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Wonder Woman: Earth One's first volume does the opposite of the other Earth One titles, bringing the heroine, Diana Prince, back to her Golden Age roots for better or for worse.
Written by Grant Morrison and art by Yanick Paquette, the story is set in the beautifully drawn and technologically advanced female utopia of Paradise Island. Founded by Queen Hippolyta after she killed the mighty Hercules, the Island is home to the amazons, who have lived in peace for over 3,000 years and despise everything about men.
Diana is the Queen's daughter and while she loves her home, she longs for adventure and wants to challenge herself to reach her full potential. The Queen prohibits her from participating in competitions because of her origins and the unfair advantage in power she has over the other Amazon's as a result of them. This leaves Diana bored of her everyday life, until the first man to ever discover the Island, lands on its shores. This event doesn't just set our Wonder Woman on an adventure into the forbidden world of man, but is also the beginning step to develop our infamous heroine into the icon females adore.
It goes without saying that Wonder Woman is an ambassador for women; she embodies strength, sexuality, courage and beauty all into one tightly knit package. I loved seeing her interactions with both the women and men of the world. On Paradise Island the amazons live eternally off the fountain of youth and are trained to become powerful warriors, so it becomes quite a change of perspective for Diana when she sees women in a variety of shapes, sizes and age. She is compassionate to each and every girl she meets, becoming a symbol of power and an ideal to strive for. I like that the book focused on this side of her character, instead of her powers as a formidable warrior.
The same compassion is not applied towards men, besides Steven Trevor, the first man Diana ever encounters. Diana has been raised on teachings that men are responsible for every single thing wrong in the world, but Steven opens her eyes to the idea that not all men are vile creatures. She starts out by treating all men as oppressors like Hercules, but throughout the journey, grows to treat them as equals, even relying on one to help her in her time of need.
The volume ends on an open-ended cliffhanger, leaving readers anxious to see how Wonder Woman will adapt to living in a new environment and how she'll face the challenges ahead.
A complaint I have about the book is how it handles Diana's open sexuality. While I appreciate that Paradise Island is confirmed to have lesbian relationships, there is not a shred of chemistry among any of the amazons, let alone intimacy. Diana herself admits she has a lover in Maya, the current champion, but the characters don't interact with each other besides a short bout. It makes the relationship feel shallow and non-existent because it's not embraced in neither the art nor the writing.
The comic also has some controversy about how it handles sexual content, specifically sexually abusive relationships and body shaming. One of the key characters affected by this is Queen Hippolyta, who was one of Hercules' sexual slaves. While this content is dark and may offend some readers, I felt it served as a device to empower her character when she finally usurped him and set all of her amazon's free. It's clear the scars of the relationship aren't gone, but the Queen is a powerful woman and does everything she possibly can to make her people on Paradise Island feel safe so they don't live in fear of experiencing the same things she did. This being said, I realize that some readers may feel uncomfortable or sensitive to how this kind of content is presented. This book is definitely not for younger audiences and even veteran Wonder Woman fans may find the book slightly distasteful.
Despite these controversies and complaints I genuinely enjoyed reading Wonder Woman: Earth One. I've only read a couple of her stories in the past, but this one now stands as my current favourite. The art is consistently beautiful, while the story sets up the character for a number of exciting adventures ahead.


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Remember that super secret project we were working on a few weeks ago, well I am so excited to finally be able to share the results. Our very own intern turned full time designer Sarah had the opportunity to attend The Ellen Show a few weeks ago. Together with Czar Press we hand crafted this very special gift for Ellen and Portia and here are the gorgeous results!!
Sarah hand made these fabulous matchbook style boxes, and the stationery was hand letterpress printed with a subtle edge painted detail.

subset: commoncrawl


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Entertain Your Mood
Moodfish works when you're in the mood to go out but can't put a finger on where exactly you should go.
You simply punch in the mood/vibe that you're looking for (e.g. mellow, energetic, even melancholy!) and we show you restaurants, bars, movies and more that match what you're "in the mood to do tonight."
Give moodfish a whirl and find what entertains your mood.
Austin & Minneapolis
Our two beta launch cities!
OpenTable & Fandango
Make Dining reservations and buy your movie tickets without ever leaving Moodfish.
Save, Share & Collaborate
Found some options that will always fit your "mellow" mood? Sweet. Create your own shareable custom list of restaurants and bars.
Planned the perfect romantic date night? Share your itinerary with your friend or the world.
Search Your Feelings
Ever wish you could just say "I'm in the mood for something mellow tonight" and just sit and wait while someone searches for all the mellow things to do and places to go around you?
Guess what.... you can now do that with Moodfish - the world's first mood-based local search guide.
Speaking of MoodRecipes, we've put together 3 themed MoodRecipes for you.
It just doesn't get any easier, simpler or quicker than this.
Event Details
Find an interesting event? Here's where things get fun.
Humans are terrible at remembering things.
With Moodfish Itineraries, you can create saveable shareable custom Itineraries. Want to save a list of your favorite mood-themed hotspots? No problem. Want to create an itinerary to YOUR perfect date night? We've got you covered.
Follow us:
Hi, we're Moodfish! We're an Austin, Tx based startup and we're passionate about local live entertainment, whether it's dining, bars, movies, theatre, live music, or just something outdoors. At Moodfish, our goal is to help you find the best things to do and places to go based on the vibe that you're looking for.
Team Moodfish
The team behind the functionality.
Team Phunware
The team behind the mobile app.
Interested in joining our team?
Got a question for us?
Wanna send us a love letter?
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When you're in the mood to go out, you can finally search by how you naturally think and feel about entertainment - by mood! Whether you`re in the mood for an intense night out, a chill day under the sun or a romantic date night, finding the perfect thing to do has never been simpler or easier. Think of us as your go-to best friend when your real life best friend has no idea what to do today. Email us email@example.com
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Funk, who is the son of PGA Tour and Champions Tour player Fred Funk, began his round on hole 10 of Wannamoisett Country Club and finished eagle-birdie on the back side to springboard the rest of his round. He reached the front side, making two more birdies at 1 and 2 before going even his last seven holes to shoot 64 at the 6,700-yard par-69.
Trailing just one back of Funk is New Zealand's Nick Voke, who is a junior at Iowa State. Voke was just even-par through 10 before making four birdies in his last eight holes to post four-under.
A pair of SEC golfers, LSU's Zach Wright and Vanderbilt's Theo Humphrey, are tied for third at three-under.
In total, 17 players broke par on day one, including defending champion Stewart Jolly who carded two-under 67 and is tied for fifth.
View full results for Northeast Amateur
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OMG Holiday Hours
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa!
With all major December holidays aligning so closely together this year, we want to wish your family a Happy Holidays!
In order to celebrate the Holidays with our families, we will be spending time away from the office.
Holiday Office Hours
Our management office, development teams and marketing experts will be on Christmas vacation beginning at noon on Monday, Dec. 23. We will have limited support available throughout the week, with our full team returning on Jan. 2, 2020.
All development tasks not assigned prior to 10:00 a.m. CST, on Monday, Dec.23 will be scheduled in the order received following the holidays.
We hope you're able to spend time with your family, if you are in need of customer support during the holidays and you are a valued support package member you can create a help desk ticket by emailing our support desk at the email address provided to you in your support package. Our on-call support engineer will assist you in the order your support inquiry is received.
Other things you can do other than staring at your phone during the holidays
Just like that, we're peering into another year-end holiday season as if time has zero consideration for our own personal priorities. Weird how that works, am I right?
As the Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa holiday stare us right in the face most of us are gearing up to spend that much needed and well deserved time with our friends and families.
Along with the needed family time, the holidays are the perfect time for all of us tech-savvy, mostly antisocial and borderline sociopaths to surround ourselves with our loved ones who unconditionally love and appreciate us for who we are outside of our professional careers.
Like most of the magazines at any grocery store checkout lines, the neverending Instagram ads, Snapchat Stories, Facebook boosted posts and other mass media brainwashing mediums who's sole goal is to indoctrinate our formable and formittable squishy little minds, and the holidays are the perfect time to do yourselves a favor by unplugging from our never-ending sea of internet-based work and social technologies.
Without further adieu, here are some Monstrous Tips on taking care of work and unplugging yourself for the holiday season:
Taking care of work
We all know the the old Hungarian saying, "happy client/boss/management, happy work life," which is pretty important if you like receiving a normal paycheck. So, before you scratch off the rest of your PTO, it's probably a good idea for you to know what work tasks you should finish up.
Make a List, Check It Twice
First, make a short list of WTBD (that's 'work to be done' for all of you Boomers). Your list might have items such as:
answering old dusty management/client emails
adding a preferably non-hostile vacation auto responder to your email to politely inform others of your physical absence and your flat-out refusal to even check email while you're away from the office (even though everyone knows you'll at least check it)
cleaning your desk of fingernail clippings, empty diet soda and Pringles cans
completing whatever you can on all other related lingering projects
Plan on doing whatever you can, with what time you have, to lower the amount you have to do upon your return.
Secondly, prioritize that list by what's most important.
Lastly, do the work! Then once you're done with each item you can cross it off the list, earning for yourselves the magical feeling of accomplishment. The feeling of work-related accomplishment is almost a good as the feeling of shaving the back hair off a hibernating grizzly bear and then selling it for some nice coin on the black market, so the legends tell.
No Phone-Zones
I'm prefacing this entire section with the 2018 rap demi-god Lil Scrapyd$'s hit song's bridge goes.. "Oh, No, Throw That Phone Straight Out The Win-dow!"
Yaaas! You finished all of your work and struck lines through that list. Let me be the first to say "congratulations!" Doesn't that feel nice? Oh, and between you and everyone else reading this blog (we're all pretty much a family now) just know that it's okay to feel good about yourselves. So feel great! No, grand! Now let's improve on that feeling even more by creating for yourselves a "No Phone-Zone."
Your next step in your new-found feeling of grandure is to cut yourself away from your phones. Your primary reason for doing this should be removing yourself away from your work-related emails, instant messages, phone calls, etc. Close that door and like the aforementioned hit rap song says, "Straight Out The Win-dow."
Disclaimer, we cannot be held responsible for you actually throwing your phone or other communication device out your window. I'd imagine that would be condoned by your employer if they provided you that phone/device.The hard truth, phones cost money. You also might hit someone with said device and that wouldn't be good either.
The "No Phone-Zone" will help you to experience a guilt-free holiday break. Your family, friends and anyone else helping you throw back $1 holiday tequila shots, $5 margaritas and appetizers at your local neighborhood Applebees. Live the holiday dream!
The ONLY EXCEPTION to this rule should be if you do happen to use your phone, you can ONLY read our awesome blogs. Deal?
A penny for your thoughts notebook? Keep Notes!
Since, you've now hypothetically followed Lil Scrapyd$'s advice and tossed your moderately priced cell phone, "straight out your win-dow" where are you going to store all of your great business ideas sparked from your meaningful and hilarious conversations with friends and family during your allout bender at Applebees? Every action has a reaction, right? Or whatever my high school physics teacher tried to tell me - I wasn't really paying attention but I did have a pretty epic farm on farmville.
I digress, luckily for you we have advice specifically for this too. We recommend that you keep a pocket-sized notebook or notepad with you.
Rocket science we know, and believe it or not, this is a great place for you to write down all of those new potential dating digits you earned for yourself at the Applebee's bar while on your way the restroom, you little flirts.
Work Wasn't Avoidable? Okay, Let's Set a Timer
We wish we could tell you that this didn't happen but the truth of the matter is sometimes work just can't wait, leaving you with no other choice than to just get-er done.
If you fall into this scenario we recommend first; take a few deep breaths, next let's set a timer for 30 minutes a day and limiting your jobs to be done in that time frame.
This will help with limiting work's encroachment on your personal life and help you to feel less guilty for not going the extra mile to help your job to be done.
Be In The Moment, Wherever/Whatever That Is
Trust us, we know dopamine-driven data behind most internet applications and work-based computing. We know it's way too easy to get sucked back into the matrix. So easy that most of the time you don't even realize you're absorbing other people's stress through their own posts. Thank you social media, for reminding me at 2 a.m. while I'm scrolling on Facebook that I called Karen a horseface back in the 3rd grade after seeing a picture of her and her husband's brand new baby foal. Oh relax and lighten up, we're just joking and made that all up for the sake of this article, probably.
Solution: to help reduce unneeded emotional social media and other entertainment entanglement, make a mental goal to be present mindfully and physically whenever you find yourself. The older you will thank you for the great non-influenced social media memories of your holiday with your friends and families.
In Closing
From our huge Monstrous Family, we hope you have a blessed and memorable holiday season with your loved ones.
If you have any other ideas for other reasons of this blog on how to unplug please share them in the comments below.
Contact Us
We want to hear from you, so what are you waiting for? Contact us today.Get In Touch
Posted In: News & Events, The OMG Collective


