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Sagittarius Each day Finance Horoscope
You are not the only one with opportunistic tendencies. Our company cousins at AOL Money & Finance (by AOL, Engadget's mum or dad firm) just launched their Every day Finance app for the iPhone, and because it's kinda cool when someone in the family releases a high-rated mobile app, we thought it might be a good opportunity to sit down down for a second and compare it to Shares – the built-in "finance" app that every iPhone proprietor has whether or not they need it or not – and one other top-rated finance app, Bloomberg.
Day by day Finance hyderabad offers Each day Finance from numerous banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Financial institution, Axis Bank, Customary Chartered Financial institution, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Indus ind Bank, ING Vysya Bank, Bajaj Finance, HDB Finance, Fullerton India and so on.
We most popular the best way that Each day Finance offered information for individual stocks – on their own tab to reduce litter – and preferred the truth that you have much more news classes obtainable to you. Anyone who has been negatively affected financially by this scheme is urged to contact their financial institution to cancel their cards and possibly terminate and …


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"You're in a Cult. Call Your Dad!"
Look. Listen. Look and listen…if you're a murderino surviving solely on podcasts like "My Favorite Murder" then you already know where this comes from. If not, I apologize if my true crime comedy references or morbid sense of humor offends you. Actually, I don't. As Karen says at every live show, "if you're offended by this then we welcome you to go ahead and get the fuck out." I'm going to take this moment to second that because I'm done trying to please everyone. From failed plans to extreme disappointment to bad bloodwork to seizures to illness to the Disney trip from hell…every time I thought I had things under control, something else struck! I have been so checked out from everything because I have been barely able to keep my head above water, but now I'm dipping my toes in again after a while on the shore. I want to genuinely thank EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has reached out to me – there's no way to show how much this meant to me, even though you likely did not hear back from me. Sincerely, thank you for reaching out and you all know who you are! ❤
I've been confused, grieving, and learning to live in an upside-down world for the past 3.5 years. But mostly, I have wanted to help other families after the horror we lived through trying to get an accurate diagnosis for Jack. So I tried blocking out all the trauma by keeping busy. I know how lucky I am in the world of the medically complex because Jack has a treatment that works well and allows him a good quality of life. I try to show the positive sides of Jack's life while also being transparent about our struggles. However, I don't think I've done a good enough job illustrating the struggles, especially the emotional and physical toll that Jack's care takes on me (and his dad) daily. I know everyone means so well, but I can't tell you the amount of times that I have received a message from a mom on social who tells me, "we were hoping for a PDE diagnosis after we found your page instead of ___". I get that sentiment, believe me. However, my life has been indelibly changed since epilepsy and rare disorders entered and it is far from simple and quite often even far from enjoyable. I'm grateful for every minute, though.
My drive to help other families seemed to be leading me to advocacy work, and even a move to DC. Since Jack's birth, everything seems so dire and I'm often jumping into things with both feet and not much forethought if I think it will help other kiddos and their families. Unfortunately, I was doing this at the detriment of own complex kiddo…and he really struggled during my travel in the fall. I am so ashamed that I didn't see it sooner, but my poor buddy really needed more from me than I was giving. This led to tough decisions, but I'm so thrilled that since I haven't been traveling and have been home for Jack, he is doing so much better! He really struggles when he doesn't have a routine and does not like change of any kind (or Disney World, but that's a whole different post).
Anyway, in my need for a distraction from metabolic disorders & rare disease bullshit, I found Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark…and their podcast, My Favorite Murder (and of course their book, Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered). I'm obsessed with this true crime duo and everything they do. I'm not in the least surprised that when I listened to episode 176 about the book that I burst into tears as Karen read this passage about living with her mother's devastating diagnosis of Alzheimer's. I immediately felt that Karen had released this indescribable feeling inside me that I had been holding in and unable to pin down – a feeling of living in a slowly moving desperate situation and never knowing how hard you should fight this time. Maybe I'm being lazy by not using my own words but haven't had any of my own lately and this is so powerful that I want to share it with you all!
It's hard to follow that passage so I'm just going to say thanks again for all the support and I'm sorry I haven't been able to find the words I needed to communicate in the past few months. I got in too deep by wanting to drive change for children (and their families) living with devastating and complex diagnoses and it was almost detrimental to my own family. I was so naive in thinking that everyone had the same drive to help people as I did. Unfortunately, I only found My Favorite Murder about 6 months ago so I didn't yet know the signs that indicate you might be in a cult (joking – this is all light hearted). But, now I think that maybe too much of anything, even a good thing, is basically cult-like activity. I'm so happy to be "out" and trying to find peace focusing on my family and moving forward. Thanks for being the best always, friends!! If you don't know Jack's story or if you want to hear details straight from the horse's mouth (ME) then check out the latest episode of the Mimosas with Moms Podcast (released today, Jan 20th, 2020)! It's Birth Defects Prevention Month and I'm so honored that Abbey asked me to be on her awesome pod!

subset: commoncrawl


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Invest Like A Poor: How to Invest $100. Here's What We Recommend.
In a previous post, we outlined one of the better ways a new investor can invest $50. In this article, let's take it a step further by showing you a few ways you can invest $100. In fact, I will tell you exactly what investment types I recommend. We will focus on diversification.
It is true that $100 is not going to turn you into the next Warren Buffet or Bill Gates, but you can accomplish much more with it than you can with $50. You have more investing power. As we already debunked, you don't need a lot of money to start investing--just knowledge and confidence. The best way to invest $100 is to put it in the stock market, where you can invest in stocks, mutual funds or exchange traded funds. Throwing it in a savings account is just an absolute waste of time!
In a post titled "Invest like a poor: how to invest $50. Here's what I recommend", we included a nice summary about stocks, index funds and mutual funds before revealing how we would invest $50. For the sake of brevity, we will not include such discussions here. Here's how I recommend you invest $100.
[Related: How to invest $1000 to buy over 7400 stocks.]
Since diversification is something any investor must strive for, in addition to minimizing cost, I recommend you split $100 between two new Fidelity mutual funds: Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX) and Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX). These two mutual funds were introduced by Fidelity Investments in August 2018. Like the names imply, the expense ratios of both funds are 0.00%, making them two completely cheap funds with no minimum investment! With Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund, you get access to the entire US stock market. This single mutual fund has 2516 holdings or securities in its portfolio! The YTD return as of 2/15/2019 is +11.85%!
[Recommended: Best Stocks to Buy Right Now for Great Returns.]
In addition to domestic securities, the prudent investor must also make an effort to invest in foreign equities to further achieve a diversified portfolio. With Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund, you get access to foreign developed and emerging stock markets. This single mutual fund has 2295 foreign holdings or securities! The YTD return as of 2/15/2019 is +7.98%. How should you split $100 between these two funds?
I recommend a 80/20 split: $80 towards FZROX and $20 towards FZILX. As of 02/15/2019, the net asset value (NAV) of FZROX is $9.82. So you would be able to purchase 8.146 shares of FZROX ($80/9.82 = 8.146). On the other hand, with a NAV of $9.47, you would be able to purchase 2.112 shares of FZILX ($20/9.47).
The bottom line
As a new investor, you don't need to be wealthy to start investing. Low cost index mutual funds are great options for any new investor who has limited funds. An investor who is looking for ways to invest $100 may find the Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index Fund (FZROX) and Fidelity ZERO International Index Fund (FZILX) very appealing with their 0.00% expense ratios, zero minimum investment, and their built-in diversified characteristics. Check out the parameters we use to evaluate and select mutual funds. If you prefer to be a passive investor, micro investing with just $5 may be a good option for you. An understanding of how investors amass wealth in the stock market may convince you that investing is a very smart choice.
[Recommended: Not comfortable investing on your own? Hire a certified financial advisor!]
Like this article? Please share and leave us your feedback in the comment section and help us improve and grow. Subscribe below to get our latest articles. Here are a few other articles you may find useful: How to invest your tax refund | 9 costly investing mistakes that make you look like a rookie. | Myth debunked: you don't need a lot of money to start investing | How to invest $100 | How investors make money in the stock market | Cash is trash, not king. Invest it! | Stocks vs. index funds vs. ETFs: what's the difference?
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Compensation Committee
There shall be a committee of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Commvault Systems, Inc. (the "Company"), which shall be called the Compensation Committee.
As described in detail below, the Compensation Committee shall (1) discharge the Board's responsibilities relating to compensation of the Company's executives and non-management Board members, and (2) review and approve an annual report on executive compensation required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to be included in the Company's annual meeting proxy statement.
Organization and Procedure
The Compensation Committee shall consist of no fewer than three (3) members. Each member of the Compensation Committee shall satisfy the independence requirements set forth in The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. rules, as amended from time to time (the "Nasdaq Rules") and as interpreted by the Board in its business judgment.
The provisions of the following two paragraphs are effective upon the Company's first annual meeting after January 15, 2014:
In determining the independence of any director who will serve on the Compensation Committee, the Board must consider all factors specifically relevant to determining whether a director has a relationship to the Company which is material to that director's ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including, but not limited to: (i) the source of compensation of such director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by the Company to such director; and (ii) whether such director is affiliated with the Company, a subsidiary of the Company or an affiliate of a subsidiary of the Company.
If a Company fails to comply with the independence requirement for the Compensation Committee due to one vacancy, or one Compensation Committee member ceasing to be independent due to circumstances beyond the member's reasonable control, the Company may rely on the cure period set forth in the Nasdaq Rules. In exceptional and limited circumstances there may be a non-independent Committee member to the extent permitted by and in accordance with the requirements of Nasdaq Rules.
In addition and if deemed appropriate by the Board from time to time, each member shall meet the definition of "non-employee director" under Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and "outside director" for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The Board shall appoint the members of the Compensation Committee. The members of the Compensation Committee shall serve until their successors are duly appointed and qualified. Unless a Chairperson is elected by the full Board, the members of the Compensation Committee may designate a Chairperson by majority vote of the full Committee membership.
The Board shall have the power at any time to change the membership of the Compensation Committee and to fill vacancies in it, subject to such new member(s) satisfying the above requirements. Except as expressly provided in this Charter, the by-laws of the Company or the Corporate Governance Guidelines of the Company, the Compensation Committee shall fix its own rules of procedure.
Committee Responsibilities
Meet in executive session, review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to CEO compensation, evaluate the CEO's performance in light of those goals and objectives and set the compensation of the Company's CEO based on this evaluation. The CEO may not be present during voting or deliberation on the CEO's compensation.
- Executive Officer Compensation.
Review and approve the Chief Executive Officer's decisions relevant to the compensation of the Company's executive officers.
Make recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of the Company's non-management Board members. The Compensation Committee will consider that Board members' independence may be jeopardized if Board compensation exceeds appropriate levels, if the Company makes substantial charitable contributions to organizations with which a Board member is affiliated, or if the Company enters into material consulting arrangements with (or provides other indirect forms of compensation to) a Board member or an organization with which a Board member is affiliated.
Review and approve employment agreements, severance agreements and other similar agreements to be entered into, or amended, with the CEO or any executive officer.
Adopt, administer, approve and ratify awards under incentive compensation and stock plans, including amendments to the awards made under any such plans.
Make recommendations to the Board with respect to incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans.
Review and assess risks arising from the Company's compensation practices and policies, generally.
Review and approve the Compensation Committee's report that is made in periodic filings as required by the governing rules and regulations of the SEC and The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., as applicable, and take the appropriate steps to ensure that such report complies with applicable requirements.
Review and assess the adequacy of this Charter annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.
The Compensation Committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser. The Compensation Committee shall be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any compensation consultant, legal counsel and other adviser retained by the Compensation Committee. The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Compensation Committee, for payment of reasonable compensation to a compensation consultant, legal counsel or any other adviser retained by the Compensation Committee.
The Compensation Committee may select, or receive advice from, a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser to the Compensation Committee, other than in-house legal counsel, only after taking into consideration the following factors:
- the provision of other services to the Company by the person that employs the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser;
- the amount of fees received from the Company by the person that employs the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser, as a percentage of the total revenue of the person that employs the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser;
- the policies and procedures of the person that employs the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest;
- any business or personal relationship of the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser with a member of the Compensation Committee;
- any stock of the Company owned by the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser; and
- any business or personal relationship of the compensation consultant, legal counsel, other adviser or the person employing the adviser with an Executive Officer of the Company.
Nothing in this Charter shall be construed: (i) to require the Compensation Committee to implement or act consistently with the advice or recommendations of the compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser to the Compensation Committee; or (ii) to affect the ability or obligation of a Compensation Committee to exercise its own judgment in fulfillment of the duties of the Compensation Committee.
The Compensation Committee is required to conduct the independence assessment outlined in this Section D.10 with respect to any compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser that provides advice to the Compensation Committee, other than in-house legal counsel. However, nothing in this Charter requires a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other compensation adviser to be independent, only that the Compensation Committee consider the enumerated independence factors before selecting, or receiving advice from, a compensation adviser. The Compensation Committee may select, or receive advice from, any compensation adviser it prefers, including ones that are not independent, after considering the six independence factors outlined in paragraphs (a)-(f) above.
For purposes of this Charter, the Compensation Committee is not required to conduct an independence assessment for a compensation adviser that acts in a role limited to the following activities for which no disclosure is required under Item 407(e)(3)(iii) of Regulation S-K: (a) consulting on any broad-based plan that does not discriminate in scope, terms, or operation, in favor of Executive Officers or directors of the Company, and that is available generally to all salaried employees; and/or (b) providing information that either is not customized for a particular issuer or that is customized based on parameters that are not developed by the adviser, and about which the adviser does not provide advice.
Form and delegate authority to subcommittees when appropriate.
Report periodically to the Board on its meetings and other activities.
- Member
- Chair
- Financial Expert
- Independent Director


