text:
(Pocket-lint) - Of the two new Alpha cameras recently announced by Sony it was the A65 that interested us the most. While it isn't the magnesium-alloy bodied flagship A77, it boasts all the same features that we think will make a major difference to your photography and costs less. Features like the same sensor and processor as well as finder and just a two frame per second drop in shooting speed, we think make the A65 the better choice.
Announced earlier this week, Pocket-lint was on hand to put the new camera through its paces, shooting video and stills in varied scenarios, all the same time being as pernickity and button pressing obsessed as possible.
Build and design
The Alpha A65, unlike its more expensive A77 brother, doesn't feature a proper magnesium-alloy body, it is instead made of polycarbonate. Thankfully the A65 doesn't feel too plasticky and has adopted much of the feel of a proper prosumer camera but without all the expense.
The ergonomics of the A65 also work quite well, we would have liked to see the dual scroll wheels found on the A77 as well as the joystick, but you can't have everything. It definitely sits comfortably in the hand and with a hefty 85mm F/1.4 lens on the front, didn't feel unbalanced or difficult to use.
Access to functions is carried out via an intuitive set of buttons. The placing of controls like the digital zoom, aperture control and movie mode button are all within thumbs reach. This is a good bit of camera design and means you can switch quickly between functions on the fly. Thanks to the OLED finder you can see exactly what you are doing without taking your eye away from snapping. Having a customisable function button also near your thumb is particularly useful.
Another nice addition is being able to switch to 10fps mode and sweep panorama via the function wheel on the top left. This means you don't have to negotiate menus to set-up the camera for different shooting styles. The AF/MF switch also flicks easily up and down, allowing you to go straight into manual focus should you so desire.
Just about every camera range now has a tilt screen model. It is a design addition that whilst we personally can't see a massive need for, we know many do enjoy. The two-way tilter on the A65 gives you high or low angle viewing, the A77 has a three-way screen by comparison.
The A77 is around £1150 for body only, putting it in line with some seriously stiff prosumer competition. It doesn't quite cut it build-wise against them. The A65 however, priced in at £800 body only is crammed full of features for the price and feels better made than a lot out there.
Shooting and video
The meat of any camera is obviously in the shooting. Nailing exactly how a camera snaps is extremely difficult. It usually comes out of a combination of build, ergonomics, speed and the finder, all of which come together to create a good or bad shooting experience.
Sticking a huge number of megapixels on a sensor and giving it a long name like Exmor APS HD CMOS might tempt the general consumer, but it by no means equals a good camera. So when we heard 24.3 megapixels were going to be crammed onto such a small sensor, we immediately imagined Sony bringing back its signature noise issues. Thankfully however whatever ghosts the company had hiding in the noise cupboard appear to have been vanquished. The sensor in the A65 is clean and copes very well in low light, even up to ISO 3200. After that things do start to get a bit difficult. Images are, however, very well balanced and colours saturated, but not overly-punchy.
Unfortunately the firmware build on the test A65 units we used isn't final. Because of this, Sony has requested that we don't show the photos we took with the test unit. We'll have to reserve some of the final judgements on performance and image quality until we get final review hardware in to test.
Having an electronic viewfinder adds quite a bit to the shooting experience, once you get used to it. Admittedly it doesn't feel as direct as the classic analogue mirror combo, but being able to see exactly how much noise, colour or picture style is being applied before you take a shot is really useful. It means you don't fill memory cards with exposure mistakes and take a lot more time to get a shot right before pressing the shutter. We think this could be a massive benefit to those looking to take their photography further, precisely what the A65 is designed for.
For the purist however and those used to shooting with conventional finders, it feels odd and remained feeling odd for the duration of our shooting. That said, good on Sony for trying to innovate in a market where most of the competition keeps playing it safe. With this new generation of SLT cameras, Sony looks to be going strong.
Video-wise, the combination of 1080p and the AVCHD 2.0 codec results in some very nice looking footage. Full 50p frame rates keep things smooth and all the colour balance from stills translates over very well. Motion did appear to have the odd issue when we were really throwing the camera about but other than that there are no qualms on the video front; it is good 1080p DSLR-style footage.
After a good few days with the A65 we are definitely convinced by what Sony is trying to do with the Alpha brand. Adding in so many megapixels and features like an OLED screen definitely separates the A65 and A77 from the competition.
Our main problem with the A65 is actually the A77. Because the A65 is so good at what it does, the idea of spending £300 more on just a couple of extra features seems stupid. Instead, why not just pack everything into just one camera, and charge £900 for it. Going down this route could even tempt people away from the traditional DSLR brands like Canon and Nikon.
All this aside, there is no doubt that the A65 is a good camera. It performed very well in both stills and video, while being ergonomically sound and decent value, a difficult combination to get right. Those with Sony systems who want to take their photography further should most definitely take a look at this camera, it is a big leap up on everything else Sony makes, bar its professional full-frame setups.