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Sobenin IA, Pryanishnikov VV, Kunnova LM, Rabinovich YA, Martirosyan DM, Orekhov AN
Lipids Health Dis 2010 9(1):119-125
The double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized study has been performed in 51 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients to estimate the effects of time released garlic powder tablets Allicor on the values of 10-year prognostic risk of acute myocardial infarction (fatal and non-fatal) and sudden death, with the respect of secondary CHD prevention. It has been demonstrated that 12-month treatment with Allicor results in the significant decrease of cardiovascular risk by 1.5-fold in men (p < 0.05), and by 1.3-fold in women. The above results were equitable also in terms of relative risks. The main effect that played a role in cardiovascular risk reduction was the decrease in LDL cholesterol by 32.9 mg/dl in men (p < 0.05), and by 27.3 mg/dl in women. Thus, the most significant effects were observed in men, while in women the decrease of cardiovascular risk appeared as a trend that might be due presumably to the insufficient sample size. Since Allicor is the remedy of natural origin, it is safe with the respect to adverse effects and allows even perpetual administration that may be crucial for the secondary prevention of atherosclerotic diseases in CHD patients.


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Clear questions and runnable code
get the best and fastest answer
Re^4: Can the "#" character be passed via $ENV{QUERY_STRING} ?by mdillon (Priest)
|on Feb 25, 2005 at 14:42 UTC ( #434486=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
I think that should be:
In fact, that's pretty much exactly what's in URI::Escape, except that the module also handles scalar v. list context and multiple arguments. Using uri_unescape still seems preferable to me, since the resource overhead of using the module is basically nil and the mnemonic benefit of seeing uri_unescape instead of a regex is considerable.
In Section Seekers of Perl Wisdom


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Sagittarius Quotes
Is it therefore not surprising that so many Sagittarians run headlong into the fate of a marriage like that of Zeus and Hera. The textbook Sagittarian avoids marriage because he feels trapped by too many rules and rigid expectations. He dislikes being 'tied', and prefers to be spontaneous' which means that he finds the consequences of his actions unpleasing and prefers to avoid them. But it is my experience that there is some kind of fate at work for those late-marrying Centaurs, male or female. They tend to find their Hera sooner or later. Of course, it may not be a spouse; it may be a job, or a cause to which the individual is bound, or a house, or some other object in the outer world. Astrology of Fate
The one thing that the Archer is certain of is that he always wants more of whatever he has. If it's food, he becomes a glutton, if it's power, he strives to become a dictator; if it's philosophical understanding, he never lets his mind rest; if it's universal love, he will seek martyrdom. To Sagittarius, the present is only a means to the future. Life is an opportunistic game for him, one which will constantly take him to further adventure. It is easy for Sagittarius to become sidetracked, for somehow his goal, if he had one in the first place, rarely materializes completely as planned. In its place are the many tales which have come from the tangents on which his curious mind and strong body have taken him. Alan Oken's Complete Astrology: The Classic Guide to Modern Astrology
The art of archery also includes some modifications of the Sagittarian telephoto-lens view of reality. There is occasionally a need to apply precise, accurate, Virgo/Gemini lens to zero in on the target. His overview of the big picture needs focus. Thus, the long view, which comes naturally to Sagittarius, must be tempered with the precision centred lens, or focus of Hermes concentration. Both the telescopic and the microscopic views must work together in the Art of Archery, or as the Japanese Masters called it the Sacred Doctrine. This is an important key to integrating houses Three and Nine, or as the older textbooks called them, the lower (factual, technical) and higher (abstract) minds. Archetypes of the Zodiac (Llewellyn Modern Astrology Library)
The more introverted Sagittarian may not be found frequenting a new disco or roller skating rink. But he'll usually be miles ahead of everyone else with a new novel, a new philosophy, a new film, a new cultural phenomenon. The same gifted intuition works here, but in a more interior way. And it works too, with contacts. Nobody has the penchant for making valuable contacts than Sagittarius. Somehow it's always the Centaur that 'bumps into' the director for a new lead, the publisher looking for a new work, the record producer looking for a fresh voice. It can make you tear your hair, the way luck seems to pour from heaven onto Sagittarius' haloed head. But it isn't really luck. It's that remarkable eye for opportunity, that intuitive nose that can spot a potential or a possibility thirty miles away. And also impulsiveness, rashness, boldness, call it what you will, that gives Sagittarius the flaming nerve to try his luck, where other signs will cower in the wings waiting for something more concrete. Astrology for Lovers
When the Sun is in Sagittarius, it is the concept of the hero's journey to understand life and existence (i.e., to know God intimately). The Moon in Sagittarius, on the other hand, needs to approach life with a fairly light touch. These people do well when walking, camping, or merely daydreaming, but they probably do best of all when traveling, exploring new countries or, if that's impossible, at least a new part of town (especially with their dogs). In short, the Moon in Sagittarius has a strong dose of Artemis in its nature; because of her connection with this sign, we might even consider Sagittarius an exaltation for the Moon, especially when it is new. Mythic Astrology: Internalizing the Planetary Powers
Yes, I think this the core of Sagittarius' nature, and also its basic defence system. In common with the other two fire signs, and unlike the water signs, Sagittarius does not depend upon others for its defences. Meaning for Sagittarius, has to come from inside; it is not sufficient to adopt a conventional religious or spiritual perspective based on someone else's definition or meaning. This intuitive conviction of a meaningful design is essential for Sagittarius as a defence against the threat of inertia and death. The mere suggestion that life has no meaning other than the personal meaning we inject into it, and that there isn't actually any divine plan, can be horrifying to Sagittarius, because the sign's capacity to maintain faith in the future is built on the idea that one is growing, one is evolving, one is always moving towards something. If the sense of the journey and the journey's goal and purpose are taken away, the inner coherence of the individual collapses. Barriers and Boundaries: The Horoscope and the Defences of the Personality
You're concerned with metaphysical values like what do I believe in? Am I doing the right thing? Does bumping into this person I haven't seen in a dog's age serve some kind of higher purpose? As a child of Jupiter, you recognize the potential in something and seek to bring it out in some way- like Michelangelo (a Child of Jupiter), who first saw his David in a massive block of marble, or a reformer who recognizes the heart of a saint beneath the skin of a sinner. You possess enough faith to cultivate potential of something sight unseen. Ruling Planets: Your Astrological Guide to Life's Ups and Downs