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Hip Pain during Pregnancy
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- Extreme pain and numbness in one leg
- related pages: Hip & Thigh Pain and Back Pain
- More Advice about Pain during Pregnancy
Extreme pain and numbness in one legJanuary 2000
I have been diagnosed with sciatica this week. It started with extreme pain, and now numbness down one leg. Anyone know a good chiropractic? Or any other helpful suggestions for recovery. Already trying yoga and stretching Paula
Dr. Donna LaFlamme is absolutely great -- a chiropracter and much, much more. She is trained in several healing arts, western and eastern, and is very experienced. She is very concerned about her patients -- called me up two days after my first visit to make sure I was doing OK because I hadn't reported in yet. Also, I felt absolutely confident that she wouldn't push unnecessary treatment on me just for the sake of $ -- unlike my feelings about other chiropracters. When I left after my first visit she made it clear that she didn't want to see me again unless my stiffness returned and I felt that it was necessary; contrast the last chiro I saw who expected me to come in for 6 weekly appointments no matter what. She has an office in her home with all the latest equipment. Call her at 526-6002. Tim
Sada Anand Miller, DC (654-2704) is located in Oakland (around $50/1/2 hour session). She is marvelously gifted in healing. Dr. Kenneth Lossing, DO (415-460-6310) is located in San Rafael across from Montecito Plaza ($125 for 1/2 hour session). He is an incredible osteopath. And if your health care doesn't cover this type treatment, try Jin Shin Jyutsu ($60/1-1/2 hour session) from either Barbara Baiardi (235-0616) or Leah Statman (525-5080). This methodology helps the body heal itself and, despite its gentleness, works incredibly deeply. addressing underlying causes of disharmony and dis-ease. Great you are doing yoga and stretching! Good luck! Nori
During my last pregnancy I got sciatica so bad that it became excrutiating to walk. The Kaiser doctors told me that once you get sciatica in pregnancy you're likely to have it until after the birth. My yoga teacher said call Kathy Moring (in Concord I believe-- somewhere just E of the tunnel on Hwy 24). Kathy teaches accupressure and has a private practice. She did one session on me, showed my husband some of the pressure points to work on for the next couple of days. Even after the one hour with her it was vastly improved and within one day it was gone. Good luck.
My back problems began with sciatica about 15 years ago, so I am most sympathetic. I have had bouts with it off and on for it since then, and I have found it comes and goes depending on many things: how much strain I am giving my back, how I am sitting/moving at work, and even if I am fatigued or stressed.
I have had physical therapy, chiropractic care, worked out in a gym, done yoga, and so on. I found that I had to pressure my doctor into taking it seriously when it started acting up last year. I was referred for physical therapy to Dawn Loretz at Sports and Orthopedic on Telegraph (I have HealthNet). She is wonderful. She is very good at explaining what is happening, and she responds well to my input. She focuses a lot on the importance of stretching and movement, as well as cutting down on whatever stresses my back. Overall, I have found P.T. to be more helpful than chiropractic care, if only because it is more consistent, and because one of the things they focus on is your body mechanics: what happens when you do XYZ. I have found that P.T.s spend more time doing an initial evaluation. I have seen chiropractors who have set to work on me with little or no information on my medical history.
Overall, though, I have found that I have to take tremendous responsibility for the health of my back. A varied approach seems to work best (keeping weight down, walking, stretching, P.T., massage and staying de-stressed). If you sit a lot at work, you might see if you can have your work station evaluated professionally. I got a flare-up a few years ago when my hard drive got placed under my desk so that I was twisting slightly when I sat. When I corrected it, it cleared up. Best of luck to you--
September 1998In reply to Sciatica problem. I am 7 months pregnant and having severe sciatica problems. I have found relief at In-line Chiropractic in Oakland. My Dr. is Liz Ringrose and she has been very helpful. The practice is located on Lake Shore Avenue across from Lake Merrit. Good luck. Kristi
I had severe sciatica when I was 8 months pregnant (couldn't walk, couldn't sleep, I even cried it hurt so bad). My Ob refered me to a physical therapist and it REALLY helped. It did not go away right away, but it was bearable even after the first visit. By 4 visits it was pretty much gone. He gave me excercises to do several times a day which really helped. However: I have talked to a lot of people who have sciatica since then, because I was suprised how painful it was. Sciatica is caused by the sciatic nerve being pinched. But the pinching can be caused by either a muscle spasm (my case), or by disks in your backbone. People with the former seem to swear by physical therapists, people with the latter like chiropractors. I'd encourage you to go to your doctor and get a referal. Lisa
A really good Chiropractor's Office is Oak Bay Chiropractic in Oakland. In particular, Dr. Jan Corwin is excellent. His office is on pill hill and his staff will work with you to make sure your insurance covers you. His website is http://www.oakbaychiro.com/ His other contact info is: Jan M. Corwin, DC, CCSP 494 Hawthorne Ave. Oakland, CA 94609 tel: 510-654-8547 fax: 510-654-8034 Good luck, and don't wear your wallet in your back pocket!
I would recommend seeing a chiropractor for sciatica. I've had very good success with Dr.Charles Prins on Solano Ave.for a painful neuroma in my foot and also for all kinds of sports injuries afflicting my 11 year old daughter. Good luck! Marji
I have been using Solano Chiropractic on Solano Ave., Berkeley, for 3 years. Dr. Parissa Peymani does great adjustments and has fixed my daughter's Scoliosis and kept the entire family pretty much free of dis-ease for a long time. I trust her. In the past, I used Dr. Jan Corwin (male) on pill-hill in Oakland and he is also exceptional. Barbara
I have just started attending a chiropractor that I would highly recommend, his name is Jay Bunker and he has offices on Solano Ave., in Albany. I have referral cards for a free consultation so you can call me Deirdre
I can highly recomend my chiropractor: Jerry M. Behymer DC 3676 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, Ca 94549 (925)284-5581
Chiropractor for sciatica: Dr. Abby Irwin helped me get over a bad case of sciatica a couple of years ago. Her office is at 2400 Lakeshore, Oakland. Tel: 893 1577. Martha


text: Amala Paul starts shooting for Naarappa ADVERTISEMENT The shooting of Venkatesh starrer Naarappa is progressing briskly. Currently a lengthy action schedule was recently canned in Kurumlalai, Tamilnadu. This film is a remake of Dhanush and Manju Warrier starrer Asuran, which went on to become a superhit. Amala Paul has joined the shooting of this film. She will essay the role which was done by Ammu Abhirami. Priyamani will be seen as Venkatesh's wife, this role was done by Manju Warrier in the original. Srikanth Addala is directing this film. Presently Amala is shooting for a Hindi web show, which is being produced by Mahesh Bhatt's production company.