text:
There are many ways one can defy the trap of a common urban rhythm. Converting your home into a fresh and peaceful oasis is the best way to cope with daily challenges. And as we see it, nothing spells freshness better than nature itself. This post is about integrating plants in your home creatively, delivering a space that is both aesthetically pleasing and healthy. If you sometimes feel that your home is lacking openness or a distinct personality, perhaps these bold and elegant ideas below will trigger your need for natural decors. Enjoy!
This post is part of a content series presented by smartwater⦠smartwater, simplicity is delicious.
#1. Green Walls
- Radiating a sense of calm and literally livening up their neighboring space, green walls are a daring addition to any private or commercial interior. Various patterns and shapes are available on the market, making it easy to choose the suited model. You can handle the maintenance process yourself, of hire professionals to make sure the living wall is constantly looking perfect.
#2. Sculpting Space
- We ran across this unusual project which we believe could serve as inspiration for those of you planning a daring green interior from scratch. Envisioned by Sadar Vuga Architects for the The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ljubljana, Slovenia, this symbiosis between sculptural shapes and plants delivers an intriguing visual effect.
#3. Plants-Furniture Mix
- From all the crazy ideas presented on Freshome, two match this post perfectly. The cat-friendly table with built-in grass planter and the GardenRug are just some of the wacky ways to combine plants and furniture, with stunning results. All this, while maintaining functionality and not compromising in aesthetics. Can you think of any other designs for this combo?
#4. Natural Elements Combined
- If you feel plants are not enough to give your home that intense fresh feel, bring on more nature! Gather pebbles, sea shells, interesting looking wood pieces and improvise original green spaces (we took inspiration from this home design). Does the idea of miniature indoor gardens spread throughout your crib seem like a challenging DIY project?
#5. Creative Planters
- A while back we presented a fun project on Freshome entitled Green Pockets, created by designer Maruja Fuentes (photos below). But when it comes to planters, the possibilities for improvising are endless. You can find plenty of models on the market, but you can also try to envision a similar project for yourself, using interesting looking ceramic cups or creative vessels as containers.
#6. Flowerpot Chandeliers
- Looking for provoking designs to integrate in your home, but are not ready to make major compromises? These flowerpot chandeliers are very close to the limit of normal, yet they do not cross it, which makes them plain cool. Just imagine how many colors can be tucked in those planters!
#7. Moss Floor Planters
- If you are not a fan of green walls, then perhaps green floors will have a stronger appeal. This particular project in the photos below was displayed at an exhibition in Tokyo a while back and is a result of a collaboration between Azuma Makoto and Unitika Ltd. The unusual carpet would definitely make a strong statement in any interior.
#8. Pet House Planters
- One of the coolest multi-functional designs we´ve seen so far is the pet house planter designed by the masterminds at Pousse Créative. A miniature garden and a cozy sanctuary for your pet- now that´s a great combo!
#9. Green Arrangements⦠Upside-Down
- The creative team of Boskke´s came up with a seemingly gravity-defying method of integrating plants in your home. Their special planters (with a built-in irrigation system) are installed upside down, which gives them an original and intriguing appearance.
#10. Hi-Tech Click and Grow Flowerpots
- What if you could have a lovely indoor miniature garden, without actually watering and fertilizing the plants you grow? Click and Grow is an innovative method of taking care of plants the easy way. Based on clean soil-less growing technology and sensors inside, these ingenious pots measure all the necessary parameters and dose an exact amount of water, fertilizer and air, according to the plant´s needs.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
For about the price of a new Ford Taurus, you can own the head of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
Not just any T. rex -- it's the one from "Jurassic Park." And at a minimum bid of $30,000 it's a bargain compared to the real thing, which also went up for auction this month.
If a head full of teeth doesn't appeal to you, another pre-historic item -- an Apple Macintosh 128 computer given to Gene Roddenberry -- is available. Or maybe you have to have Sally Field's nun habit from "The Flying Nun," Captain Kirk's pants, or the fake Sig 226 Tony Soprano used to shoot Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero.
That's hardly even a sampling of the 1,100 items up for bid during Profiles in History's Fall 2009 Hollywood memoriabilia auction. The auction includes props, costumes, posters, photography, scripts and original artwork.
One of the more timely items is Michael Jackson's illuminating glove from the 1984 Victory Tour. A search using "jackson" returns 28 results, including clothes worn by The Jackson 5 -- much more appropriate for a Jackson 5 skit than some other ill-conceived choices.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
And, if you like puppets -- there are a lot of retired puppets. Even puppets need good homes.
The auction is Thursday and Friday. Bids will be accepted in-person or online.


text:
Accidents tend to happen because there's no time to react, or because someone makes a mistake. Either way, once things are in motion, that's that. You can't pause an accident if you're in the middle of one.
But if you could pause an accident as it was happening, like in this anti-speeding ad by NZTransportAgency? Things might get rather somber.
Speed ad - Mistakes [NZTransportAgency]


text: kinokuniya Coupons, Promo Codes & Offers For 20201 couponLast updated: 15/8/2020 Click to rate kinokuniya Saving… Thanks! Oops. Please try again. Deal Up to 25% OFF with Clearance Sale + Free Shipping no expiry GET DEAL Load More Still Looking?Here are some offers you might like CouponExclusive Max Fashion Coupon Code: 10% OFF no expiry MA300 Copy Deal Enjoy 25%-80% Discount on Selected Products no expiry GET DEAL CouponExclusive Noon Egypt Coupon Code: Get 10% discount up to 150 EGP no expiry AB101 Copy Amazon KSA Coupon Code : Get Extra 15% OFF On your first purchase no expiry AMZKSA GET CODE CouponExclusive H&M Coupon Code: 20% OFF on Everything no expiry AC580 GET CODE For limited time Namshi Promo Code: 20% OFF on Full Priced Items on Full Priced Items no expiry NAM121 Copy