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National Service (NS) is one of the most distinct characteristics of Singaporean society. Under Singapore's single-gender[1] conscription policy, all male citizens and second-generation permanent residents are required to undergo uniformed service for 22-24 months when they turn 18[2], with most going to the military[3]. Failure or refusal to enlist may be charged with up to both three years' imprisonment and a fine of S$10,000.
The government has never indicated any intention to budge on this policy[4] . To be fair, there has never been a sustained public discourse about the policy, nor a single concerted movement for reform.
In this essay, I argue that the policy results in unequal and unjust conditions when analyzed through the concepts of 'complex equality' and 'dominance'; furthermore, it has toxic effects on gender relations. Thus, it is imperative for Singapore to move towards a gender-equal National Service[5].
Popular arguments against gender-equal National Service
We may begin by broadly categorizing popular arguments against gender-equal National Service as follows:
- The Sexist Argument: "Men should protect women, and women can't fight anyway."
- The Practical Arguments: "It would be a logistical nightmare; it would affect the workforce; it is a political impossibility anyway."
- The "Double Suffering" Argument: "Why make women suffer as well, especially when our defense needs are already fulfilled!"
- The "Compensatory Treatment" Argument: "Soldiers are (and should be) recognized for their sacrifices, partly by direct state-sponsored compensatory treatment, partly by status elevation above civilians. This makes things at least tolerable, if not equal".
- The "Alternative Service" Argument: "Women contribute to nation-building in other ways, by participating in the economy[6] and/or by performing the informal social duties of childbirth and domestic care, so it balances out."
In this essay I will address arguments 4 and 5; responses to 1, 2, and 3 have been made elsewhere. With regards to number 2, I believe that the fundamentals of 'why' must foreshadow the details of 'how' in this situation; however, some practical considerations are addressed in the conclusion.
'Complex equality' and 'dominance'
Despite granting that arguments 4 and 5 may be understood and accepted by a significant part of the population as sufficient 'equalizers' in the context of national obligations, I will show how policy and beliefs based on arguments 4 and 5 lead to unequal conditions and toxic gender relations.
However, I first want to introduce a framework that may help us understand how wider inequalities can arise from an apparently 'just' distribution. We may borrow the concepts of 'complex equality' and 'dominance', described by political theorist Michael Walzer in 1983 in his book, "Spheres of Justice: A Defense of Pluralism and Equality"[7].
Walzer describes society as a collection of distributive 'spheres'; each sphere consists of a set of social goods (material resources, positions of authority, access to services and opportunities, etc[8]) which should be distributed according to some appropriate internal criteria, and nothing else. For example, money would be inappropriate in the context of allocating political leadership. People do not have to be equal in all respects, as inequalities in different 'spheres' of society and life are only natural.
However, some goods tend to 'dominate' – i.e., influence the distribution of – goods in other spheres. For example, money may sometimes be used to 'buy' political influence, or political status may grant access to superior medical care. This is the main problem for Walzer, because the inequality of particular goods (i.e. money) is multiplied by its dominance across spheres.
Thus, redistribution cannot be the answer. Even if we redistributed wealth to a completely equal level – what Walzer calls 'simple equality' – things would inexorably destabilize again as a result of market exchanges, and dominance will again multiply inequality.
'Complex equality', in contrast, allows for diverse local inequalities, but prevents excessive dominance by protecting the boundaries between spheres. For example, by enforcing laws that limit or ban donations to political institutions. Ultimately, in preventing dominance, we want to ensure that "no citizen's standing in one sphere or with regard to one social good can be undercut by [their] standing in some other sphere with regard to some other good" (Walzer, pp 19-20).
At first glance, the current situation seems compatible with complex equality. We may express the premises underlying the policy as follows:
1.1 We have a set of nation-building objectives that need to be fulfilled, via the performance of various social responsibilities (such as military defense, domestic duties, governance, etc).
1.2 These social responsibilities must be fairly distributed amongst citizens.
2.1 We have a pre-existing unequal distribution of general physical ability (strength, endurance, etc) between individuals. This is natural and acceptable.
2.2 We may distribute the social responsibility of military defence to citizens with greater physical ability.[9]
We see in premises 2.1, and 2.2 that the conditions of complex equality appear to be fulfilled. However, we will observe that "compensatory treatment" leads to explicit dominance of the sphere of social responsibility of military defence (which I will simply call service status) over other spheres. Furthermore, we find that the belief in "alternative service" leads to implicit domination of service status over other spheres. This is inherently bad, but it also produces toxic effects on gender relations.
Against 'Compensatory Treatment'
Firstly: we see the explicit dominance of service status over the other spheres of money and basic needs such as education, housing, through the actual compensatory treatment of NSMen[10].
There is general consensus that men should be compensated for their service in various ways. Even though NS is a national duty and obligation, it is also recognized by the government as a huge personal sacrifice. The compensatory treatments that NSMen may receive from the government, subject to eligibility, include: direct deposits into funds usable for education/housing/retirement (up to $15000 over a lifetime), tax relief, 'celebratory gifts' (vouchers) at life milestones, and access to exclusive clubhouse memberships[11].
There is also anecdotal evidence of unspoken norms for companies to pay new male graduates more than female graduates ostensibly to 'compensate' for the time disadvantage due to NS, although it is unclear how pervasive this practice is. 9 This obviously worsens the gender wage gap and is highly questionable[12].
These are forms of explicit dominance; that is, a male citizen's standing with regard to basic social goods – education, housing, etc – are dominated by his standing in the sphere of service status. This is bad because it multiplies inequality across spheres.
Indeed, compensation creates a void of entitlement that cannot and will not ever be filled satisfactorily, because for many NSMen there is simply nothing that can compensate the two 'golden' years of their lost youth.
This essay does not condemn compensation per se. Sacrifice should be recognized. But how much is enough? Sacrifice does not need to be arbitrarily, unsystematically and unaccountably compensated, if duties are equally distributed in the first place.
Against 'Alternative Service'
Secondly: the main problem with "alternative service" is that it turns what should be lifestyle choices into social expectations.
If we were solely considering a utilitarian distribution of social responsibilities, we could perhaps grant that distinct types of service may be comparable and considered equivalent, and thus reasonably fair and tolerable.
But because of the implication of gender identity, the distribution of social responsibilities inextricably shapes gender relations. When assigned to groups identified by gender, the social responsibility of military duty, and of informal domestic duties, transform from responsibilities into roles: namely, the heteronormative, stereotypically sexist roles of "independent protector" and "dependent caregiver".
Thus, a female citizen's standing with regard to the social goods of some spheres – such as autonomy of lifestyle choices, social treatment, and positions leadership and authority– are undercut by her standing in the sphere of service status (i.e. being a non-serving civilian).
One manifestation of the toxicity of this relation is the silencing of discourse on women's rights. According to Jolene Tan, head of advocacy and research at AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research): "For some people, conversations on… gender inequality should be silenced because NS is taken to eclipse and perhaps justify all other gender inequalities that women face"[13] (emphasis mine).
As we can see, the twin arguments of compensatory treatment and alternative service lead us into a double bind – a toxic contradiction, if you will. Women must serve at home, but it will never be comparable; and men must be compensated for their sacrifice, but it will never be enough. We cannot continue to allow the fundamental inequality of single-gender conscription to perpetuate domination of service status, and poison our gender relations.
We must begin to normalize the idea of a gender-equal service in society. But it may be a chicken-egg problem, one that requires strong-willed governance as opposed to popular support. Therefore, the Singapore government must commit to take the first step towards policy reform in the long term.
With regards to concerns about physical ability, there are vast opportunities for non-physical, or non-combat military vocations. The notion of service itself can and should also be expanded to 'alternative services' such as such as healthcare, social work, research, civil defense, etc. Ultimately, the key 'equalizing' factor should be the time commitment of service, which is far more quantifiable and comparable than the current unsystematic compensatory mechanisms.
We may look to the experiences of countries such as Finland, Israel, and Norway in designing more expansive, flexible and gender-neutral notions of service. The situation in these countries are not perfect, but they show that a different way is possible.
Walzer, Michael. Spheres of Justice: A Defence of Pluralism and Equality. Basic Books, 1983.
[1] In fact, the criteria for conscription appears to be a combination of gender identity and biological sex, although no official protocol is publicized as far as I could find. See https://transgendersg.com/ns/ for unofficial information. This essay will primarily address issues of the binary genders while acknowledging that inclusion of non-binary, trans identities and sexual minorities are essential to the discourse.
[2] Deferment for education or early enlistment is possible.
[3] Conscripts are assigned to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF), or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). This essay applies to National Service in general, but will usually refer to the military (SAF).
[4] Recently, initiatives such as the SAF Volunteer Corps and Women's Boot Camp have been introduced, but these are auxiliary forms of voluntary wider engagement and participation rather than intermediate steps towards policy reform. See https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/national-service-army-women-only-boot-camp-10622730.
See https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/as-ns-turns-50-what-is-its-future for further background and context on NS.
[5] Note that an underlying premise of my argument is the necessity of a conscripted army for Singapore's survival, due to its small size. Discussion of alternative models of national defense (e.g. combination of a professional army and volunteers), or the inherent patriarchy of military institutions and warfare, will be outside the scope of this essay.
[6] In addressing this argument I will focus primarily on the belief that women contribute via social duties as opposed economic participation, as it is more relevant to my main thesis. Also, 'alternative service' in this context refers specifically to informal services, as opposed to formal civil or social service roles, which are sometimes also referred as such – in fact I discuss such formal roles in the conclusion.
[7] Incidentally, I would be remiss to neglect that Walzer wrote a chapter specifically about the distribution of forms of 'hard work', or negative goods – including military service – in the same book. Unfortunately, the chapter does not recommend a clear solution to the problem at hand. Furthermore, none of his broader observations – elevation of hard work through cooperative ownership, democracy and communalism – apply specifically to our case. Instead, I analyze conscription as a social responsibility.
[8] It is important to note that Walzer defines social goods expansively – he describes 'offices' as a category of social goods to be distributed, under which I introduce the social responsibilities of citizens.
[9] For the sake of discussion, we present these premises charitably, ignoring in particular inaccuracies in 2.3, namely a) we conscript by gender rather than physical ability (which obviously does not map), and b) roles in military service require various combinations of physical and non-physical qualities.
[10] An NSman is a male citizen or PR who has completed his national service, and only has periodic 'reservist' training commitments. An NSF is a male citizen or PR undergoing national service full-time. These are official terms.
[11] See https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/vouchers-gifts-insurance-more-recognition-for-singapore-s-nsmen-8062078 and https://dollarsandsense.sg/6-ways-literally-pays-nsman/ and http://www.asiaone.com/singapore/nsmen-get-more-perks-healthcare-housing-education.
[12] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mindsets-need-to-change-to-bridge-gender-pay-gap-ong-ye-kung?fbclid=IwAR1dHHioMP5a1ZQx2P9JqGOwEnEa1wZJFUR2eAyhr-X5Iy96Uie9dk4t_kE "Some employers offer men higher starting salaries to compensate for two years of full-time military service", and, "…men's contributions to NS should be compensated through improved pay and benefits during NS itself, rather than a lifelong wage differential in unrelated spheres…"
[13] http://www.atimes.com/article/military-service-force-division-singapore/