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October 19, 2016
Hi friends, today I must give a shout-out to the CzechVR boys.
Well, I'll tell you something about CzechVR.
They release VR porns with great image quality. And, the CzechVR boys have never shied away from taking some VR chances.
What VR chances am I talking about?
Well, for starters they launched their amateur Euro VR site (pictured below).
You know, keeping it real: venturing into the fledgling VR porn consumer market
leveraging a European amateur niche strikes me as a bit risky from the get-go.
Next, they were the first to experiment with moving VR cameras.
And, they dove straight into more esoteric, even further niche terrain: casting and
fetish (as seen in the foot worship VR pictured below):
So, we're kind of talking niche (fetish porn) within a niche (amateur Euro porn) within a niche (VR porn) within a niche (VR) here…
That's a lot of niches, man!
I often think they're a studio that doesn't quite get the credit they deserve. I mean… these are the guys who first brought us Katy Rose and her carrot!
And, today we'll consider Czech VR 095 with Antonia Sainz.
While this isn't the first VR porn to employ 3rd person POV (point of view): it's one of the few. (3rd person POV means you're in the room watching the couple. 1st person POV means you have the perspective of the guy pumping his man meat…)
And, it is the first VR porn I've seen to do what I've been asking for.
What have I been asking for?
I've been asking for a VR porn that switches between 1st person and 3rd person POV: yes, in the same movie.
And, thank you Czech VR. As I thought, this is a very interesting and horny technique.
And, the Czech boys deserve credit for their ingenuity. They actually, in sections, managed to incorporate 1st person and 3rd person in the very same shot! I like how these Czech boys are so very willing to try things.
Nicely done!
What am I talking about?
Look at this picture please:
So, in the pic above (featuring a sexual trio), you'll notice that the VR consumer (the guy with a phone strapped to his face) gets to appreciate a 3rd person POV of a dude getting BJed while the VR consumer can simultaneously appreciate a 1st person POV of missionary-plowing this Euro beauty.
So, I don't believe I'm bullshitting you fellas by praising the innovation of these camera techniques: which switch POVs and then incorporate both together.
Let's do this thing…
Studio: Czech VR
Title: Czech VR 095 with Antonia Sainz
Release Date: October 10, 2016
Stars: Antonia Sainz
Length: 19 minutes
Main sex positions: 3rd POV foreplay, 1st POV missionary, 1st POV missionary with 3rd POV blowjob, female masturbation, blowjob, 3rd POV reverse cowgirl (appears like 1st POV cowgirl), 3rd POV doggy, 3rd POV on side
Formats: Mobile LQ 1.1GB; Mobile HQ 2.0GB; Oculus 4GB; Samsung Gear 2.7GB.
Genre: Hardcore sex VR porn
Reviewed using: Gear VR + Galaxy S7
Official Movie Synopsis:
Let's see how the CzechVR boys describe this innovatively-alternating-POV effort:
Change is important and so we made a whole new type of video for you guys and we would like to hear or read what you think of this fresh new style!
Since Antonia Sainz is not just smoking hot, but she's also a horny slut, she wanted to take you for a ride you will not forget any time soon, because this time you won't be there alone with her!
She brought a friend and she'll fuck you both! Interested?
Then check out our latest VR video and make sure to let us know if you liked it and would enjoy to have more virtual reality experiences like this one!
Final Thoughts
Major props to Czech VR.
While I was advocating for a VR which switched between 1st person and 3rd person POV; the Czech boys delivered that plus gave both POVs in the same shot (by using a boy-boy-girl combo)!
Very damn clever Czech boys!
And, very damn horny!
And, these techniques get interesting. For instance, 3rd person POV reverse cowgirl (pictured below)—if you think about it—really kind of doubles as 1st person POV cowgirl. I had to think about that for a second, but it's accurate…
Just keep going this direction. The CzechVR work may not be getting the recognition it deserves: but, it's definitely needed in the VR porn landscape… and, I appreciate you guys!
I'm a fan of 3rd person doggy VR. It's just such an excellent VR porn camera perspective (as seen in the picture below):
Maybe get the camera even closer to the woman's face during those sequences.
What do I want to see next?
I'd love to see the Czech boys release a 20 minute VR that breaks down like this:
5 minutes: Close-up clothed teasing with facial close-ups
5 minutes: Doggy style 1st person POV with the camera very close to the back of the woman's head. The FOV for this segment would range from the top of the woman's head to her lower back
5 minutes: Doggy style 1st person POV with camera range pulled back
5 minutes: Doggy style 3rd person POV with the camera stuck tight to the woman's face.
And for extra credit: Throw in 5 minutes of 1st person missionary POV with the camera close to the woman's face.
Anyway, if you want to see some cutting-edge VR: this latest Czech VR effort is must see…
I think Czech VR is really showing the future direction of VR porn: which incorporates many more different camera perspectives in the same movie.
This is simply interesting in VR porns in a way that's impossible to duplicate any other way.
And, it's my feeling that if these techniques aren't used: the full possibilities of virtual porn movies are being ignored.
All right, that's enough…


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Chris Christie Isn't Your Best Friend
I'm not sure if I'm suffering from some sort of latent dyslexia or if I'm channeling the godlike reputation he's gained in the last several months, but nearly every time I try to type the name "Chris Christie," I accidentally type "Christ" just before stopping myself and retyping the New Jersey governor's actual first name. I'm not making that up, sadly.
There's no doubt that, at a glance, Chris Christie (I just did it again, by the way) sounds like the real deal. His press conference last week in which he mercilessly pummeled the congressional Republicans for not passing a Hurricane Sandy relief bill is just the latest example of Christie stepping onto the national stage and providing a brief but welcome breath of fresh air in a universe where Republicans hardly ever break ranks and eat their own, and a universe where even fewer politicians sound as forthright and authentic.
In the Post-McCain era, Christie is being hailed as the new maverick, the new straight-talker. And I can't bump into a liberal online or elsewhere without hearing about how awesome he is -- how he might be a Republican that liberals can actually support.
Of course there's probably a 5,000 word psycho-political analysis to be written about how too many liberals are just dying to make friends with Republicans. Some of us really, really, really want to fall in love with a Republican. It's a bizarre form of Stockholm Syndrome or perhaps it's our genetic predisposition to make peace with enemies who have no desire for an ideological détente. We desperately want to be able to point at a particular Republican and exclaim, "Woweee, I would totally vote for that guy!"
During the immediate aftermath of 9/11, that Republican was Rudy Giuliani: a moderate, pro-gay, pro-choice New Yorker who, before he began to exploit the tragedy like a cheap home security salesman, kind of kicked ass for a brief while. The same goes for John McCain. To this day, and in spite of the gamma-irradiated, roid-raging Fox News crank he became in 2008, whenever McCain speaks out against torture or in support of campaign finance reform, liberals turn all gooey. In fact, the John Wells years of The West Wing were almost exclusively about reflexively pitching Republicans and Republican policies.
And now there's Christ. Christie.
According to a PPP poll last month, among Republicans Christie has the lowest net favorability rating of any would-be Republican presidential candidate. But among all voters, Christie has the highest net favorability -- one point ahead of Hillary Clinton. This indicates that Christie is picking up a lot of support among easily-smitten Democrats.
The truth is, however, he isn't your friend, nor is he the Republican messiah. To the latter point, I'm beginning to doubt that he'll have any chance whatsoever of becoming the Republican nominee for president in 2016, with or without crossover support from liberal Democrats.
Yes, Christie is a moderate on marriage equality. He supports civil unions but not full marriage rights. In a hardlined Republican crowd, that's rare. He's also acknowledged the man-made causes of the climate crisis. Good for him. But that's about it. On the other side of the fence, he happens to be staunchly anti-choice on reproductive rights. He's historically opposed to gun control laws, including one that would've restricted gun purchases to one-per-month. Evidently Christie thinks Americans should be able to purchase multiple guns every month. He's also certifiably insane when it comes to economic and fiscal policy, vetoing tax hikes on millionaires while cutting infrastructure and education spending. He's never met a supply-side proposal he didn't like, except when it comes to transporting his ass to soccer games. Then it's spend, spend, spend.
In terms of his public style, the same personality that gives us honest press conferences like last week, as well as his unapologetic kudos for the president back in October, also gives us snippy goombah reactions to the press and the public at large, behavior that makes George W. Bush's more petulant outbursts seem statesmanlike (links via Charles Pierce).
Oh, and guess what? Just like McCain and Giuliani before him, Christie will absolutely embrace the far-right during the 2016 primaries and probably continue to grapple onto the right if a miracle happens (he's Christ!) and he wins the nomination. But to repeat, he won't win the nomination for a couple of key reasons. First, the entire base and even rank-and-file Republicans blame him for the president's re-election. This is a crucial point. That thing about elephants never forgetting? They surely won't forget Christie and Obama at Brigantine. Second, his act plays really well in New Jersey, but it's unlikely to play well with evangelicals and yokels elsewhere.
So just because he criticized the most unproductive and unpopular House of Representatives in the history of the U.S. Congress doesn't make him particularly brave (maybe tomorrow he'll bravely come out against brain cancer and deer ticks), and it certainly doesn't mitigate his more conservative policy positions -- positions in areas that kind of matter to liberals, especially issues that deal with the female reproductive zone.
Simply put: we've seen this maverick act before. It gave us "9/11 Tourettes" and, you know, Sarah Palin. Be careful who you fall in love with.