text:
Chapter Three:
In the Temple of Luxor
The page had gone blurry, the symbols dancing across it, ever elusive. Even with bright sunlight filtering through the window, my eyes refused to focus on the hieroglyphs I'd been hoping to translate before my own civilization collapsed. It wasn't as though I needed to do this; I was sure that my work would only be rejected. But, if I thought of it that way, I would probably end up dead drunk in the Winter Palace. Not a pleasant prospect. It was bad enough I already had a reputation for salaciousness. Lovely word, that. Had a great way of rolling off the tongue.
I pushed away the muddled paper I'd been scribbling on and rose with a sigh, itching to do something that didn't involve hunching over a desk. My dream to become a real archaeologist - was it that cliched a thing to wish for? - had not yet been fulfilled. That didn't stop me from trying. Each day since the tomb's opening, I had ventured down to watch the stream of workers going in and out, in and out, then in and out again. Once or twice I saw Mr. Carter emerge from the depths, talking excitedly to one of his colleagues. No one appeared to notice my presence; I suppose they took me for a curious tourist. Or a primped tour guide (was there more money in that?).
In the days following the tomb's opening, I could find no explanation for the strange wind that had come out of the tomb. It was probably just dehydration and sun-stroke. Simple enough to get out here in the desert.
There was always the chance that something magical had happened, and it had come into contact with my own magic. The Ancient Egyptians were known to use magic, especially in the sealing of tombs to protect the Pharaoh's soul on its journey to the afterlife. The tomb of Tutankhamun was nearly intact, having been sealed by the priests, who would have, of course, made sure that the spells on the tomb were in working order.
But all that was merely conjecture. The magic of the Ancient Egyptians had been long forgotten. Hell, their language had only been rediscovered in the last century. It was one thing to learn an ancient language, but quite another to learn their magic as well.
I shoved back my chair, still rubbing my eyes. There could be no harm in taking a nice walk through Luxor and treat myself to dinner at one place or another. It wasn't like Cairo, where a person could nip into the grand market and eat one's fill on whatever one could discreetly snatch from the stalls. Here, I would either get caught and my hand promptly chopped off or I'd be seen by some scandalised acquaintance of mine. Knowing my luck, I'd be seen by a prospective employer. Not that anyone was actually serious about giving me a job.
"Yes, that's a perfect idea."
It was nice to hear a voice sometimes.
Now, to change. I couldn't exactly walk into the Winter Palace wearing my current eccentric mix of native and European clothing. I might as well wear a backless ball gown. The question of which would be more gossip-provoking came to mind. It would certainly be an interesting experiment ... but not tonight. All I wanted was peace and quiet, preferably not in my lodgings. That bottle under the bed needed some time away from me.
After a walk down a dusty road and a harrowing ferry ride across the Nile, I managed to arrive on the East Bank none the worse for wear. The village ferry was usually less crowded than the tourist ones, but unfortunately, it did not receive the same degree of upkeep. I was never a fan of boats, even less so after my sojourn in Egypt. Sneaking behind a well-placed palm tree, I dusted off my clothes, making me presentable enough for entry to the Winter Palace, as tempted as they may be to turn me around and send me out again. Come to think of it, that would have been a better choice. At least then I would not have run into the most annoying Moody.
Of course he was there. Where you expecting otherwise?
Entering the restaurant awarded me with a number of strange glances that were entirely unwarranted. What was wrong with a single young Englishwoman wanting a nice meal? I sat down and placed an order, glaring right back at a rather plump woman wearing a dress that would have been in fashion perhaps twenty years before. When she sniffed and looked away, I smiled to myself, then focused my attention on my teacup. I couldn't help but wonder sometimes if the fact that I was a witch was evident to Muggles, and that's why they couldn't stand the sight of me. Or perhaps it was my lack of proper wardrobe, social graces, and patience for their ignorance.
And money. One could not forget money. Except I had.
My eyes widened at the thought. I reached into my pocket, hoping that I had enough for dinner, or even for the cup of tea I was drinking. One, two, three ... no, not quite; I was short a few shillings.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath, trying to ignore the low growl emanating from my stomach.
"Now that's not very lady-like, Miss Black." That drawl... oh Merlin, not him. "No wonder that lady in the old dress over there is looking at you in such a way."
"Blast." I made sure to say this so that only he could hear. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
There was a flash of off-white as he grinned. His teeth were even more noticeable in comparison to his pristine white shirt. "Mind if I join you, Miss Black? My treat."
The stomach, ever victorious, voiced a complaint I could not ignore. It would be worth sitting through a meal with him in order to actually get that meal.
I put on a dazzling smile. "That's very kind of you, Mr. Moody. Please, sit down."
He slid into the chair with all the ease of a serpent curling up on a rock.
"In answer to your question, miss, I came here to catch up with Luxor's social scene. I suppose that you're doing the same?" His gaze was almost unnerving. Too curious. Step lightly.
"You can think what you like of me, Mr. Moody. Everyone else seems to enjoy that pastime."
He raised an eyebrow. "Tut, tut. Bitter, are we?"
I snorted loudly, making the frumpy woman across the room look even more discomfited. She stuffed another biscuit between her scarlet lips.
"Indeed I am, and if you knew me better, you might understand why."
Step lightly, ha. Couldn't even follow my own advice.
He winked. The repetition was annoying me. "I wouldn't mind knowing you better, Miss Black. It's not every day that a man like me meets a woman like you."
I almost regurgitated the whole cup of tea. Was this man real? Better yet, was he sane? They didn't seem to teach much in the way of manners over in Lima, Ohio.
"I can tell you one thing, Mr. Moody, and that is if you knew me better, you honestly wouldn't like what you saw."
He smiled, eyes taking on a carnivorous light. "I've always loved a girl with mystery."
Oh for Merlin's sake! He took every word I said and turned it around to suit his own desires. It was like he was running circles around my mind, and it was putting off my appetite. Too much thinking doesn't do well for the stomach. I signalled to the waiter, pretending that Moody had vanished into the ether.
He remained silent until the food arrived, interrupting me as soon as I raised the fork to my mouth.
"Have you been back to the tomb?"
Taking my time to swallow a large mouthful of chicken, I nodded. "If I hear of something interesting coming out, that's all. Gaining entrance is beyond my means." Damned if I'd tell him that I went everyday, filled with childish hope. With my luck, he'd already been inside the tomb and was only waiting to gloat.
But he was nodding in agreement. "Same here. I'm not really the type that they'd offer an invitation to."
So perhaps I wasn't right all the time. That didn't mean I had no excuse to dislike him.
"Most of the people in Luxor now are in the same boat," he continued, sorting through the vegetables on his plate. "What I'd do to get into that tomb. From what I saw of you at the opening, Miss Black, I'd say that you feel the same way."
I glared at him before taking another forkfull.
"Don't guess at my thoughts, Moody." He didn't deserve the Mister part, not if he was as low down the social scale as I was. "You'd definitely not like what I'm thinking now."
"And what would that be?" he asked innocently. His eyes had grown so wide that I expected to see the edges of his eyeballs.
I thought of turning him into a toad. Only then would I be a real witch in these Muggles' eyes.
"I'm thinking of throwing down my napkin and screaming to the world that you were attempting to seduce me." It sounded like a lie to my own ears, even though I thought it wasn't a half-bad idea.
He started to laugh, attracting more attention to us. I hoped that all these onlookers would also see the fury inscribed across my face.
"You probably would have done that anyway, Miss Black." He sounded far too cheerful. "Except that I'm treating you to a meal." Now he lowered his voice. "One that you seem to have needed."
Damn him! Damn him to Hades and back! I'm sure the man would even find a way to send Hades begging for mercy. I had to escape his presence, even if it meant missing dessert (and they made such nice cake at the Palace).
Of course, I made sure that my plate was clean before throwing my napkin on it in anger.
"Thank you for the meal, Moody." I rose from my chair with all the grace I could muster. "However flawed the company."
He rose and bowed gallantly. "The pleasure was all mine, Miss Black."
I decided not to swear at him under my breath. He didn't deserve the attention.
Stalking out of the Palace while grumbling about annoying Muggles, I hardly noticed my direction until I found myself in the middle of Luxor temple. With a quick glance around to ensure that I hadn't been followed by Moody, or anyone else for that matter, I settled down for a nice evening stroll through Amenhotep's colonnade. Among the monuments of a bygone era, I was able to find a small degree of peace. There was something in this place, in all of Egypt, that made all my troubles worth struggling through.
I wandered until the sun vanished from view, forgetting myself in imagining the temple as it once had been. It really wasn't a long walk to the ferry from the temple, except for the fact that I'd probably missed the last Balidi Ferry to the village. The tourist ones ran longer into the night for those who were taking a moonlight stroll through the archaeological sites. But tourists travelled in herds, rather like sheep, and I was very much alone.