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A large number of private users and company owners are insufficiently protected on the Internet with protection software. Often the own security is neglected due to thriftiness, forgetting or ignorance. Although there is no such thing as 100% protection, with the right choice of firewall and anti-virus program, one can contribute significantly to one's own security and protect oneself very well against viruses, worms, Trojans and other malware.
According to experts, hacker attacks cause annual costs in the billions because systems are insufficiently protected. This is due to the fact that outdated or non-updated applications or operating systems are often used. The incorrect configuration of security-relevant components should also not be underestimated. Due to the continuous complexity of computer systems, it is becoming increasingly important to hire IT specialists for analysis and maintenance for these tasks. In particular, there is an increasing trend in security-relevant areas to switch to Linux systems, as these systems guarantee much better stability and security. As an independent IT service provider, I am happy to help you in these application areas.


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note TheDamian
 The last item may change with Perl6, for "=begin/end", but the rest will probably not.
 Actually, the first point:
 POD is the official way to do multi line comments in Perl
 will also change in Perl 6, which introduces an indentable, nestable, multi-line-able delimited comment:  #{ comment here } #[ comment here ] #( comment here ) #< comment here > #« comment etc. »  A delimited comment is introduced by a # followed immediately by any kind of opening bracket. It is closed by the corresponding closing bracket. 560924 560985


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Experience the refreshing sensation of Simply Spearmint. Neem' Pomegranate and the power of Xylitol combine to give you fresh breath' healthy-looking gums and brighter teeth. With regular brushing this formulation helps to remove plaque. Try the cool and refreshing flavor of Complete Care Simply Spearmint Toothpaste.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose' treat or cure any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using these or any product during pregnancy or if you have a serious medical condition.
Water (aqua)' calcium carbonate' xylitol' vegetable glycerin (from vegetable oils)' silica' lauryl glucoside (from coconut oil)' stevia rebaudiana (stevia) extract' xanthan gum' flavor (from essential oils and botanicals)' sodium bicarbonate' sodium cocoyl glutamate & disodium cocoyl glutamate (from amino acids and vegetable oil)' menthol (from peppermint leaves)*' sodium chloride' zinc citrate' thymol (from thyme leaf oil)' melia azadirchta (neem) leaf extract*' punica granatum (pomegranate) fruit extract*' embelia ribes (vidanga) fruit extract*' terminalia bellerica (belleric myrobalan) fruit extract*' phyllanthus emblica (amla) fruit extract*' terminalia chebula (chebulic myrobalan) fruit extract*' acacia arabica (indian gum arabic tree) bark extract*.
Fluoride-Free / Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)-Free / Carrageenan-Free / Gluten-Free.
Brush thoroughly after each meal' or at least twice a day' or as directed by a dentist to help fight plaque. Consult your dentist for children under 2 years. Children under 6 years should use a pea-sized amount under adult supervision.
Store at room temperature.
Allergy / Dietary Needs
- Non-GMO
- Gluten Free


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Here's when Google will stop supporting your Pixel phone
Google's Pixel phone was one of the best Android handsets of 2016, and the company has already confirmed plans for a follow-up this year.
Recent rumours have it that the Pixel and Pixel XL from last year will be followed by a Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2, and possibly a mysterious third device in 2017.
But for now, anyone who picked up the original Pixel phone or Pixel XL has until next year before Google stops supporting the devices.
Related: Best smartphone
Yes, the company has updated its end-of-life support page to show when it will stop providing the Pixel phones with new Android and security patches.
According to the update, the company will stop releasing Android version updates for the two phones in October 2018, meaning there will be no "no guaranteed Android version updates after" this period.
Security patches for the handsets will be provided for a longer period, with guaranteed security updates set to continue until October 2019.
Google makes clear on the page that Pixel phones will be provided with the newest versions of Android for at least two years from release on the Google Play Store.
And while it looks like the company will not be paying much attention to providing such updates once October 2018 hits, the wording suggests it might not be a complete cut-off.
The company writes that "after 2 years, we can't guarantee additional updates," suggesting it could extend the support before October 2018 arrives.
Google did make clear that the Pixel phones would be supported until October 2018 at the original launch, and it seems it's sticking to that timeline for now.
Meanwhile Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X owners have until September 2017 before the Android updates stop, with security updates set to be discontinued in September 2018.
Let us know what you think of your Pixel in the comments.


text: matt, ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< > From: matt s. > > Anyone used it? Is it the cheap-n-easy CMS it promises > to be? For $99 it seems interesting, but then again, it > might be another consumer-level knock-off of high-end > software that cant do much of anything. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< i trialed the software and wasn't really impressed with it. i'm sure it'd be a very useful tool for a mostly or all static website, but i couldn't come up with any way to make it worth the time for any sort of dynamic content (pulled from a database, included text files for content, whatever). based on those findings it's a completely useless package for me and my clients. i'm sure for some it's very handy though. .jeff http://evolt.org/ jeff at members.evolt.org http://members.evolt.org/jeff/


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Performance Inquiries
Family Fun Fridays at Dave & Adams
Connor's Restaurant
Click here to see some of my Magic & Comedy Show!
Click here for a bit of Close-Up Magic!
Todd Nelson
Amherst, NY
(716) 480-4757
For performance inquiries, please send an email to Todd at the above address briefly detailing your event, and he will get back to you within the hour. Alternately, feel free to call or text message him at the number listed above.
(Also, If you email an inquiry but don't see a response in your inbox from firstname.lastname@example.com, please check your spam folder; as it may have been routed there.)
Todd has the flexibility to accommodate a number of different performing styles and venues. Be it a Birthday Party for a handful of 6 year-olds, an Illusion show for 200 executives, a platform show for 50 judges, or a walk-around close-up performance at a wedding or anniversary celebration, Todd's audiences have all been entertained and amazed by his magic.
If you're interested in learning more about Buffalo's chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, check out www.ring12.org
photograph by Todd Nelson Jr.