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The fishing competition is used by the department of fisheries, livestock and cooperative development to attract and promote investment in the fishery sector in Lamu County, promote sustainable fishing through venturing in the underexploited offshore marine water fishing grounds.
A total of 960 kg of fish was landed from the 23 boats that returned with catch with each boat catches ranging from a minimum of 2 kg to a maximum of 103 kg as total catch while the biggest per category ranged from a minimum of 2 kg to 31 kg for an individual fish. Out of the 43 fishing craft that participated, 20 fishing craft did not report any catch.
Fishing is artisanal in nature and is conducted within the channels and sheltered areas. Offshore fishing is currently being promoted by encouraging investment in the fishing industry through provision of modern fishing gears, fishing aids and fish preservation facilities.
Going forward as a county the Lamu government through the department of fisheries has embraced fishing competition as an annual event to showcase the potential of Lamu marine waters especially deep sea fishing to local and foreign investors.
The 2015 fishing competition was organized by the county government with the department of fisheries as the lead agency. The organizations that supported the competition were WWF and TNC –the nature conservancy.


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It's been a long wait for a true sequel to happen, and it has. Check out the trailer and see for yourself.
Even though I watched the first movie, and thought it was a masterpiece, this new movie, I believe, is going to be just as awesome as the first. Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey stopped by Jimmy Fallon to debut the new trailer, and after watching it, you can see that Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas are both noticeably older. The plot of the movie appears to be that Harry has a child he didn't know about, and sets off with Lloyd to find his daughter. And of course, like the first, the guys take a road trip and that is where the real fun happens.
From the look of Harry and Lloyd in this trailer, time has not been kind to them, but the funny is still timeless. I can't wait to see more of these guys. The movie is due November 14th. What do you think so far?


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Students will gather data using fingerprint evidence as they observe, compare, contrast, and hypothesize their way through four different experimental procedures.
They will learn how to make impressions in clay and pour a mold, lift fingerprints from a metal soda can using super glue fuming, and use both iodine and ninhydrin fuming to lift fingerprints from paper.
This kit includes enough materials for 24 students working in 6 groups of 4.
Materials Included:
|Instructors Manual
Assessment Manual
Small Plastic Jars
Scotch Tape
Super Glue
Small Aluminum Caps
Plaster of Paris
Tongue Depressors
Small Paint Brushes
Plastic Spoons
|Fingerprint Identification Sheets
Special Needs Materials
Plastic Gloves
Lugol's Iodine
White Paper
Magnifying Glasses
Aluminum Foil
Modeling Clay
Paper Cups
Jar Lids
Petri Dishes
Materials needed but not included:
Small Boxes
Aluminum Soda Cans


text:
Hello fellow Legionnaires and to all the good folksthat are interested in what we do and who we are.
I guess I'll start with the basics; the name isJason (G_Q on the Legion Boards), Iwas introduced to the Legion program and CoolMiniOrNot(CMoN) in a very roundaboutway.A couple years ago I was what you'dcall a basic gamer…didn't play miniature games at all and hell didn't reallyplay board games very often. My friend Ray (Peacemongrel) called me up one day and said he needed help with play-testinga
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text:
Creating and Teaching in Suchitoto, El Salvador
|Es Artes!
|Two of my students working hard creating shadow puppets... It's important for artistic concentration to wear a Tina Turner wig...
|A very talented Student creating an amazing totem mask for the production of the Popol Voh.
|Some of the animal masks and bowls painted by a local artisan, Javier Gonzalez, an amazing painter who I learned a lot from, and all around great guy.
It was difficult to leave after that whole time because even though sometimes it was stressful, it was also such an amazing treat to work with such amazing people. I am still dreaming as though I am in Suchitoto and I miss the students, staff, fellow volunteers and the community very much! Hopefully, I will get another opportunity to make it down there again.
|One of the younger students and Javier having fun in the masks.


text:
So my last post, highlighting some of the more obnoxious responses from Anime Nazis and other terrible people to the Brexit vote somehow managed to draw some even more obnoxious responses from other Anime Nazis and terrible people.
You can see some of them in the responses to this tweet of mine.
Naturally, the comments some of these lovely people tried to post here on WHTM were if anything even worse. Let's take a look at some of them, shall we? We'll start with some of the milder ones.
NOTE TO WOULD BE COMMENTERS: If you call yourself "GASTHECUCKS" and post in ALL CAPS, I probably won't be letting your comments through.
This fellow either knows something about my sex life that even I don't know about, or doesn't understand what the word "literally" means.
But these comments were pretty tame compared to this weirdly sexualized example of supervillain monologuing from "Sure Whatever."
Apparently this guy is not a big fan of Starbucks, huh?


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With GTA V now available and wreaking havoc across many living rooms, we have noticed that there has been a sudden interest in including helicopters and other customization areas into Ubisoft's upcoming open-world effort, with Watch Dogs.
There has been an inevitable Watch Dogs Vs GTA V showdown all Summer of course, despite Ubisoft saying numerous times that they are not really intending to go head-to-head with Rockstar – a wise decision perhaps given the unprecedented GTA V sales so far.
Regardless of that, fans have been asking for Ubisoft to put helicopters in Watch Dogs, just so that they can roam around the skies like they would with GTA V. There's even been a petition set up for this request believe it or not, but we're here to tell you that Ubisoft are not interested in meeting this demand.
Creative director Jonathan Morin has spoken to VG247 in a recent interview, effectively ending all hope of putting choppers into the game, just because Rockstar has them in GTA V.
Here's a quote from the internet which isn't good news for those who were hoping to see some chopper action in Watch Dogs:
"When you do a game you always want to make sure that what you put in is to the service of the game. I think GTA has a great fantasy and everything they put in it reinforces that fantasy. What you don't want to do is start copying or start feeling the pressure of your neighbour like, 'Oh my god we need a chopper'."
So there we have it. If you want to fly choppers, we suggest you play GTA V. Or you can wait until somebody tinkers around with the PC version of Watch Dogs and adds it in as a custom mod – that could be a good alternative some time after release, but it will take time.
Perhaps Watch Dogs fans should be more excited about the new features that the game will introduce into the open-world space, that you didn't see over the last month with GTA V – isn't that what it's all about?
Give us your thoughts on the lack of choppers for Watch Dogs, big deal or not for you?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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https://secureservercdn.net/220.127.116.11/pnh.95f.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vms_logo_100.png 0 0 admin https://secureservercdn.net/22.214.171.124/pnh.95f.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/vms_logo_100.png admin2018-04-24 08:33:542018-04-24 08:33:54Intro to Woodworking classes to begin this week
Intro to Woodworking class begins this week.
Section 1 begins Tuesday April 24th and continues for five additional weekly sessions on Tuesdays
Section 2 begins Thursday April 26th and continues for five additional weekly sessions on Thursdays.
Sessions are from 6:30 – 8:30 PM (please try to arrive early for the first session)
(Must be pre-registered for this class)
Location: Vashon HS Wood Shop
Directions: Enter from the Vashon Highway by the Youth and Family Services Building. Follow the signs
Email email@example.com to register


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Hymn 318Play music
1 O God of Abraham we pray to Thee
For Thine own people Israel,
O turn their hearts again in truth, O Lord,
That promises through Christ may be revealed.
2 Lord, lift the veil upon their eyes at last,
To see their Saviour whom they pierced;
And mourn the blindness of the ages gone
That hid from them the blessing sin Thy Son.
3 So let the Land be blessed with peace once more,
An end to fear and suffering bring,
The people rest in new found hope with him;
The Righteous One in justice reigns as King.
Back to top
Hymn list--green book