It seemed that I was more than just very much alone. I was absolutely and entirely alone in an isolated temple. Noises from the town were still present, but none close enough to provide comfort. Definitely time to go.
Walking towards the entrance, I began to feel rather odd. Something was out there, watching me, spying from a dark corner, and it was not human. It didn't feel right. Or rather, it felt right to me, recognizable as something magical, something remotely familiar. As far as I knew, there were no other witches or wizards closer than Cairo at the branch of Gringotts there. None of the recent tourists were of my kind; I could just tell if someone was a witch or wizard, even if they appeared in Muggle costume.
Biting my lip, I continued down the pathway between the rows of sphinxes. My hands were beginning to tremble as I imagined spectres leaping out from behind each stone. The eyes of each statue seemed to be watching my every move. It was like a very bad Muggle novel.
I reached into the folds of my blouse to retrieve my wand. Nothing. I'd left the damned thing in my lodgings. Wonderful. Pretty soon, I'd be another stupid Muggle woman, helpless in society. I'd have to take to stowing a knife in my boot or something like that. Even if I'd had my wand, when was the last time I'd used it? Did they go rusty over time?
A good spell to use on miscreants. Hmmm... Preferably not an Unforgivable (never actually tried one before). The body-bind jinx, perhaps? But what was the incantation?
Useless. Bloody useless. Just like a Squib.
When I finally reached the entrance to the temple, I kept my back against the wall, glancing about to try and see if anything or anyone was about. There were some carousers further down the street, singing bawdy songs; they'd be more of a hindrance than a help in that condition. Most of the houses were dark - just how late was it? I could have sworn it was just only sunset, unless the sun had taken a hell of a long time to set.
There was a whisper in the shadows. Nothing there. My mind must have really been going. Or the fear was getting to me.
With whatever it was out there watching me, I really shouldn't have been surprised. Beings like the one I thought it was had strange control over the world and over time. It wanted me in this place at this particular time.
Lumos would have been handy right now, if only to light my way.
One of the shadows to my left moved. I ducked out of the way just as a nasty-looking stick cut through the air where my head had been a moment before. Rolling on the ground, I avoided the next attacker as he - it had to be a he to carry a stick like that, damned phallic symbols - aimed a kick at my abdomen. The boots on his feet told me that I wasn't dealing with any petty thieves or beggars. These men meant business, not at all good. Drunks I could handle, but not professional assassins (dramatic, yes, but it sounded good). All I had was my bare hands. Everyone knew that Slytherins never fight with bare hands - that was reserved for idiotic Gryffindors - but they were better than nothing.
So I kicked back at the kicking man, right in the knee cap. The resounding crack was quite stomach-turning, but it did stop him from trying to impale me with his extremely large foot. Probably steel-toed, from the looks of it.
Before I could get my feet under me, I was slammed into the nearest wall, stunned.
"Well, well." He spoke with a slight accent, indiscernible above the roaring in my ears. "Just what we were looking for. A pretty one."
He began to laugh, the smell of his breath invading my lungs. Vodka, the really heavy stuff. A hand, too smooth to be that of a poor man - a tourist? another archaeologist? - ran down the sharp protrusion of my hip bone. The lack of curves made him hesitate a second; and there I'd thought skinny was in fashion these days. His partner was rising from the ground, swearing as he limped over to the wall, his breath heavy with pain.
One out of two wasn't so bad, after all. He'd be an easy one to crush... if I had my wand, that is.
Then something came to mind, an obvious thing that revealed how much of Muggle I was becoming. Apparition. Did it require a wand? No one had ever mentioned that it did. But would it work? That was the question. Even though I did have my licence, Father had never approved of using apparition in and around the house. He called it lazy.
A knife appeared in the hand of my attacker. I could hear the grin on his face as he brought the knife to rest against the flesh of my throat.
Even if I tried to Apparate, he'd slit me right open. That was not part of my long-term plans.
So I took the lady-like way out. I pretended to faint.
"Oy!" His cry split the silent night. He'd not been prepared for any weakness on my part. Interesting.
The knife departed from my flesh, giving me room to lift the heel of my boot in the direction of his groin. Thank Merlin for sharp heels. Practical at the best of times.
He gurgled, nothing more, but it was enough to give me the strength to push away from the wall, sending him tumbling into his fallen comrade. While they fell against one another, I bolted. At this instance, the boots were utterly impractical, slowing my pace, but I hadn't spent two years in this backwater without learning the labyrinthine street pattern.
I thought of presenting myself at the Winter Garden for assistance, perhaps medical help for the scrapes on my face and arms, but any reception there would not be worth the trouble. Like it rough, eh, Miss Black? Instead, I took the ferry, hiding in the shadows so as to keep away from prying eyes.
It was safe to say that I was very confused. I'd felt the same presence as was at the tomb; it was there in the temple, waiting for me. Yet I had been attacked by those men, not a magical thing. Those had been Muggles, certainly not wizards, who would have immediately taken advantage of my wandless state. At least one of them had been drunk, so it was likely that they were gentlemen on the town, looking for excitement à la Jack the Ripper.
No, no, that couldn't be right. It didn't seem plausible enough; there hadn't been any reports of crazed Englishmen hanging about.
A couple passed by my seat. I made sure to keep my face averted.
If the men had been thugs, they'd be decently-educated ones. Nice clothes, public school accents, imported liquor on the one's breath. Even the knife had been of good quality, un-knicked and well-polished. It was more of a possibility that they'd been sent after me, but by who?
Pain shot up my arm. The bastard had twisted it behind my back when holding me, and how I wouldn't be able to move it for a week. Damn him. Damn all men.
Could Moody have sent them?
I couldn't think of a motive. My brain was too weak to think of anything. Bath, bed, maybe a shot of that Firewhiskey to keep the nightmares away. I'd have a good few of those now.
When I reached by lodgings after a too-long walk, the first thing I did was not jump into the bath or reach for a nice stiff drink. No, I tripped over my blasted Persian rug, falling face-first into a chair. My face would look splendid in the morning.
"Sitt, are you alright?" asked a shy voice from the doorway.
The youngest son of my landlady stood there, watching me with gigantic eyes. I jumped up and felt my face flush with embarrassment. My day was going from bad to worse. Maybe I'd skip the drink, just to avoid the hangover.
"Fine, yes. Just tripped over the carpet." The words spilled out of me.
He tilted his head and looked down at the rug with curiosity, as though he expected it to explain things.
"Did it mean to trip you, Sitt?"
This boy was smarter than any of his siblings.
"It has a mind of its own." Perhaps the truest thing I'd said all day.
"There was an effendi to see you," he said, giving me a look filled with suspicion. Perhaps he doubted my virtue, too.
"What sort of effendi?" If it was Moody, I could safely ignore the message, whatever it was.
"What other sort is there?" he asked with a miniature sneer. "He looked like he comes from the same place that you do. All pale and sickly."
Moody may have been American in voice and manner, but he was too swarthy to ever be regarded as sickly. It could be another possible employer... or my attackers of tonight, looking for me here before trying the temple.
"Did this effendi leave a message?" Hopefully my voice didn't give away too much of my terror.
He reached out with a small folded piece of paper between his fingertips, as though unwilling to touch too much of its tainted surface.
"Thank you, Hassim." I passed him my final few pence.
He rolled his eyes and left the room at his usual shuffling pace, probably wondering why his mother had taken on such a poor lodger. It was something I often asked myself. She had more patience than a saint to put up with the likes of me.
As soon as he was out of sight, I leapt behind the desk and rummaged through the drawers until my hand came upon my wand. It was a rather pretty thing of mahogany, about ten inches long, with a very nice carved handle. Father had paid dearly for it, I remembered with a small frown when I saw a small dent in the wood. It felt better just to hold it again. No Muggle was going to get the best of me in a fight. Never.
Stuffing the wand in my pocket, I unfolded the letter, which was more of a short note. The penmanship was enviable, all monkish in style with clear letters, all smooth and sloping to the left. A lefty then. Legend had it that Slytherin himself had been a lefty. Good sign.
Its contents were even better. I smiled, pleased at the words.
Miss Black,
Forgive me for presuming too much, but I have been informed that you possess knowledge of this area and are in current need of employment. If you would be so kind as to meet me tomorrow at noon on the steps of the Winter Palace.
E. Cadogan
A job. The honest pleasure of that alone helped to alleviate the pain of today's numerous failures. I tried not to think of all the different forms of employment this Mr. Cadogan could offer, but instead imagined the clinking of coins and crinkling of monetary paper. Oh the sweet sounds!
The nightmares still came, the face of my attacker merging with whatever corporeal form a tomb guardian took (anything from Chimaera to Dementor), his voice emerging as an unintelligible whisper. I smothered my cries, then later my sobs, in the pillow. Choking on the feathers was worth the trouble.
Merlin, a job would do me good.
Track This Story: Feed
Write a Review
Get access to every new feature the moment it comes out.Register Today!


