throwaway line. If Mazda were playing on a level field, the CX-5 would top the sales charts effortlessly…but it is not. The car has so much going for it but buyers seem reluctant to change from their existing SUVs to a new CX-5. Personally, I think that the issues, none of which are particularly negative, lie with Mazda UK. The company does not crow loudly enough. There exists an insouciant mild arrogance, almost as though the goods will sell themselves. Balanced against the seemingly bottomless advertising/promotions budgets of some of Mazda's rivals, maybe that is why Mazda continues to exist, as it simply does not spend similarly but I feel that it needs to spend more and even more wisely, because it deserves to be at the top of its game. Its reward being those elusive greater sales and a higher level of recognition. Mazda needs to get 'out there'.
Conclusion: An obvious aspect of the Mazda' CX-5's appeal lies in its sheer ease of driving, although its handsome appearance and overall practicality help its cause immeasurably. Of course, there is a new, smaller variant in the CX family, in the CX-3, as well as the former but grander CX-7, which was discontinued in 2012 but makes an exquisite second-hand SUV, if you can find one at the right price. Yet, the CX-5 is a proper business machine and priced at a market competitive rate of £26,395, it offers strong value for money, with no unfortunate baggage.