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Oh how we look forward to one week from this Sunday! Do we have a greater appreciation for David's words of Psalm 122:1? I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." May we continue to show our joy as we read, study and live the words of God!
Philippians 4
Chapter 3 concluded with the reminder that our citizenship is in heaven and we are awaiting our Savior's return to take us home. Chapter 4 begins with because this is true, be faithful!
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my dear friends (Philippians 4:1). It is sad how often we take our brothers and sisters for granted. It's true in our earthly families at times and even more so in our eternal family. Don't ever neglect them!
Because that is true it is heartbreaking to see two faithful Christians at odds with one another. Paul continues with a plea for help from all the congregation: I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, my true comrade, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:2-3) The responsibility to DO what is right before God is NEVER someone else's job. Paul could have easily said this to the elders or the preacher or the deacons. But the simple fact is, that job belongs to ALL Christians. You do you is a cute ad for gambling, but YOU do CHRIST is what God expects of us all.
Joy is never far away from God's people if they truly understand who they are. As Paul writes to those working hard at living the Christian life, he's called them his joy and crown (verse 1 above) and now calls them (and us all) to rejoice. Show your joy in everything you do as a son or daughter of Almighty God!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to every person. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
It's easy for us to feel alone, but the fact that the Lord is near is a reminder given several times. David said it like this: The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18). He is in control, all we have to do is let Him know that we trust Him to do what is best. When we let go and let God take control is when we can enjoy His marvelous peace… no matter what happens to us here on earth!
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me — put these things into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
Recall Paul's "finally" of chapter 3. He's not done yet, but he is calling us to do something from now on! We are all aware of the countless things we have to think about and worry about. Think on or let your mind dwell on these things is actually even more forceful that you count your many blessings. To begin with it's said as an imperative and secondly, it's a call for an accounting. The soldiers in Philippi would have heard many times the order to give an accounting for their actions. Paul is, as God is, calling on us to be responsible for much more than just thanksgiving. We are responsible to God for doing all the things true, honorable, righteous, beautiful and worthy of praise and commendation. That's a LOT of goodness. That's a call to be holy, like our God is holy in all things. And this needs to be our focus as we give account of our holiness before God.
When we do these things, when this is our lifestyle as saints, then God promises His peace to be with us. It's ridiculous for us to complain about a lack of God's peace when we are not giving our all to Him! There's an old saying (I've seen it attributed to at least a couple of different people) that goes like this: Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. If we lack God's peace, it is because we have failed to live in holiness.
Paul now turns to some very personal comments to his brothers and sisters in Philippi. They worry about him and he worries about them. But because they share the same Lord, they need to remember that God is taking care of them all. And that calls, no matter how hard it may seem sometimes, for even more joy and thanksgiving!
I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you had no opportunity. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself. I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have an abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret, whether I am well-fed or hungry, have plenty or am in need. I can do all things through the one who strengthens me. However, you have acted nobly, sharing with me in my distress. (Philippians 4:10-14)
Missionaries learn pretty quickly which congregations truly love the Lord and are faithful in supporting the Lord's work. Nearly every missionary has been assured of love and support from a congregation only to receive nothing. Some congregations even become well known for their promises that are never kept.
And you Philippians know that in the beginning of my gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church joined with me in giving and receiving but you only, for even in Thessalonica you sent something more than once for my need. Not that I seek the gift; rather, I seek the interest that accrues to your account. I have received all I need and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gift you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for all time. Amen. (Philippians 4:15-20)
Philippi is not one of those churches that fail in their promises! Recall that it was actually the Macedonian churches (of which Philippi is the crown jewel) that gave even in their poverty that Paul would hold up as an example and a challenge to the Corinthian church (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:1-6). Philippi is the congregation that ought to hold their heads high for all they've done for the Gospel. We ought to always strive to be like Philippi!
When a congregation acts so as to bring praise to God, you know they are doing what is right. And a congregation that honors God in their deeds is a congregation that is truly a part of God's family!
Paul concludes with greetings from saints and holy ones to saints and holy ones: Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send their greetings to you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4:21-23) But above all else, Paul extends the blessing of God's grace to be with the family of Christ.
May we lead our lives in such a way that Jesus will always be with us!
—Lester P. Bagley


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Few bands can make you instantly recall your favorite summer. Your first kiss. The first time you snuck out of the house.
In Bergen, Norway, Razika, comprised of four precocious 19-year-old girls, have discovered how to conjure these
emotions, channeling a mix of innocence and rebellion, romance and heartbreak, and gift-giving and gun-slinging into
their debut album Program 91. The album is a glorious contradiction; an
exhilarating mix of ska, Riot Grrl, 60s girl groups, post-punk and upbeat, C86 pop that would make Phil Spector, The
Specials and The Raincoats proud.
Formed in 2005, Marie Amdam, Maria Råkil, Marie Moe and Embla Karidotter Dahleng have been childhood friends since
the age of 6, discovering their parents' rock records before delving into punk as early teenagers. "We loved Green Day,
The Ramones and Sex Pistols; that phase when you're 14 and start discovering punk," said drummer Dahleng. "When we
started, we were playing basically straight punk songs." Adds lead singer Amdam, "As we got older, we started listening
to a lot of reggae music and figuring out how to play it. We were growing and when you grow, the music also changes.
You're more open-minded."
The band consumed equal parts Jamaican music, sugary pop and underground Norwegian rock records – the album title
a nod to both the year of the members' birth and 1980s Norwegian New Wave group Program 81 – but there's one band
that unfairly invites most of the comparisons. "Everyone compares us to The Slits, but I think that's mostly because we're
both girl bands," says Dahleng. "To be honest, we haven't really listened to them too much."
Influences aside, Program 91 finds the perfect middle ground between late-night, detached cool and youthful ebullience.
"Nytt Pa Nytt" ("New on New") and "Middelalder" ("Middle Ages") recall the B-movie, Spaghetti Western ska of The
Specials and The English Beat, while "Taste My Dream" and "Aldri" ("Never") revel in ska-pop, despite a heartfelt longing
in Amdam's vocals. Elsewhere, the appropriately titled "Youth" is a light, airy summertime track that would go well
alongside your Peter, Bjorn and John albums.
Recorded over the course of a year on weekends – hey, the group still had school after all – the release of Program 91
was the first, but far from last, goal of the band when they formed six years ago. "It was unbelievable," says Dahleng of
the upcoming release. "We didn't know whether to laugh or cry because we were so happy. Recording an album was our
goal and dream since we started playing our first songs at age 14."
For Amdam, the group's primary songwriter, writing in both Norwegian and English eventually became second nature. "It
came very natural to me," says the singer. "When you get an idea, you sit down and ideas start popping out of your brain
and sometimes it's in one language and sometimes in the other. It's all about the mood of the song." Adds Dahleng:
"People started to notice us more because we weren't that normal girl band who only wrote English lyrics about love."
For now, the group, named after a code word used by the band to describe a cute guy, is gearing up to begin touring,
hoping to make their way stateside later this year. "We're used to playing places and then getting thrown out because we
weren't old enough," says Dahleng. "But we have our tricks to stay in the bar," she adds with a laugh.
On "Why We Have to Wait," Razika's cover of 1960s Norwegian pop group The Pussycats, Amdam sings, "Why we have
to wait so long/People say we're far too young."
Judging by the dexterity and maturity inherent on every song of Program 91, no falser words have ever been uttered.


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Archive for August 2022
The #BuffbunnyBandit Series by @wokeuplikedez Steals the Show
The #Buffbunnybandit hashtag is making waves on social media and online! Editour influencer @wokeuplikedez, who has over 665k followers on TikTok, went viral recently after a series of her Buffbunny PR packages got stolen. Making the best out of sticky situation, Desiree Mize decided to take to social media and to take things into…Read More


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Sunday, 15 September 2013 00:00
Canada welcomes St. Michael the Archangel
Written by
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Michaelites do not give rest St. Michael the Archangel. It was not enough that a true copy of the famous figure of Archangel pilgrimage in Europe. Recently worshipers of St. Michael from Canada and the U.S. may experience a special power of the Archangel, who is venerated by parishes and families in the sign of the miraculous statue. Famous statue of St. Michael started the pilgrimage with the festive in honor of the Archangel in Melrose (London), celebrated September 8, 2013. Masses was presided by Bishop Ronald Francis Reiss, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. The ceremony brought together more than half a thousand of the faithful. The bishops of all dioceses in which Michaelites priests serve in North America expressed enthusiasm about the pilgrimage. A special joy was expressed by Cardinal Collins - Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, under the patronage of St. Michael. The first parish which St . Michael will visit is an Italian parish of Our Lady in London, whose pastor is Fr. Joseph Dabrowski - the new chief of the North American Vice-Province.
Last modified on Tuesday, 29 October 2013 17:14
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Stifling, almost. I've had it shoulder length for almost a decade.
I read a tweet not too long ago from an agent that was basically this: "Our actress who booked 6 national commercials as a brunette, just went blond. #facepalm"
And it made me angry. We are artists and we need to express ourselves through our physical appearance. Sometimes we need a change. Who are you to judge this like it's a bad thing? Maybe she'll book 12 commercials as a blond! You don't know. But if we need a change, we NEED a change.
So, I did what I needed to do. And I got the major change I was craving.
Is it me, though? Yeah. Sometimes.
What if I straightened it?
And tried to take an artsy fartsy photo?
I got this!
Kinda Marilyn Monroe-ish, kinda messed up, kinda put together, kinda....sexy?
What if I took Headshots like this!?!?
I got THESE!!!