text:
> Are those windows?
Chiasmata: Found Footage
> Are those windows?
>I mean, insofar as it's a place with gray walls whose architectural intent is a total mystery, it's exactly the same as before.
> Zap that weird black thing. It looks suspicious enough.
>Look upwards at the ceiling hole
02-28-2017, 03:52 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2017, 03:13 PM by K25fF.)
>Are those windows?
It seems you're in a big set of rooms arranged in a grid. There's no-one in the next room over, and you can't see past three rooms away.
Also that weird eye symbol off of the robots is back.
>Look up the hole in the ceiling.
DANIEL: "Oh, hey Sam."
SAM: "Hi?"
DANIEL: "Gimme a sec, I'll just come down."
SAM: "What?"
SAM: "Since when can you fly?"
DANIEL: "Well, I'm not sure."
SAM: "That's so cool! What's up there?"
DANIEL: "More rooms - but you see, there's something weird going on-"
ASH: "Um, hi guys. D'you know what's happening here?"
>Can you hear or see anyone else?
You were fairly sure that room was empty. And now Ash is there. Something strange is indeed going on.
SAM: "Where were you hiding earlier?"
ASH: "I... don't know. I only just woke up."
DANIEL: "Is it weird down here, too?"
SAM: "Weird?"
DANIEL: "Confusing. Strange. Something's wrong with how everything's arranged."
ASH: "Yes."
SAM: "Really? How?"
ASH: "Take a couple of steps forwards."
ASH: "See?"
SAM: "What the hell?"
DANIEl: "This is what I was trying to say!"
SAM: "What shape is your room, Ash?"
ASH: "Square."
SAM: "... Huh. That makes no sense."
DANIEL: "You're telling me. Telekinetically, this place is strange."
SAM: "What do you mean?"
DANIEl: "I can kinda... feel where things are, even when I'm not looking, and all the corners are wrong, here."
ASH: "So, Dan, did you wake up in the third room?"
DANIEL: "I, Daniel, woke up in the room above Sam's, and- oh."
ASH: "What?"
DANIEL: "Someone just appeared in the third room. I'll go see if they're okay."
You can hear Daniel talking to... Jacqueline, you think. She's the third person on this floor, which apparently bends the rules of space and geometry into pretzels.
Each room borders the other two on two sides? Maybe?
Your head hurts.
I managed to get this done before the end of February. Yay!
Also, I am now publishing a webnovel called Quiet and Antagonism, available via this here link. It's Weird Cosmic Horror-Comedy. Take a look, if you wanna.
>Hop through windows until you get to the room above, because rope climbing is tiresome
Well... try to see how many rooms there even are. If there's any logic to this place's structure, then it must start with the number of rooms.
04-09-2017, 10:14 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2017, 03:15 PM by K25fF.)
>Hop through some windows!
Ash does so, only for the window to slam shut behind her, along with all of the windows in the room, leaving you and her stuck in your room.
ASH: "Eep!"
SAM: "What the heck? That could have taken someone's head off!"
Lines on the floor blaze to life, accompanied by a blaring tone and two familiar symbols.
And then a table sublimates into existence - a way you haven't seen things here do for a while.
With a faint hiss, panels open on the surface of the table, and a series of objects fold out, clicking into place.
SAM: "Is this a puzzle?"
ASH: "I don't know. Is whether or not this is a puzzle the true puzzle?"
You can't help but snort with laughter.
A return to our puzzle-solving roots.
Also, check out https://quietandantagonism.com/ for my webnovel.
> Ash: Fill the depression with your trademark ooze.
> Sam: Create a current through the handprint thingy.
Avatar by ribsgrowback on tumblr!
>Check out that table
>Sit on the table
>Admire very pretty light bulb
06-30-2017, 11:55 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2017, 03:20 PM by K25fF.)
>Ash: Fill the depression with your trademark ooze
Right. Puzzles.
ASH: "So, if I fill this, I think you should be able to-"
> Sam: Zap the thingie, admire lightbulb
SAM: "Simple."
ASH: "I guess there could be more puzzles, that are harder."
SAM: "Don't tempt fate."
The puzzle, and then the whole table, fold up, twisting dizzyingly into something that doesn't make full sense.
It's hovering above the ground, but contains a hole that seems to disappear far further downwards than makes sense.
You are about to lean over it to take a better look, when Ash stops you, pulls you backwards.
ASH: "Don't you hear that?"
SAM: "Hear what?"
ASH: "That!"
You strain your ears for a moment, and then you hear it.
Scraping noises from the impossible hole. Drawing closer.
SAM: "A robot?"
(i didnt expect this to come out here)
ASH: "What's it doing here, do you think? Here to attack us?"
(i still have access to the printer so i can make more of these)
(but id appreciate you not destroying this)
SAM: "It's not moving, but be on your guard."
(oh wait youre not telepathic)
(im an idiot)
(gimme a sec)
The robot... thing clambers slowly out of the hole in the table.
It straightens up, the eye glyph on its head closing, then extending, neatly dividing its face in two.
(this may be a bit alarming)
(i think)
SAM: "Uh. Hello?"
And then its eye/mouth opens.
You may, upon later reflection, remember shrieking a little.
SAM: "What the hell?"
ASH: "Ew."
???: "C. Chhhh."
ASH: "Uh."
???: "Chharming. Last time a hhhuman saw this. They. Screamed and. Tthhrew their lunch at it."
It speaks slowly, haltingly, speeding up as if it's barely got the hang of speech. It sounds like its speaking through a mouthful of soggy marbles, but it's intelligible.
???: "So. I call myself Archivist. This issn't my usual face, but you briefly saw the Archive wearing it. I... I think you could call me one of the builders of this place. The Location. If my wordsss held any weight, these days, I'd apologise for the inconvenience."
Well, it's been a while.
I'm still writing a weird webnovel. Check it out!
Glad to be back.
>Are you the reward for the puzzle?
> Are you having trouble trying to bargle nawdle zouss???
07-17-2017, 10:15 PM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2017, 03:24 PM by K25fF.)
>Are you the reward for the puzzle?
ASH: "Wait, I worded that wrong. What would be the reward for this puzzle?"
ARCHIVIST: "I'm unsure. This having a purpose other than timewasting would indicate that there was some kind of plan."
SAM: "Didn't you build this place, though? Surely you'd know what things were for."
ARCHIVIST: "Well, I thought I understood this place. But now I'm fully awake again, after a subjective... several thousand years in bits, with various bits of my mind in various places, after that I find that this place has completely gone to Hell in a handbasket."
ARCHIVIST: "Everything's broken! Just... everything! The power's not working, the inevitability deferrers - which should only be used in emergencies, they're bad for the temporal health of this entire timespace - have been running flat-out for decades! The Archives themselves are starting to gain sentience, which is a whole can of worms in and of itself, and someone's disabled all the safeguards on it, before putting large chunks of my mind in it! Something dreadful is going to happen, and my idiot siblings were too busy bickering and getting themselves killed to do anything about it! My dear brother, even, I'm pretty sure he kludged most of this stuff into failing so spectacularly! I'd call it suicidal, but he clearly had no idea what was going on when he awoke."
As the robot-with-Archivist-in rants, the shell of its head creaks and the fleshy substance inside bubbles.
ARCHIVIST: "And, not to mention the worst-case, which draws ever closer!"
SAM: "Uh, what's that?"
ARCHIVIST: "The shadow of the Location, where we currently are, will burst like a soap bubble, and all nearby Earths will be sterilised."
SAM: "Wait, Earths plural? That sounds weird, although I don't remember why."
ASH: "I'm more concerned about 'sterilised'."
ARCHIVIST: "Well, comparing Earths isn't relevant here. More importantly to you, however, is that if the shadow of the Location breaks, you die, and everyone on the Earth you came from dies, too. Additionally, myself and my siblings will have wasted millions of years of work."
ASH: "Like I said, more concerned about 'sterilised'."
SAM: "Which Earth are we from, then? Are we even from the same Earth?"
ARCHIVIST: "Ah, you are. Earth-Crimson, I believe you call it."
Your brain twinges with mild recognition at that phrase.
ARCHIVIST: "The Location's shadow itself hangs between two Earths, dangling from the 'true' Location like a... well, like a parachute, maybe? Or a shadow, or a dragline, or a surface layer extending in a direction kata, and honestly analogies in your language kinda break down. Took me ages to explain to... haha, well, you don't want me to prattle on about digressions."
SAM: "Are you going to save the Earth...s?"
ARCHIVIST: "I certainly hope so! We won't be able to continue our work if the Location ceases to be, and I won't be able to talk sense into my siblings!"
ASH: "Question: why were you killed before the rest of your siblings?"
ARCHIVIST: "Ah. Well, we had a vote, and it was two to one against me. Brother Dearest was still fuming about, er, certain past events, so he voted to kill me forever. Sister Dearest said no, and also that that was pretty much impossible, and Sibling Dearest tiebroke by saying that it'd be most harmonious if I was put away for a million years, or until another sibling woke me up. I think something went wrong, though, because I certainly wasn't in exile, as I expected from that."
ASH: "That's... an unusual approach to conflict resolution, by my experience here."
ARCHIVIST: "Well, I guess that's a human perspective. And I did, er, take some liberties with the retelling, to make it easier to comprehend. And also because my memory is flaky. I think I lost some somewhere."
Fortnightly updates? In my Chiasmata?
>Maybe we could help find it?
Apologies if you wanted to read a Chiasmata update, but Photobucket (where I hosted my images) is now demanding 400-odd of your American Dollar per year to host them.
I am migrating to imgur, and am also considering making a website to host them.
It is, as you would expect, highly irksome and fiddly. Bear with me
And all fixed!
08-21-2017, 10:19 PM (This post was last modified: 08-21-2017, 10:54 PM by K25fF.)
>Who're those mysterious relatives?
ASH: "So, you mentioned... siblings? Who are they? What're they doing?"
ARCHIVIST: "Well, I don't exactly know what they're doing right now, but I have known them for a long time, so I should be able to hazard a guess."
SAM: "Your face... it's a bit..."
ARCHIVIST: "I'm not sure what you mean."
SAM: "Er..."
ARCHIVIST: "Anyway, theories about what my dear siblings are doing!"
ARCHIVIST: "My dear brother calls himself Architect, and given what interaction I had with him when we were fighting a short while ago, I think it's a fair guess that he's furious at the moment."
SAM: "That... doesn't sound good."
ARCHIVIST: "I can only hope that he's able to put aside the pettier of his grudges to help stabilise the Location. His physical form, along with my sister's and sibling's will likely be in a partition of the boundary spaces, like my own."
ARCHIVIST: "Artificer is my dear sister. She's probably working on something important at the moment - she'll have read the damage report the Archive made and will be acting on the recommendations."
ASH: "Is that good?"
ARCHIVIST: "Difficult to say."
SAM: "If it's not impolite to ask, what are you and your siblings?"
ARCHIVIST: "Erm. We're sentient beings? I think I'm missing some memories specific to exactly what we are."
SAM: "Can we help you get your memories back?"
ARCHIVIST: "Thanks for offering! I'll have to get back to you on that."
SAM: "And the other one? Your sibling?"
ARCHIVIST: "Ah, my dear sibling Arbiter is a bit trickier to predict. Were I to hazard a guess, they're keeping an eye on the development of the situation."
ASH: "Are they going to do anything?"
ARCHIVIST: "Difficult to say. They don't tend to act unless something's going to go very south."
Gosh, it's been a while. Once more, I'm going to be aiming for another update in a month's time.
Also, Minty and I have added some Very Cool Things to the mirror as part of the ARG. Technically, it leads to stuff that was revealed before, but hopefully it's a fun puzzle. We'll add more puzzles to the mirror in the future, watch this space!
>"So then, what do we do now? What goals can we strive for?"
>Is this not a situation where "something's going to go very south"? Is this like, a run-of-the-mill no-big-deal apocalypse, which they can't be bothered to get up for?
>Do you have any idea where the rest of our group is? It'd be great if we could all stick together for longer than five minutes at a time.
09-30-2017, 10:42 PM (This post was last modified: 09-30-2017, 11:27 PM by K25fF.)
>How is this situation not 'South'?
Archivist pauses a moment at Sam's question, seemingly finishing their strange transformation into a grey-faced weird thing.
They pause for so long that you think about asking if they understood the question before speaking.
ARCHIVIST: "Er. Good question. My dear sibling isn't really all too concerned with anything besides the continued existence of our family. Humanity, the Location and the Earths in general are somewhat more secondary concerns."
ARCHIVIST: "Upon reflection, my dear sibling isn't really a moral paragon. Rest assured, as long as you aren't directly threatening us, they won't actually act against you. Usually. They're kind of... opaque."
SAM: "Well, what do we do now, then?"
ASH: "Find everyone else, I guess?"
ARCHIVIST: "Oh! I know where they are. They're in the other rooms."
ASH: "But there's the... black indestructible glass stuff in the way. I think the Archive person called it a 'void wall'."
ARCHIVIST: "Well, I can definitely help with that. Give me a second."
>So, where are they?
ARCHIVIST: "Well, if I just..."
They reach upwards, and then everything goes wrong.
SAM: "Wh... what? WHAT? What are you doing?"
ARCHIVIST: "Er, well... Don't think about it too hard."
ASH: "My eyes won't focus!"
ARCHIVIST: "Probably for the best."
Space itself seems to warp and ripple nauseously as they do... something? It's honestly hard to tell.
Yeah, okay, your brain has just about given up trying to make sense of this now.
They kinda... stretched upwards past the ceiling?
Now, they're towering over the two of you, but they still seem to be exactly the same height they were before. It's starting to give you a headache.
ARCHIVIST: "So, as you see, they're in the room next to yours. The dimensionality is somewhat unorthodox, but they're here."
SAM: "T-thanks?"
It seems the other guys can see what's going on too.
DANIEL: "Sam? Ash? What's going on up there? Um, besides there?"
JACQUELINE: "What's that thing next to them? How is this even possible?"
DANIEL: "Can't you stop time with your mind?"
JACQUELINE: "That's different! Probably different."
ARCHIVIST: "My name is Archivist. Pleasure to meet you two."
SAM: "Daniel! You sound a bit quiet."
ARCHIVIST: "Oh, I must have miscalibrated the sound transmission."
There's a piercing sound, reminiscent of microphone feedback.
ARCHIVIST: "Can we hear each other now?"
Once more, I return, and the gang starts to get further back together.
I'll see about making these a bit faster in future. Hopefully, it isn't an empty promise.
>"Testing, 123 testing"
>So- what's going on is, uh... we met this alien, who helped make this insanity zone, except the insanity zone is broken, and it just sort of decided to help us find you, by doing... this. Whatever it is. And it wants to stop the... Earth... -s, from being destroyed? And we might be able to help it out somehow? By...
>...Actually, Archivist, how about you explain what's going on and what we need to do?
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »


text:
Adidas' soccer overhaul includes signature boot for Lionel Messi, more
They're all gone. Every one of the four cleats that made Adidas soccer what it was have been discontinued. Predator? No more.11Pro, Nitrocharged? Erased.F50? Goodbye.
Timed ahead of the Champions League Final in Berlin and the Women's World Cup in Canada, Adidas unveiled three new soccer cleats. And not just updates of the old versions with new names, but completely overhauled soccer lines.
"With no risk, there is no fun," Aubrey Dolan, category director of Adidas footwear, tells SI.com.
Adidas created a storyline around chaos and control—and FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. The two new mainline boots are now simply known as the Ace, for control players, and X, for chaos-creating styles. And Messi now has his first signature boot, the Messi 15, designed from the ground up—and technically the first true signature cleat in soccer.
Nike drops Calvin Johnson signature cleats along with new "silo" system
"It's chaos or control. There are players who think more about what the team needs and what is the best solution for the team," says Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola. "This kind of player is an intelligent player who has a vision about what the team needs. He controls. Then there are the ones who cause chaos. The ones who play on instinct and on talent. They are a little outside of the field. They can create absolutely everything and you can't control that. You cannot limit that."
Adidas also did something a tad different for the traditional-minded German brand: they embraced neon yellow. Both the Ace and X offer initial colorways of bright yellow and black. "We needed and wanted to make a statement," Dolan says about the launch. "The color blocking is strong. It is a first for us."
The embracing of the color flows with what the players ask for, Marco Müller, senior product manager, tells SI.com. "They want to express themselves," he says, "and a special player wants to stand out on the pitch. Solar yellow is what the players wanted."
We saw the introduction of the line for the first time, when new Adidas boots scored the first three goals in Berlin. And we'll see plenty more over the course of June, as five U.S. Women's National Team players will wear either the X or Ace.
Ace 15
Technically, how do you create control? Dolan says they devised a new three-layer hybrid material on the forefoot with a "key focus to increate control." The material combines grippy memory foam, PU material and a grip-happy textile to allow the ball to rest on the foot longer. For shorter touching, such as during dribbling, Dolan engineered in an open web of this new material overlay. More webbing was added for areas of the foot that required longer touching on the ball, a type of "smart material" engineering that puts "magic in the forefoot."
Dolan says the control wraps the foot 360 degrees for the first time for control that lasts through the outsole.
With control comes comfort. On the back of the shoe, a heel counter protects and stabilizes, an area of the shoe design specifically for functionality. The new stud configuration—also the first boot with studs designed for multiple surfaces—puts more of the rounded studs on the ball during foot-over manuevers and a wider last help create comfort during control.
When chaos comes on the foot of a player on your team, you're all for it. "An X player shatters expectations," Müller says. "You can't predict what he does on the pitch."
The new X, which is similar to the Ace, started as a thought roughly three years ago and was something completely new for Adidas. "Even from the start it was a new silhouette, different shapes, different geometries," Müller says. "The key points were fast and agile."
To get there, Müller says they went lightweight and stable. The X weighs in at 205 grams with the new X Skin a textured material designed to work in both wet and dry conditions. But the skin isn't stable on its own. Over multiple iterations, the reinforcing PTU film took on different shapes and placements. In the end, after testing with professional players, the chaotic design mimics where reinforcement is needed most, with less material than Adidas designers originally envisioned, even if they did extend it in the forefoot.
- MORE EDGE: USWNT adds protective headgear for World Cup
The X Claw cleat plate helps cut down on weight. Instead of using a full plate, Adidas cut away, making it like an agile skeleton. "This has high torsion," Müller says, "the ultimate in agility."
While early designs had the X with a high collar, the first release doesn't go high-top, instead using a compression fit around the ankle. The X does offer a different design element for the company, using their "performance logo," instead of the traditional three stripes, something planned even from the concept stage.
Messi 15
The world's best? The debate will always rage on about Messi, but this is certain: he has a true signature cleat, a first in today's market.
"How do you create a shoe for the best player in the world?" asks senior design director Dave Surace.
Adidas teamed with the Argentine, who captured a Champions League title with Barcelona wearing the light blue Messi 15, to work on the design process every step along the way.
Early on, even with the variety of directions the cleat design could go, Surace says Messi wanted a soft "fit cage," just enough to hold the foot and heel pocket. Early on the fit cage went from toe to heel, but that didn't work, resulting in too restrictive a feel. Using lessons learned in a biomechanics lab, computer analytics and trial and error, Adidas cut the cage just to the rear of the shoe to tighten the fit there.
That left the forefoot open for Messi. Long known for wearing leather, the creative player wanted a soft forefoot. Adidas dialed up "Messi Skin," a synthetic material engineered with a waffling pattern, a soft-to-the-touch material that doesn't have the same plastic feel of other synthetics.
On the outsole, in order to up Messi's ability for rapid lateral agility, Adidas cored out the plate to maximize torsion. Whereas the Ace uses multi-directional rounded studs for control and the X uses blades studs for quick movement—the Messi 15 uses both. The 11-stud configuration includes four round and seven bladed with an O-pattern for the bladed cleats. His plate fits on the same last as the X because "he likes it," Surace says.
Aesthetically, Adidas opted to launch the shoe in blue—more colors will come—to create a "different color story" and tie in to the obvious Argentina-related story.
Adidas has introduced a completely new lexicon for its world of soccer cleats. But it will remain up to the technology to prove if it comes with control or chaos.
Tim Newcomb covers stadiums, design and gear for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.


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Back-to-school is always an exciting time. It's a time of new opportunities and new lessons to be learned. Sometimes, however these lessons are a dose of reality for students, and that's where we come in!
At Cooperative Teachers Credit Union, we want to help students prepare for life in the real world: out from under their parents' roofs. We help prepare these students with something we like to call a Reality Fair.
Prior to attending the Reality Fair, teachers are encouraged to talk to students about the basics of managing personal finances and how and why to save money. Then, each student is asked to choose a career and are given a real-life salary for the career they choose.
On Reality Fair day, we come out and set up different stations in a classroom or a gym, depending on the number of students. Each station represents different areas where students need to plan on budgeting such as housing, transportation, food and other monthly costs. This is when you see those "a-ha" moments! Students begin to realize how their paycheck may not stretch as far as they want because they are spending their money on wants instead of needs.
The fun doesn't stop there though! Their journey ends with the "Wheel of Reality" where they are faced with unexpected expenses such as a speeding ticket or flat tire, or can be rewarded with an unexpected check for their birthday or a bonus from work.
Financial advisors, who can be teachers or volunteers from CTCU, then sit down with the students and go over their budget spreadsheet so they can begin thinking about and preparing for future financial challenges they may face.
Reality Fairs are not just for high school or college students though. We can tailor this information for kids of all ages! The earlier financial literacy is taught to children, the more prepared they will be in the future.
To schedule a Reality Fair at your school or for more information about financial literacy, contact Meghan Reily at email@example.com