text:
Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Friday March 17, 2006 12:31 pm
MIT $100 Laptop Program Features Innovative Design for the World
Posted by Kristin Wenzel Categories: Design, Google, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop
The One Laptop Per Child program was started at MIT and features truly innovative and inexpensive designs, meant to make technology accessible to everyone, and put laptops in the hands of children and communities in developing countries, and rural areas all over the world. The program, backed by Red Hat and Google, would make use of bleeding edge innovations in the technology world, including wireless broadband, DVD capability, and flash memory instead of a hard drive. And, it's electricity-optional, since it charges with a manual crank, not unlike some emergency flashlights and similar items.
The proposed $100 machine will be a Linux-based, with a dual-mode display—both a full-color, transmissive DVD mode, and a second display option that is black and white reflective and sunlight-readable at 3× the resolution. The laptop will have a 500MHz processor and 128MB of DRAM, with 500MB of Flash memory; it will not have a hard disk, but it will have four USB ports. The laptops will have wireless broadband that, among other things, allows them to work as a mesh network; each laptop will be able to talk to its nearest neighbors, creating an ad hoc, local area network. The laptops will use innovative power (including wind-up) and will be able to do most everything except store huge amounts of data.
This project should be one to watch - it's great to see technology being put to a use that can contribute to the greater good.
Read More | One Laptop Per Child
Latest Gear Live Videos
- Subscribe:
- YouTube
- iTunes High Definition
- iTunes Standard Version
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.