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Xi's Costly Obsession With Security
How a Quest for Control Threatens China's Economic Growth
The United States faces unprecedented challenges abroad. The post-colonial status quo in the Middle East is breaking down, and terrorist groups such as Islamic State (also called ISIS) and al Qaeda present a grave threat to U.S. national security. Traditional powers such as Russia and China are challenging international norms and pushing the boundaries of their influence. And threats that know no borders—such as pandemic disease and global climate change—continue to grow. The world has been fundamentally reordered, but the United States' foreign policy toolbox has gone largely unchanged during this time of immense global transition.
The new world order demands that the United States think anew about the tools that it will use to lead the world, including reaching beyond the military budget to rediscover the power of non-kinetic statecraft. As relatively new members of the U.S. Senate on the Foreign Relations, Appropriations, Armed Services, and Intelligence Committees, we believe that Congress needs to help chart a new course to meet these challenges and play a more active role to help shape foreign policy coming out of the executive branch. Toward that end, we offer a set of forward-looking and pragmatic principles that should guide U.S. foreign policy and Congress' foreign policy agenda.
First, we believe that the United States needs a new Marshall Plan for at-risk regions. In the years following World War II, the promise of military protection, economic aid, and democratic ideals brought together reliable allies under the American banner. Since then, foreign aid, as a percentage of U.S. GDP, has declined. Now is the time to reinvest in this work, as countries under the economic thumb of Russia or China, and communities seeking protection from extremist groups, are crying out for help that smart, nimble U.S. foreign aid can provide. We should create a five-year plan to significantly improve quality of life in developing Middle Eastern and African nations threatened by terrorism, as well as vulnerable nations near Russia and China, and fund every dime of the plan.
Second, we believe that the United States is strongest when it works with partners and allies. Put simply, working bilaterally and through international organizations such as NATO and the United Nations is more effective and costs the United States less. The United States always retains the right to act unilaterally to defend against imminent threats; however, in the wake of the Iraq War, the United States should be newly cognizant of the moral and practical risks of unilateral action. If no allies are willing to join it, its isolation should cause it to rethink its actions.
Third, we believe that when we send U.S. service members to fight, the United States must always have clear goals and exit strategies, act only with congressional authorization, and uphold its commitment to care for every serviceman and woman when they return. From Vietnam to the current conflict in Iraq, the United States has violated these simple rules. Congress must demand that military and civilian leaders lay out specific and achievable objectives and timelines before signing off on military action, and must demand that money be set aside to care for veterans of wars as a condition of support for the engagement. And Congress should not allow broad authorizations for war, such as the 9/11 Authorization of Military Force, to exist in perpetuity simply because it is afraid to debate new, narrower war resolutions.
Fourth, we believe that when military action is deemed necessary for reasons other than self-defense, it should serve as a shaping mechanism for local political solutions. In modern times, conventional armies rarely march against each other and formal peace treaties are few and far between. That means that conflicts end only when political conditions on the ground change to allow peace to persevere. Military interventions should focus on creating space for local political solutions to the underlying problems for unrest. And if there is no achievable political solution on the ground, it should cause Congress to question the wisdom of the proposed military action.
Fifth, we believe that covert actions such as mass surveillance and large-scale CIA lethal operations must be constrained. The dramatic expansion of the U.S. intelligence apparatus after 9/11, largely unseen and unchecked, requires greater oversight and restraint. Decisions about surveillance, lethal drone strikes, and interrogation techniques must be made in the light of day with greater congressional oversight. For example, the United States should consolidate authority for offensive counterterrorism operations at the Department of Defense instead of the CIA, which has more limited congressional oversight.
Sixth, we believe that the United States should practice what it preaches regarding civil and human rights, and defend its values internationally. America's reputation as a beacon of freedom and opportunity is a powerful asset. Inadequate respect for civil rights domestically robs from the United States the moral authority to root out abuses and corruption overseas. Actions abroad that are illegal under U.S. law and out of step with American values, such as torture, must be prohibited. Human rights and gender equality should not be viewed as secondary to security issues, but appropriately recognized as essential to long-term global stability.
Seventh, we believe that the United States' strength abroad is rooted in its strength at home. As we engage with the rest of the world, we must also recognize that America's ability to project strength abroad depends on a thriving, prosperous foundation at home. How can the United States preach economic empowerment overseas if millions of Americans feel economically hopeless? If Washington is to maintain credible U.S. global leadership, the United States need significant new investments in infrastructure and education, and new policies to address the stagnant incomes and rising costs that are crippling too many American families.
Finally, we believe climate change presents an immediate threat to the world, and the United States must invest time, money, and global political capital to address this crisis. In 2007, a group of 11 retired three-star and four-star admirals and generals unequivocally stated that climate change is a "significant national security challenge" that can serve as a "threat multiplier for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world." The United States must acknowledge what the science and national security experts are already saying—climate change is real, it is happening now, and it is solvable if the United States acts quickly.
Congress can no longer stand idly by, simply reacting to world events. It should reclaim its constitutional prerogative and work with the White House to shape foreign policy. Americans want the United States to lead and be engaged in the world, but are wary of overzealous intervention and want to see a coherent, proactive vision for how America will lead and when we will act. We hope that these eight common-sense principles can serve as guideposts for those of us in the Senate who want the United States to continue to have a robust presence in the world, and recognize that new threats can only be confronted with new strategies and new tools.


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Explore the great city of Chicago known for its world class dining and architecture. Spend a day soaking in the beauty of Chicago's North Shore or Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in Oak Park. Are you Up for Amazing? Plan your Illinois adventure.
Welcome to Pure Michigan. Breathtaking landscapes, urban escapes, unique attractions, a wealth of events and festivals and rich culture – experience them all in Pure Michigan.
Your adventure awaits in Minnesota, home of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Explore the North Shore Scenic Byway, with breathtaking waterfalls, hiking trails and scenic overlooks.
Ontario is the ultimate destination for those who never stop exploring. From outdoor adventures to seasonally-inspired getaways, experience the best of Ontario.
Erie, Pennsylvania's fourth largest city along the shores of Lake Erie, is on beautiful Presque Isle Bay, surrounded by a seven-mile peninsula. As Pennsylvania's only Great Lakes Port City, Erie has an extensive maritime history.
Visit and be charmed by the changing panoramas and the warm welcome of Quebecers. Observe picturesque fishing villages, urban environments, the spectacular Saguenay Fjord, mysterious islands, towering cliffs and bucolic landscapes along the way. Whether you like hiking, marine mammal watching, festivals or local gastronomy - it's all here when you discover Québec.


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Not everyone at Industry Range Day has booths for shooting. Off to the side of the main entrance is a cluster of tents with booths. Sort of a tactical winter market. Here companies can showcase some products that are either gun related and not necessarily a gun, or some manufacturers use it as a mini Shot Show booth.
One of the companies tucked away amongst the ear pro and cleaning solutions was War Sport. I have been a fan of the LVOA that I went and made my own Salient Rifle which is similar to the LVOA. At least the original SAI Tier 1 rifle was. One issue I had with my DIY Salient Rifle and the two times I handled an LVOA had to do with the handguard. No it isn't the front end that I had issues with, but rather the handguard was already behind the curve for me. It has screw holes all along the sides and bottom to attach a picatinny rail. I much prefer MLOK or even Keymod. Well War Sport has now addressed that and has updated the LVOA rail with MLOK Slots.
War Sport did not just stop there though. Another complaint, and it is not just me, was that the handguard inner diameter was too narrow to use a suppressor. The LVOA muzzle is tucked behind the front of the handguard so unless you had a very narrow suppressor or a barrel adapter to stick out past the handguard, you could not suppress an LVOA. The new handguard inner diameter has now been made wider to accomodate 1.5″ diameter suppressors.
Their muzzle brake has changed as well. You can see it shares a similar style brim as their Top Hat muzzle brakes but this one is wider to accommodate the larger inner diameter but the style of the muzzle brake has changed completely.
Due to the larger ID of the new LVOA handguard, the barrel nut has been changed to a timed barrel nut design. The flanged barrel nut helps to act as a heat sink and pulls heat away from the barrel, according to the War Sport rep.
I noticed some other small changes as well. At the back of the handguard, the original LVOA handguard has steel clips called Dog Bone, that help index the handguard to the upper receiver and prevents rotation. War Sport has integrated these supports and machined them right into the rear of the handguard. You can see one directly under the picatinny rail where the upper receiver mates up with the back of the handguard.
Another small change is the switch to use three hex screws. Before the old hand guard used two hex screws and one set screw in the middle. Due to the larger ID, War Sport needed more clamping force so they went with a three screw design you can see in the photos above and below
The blocked off triangular holes have also been given texture for added grip.
War Sport is also starting to make pistol caliber carbine ARs. Below is their pistol AR chambered in 9mm using Glock magazines. I have been told there will be a rifle version of this as well as a rifle version of an LVOA in 9mm. I would very much like to check out a 9mm LVOA for USPSA.
The flash hider on the PCC is not a final product. They are going to tweak the design a bit, so if you get one, it might have a different flash hider or muzzle brake on it.