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HHS decision is a step back
The coming crisis is as predictable as it is worrying. Nearly a fifth of every dollar spent in this country is spent on health care. Without reform, that number will only rise as the baby boomers retire. Younger generations will suffer, as money is taken from building roads and educating children to paying for Medicare to cover boomers' health costs.
It should go without saying, then, that if two hip implants are functionally equivalent, surgeons should use the cheaper of the two. It should be obvious that people who do not need to languish in a health-care facility should be sent home to recover. But Medicare discourages coordination and thriftiness by handing providers a fee for every individual service each provides. Reshaping the way Medicare pays doctors could save money while improving care.
Yet waste scored a victory when Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price decided to stop or scale back "bundled payment" experiments the Obama administration had begun.
The idea was to give hospitals a flat payment covering the duration of a procedure and recovery. The payment would be based on historical costs and care quality, building in some savings for Medicare. Hospitals whose costs came in under the fee could keep the difference. Those whose did not would lose money.
A February study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that an HHS-led bundled-care program for joint replacement surgeries, which required about 800 randomly selected hospitals to participate, saved $5,577, or 21 percent, per episode. Once the right incentives were in place, practitioners collaborated more, wasted less and started making some of the obvious decisions they were previously never asked to make. Surgeons selected the cheapest effective implants. Hospitals matched patients to the right recovery program, which is not necessarily intensive. The researchers found that applying the program nationwide would save the government $2 billion annually. HHS was set to expand its experimentation to cardiac and other forms of care.
Price officially nixed the expansion and scaled back the joint replacement program. This was disheartening but no surprise. In a letter he sent last year to the agency he now heads, he accused HHS of "experimenting with Americans' health" and exceeding the law by forcing hospitals to participate in bundled-payment schemes.
It should be clear: These programs do not illegally infringe on doctors' freedom to practice. Doctors can still set a hip however they like, but if they take federal money, they have no right to dictate how the government pays them for it. Think about how much federal money will be wasted under Price next time you are stuck in traffic or your child's school needs new books.
HHS officials now and Price last year argue that the government should test new payment models but that experiments should be voluntary. Yet only the most efficient providers would sign up; laggards with little interest in changing would continue to collect payments the old-fashioned way. This self-selection means that the government would not save much money and it would be impossible to run a scientifically sound test on how well bundled-payment programs drive efficiency.
Price should be expanding the programs he is trying to end.


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Minnesota Nursing Home Attorney Can Help
How Can Minnesota Nursing Home Attorney Kenneth LaBore Assist Your Family? As an attorney that is experienced in handling nursing home and other forms of elder care facility abuse and neglect for years he can assist your family in many ways. Before choosing a facility an attorney can assist with determining the quality of the care given in a particular facility as determined by the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
A Nursing Home attorney can also assist with ways families and residents can protect the rights of the elderly and vulnerable. For example, every facility is required to provide the residents and their family with the Policies and Procedures for the facility as well as for particular types of risks such as "falls", "medication errors" and "pressure ulcers". With a copy of the Policies and Procedures a concerned party can observe the care being given by the facility and compare with the minimum standards the facility promises to provide. Information can also be obtained on how to participate in Family and Resident Councils. Concerns regarding the quality of the care provided to the residents can be addressed at these meetings. The facility is required by state law to respond to written concerns addressed by the Family and Resident Councils. The concerns noted by the Family and Resident Councils and the response by the nursing home are reviewed by state surveyors of the facilities.
Get Accountability From the Facility With Nursing Home Attorney Kenneth LaBore
Minnesota Nursing Home Attorney Kenneth LaBore can assist by working hard to get needed answers and accountability when family or friends are concerned that a vulnerable or elderly loved one was the victim of abuse, neglect or wrongful death. Due to the complex nature of the state and federal standards determining that an incident is the result of intentional abuse or neglect or was what nursing homes like to call an "unavoidable event" is sometimes very difficult. On most occasions a detailed review of the admission records and Care Plan as well as all the related incident records and more is required to determine if a nursing home or other care facility was neglect in failing to provide the care they promised when accepting the resident. The general rule is that a facility should not take a resident that requires care that they are unable to provide at the level promised in the admission or subsequent assessments.
When there is apparent neglect is found in a nursing home more times than not it is due to one of three things: lack of staffing, lack of training for staff that is present, old and improperly functioning equipment and supplies.
The law in Minnesota views nursing home and assisted living neglect and abuse cases as medical malpractice (including many wrongful death claims) and the expert opinions of professional nursing and doctors are often required to present a case in court. Kenneth LaBore is an experienced attorney and has handled hundreds of elder abuse, sexual assault, injury and death claims and knows how to get accountability and protect the residents still in the facility to the highest degree possible.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or abuse in a nursing home or other care facility that serves the elderly in Minnesota you need an experienced attorney, please contact our firm for a free consultation and information regarding the obligations of the facility and your rights as a resident or concerned family member. To contact Attorney Kenneth L. LaBore, directly please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com or call Ken at 612-743-9048.


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Deadline: 13 May 2016
Open to: holders of a degree in EU law (essential), Master Level (desirable)
Remuneration: paid according to the Belgian framework of "Convention d'Immersion Professionelle"
ClientEarth founded the EU Aarhus Centre in Brussels. The Centre's activities aiming at ensuring the compliance of the EU and its institutions with the Aarhus Convention are structured around four main streams: (1) ensuring a transparency framework through progressive EU legislations integrating Aarhus principles; (2) pursuing legal and institutional advocacy to change institutions behaviour and practice towards Aarhus rights; (3) assisting civil society organizations and individual citizens with their requests for documents, participation in decision making and access to EU Courts and (4) organizing events, trainings and disseminating information about Aarhus rights to stakeholders.
Key responsibilities
- Legal research;
- Reviewing legal cases and providing case summaries and legal updates to the team;
- Helping draft ClientEarth legal briefings and other external facing materials;
- Helping to foster effective relationships with key partners (for example in the European Parliament, Member States, industry, other NGOs), including preparing presentations on relevant legal issues and providing legal research capacity;
- Monitoring political developments at EU, international and national levels in the development of the legislative framework implementing the Aarhus Convention and which are relevant to the work of the team;
- Producing briefing notes for staff on the basis of guided but independent research;
- Coordinate with the Communications team to maintain relevant web pages, as well as to disseminate timely updates via blogs, press releases and social media outlets;
- Liaise with external partners, organisations and individuals as required by the projects within the Aarhus team
- Edit, format and proof-read documents;
- Although you will be mainly supporting the work of this specific programme you might be required occasionally to provide ad hoc support to other programmes or organisational processes.
- A degree in EU law (essential), Master Level (desirable);
- Strong legal research skills (essential);
- Experience of working in a not-for-profit organisation or legal environment (desirable);
- An interest in environmental issues (desirable).
Key competencies
- Excellent written and oral communication skills – ability to communicate new and complex concepts logically and effectively (essential);
- Fluent in English and another European language (essential);
- Ability to approach problems creatively and critically to help identify solutions (essential);
- Reliable and committed team member with strong interpersonal skills (essential);
- Ability to adapt language, both oral and written, to different audiences (essential);
- Experience of responding to competing deadlines and managing multiple tasks and priorities within a working environment (desirable);
- Ability to execute work independently and take the initiative when required (desirable);
- Core IT skills -Able able to use MS Office, Internet, databases, teleconferencing and social media (desirable).
The internship is paid according to the Belgian legal framework of "Convention d'Immersion Professionelle".
The interns will have to commit to this internship on a full time basis (37.5 hours per week). However, when this is not possible, a minimum of 3 days per week for at least 5 months commitment is required for the specific role.
How to apply?
Please send us your CV along with the completed internship form and equality monitoring form. This form will be separated from your application and will only be used for monitoring purposes by ClientEarth's HR team.
Please include "EU Aarhus Centre intern – Brussels" in the email subject line, and identify the documents you are sending by including "[your name] internship form" and "[your name] CV" in the file name. Please don't put your name on the equality monitoring form.
Send you application by email to email@example.com. Deadline for applying is 13 May 2016.
For more information please visit the official website.


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Aggressive business development and diplomacy make Jack a skilled asset.
Removing the stigma and playing to strengths yields a consistent flow of new clients.
More productivity, more referrals, and more quality time.
Exceeding billable hours and reducing the hours cut leads to a success fast track.
Better time management leads to better work-and actual vacations.


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Based on the concept of behavioral science and effective learning , a well designed Thinking Lab has been constructed .This scientifically designed space enables each child to break thinking precincts and develop all types of thinking skills – Cognitive, Emotional and Social. It creates an environment which enables the student to break the unconscious pattern with thoughts and actions. It enhances their self thinking process which includes critical, lateral and creative improvement of the confidence and inquisitiveness of students.
- The lab includes mind engaging games like Battleship and Connect 4
- Unique thinking development tools
- Age appropriate curriculum based on progressive thinking


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IcelandSeptember 11, 2017
I have a new set of photographs from circumnavigating Iceland in June. If I had the chance to return I would go back to the West Fjords region for the dramatic landscapes and scenery. But that aside I was mostly interested in the vernacular architecture of Icelandic housing and industrial buildings and some of these photographs will be added to RIBA image library.


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Hand Hewn Rustic Fireplace Mantel Beam (RABBITS)
Additional information
|75 lbs
|60 × 5.25 × 7.5 in
|Mantel Type
Product Description
SOLD to TJ on 10/18/2018.
We have some fantastic hand hewn oaks in 8×8 to 10×10 sizes. We can cut the tops to make more rectangular pieces
SOLD to TJ on 10/18/2018.
We have some fantastic hand hewn oaks in 8×8 to 10×10 sizes. We can cut the tops to make more rectangular pieces. Very nice batch. Contact us for pictures of the inventory.
Gorgeous, rustic fireplace mantel made from an old white oak barn beam. The face and bottom have original hand-hewn texture. This is from back in the day when folks swung axes to make a round log into a square beam. In this area, that is the late 1800s. It is amazing to think that this is the real thing from early American settlers. There is a little lighter sapwood (the wood just underneath the bark) on the lower edge. I thought that it was a pleasant amount. The top has been cut smooth to remove some issues. It makes for a nice flat shelf for your decorations, family photos, and knick-knacks.
Note, these pictures were taken in full sun, so they are a little overly bright and "poppy."
There tend to be two types of hand hewing — rough and smooth. Often times, you'll see beams that are "choppy" looking. To get beams smoother, they work the beam several times with different tools. For example, they may do the first pass with a broad ax or even a felling ax. Then, the would do second or third pass with an adz. This mantel is the former — a single pass with a felling ax.
The original beam came from an old barn in Southwest Wisconsin. It probably dated back to the late 1800s We purchased this wood from an Amish gentleman who lives out in the rolling hills of the area. That area is still dotted with small farms where the cows and other livestock wander out in the corrals. It's not like the modern farms that we see by our place in Minnesota with hundreds of cows stuffed in a tin building. It is great to see agriculture the way that I remember it as a kid.
We can cut this mantel shorter and refinish the ends for an additional $50.
It can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $75.
About the tag – Rabbits – An old cartoon from a 1920s vintage newspaper.l to create a deeply saturated color final product.
Our website here only contains a small number of all of the mantels that we have in stock. Please contact us via email at email@example.com or call 612-281-9330 for a list of more mantels that are available. We are a small mom-and-pop shop and don't usually find enough time to update this list. We have nearly 100 finished mantels and another almost 500 unfinished pieces in stock at any time that can be viewed with other links.