text:
Form Builder & Payments
Survey your users, create and grow a mailing list, or collect new sales leads with this easy-to-use, fully-customizable Form Builder!
Free Features:
- Add up to 20 form inputs.
- Receive unlimited submissions.
- Inputs for text, dropdowns, checkboxes, email, date, and more.
- Expert templates or complete customization.
- Custom fonts, colors, borders, backgrounds, and 'thank you' message.
- Receive automatic email notifications.
- Accept payments through PayPal.
- Create recurring payments for subscriptions and memberships.
- Automatically store response data for analysis and export.
- Optional vs. required input fields.
- Built-in support for text in any language.
- Mobile responive design looks great on any device.
Premium Features:
- Add unlimited form elements.
- Allow users to submit files directly through forms.
- Lock, hide, reset, or redirect after submission.
- Block repeat submissions from user.
- Send email notifications to multiple email accounts.
- Statistics for traffic and page views.
- Eliminate all POWr logos and watermarks.
Check out more great plugins at POWr.io!


text:
As the indie-hit "The Kids Are All Right" rolls out across the country, there have been documented cases of folks confusing it with the iconic 1979 rockumentary by England's The Who.
There are some major differences. The rockumentary was actually "The Kids Are Alright" (missing one L) and didn't even mention the term "sperm donor." We could go on.
But one can understand the confusion. In fact, when PopcornBiz asked co-writer and director Lisa Cholodenko about the title similarities, she admitted she took some inspiration from the rockers.
"We kind of lifted it," she said. "It was a working title and it just kind of stuck. The more we wrote the film, the more it felt resonant."
Cholodenko even refers to older folks as kids, and the need for them to heal after hurtful events became all the more clear. The audience knows that everyone ends up in a different level of "all right" by the movie's conclusion.
"In the end I felt they are all kids," she said. "And in the end, I felt like, the kids are all right."
So there you have it. And while you have a true leather-jacket wearing rock stud in Mark Ruffalo and Annette Bening singing Joni Mitchell at the dinner table, you don't hear any Who song -- or even the fitting title track, "The Kids Are Alright." Too obvious.
"I didn't want to make it an overt homage," says Cholodenko. "When I think it out, the irony of the focus of that film and our film was kind of fun. But there's not so much a tie in."
We might disagree with Cholodenko there. Especially given Julianne Moore's use of rock concert t-shirts, and the key refrain, it would have been a great way to see the great movie out. But no doubt, cost would have weighed in as well. So better to just give a tip of the hat to the British rockers.


text: Universe of Stories Summer Reading ProgramName: Universe of Stories Summer Reading ProgramDate: August 7, 2019Event Description:Youth ages 0–18 are invited to participate in the Latah County Library District's Summer Reading Program. This year's theme is A Universe of Stories. The first day to register at any of the seven branches of the Latah County Library District is Thursday, June 6, and participants will have until August 8 to complete three Reading Missions.


text:
Saying that my four-year-old daughter does not come from a long line of technologically advanced people is an understatement. I offer the following true stories as proof.
In the early nineties, I acquired my first personal home computer of my very own. It was exciting, but I felt a little intimidated. I know that I resisted going to any sites such as Playboy.com for the first few days. At some point, however, it was time to find out what all the internet fuss was about. Fate played a cruel trick on me that day with a strike of malicious, unfortunate timing. Not more than ten seconds after going to such a site for the first time, I received my first on-screen message of "Your computer has performed an illegal operation and must shut down." I now know this has nothing to do with the government or decency laws. At the time, however, I experienced momentary panic and even unplugged my computer. I thought the police had been watching my online movements. I realized a little later that I was just being an idiot. Years later, I admitted this faux pas to a couple of friends and learned that I am not alone. One friend's father was once trying to play some sort of online game when he received this message. He ended up hiding in his garage, thinking law enforcement was on the way to grab him. This made me feel slightly better.
But back to my blood relatives. My own mother and father were very afraid of technology. One time, many years ago when I still lived at home, a twenty-something family member had come over from his apartment to use my parents' hose and driveway to wash his car. He left his beeper (yes, this was back in beeper/pager days) on my parents' table. It's unfortunate that I was not home and that he was outside when the beeper went off. My parents were alarmed and first did not realize from where the beeping was coming. Once they located the thing, they of course had absolutely no idea what it was and grew nervous. Long story short, they literally picked it up gently and set it in the middle of the back yard in case it was "going to explode or something." At some point later, my other family member came in and asked if my parents knew where his beeper was, thus solving the mystery.
Once I moved away from home, I had to return there any time the power had gone out because their VCR would reset in such a way that their cable tv was no longer coming in. There was a better chance of my mother accidentally discovering a cure for cancer while making chicken and dumplings than there was of them being able to navigate the VCR menu and fix the settings. I'm hoping that either Heaven is technology free or that you get some fantastic tutorial from St. Peter himself upon arrival or they may be floundering around up there.
I have an older sister who just recently added texting to her cell phone usage. She sent me her first trial text (which took her about a day to "type out"), and I responded with what I thought was a very simple reply, just to let her know I received it. I sent, "Texting rules!" back to her, as in "Texting is cool" or "Texting is good." I did not hear back from her but instead ran into her at a grocery store the next day. She said, "Oh, it wouldn't let me read the text you sent back. I think it thought there was something lewd in your text…it said something about breaking texting rules." It took me a second before I realized what had happened. She thought my statement of "Texting rules!" was some sort of warning from her cell phone company police. So, I explained it to her. I want to make it clear that these are intelligent, sensible people otherwise.
So, you would think my daughter would be in trouble when it comes to technology. However, she is not. I think maybe God decided to add some technology savvy into the DNA for any children born after, say, 1985. She seems to inherently understand devices. She can easily navigate through my mp3 player to use album cover art to pick the song she wants. I gave her a used digital camera to play with, and it took her no time at all to figure out how to switch between photos and recording moving video. I'm telling you; I dread the day when she can read everything on the tv guide screen because I'm never again going to get to watch anything other than children's animated shows once that happens. I'm considering holding her back from kindergarten for just that very reason! Then again, I should send her because you never know when my laptop could stop working, and maybe, just maybe, she'll know how to fix it.