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The book itself is basically the explanation of his life with two "dads" (the second dad is actually his best friend's dad, but we get the point). One dad is "highly educated" but never rich; the other dad is your prototypical "dropped out of school, got wealthy" type of guy. He typefies the behaviour of both fathers into a "Rich" and a "Poor" mentality. The book is a basically a compare and contrast of the two philosophies centered around his six lessons that his Rich father taught him. The lessons are:
- The Rich don't work for money
- Why teach financial literacy?
- Mind your own business
- The history of taxes the power of corporations
- The rich invent money
- Work to learn - don't work for money
OK, so they don't all sound like lessons, a bunch of them actually sound like chapter titles (hello #4?) and they are. But hey, the history of taxes? The power of corporations? Man sounds pretty complex, pretty powerful... yeah... it's 10 pages long, maybe like 4000 words, it reads like a short essay without the footnotes or references.
Still we can do justice to the history of taxation in America in 10 pages, right? Not really, not when half of it has to be tied in to your vision of the world. And that's the fundamental failing of this book, it's basically 200 padded pages of pump you up, go out and learn. He's basically all about eschewing the establishment and focusing your learning on how to make money. He's very focused on stating how the "old ways" of school, work (house, car, kids) and retire are all gone, without really mentioning that they were never there in the first place.
He talks about how schools don't teach what it takes for people to be independently wealthy as if schools actually had that purpose in mind. We don't build schools to teach the leaders of tomorrow, it's not really a secret, we run schools to build more efficient peons, but hey one visit to my high school would've made that evident. My family had dinner table discussions about this stuff in high school. The smart kids make it through despite the system not because of the system, we knew that, I knew that, I still went to University. Then again, we also talked about the general death of pensions and the "pointlessness" of retirement (see Die Broke). Yeah, so maybe he's right, the smartest kids learn stuff at home as well as at school, but then, my parents aren't Rich either.
Long story short (not that the book is very long), Kiyosaki has some potentially novel ideas. There are tons of people who have never thought in the ways that Kiyosaki is espousing. So I guess that's good for them, it's just terribly unfortunate that he's not really a good writer. His book is like fragments thrown together where the same stories are repeated and the same points belaboured. It's like a series of bad essays with no supporting documents and no footnotes and the same point to all of them: become more financially savvy and you will become "Rich" instead of "Poor". But he doesn't bother with history, he just gives you the short "Kiyosaki"-esque version, he mentions the gold standard in passing and never follows up. He talks about his Cashflow game in basically every chapter but doesn't bother to even provide an Appendix with details or rules of the game. Some of paragraphs read like rewrites of paragraphs from other sections (they probably were), he just repeats himself so much.
And maybe that's my big issue with the whole book. Kiyosaki is not trying to provide you with "information" so much as "inspiration". He wants you to read his 200 hundred pages and subscribe to his philosophy. Some call this their PF bible, but to me it is to personal finance what Rocky is to boxing training; it's all sizzle, no steak. Of course, great steak needs some sizzle, just like great boxers need heart, but reading this book won't make you rich, it'll just make you want to be rich.
If you want to actually be rich, then look elsewhere, he simply doesn't provide any more details: pay yourself first, make your money work for you, hire people smarter than you, blah, blah, blah. He doesn't list a book on hiring skilled people; or point you to specific books on where to start investing and where to finish investing; or send you to guides on being frugal; he doesn't give you the top 10 wealth ways of ordinary people. All of this important, actual information, is left as an exercise to the reader. He just wants you to agree that he is right about wealthy people. He simply doesn't provide any real direction on any of these things, he's not interested in teaching PF 101 he just wants you to agree that he's right and then he wants you go out and teach yourself.
Yes Mr. Kiyosaki, you are correct. There it's done, now go read something with information like Tom Hopkins: "How to Master the Art of Selling" or Stephen Covey's 7 (or 8) habits.
PS: If you want to know a lot more about the Gold Standard, look here, and check out the first two videos. They have propoganda issues, but it's a good run at understanding money and the banks and the actual history behind the whole deal.


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Recipes by Sara Schewe
Happy Valentine's Day!
I seem to be making a habit of baking red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day. Last year, I used this recipe from Throwdown. The cakes were tasty, but I wanted to try something new this year, so I turned to a recipe I saw last year on Pinch My Salt.I had a few chocolate chips left in a pack, as well as a container of heavy cream in…
1 vote
840 views
Soupe Savoyarde
For my next installment of French country cooking, I wanted something fairly simple, yet seasonal. This winter vegetable soup seemed perfect.I had to trek to a couple of grocery stores to find celery root, though around here that's not all that surprising. This soup is perfect for a cold winter's night, and it will warm you up night…
1 vote
757 views
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
When it comes to cooking magazines, I'm a big dork. I like to organize my magazines by month, so at any point mid-season I can find appropriate recipes. At the beginning of January, I pulled out several January and February issues to discover a section on peanut butter desserts in the January 2009 issue of Bon Appétit.Seriously, how…
1 vote
1073 views
Simple Roasted Chicken
Remember when "vegetable oil spreads" threatened to take over the home bakers' kitchen? At the time, so many of us (meaning me) thought we were improving our health by shunning margarine and butter, and choosing the "healthy" spread, but a not-so-funny-result occurred: our (my) baked goods were terrible.It took awhile before the…
1 vote
1016 views
Glazed Lime Cake
This week, I decided to start things off with a simple dessert designed to last all week. This recipe is simple, easy, and inexpensive to make as it utilizes ingredients that many of us already have on hand.Perfect.I did forget that this recipe used self-rising flour, which I never use and had no intention on buying for one recipe.…
1 vote
873 views
I first started playing with choux dough back in college. At the time, my idea of cooking involved a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a sauce packet. My roommates and I would cut up chicken, then stir-fry the chicken, add the veggies, add the sauce, and let it simmer for a bit. Whomever wasn't involved with the stir-fry would take…
1 vote
800 views
Coffee Crunch Bars
After the holidays, I spent some time perusing old food magazines, especially the winter issues. I found this recipe from Molly Wizenberg's column in Bon Appetit, and the bars sound fun and tasty, and I was ready to try something different.I almost had all of the ingredients, but because I only had light brown sugar, I added just a…
1 vote
826 views
Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts
When I first received my copy of Back to Basics, I knew that someday I would make the goat cheese tart. I mean, it has some of my favorite components: puff pastry, goat cheese, caramelized onions, parmesan, thyme…add a glass of wine, and life is perfect.I originally made this recipe last year for the Barefoot Bloggers, which I was…
1 vote
895 views
Small Batch Cupcakes
Cupcakes are a favorite sweet treat of mine, but I've often shied away from making them because all of my recipes yield at least a dozen little cakes, if not more. I'd find myself purchasing the bakery cupcakes from the grocery store and cringing when I looked at the ingredient list (partially hydrogenated shortening, anyone?). I also…
2 votes
1152 views
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
October is by far my favorite month of the year. The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and turning on the oven brings a welcome warmth to the home. We are experiencing below normal temperatures (it feels more like late November than mid-October), yet the meteorologists insist winter will be warmer than usual where I live.I'll…
2 votes
1218 views


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Military Vehicles Magazine is 25 years old!
In the late 1970s, the historic military hobby experienced pretty intense growing pains. The nation's oldest organization dedicated to the collecting and driving of historic military vehicles (HMVs), the National Military Vehicles Collectors Association (NMVCA), splintered in 1976, resulting in a new organization, the Military Vehicle Collectors Club (MVCC). The following year, the NMVCA's first chapter established east of the Mississippi, the North Jersey Chapter, switched allegiance to the new MVCC. Inspired by the successful growth of the North Jersey Chapter, Dennis Spence started the South Jersey Chapter. The MVCC—and the hobby—was flourishing on both coasts by 1980.
The new decade, however, saw even more change. In the mid-1980s, the MVCC changed its name to "International Military Vehicles Collectors Club" (IMVCC) in order to attract members from the internationally growing enthusiasm for collecting and restoring military vehicles. By 1986, the changes were, perhaps too much stress on the young organization, and the powerful North Jersey Chapter gradually reformed as a new organization, the Military Transport Association of North Jersey (MTA). At the time, the MTA did not affiliate itself with any other organization. Dennis Spence, the owner of Portrayal Press, began to publish Military Vehicles Magazine in 1987 and the members of the MTA, as well as many of the IMVCC, embraced the magazine as the premier publication dedicated to people who collected, restored and drove historic military vehicles.
The very first issue of Military Vehicles Magazinewas 24 pages long and was full of advertisements, articles, photos and the most important "Events Calendar." Many of the advertisers are still prominent 25 years later and include: Portrayal Press, Army Jeep Parts Inc., the East Coast Spring Rally, Surplus City Jeep Parts, Nelson Surplus Jeeps and Parts and Rapco Reproductions. The back page listed advertising rates, deadlines and a staff of three: P.T. Brinkerhoff, R.G. Ivory and T.E. Richards. If anyone doubted the potential success of the new magazine, they were sorely mistaken. Over the following nine years, subscriber numbers grew to more than 11,000, dwarfing the IMVCC that had been reformed as the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) in 1990.
Publisher and founder Dennis Spence decided to sell the magazine in 1996. David and Elizabeth Ahl purchased the magazine and subscribers continued to climb aboard the "olive drab meteor." When the Ahls sold the magazine to military vehicle collector and publishing giant Chet Krause in 2001, subscribers numbered more than 16,000.
A Quarter Century Later
With this significant birthday, many ask if the magazine has peaked. The fact is, it may have…for the time being. At the end of the 24thyear, subscribers to Military Vehicles Magazine numbered around 15,000—about 1,000 below its highest mark. Why?
A number of factors are contributing: First, and foremost, the WWII generation is passing. Not only did this incredible group of men and women keep the world free of German, Italian and Japanese tyranny during WWII, they formed the absolute core of military vehicle enthusiasts in the decades after the war. Not only does their passing leave holes in our hearts, it marks a significant decline in our hobby. Fortunately, the sons and daughters of the WWII generation are experiencing an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the era of youth of their parents, aunts and uncles. The "Kids of the Greatest Generation" are a group strongly invested in the historic military vehicle hobby.
Veterans of subsequent conflicts such as the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars have kindled a significant spurt in the military vehicle hobby, but face it, the number of men and women who served during WWII (about 16 million) is about 6 million more than those who served during the Korean, Vietnam and first Gulf Wars combined! Just from the numbers, the WWII Generation was bound to create a larger pool of military vehicle enthusiasts.
It would be wrong, however, to assume the hobby is on the decline as the WWII generation passes on. Quite the opposite is true. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 21.8 million living veterans. Of that number, only 2.1 million were veterans of WWII and 2.6 million veterans of the Korean War.Nearly 35 percent of all living veterans (about 7.6 million) served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975). Another 5.5 million served the Cold War and 4.8 million were veterans of either or both of the Gulf Wars.
What do all these numbers mean for the health of the hobby? Well, during the past 25 years, WWII and Korean War veterans formed the core of our hobby. Today, though, those men and women constitute only about 20 percent of our living veterans— 4.7 million.
On the other hand, living Vietnam veterans number nearly 7.6 million. These men and women are mostly in their 60s or early 70s. Their families are raised, and they are either retired or nearing retirement. These are two prime factors that influence the purchase of a historic military vehicle.
Coming up right after these Vietnam veterans are the Cold War warriors, an army of about 4.8 million! With those two groups hitting a chronological and financial maturity, our hobby stands to really develop in the following 10-15 years.
The next question is, however, "Will there be vehicles for new enthusiasts?" That's a good question, what with dwindling sales of surplus vehicles. While there will always be a nostalgic demand for WWII vehicles, there will be growing interest in M-series vehicles of the Vietnam and Cold War years. M151s, M37s, M715s, M35s and even CUCVs will become more fiercely sought and purchased while the prices of mediocre restored WWII vehicles will drop (great restorations of great vehicles will always command premium prices).
The hurdle the hobby must consider in the next 10-15 years, though, will be, "What vehicles will the veterans and enthusiasts of the Gulf War be able to buy?" The iconic vehicle of both Gulf Wars and the War on Terror is, indisputably, the HMMWV. The problem is, very few of these were released into the public stream of commerce. After an initial trickle of vehicles, the Department of Defense decided it was better to destroy used-up HMMWVs rather than release them to the public. Demand for the vehicles will probably lead to importing foreign-used vehicles rather than attempting to locate the few American-used vehicles now in private hands. The demand will be high, and the supply very, very low. The smart investor will begin to look at the possibility of locating foreign-used HMMWVs and begin work on importing them now—it will probably takes years of navigating red-tape before any are successfully allowed into the U.S.
Though the supply of M-series vehicles will be dwindling over the next 25 years, the supply of WWII and Korean War vehicles will begin to increase as the first generation of collectors release their vehicles back into the market place. Will demand keep the price high or will this influx of vehicles into the market actually cause a dip in values?
Is there a "decline" in the HMV hobby?
So here we are, 25 years later. Very few who are participate in the heart of the hobby talk about any decline. Rather, they speak of no better time for buying great vehicles as the first generation of hobbyists retire, and for new people to enter the hobby inexpensively because the weak economy is forcing down the prices of medium quality vehicles. But what about the publishing side of our hobby?
Military Vehicles Magazine, now owned by F+W Media, has a dedicated staff and publisher who recognize that it is more than a magazine. MVM represents the entire historic military vehicle community and to that end, has established multiple paths for serving those interested in restoring, preserving and driving historic military vehicles. Today, you can receive breaking hobby news via our Facebook page or our electronic newsletter ("Militar-E-News"), receive important vendor and hobby announcements via our concerted "e-blasts" and receive special package deals with our partner magazine, Military Traderthrough our "total military collecting hobby" website, www.militarytrader.com.
Though our magazine's subscriber number of 15,000 might appear to be a drop in the number of people who are interested in historic military vehicles, the truth of the matter is, we serve nearly 40,000 individuals who participate in our various outlets. MVM is alive, strong and proud! We are honored to have served the historic military community for 25 years and are committed to continuing delivering engaging, important information for another quarter of a century to those who preserve, collect and drive historic military vehicles.
Keep 'em rolling,
John Adams-Graf