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Wade Miley does his part on the mound, at the plate for Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Wade Miley had a great overall game Saturday. In fact, it should have been a follow-up, feel-good, Brewers-pitchers-can-hit kind of story a day after right-hander Brandon Woodruff's big home run for the Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.
But unfortunately for Miley, his standout performance took place in a 4-3 home loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS that snapped a 12-game winning streak. And it wasn't the story.
"I said it when we came in – it feels weird to lose. We haven't lost in a long time," Miley said.
The Brewers left-hander pitched five shutout innings to start the game, with the Brewers taking a 2-0 lead. He made a nice defensive play when he fielded a grounder near the mound to throw out Austin Barnes from his knees.
He also converted at the plate.
Miley, batting ninth, hit a double down the third base line in the third inning and a single in the fifth as well.
But after the Brewers lost – it had been three weeks since that happened - Miley's role was more to serve as a calm voice of reason for the Brewers.
"I think we're fine," he said. "I think we know we just need to go in to L.A. and play good baseball. I mean, we played good baseball today. We just got beat."
No doubt, getting hits from the pitching staff, especially in the postseason, is a bonus for Milwaukee. But it isn't a fluke. Like most of his pitching teammates, Miley does get batting practice - usually a little more at home than on the road - but "we get in the cage quite a bit," he said.
"It's pretty consistent. During BP, most starters – it's optional in a sense," Miley said. "But we try to stay in there and swing as much as we possibly can just try to stay as productive as possible."
Miley said his goal is to make the opposing pitcher work and get him to throw as many pitches as possible. His single in the fifth inning came on the 10th pitch from Hyun-jin Ryu. Getting a hit is almost considered lucky and is something he doesn't expect.
Miley also added another solid pitching performance to his season, as he was able to execute off-speed pitches while behind in the count. It was almost hard for him to get pulled in the sixth in favor of the Brewers' philosophy of going to the bullpen early and frequently.
"I mean, you want to stay out there, but all year long, that's kind of the route we've taken. And it's worked," Miley said. "I don't think it's ever easier because obviously you want to be in the game. But I think there's more understanding with the bullpen we have down there."
It was a strange outcome for a game that likely will want to be forgotten by nearly everyone except Miley.
"Unbelievable. That was awesome," Christian Yelich said of Miley's game. "It was great to see. He's a gamer. He stepped up in a huge situation and gave us a great chance to win. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it happen for him today."


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The San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert and Hoodia Gordonii
The San Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert have ancestry that can be traced back an astounding 150,000 years, right back to the very first humans to inhabit Earth. They have recently come to the fore thanks to the desert plant Hoodia Gordonii, which has hit the news in recent years as being the new wonder appetite suppressing drug, something the San have always known.
Generations of hunter-gatherer type peoples, they have used Hoodia Gordonii for millennia when on long hunting trips, the soft fruit-like branches of the Hoodia being perfectly edible once the cactus-like spines are cut away.
A fulfilling meal of antioxidant-rich Hoodia would give them the energy needed to continue on their long journeys in search of game to kill and carry back to their families. After consuming Hoodia, they would lose their natural desert thirst in the heat of the sun, as well as their normal appetites, for up to 24 hours afterwards.
The name 'Bushmen' was offensive to what turns out to be several different tribes of hunter-gathering peoples who lived by their wits alone on dry and barren land. It was derived from a Dutch word, "bossiesman" meaning bandit or outlaw.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The San Bushmen were peaceful people, who lived in harmony with each other and with nature. Goods and services were not sold, like in westernised nations, instead they were gifted when one group met another.
They lived in 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' type of society. Kindness, favors and gifts were always repaid in kind.
Women were equal in their society, and given a lot more respect than they are offered in our society.
They didn't have a 'leader' either. Instead, group decisions were met by consensus after much discussion.
How anyone can describe this type of society as primitive is beyond me. It sounds like Heaven!
Traditionally, the men went out on hunting expeditions for meat while the women stayed at home and gathered berries, roots, nuts, fruit, insects etc to eat. This was not a rule, however, and the situations often reversed with the women joining the hunting group with the men gathering the berries.
The San Bushman were expert trackers. They could look at the 'spoor' (hoof or paw prints) of an animal and tell you in which direction they were headed, or even if one of them were injured.
They lived a simple existence, travelling around when one watering hole ran dry in search of another, and living the hunter-gatherer life.
The name 'San' was adopted by the Bushmen themselves after a meeting of several groups in 1996 in Namibia.
The San Bushmen had respect for the the land and whatever lived in it, knowing that without that life, they could not exist. Prayers were said for the souls of the animals they killed to eat.
Death was slow for these animals.
The San Bushmen had bows and arrows as weapons, with poisoned tips fashioned from the poison from plants, snake venom and certain insects. Thousands of years of living with nature taught them more about the wildlife than we in the West can ever hope to know.
After wounding an animal, they then followed it for days until it succumbed to the poison and died. During this time, they themselves existed on very little, apart from the few nuts and fruits they may have found along the way, and of course, the Hoodia Gordonii plant that has brought the San Bushmen people to the world's attention.
Shaped like a spiny cucumber, they cut away the spines with their crude knives, and ate the flesh, thus sustaining themselves for days at a time.
Once the animal they were tracking had died, they cut away the area around the wound (the meat would have been tarnished by the poison), and the meat was shared with any and everybody they met along the way.
The San Bushmen lived this life for at least 20,000 years in the Kalahari Desert which is a massive expanse of land in the southern end of Africa.
Not quite a desert, large tracts of its estimated 350,000 square miles has a mix of both sandy desert and a huge plateau in which life abounds.
Dry for most of the year, the rainy season will bring an annual rainfall of 3 - 7.5" of water.
Described as arid to semi-arid, the Kalahari Desert is home to abundant wildlife of both flora and fauna. More than 400 identified plant species thrive there including acacia trees, grasses, herbs and fruits.
Much of the Kalahari Desert has become privately owned game reserves and are home to lions, giraffes, antelopes, meerkats and hyenas to name a few, as well as many birds and reptiles.
The Kalahari basin which surrounds the desert takes in another 970,000 square miles and is adjoined and part owned by South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The San Bushmen neither farmed nor kept domestic animals.
Around 2000 years ago, about the time Christianity was born, a north African group who kept small herds of sheep and goats moved southwards into the Kalahari region. These early pastoralists were known as the Hottentots.
Round about the same time another African group moved in. The BaNtu were farmers who tended crops as well as kept livestock.
At first, all three groups lived in relative harmony, despite them all speaking different languages. Some even intermarried.
Problems arose eventually because hunter-gatherers and farmers do not realistically make a good combination.
The San hunted the domesticated animals as they would wild ones, and problems soon arose.
The BaNtu and the Hottentots with their superior weapons succeeded in wiping out thousands of the San Bushmen whose numbers still at that time were in the millions.
Then in the 17th century, along came the European colonialists.
The Colonialists, who came from Holland and the UK mainly, brought with them guns and horses.
They thought of the San Bushmen as nothing more than primitive savages and shot them for sport.
History tells little of this, but genocide took place against those peaceful people, and their total numbers were reduced to just a few thousand during this period.
To make matters worse, the Colonialists went trophy hunting against the vast herds of game on which the San Bushmen existed and reduced their numbers drastically.
The Colonialists along with the BaNtu set about producing huge herds of domesticated cattle which destroyed the flora on which the San depended as their staple diet.
The San Bushmen were hunted down like animals and forced into slavery.
Even today, their problems are not over. Today, they have been forced off their lands and into purposely built communes against their will.
They have never been able to settle down to a modern way of living and live instead in poverty, with alcoholism and violence rife amongst them.
Many want to return to their old homeland, but have been forbidden by governments who want the land for diamond mining or game reserves that will bring in tourism and money.
As recently as December 2006, the San Bushmen won a long running court battle against the government. It was found that their forcible removal from their homelands and their denial of a permit to hunt was "unlawful and unconstitutional".
The court, however, did not force the government into providing water for these people.
As a result, they were allowed to return but the government cut off all existing water supplies and filled in the natural wells.
The San Bushmen to this day have still not returned to their ancestral lands, and it is feared they never will as their young is becoming more integrated into Western Society, preferring to wear jeans and T shirts to animal skins.
In 1996, the South African government patented P57, which is the active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii, without the knowledge of the San Bushmen.
It then gave the licensing right to develop P57 to British company Phytopharm, who later subcontracted those rights to giant pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Pfizer have since rescinded their rights, and CITES, the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species, carefully control which companies have the right to export Hoodia gordonii which, because of its excellent appetite suppressing abilities, is much sought after by the overweight West.
The San Bushmen won a lengthy court battle to be allowed to profit from a plant that grew on their land and which they discovered the amazing properties of.
To this date, they have never been paid a penny.
IzzyM (author) from UK on April 29, 2011:
Phoenix, feel free to nominate it. I don't understand how the scholarly thing works, but I'd love to see the plight of the San Bushmen brought to a wider audience. And thanks :)
PhoenixV from USA on April 28, 2011:
This is a great Hub, Izzy and should be nominated for the scholarly thing. Congratulations on your contest wins also, you deserved it and was glad you won.