text:
Lord Turner is the head of the FSA (that's the Financial Services Authority, not the Food Standards Agency).
If the Tories win the next election, he's toast and so is the FSA which will be abolished, its powers returned to the Bank of England.
So that's probably why he's giving strong views on taxing banks – the kind of talk that gets frozen out of polite society in the City, I expect.
The kind of reforms Turner suggests could save the capitalists from their chaotic system – but would hurt them in the short term by imposing costs to implement the regulation of apparently speculative or dangerous activities.
Transnational corporations are lobbying against proposed EU regulations on derivatives which would require deals to go through a clearing house.
In the UK, however, there's nothing tough planned for the transnationals. The government might be talking up food sovereignty, the transition to low-carbon manufacturing, and so on, but there's no plan to put the casino-capitalists on a diet.
Response to Turner's views are revealing:
The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, asks what would replace the City as a source of employment and tax revenues. So, at least he's willing to consider alternatives if laid out before him.
The Shadow Chancellor has remained silent. For obvious reasons. No one would believe a Tory Chancellor would crack down on big business.
London's buffoonish Mayor, Boris Johnson, is perhaps the only UK politician willing to leap to the defence of the City.
An unnamed London banker is quoted in the FT as saying "It is just illogical to want to shrink one of your most important industries," unless it happens to have led to the destruction of all your other industries, I suppose… He goes on to say: "If you want to turn London into a Marxist society, then great."
Yes, comrade. Great! Full marks for hyperbole.
"Saint" Vince Cable of the Lib Dems has welcomed what Turner has said, stating that that "competitiveness" arguments cannot be used to defend the status quo:
"If you are engaged in behaviour that is dangerous to the wider British economy, it is right some sectors may have to contract,"
However, Nick Clegg, the Liberal leader, has said that taxation would be unworkable as a way of shrinking the City as global agreement would be required.
It was interesting to observe President Nicholas Sarkozy of France revealing his tough plans for reform to bank remuneration – which will only be implemented if there's a global agreement. Which in political terms, is a win-win deal. If the rest of the world says non, he wins; if the rest of the world says oui, he wins.
What changes do I suggest, then?
Well, given that the financial services sector could not exist without the taxpayer support that has been given, the government should ensure that restructuring takes place with the following modest reforms:
* Voluntary redundancies only, and terms and conditions respected for the pay and pensions of bank staff on low- to middle-incomes. Workers in the financial services industry should not be made to pay for the greed of their employers.
* Executive pay, pensions, and other benefits should be capped at all financial institutions – even those in which the government has no shareholding. If executives want to flee elsewhere, let them – there are plenty of talented people willing to take their place and be justly rewarded.
* To prevent future banking crises, the nationalised banks should be mutualised rather than be privatised. Mutual financial institutions – the credit unions, building societies, and Cooperative Bank – have served their members/customers and behaved responsibly.


text:
Australia Sets New Overblocking Record: Aims For One Site, Takes Down 250,000
from the whoops dept
Overblocking is not a new problem -- over two years ago, Techdirt wrote about an instance where Homeland Security took down 84,000 innocent sites at a stroke -- so you might have thought that those employing this blunt instrument would take a little more care these days. However, things seem to be getting worse, not better. In Australia, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) has just scored a whopper:
The largest number of sites censored when attempting to block one particular site ASIC believed was defrauding Australians was 250,000. Of these, ASIC said about 1000, or 0.4 per cent, were active sites. It said the 249,000 other sites hosted "no substantive content" or offered their domain name up for sale, rather than hosting a fully-fledged active site.
I wonder how the ASIC established that 249,000 had "no substantive content". I can't believe it really checked all of them. And that's the big problem with overblocking: when huge numbers of sites get taken down by mistake, there's no way of telling what just fell off the Web, and what obscure but possibly important information is no longer available.
At least ASIC realizes that its current ham-fisted approach isn't acceptable:
ASIC told senate estimates in its opening statement that it was now examining how it could ensure only a site's specific domain name was blocked and ways it could alert the public to a site being blocked via a pop up page. It was also examining ways such a page could indicate why access was blocked and to whom queries could be made to dispute a block.
That's good, but maybe it would have been better if it had explored those options before shutting down nearly a quarter of a million innocuous sites by mistake.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: australia, copyright, overblocking, takedowns


text:
Description:HP 2TB 3.5-inch LFF SAS 6Gb/s 7.2K RPM
Midline (MDL) Hot-Plug Hard Drive
In G8 G9 (Gen8 Gen9) SmartDrive Carrier (SC) (as pictured)
Genuine HP serial number and firmware
Genuine HP Certified Hard Drive
Part Number(s)
Option Part# 652757-B21
SmartBuy Part# 652757-S21
Spare Part# 653948-001
Assembly Part# 625030-002
Model# MB2000FCQPF
Overview:HP SAS Enterprise and Midline Hard Drives deliver high performance solutions for hosting high transaction based applications. Available in HP hot plug carriers or non-hot plug. The HP SAS Enterprise and Midline Hard Drives come in both 2.5in (SFF) and 3.5in (LFF) industry standard form factors and are available in a variety of capacity points to meet a wide range of requirements. The SAS interface was designed and engineered for high availability, enterprise-class data storage where performance, reliability and data integrity are crucial.


text:
Former New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici Discloses Son Born in Secrecy
Former New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici told the Journal on Tuesday he fathered a son outside of his marriage over 30 years ago, revealing a secret kept for decades.
Statements given to the Journal by Domenici and the son's mother, Michelle Laxalt of Alexandria, Va., identified the son as Adam Paul Laxalt, a Nevada lawyer. Michelle Laxalt formerly was a prominent government relations consultant and television political commentator in Washington, D.C. She is a daughter of former U.S. senator and Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt.
"More than 30 years ago, I fathered a child outside of my marriage," Domenici said in his statement.
"The mother of that child made me pledge that we would never reveal that parenthood, and I have tried to honor that pledge and so has she," Domenici said.
I don't have much respect for that pledge, given that he only told his wife 'several months' ago, and his eight other children were denied knowledge of a half brother. Also, Domenici made a rather big deal over Clinton's dishonesty, which makes Domenici a first-class hypocrite.
You may need to 'answer a question' to read the rest here, instead of registering: » Ex-Sen. Domenici Discloses Son Born in Secrecy
I'm trying to wrap my brain around Domenici and daughter of another gop senator. Translation: NOTHING surprises me anymore in politics
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) February 20, 2013