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Fruitnet is preparing to launch Fruitnet Daily News, a free daily round-up of the most important stories from the international fresh produce business, at the end of October. Here, Fruitnet's managing editor Mike Knowles explains the thinking behind the news provider's latest venture.
Can you tell us about Fruitnet's plan to launch a daily news service?
Mike Knowles: Over the past few years, demand for a truly global fresh produce news service with coverage of all the key markets and suppliers has increased considerably. Although regional and continental services are available, we felt there was a major gap in the market for something which can satisfy that growing demand on a daily basis. That's why we are launching Fruitnet Daily News at the end of October.
Some people presumably won't be as familiar with the Fruitnet name as they are with the names of your other publications, for example Eurofruit and Asiafruit. Can you explain a bit more about Fruitnet?
MK:Fruitnet is the home of Eurofruit, Asiafruit, Americafruit, Fresh Produce Journal and Produce Plus on the web, and a platform for those titles to reach a wider online audience. Together with Germany's leading fresh produce trade publication Fruchthandel Magazine, they form the Fruitnet International Media Group. Fruitnet brings together those leading industry publications to provide a single, reliable source of news, insight and analysis. As such, it is the only news provider that can deliver informed and high-profile coverage of the entire global fresh produce business, reporting on developments in all major markets via its international network of reporters. The coverage is comprehensive, but not congested: Fruitnet's editors select only the most relevant and important stories for publication.
You're going to be sending Fruitnet Daily News out for free, correct?
MK: That's right. Fruitnet Daily News is a free, premium-quality news service that will be sent via email to tens of thousands of fresh produce industry professionals worldwide every day. All current subscribers to Eurofruit, Asiafruit and Americafruit will be automatically transferred to the mailing list and sent Fruitnet Daily News instead of the regional Newsline emails they used to receive, but anyone else can sign up to receive the newsletter free of charge. A certain proportion of the articles will be behind a paywall, but there will be plenty of content available without having to pay.
What will be the main focus of the newsletter?
MK: Fruitnet Daily News will provide coverage of key international developments within the fresh produce business in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America and Australasia, focusing in particular on the world's established and emerging markets as well as their suppliers. The stories, interviews and features will be carefully selected produced by the editors and journalists behind Eurofruit, Asiafruit and Americafruit.
To receive Fruitnet Daily News, enter your email address in the box at the top-right of the page, or contact Ed Livingstone via email@example.com or by calling +44 20 7501 0311.
To advertise on Fruitnet and Fruitnet Daily News, please download the attached media pack or contact the Fruitnet sales department via firstname.lastname@example.com or call +44 20 7501 0313.


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Time after Time by Hannah McKinnon.
Published 2nd June 2016 by Maze (an imprint of HarperCollins).
Available to buy in E-book format from Amazon UK.
'Have you ever wondered 'what if?'
When Hayley Cooper goes to sleep wishing for a different life, then wakes up in bed with her first boyfriend, she can't believe her eyes. She hasn't seen Chris in over twenty years – but now she's married to him. And Hayley is in for a few more romantic surprises . . .
Over a single weekend, Hayley lives her life time and time again, and as each of her former loves resurface, Hayley starts to realise that there's some truth in the saying 'be careful what you wish for.' Yes, the past two years with her husband Rick have been tough, but is the grass always greener?'
Such a good question; have you ever wondered 'what if?'. Have you ever wondered what things would be like if you had taken a different path in life? Have you ever wondered what your acquaintances from the past would be like after you have moved on? Lets just pause for a second whilst you get into the 'what if?' mind-set….
Have you thought about it yet?
What about now?
We're only human, of course we are bound to wonder 'what if?' whenever relationships end, or we make a huge decision in life. However, we cannot wave a magic wand, or close our eyes and be back in time, to a life that never was. Well, WE can't, but there seems to be just one person that can. Does the name 'Hayley Cooper' ring a bell to you? No? Well it should! (Why haven't you read this book yet?! :o)
Hayley Cooper is in a difficult situation in her current life and it's safe to say that she is pretty peeved with the way things are going. She wants a different life, and it gets her wondering about her ex boyfriends. Little did she know she would come face to face with them when she woke up the next morning.
That reminds me, what day is it today? Monday, or Saturday?
The cover of this book totally threw me. I had seen it multiple times over on Twitter and Amazon but hadn't had the chance to click buy. So, when Avon publishers tweeted about it again one night, I made sure I got it there and then. Not only is it a memorable cover, it is also a very romantic looking cover, although I stupidly judged the book by its cover and wondered why I was getting confused. Only a smidge though, honestly…
Hayley is the main character of the story. She is married with children but there is something about her life that isn't sitting right with her. Something doesn't seem quite right and she cannot seem to put her finger on it. That is of course, until she follows all the paths of her past that she never took. Hayley seems to like the weekend in this book because she re-visits the same day multiple times! If you went back in time to visit all of the 'what ifs' of your past, do you think that you would be met with positivity, with everything the same as you have always dreamt about?
That is a tough one to answer. Although in Hayley's case, it was definitely an eye opener for her (and for me, her past is fascinating!). My opinion of Hayley changed throughout the book because of how the story unfolded. One moment I felt incredibly sorry for her, another time I felt infuriated with her because she just could not see what she had which meant her decisions were otherwise jaded. Hayley's best friend is a hoot, my sort of person with a mouth that's always on fast forward.
Considering the amount of to-ing and fro-ing this book does, it didn't actually get me flustered, which is surprising. Books like that usually do, but maybe because the switch was always expected, it didn't confuse me. Whilst the book contains very funny moments, as well as some difficult situations, it made me think about my life. What if I had chosen different paths? Obviously I can't do anything about it now, but it's only natural to wonder.
Hannah has written such a heart warming and emotionally driven book, which was full of depth and relatable situations. The message behind the story is a rather powerful one, however, the added softness in terms of humour and sarcasm, turns it into a light-hearted read as well.
I must say, I am looking forward to whatever Hannah has up her sleeve next. I can promise you one thing though, I won't ever be thinking 'what if' about this book because I know I took the right path by reading it!