text:
REVIEW: Toy Story 3: Special Cliffhanger Edition
A new correspondent, Shawn, submitted the following exclusive:
I'll start by saying I haven't watched Toy Story 2 recently enough to do the Pixar rankings everyone likes to do. In Toy Story (1995), we met Woody, Buzz and the gang, and Toy Story 2 (1999) was a rescue Woody/Buzz Lightyear's father story. They are all stories of friendship, loyalty and one's place in a world of humans who don't always maintain these traits. True to form, Toy Story 3 is a continuation of these themes. The movie is essentially answering the question of how different types of toys deal with their prime directive of be-played-with-and-make-their-owner-happy as times and people change.
So anyway, since the last movie ended Woody, Buzz and Co. have been concocting schemes to get now college-aged Andy to play with them. For example, they steal Andy's phone and put it in their toy box so that when he calls it, they're right there. While cleaning and storing for college, Andy's mom accidentally puts the toys on the curb for trash collection. They eventually end up in a box bound for daycare, believing Andy abandoned them even though he actually intended to put them in the attic for safe keeping.
At this point, the plot is set in motion as their eventual conflict with Lot-so-Huggin' bear is set up. Lot-so is the don of Sunnyside, a repository for older, once loved toys. At Sunnyside, toys fulfill their earthly wish for playtime. The rub is, Lot-so runs the place and puts newcomers with the 3 year olds in the Caterpillar Room. The Caterpillar Room is the AAA affiliate of Lot-so's room of older, gentler children. When you first arrive, you're put it in there and you can basically expect to get beaten up everyday. Whoever plays the game and survives Caterpillar gets called up. Once in the other room, one can expect to live out a sweet life with the elite. When the not so savory parts of Lot-so's operation come to light, the gang needs to act.
In my opinion, the movie is another success for Pixar. It has the heart, but isn't the least bit heavy handed sentimental, which it easily could've been. The introduction from the director before the movie talks about he made this movie with individuals my age in mind. I was 6 when this movie came out and it was one of, if not the first, movies I saw in theatres. His thesis was that Andy and the college students in the audience had almost parallel trajectories. Marketing gimmick? Maybe. I don't much care because it is effective in enhancing how I frame the movie. It continues the Pixar tradition of making kid's movies that don't feel like kid's movies.
The best part about the movie is that it assumes its audience has a connection to these characters and the universe they live in, thereby needing no introductory fluff. Standouts moments from the story include the opening train heist scene between Woody and Potato-head, the Sunnyside henchmen and factory reset Buzz.
Truly, the only gripe I had was a small one with the introduction of Ken, of Barbie fame. By any normal standard he's a funny minor character and he works in the context of the movie, but I couldn't help thinking that he was a bit Dreamworksian. I could see Ken in Shrek. If that's my only problem with the movie I'm guessing I'll call it a win. Randy Newman music is obviously present but only in "Friend In Me" form.
I guess it goes without saying that the animation in TS3 is fantastic and I can only imagine how much better the eventual 3D release will be. I didn't notice any moments in the movie that were built for a pop-out 3D moment so I can assume that it will be well integrated into the movie.
But wait, Shawn, doesn't any self-respecting reviewer always criticize endings? Well, the cut of the movie I saw was called the Cliffhanger Edition because they apparently weren't done mixing the movie. I saw 70 of a possible 85 some minutes. Therefore, the movie cut to black right before the grand mission was about to jump off so I really can't say whether they succeed in emancipating themselves from Sunnyside. I can, however, with my history of cinematic analysis, project the most likely ending.
Lot-so sees the writing on the wall and assembles all of his cronies to stop the exodus. Upon seeing Woody leading the charge, he pulls out his sword. Woody enters a Mecha and catches the sword just as it swings toward his head. Lot-so isn't sure what to do, so he shoots his grapple and we're led to believe he's gone. Of course you were led to believe that, but the problem is that he jumps back into frame and is Robo-cop. Woody, knowing he needs to finish Robo-Lotso off before the place explodes, runs toward the top deck of the ship. He climbs the mast and drops a moon-rock on Lot-so. There's lots of smashed toy blood. The end.
Thanks Shawn!
Ryan said,
Perfect Pixar ending. Love the term Dreamworksian.
Shawn said,
I don't want you to think I didn't like the character or think he was funny. I just think he came across as Dreamworksian.


text:
Business News of Monday, 26 November 2012
Source: Economic Tribune
One of the main challenges bedeviling the smooth operations of the country's Factories Inspectorate Division (FID) has to do with poor government funding.
The FID, mandated to inspect factories, shops and offices with the aim of safeguarding the health, welfare and safety of persons employed within or around the premises and issue licenses for the operation of business in such premises, often compromises its duty due to a lack of adequate funding, leading to disasters such as the collapsed Melcom shopping mall.
Economic Tribune's investigations revealed that budgetary allocations for the FID for 2012 were a mere GHC1, 700, even though user fees paid by applicants to the department exceeded GHC12, 000.
Compounding the challenge of inadequate funding, it was not until July that funds from government, in the budgetary allocation for the year, were released thereby hampering the timely issuance of certificates for approved applications.
"We often use our own money for our inspection rounds and have to wait for long periods to be reimbursed because our budgetary allocations do not arrive early," an officer disclosed to Economic Tribune, who asked not to be named because she does not speak for her organisation.
Some businesses operating in Accra disclosed that their application for the Factories, Shops and Offices Certificate often took months to obtain. A certificate is valid for a year and expires on December 31, 2012 each year notwithstanding when it was issued or renewed.
Ideally, it takes about 14 working days for the entire process of application to issuance of the certificate to be completed; however, this is subject to how soon queries and recommendations raised by the directorate are dealt with by the applicant. A certificate is required before a business commences, however, if business has already commenced, an applicant may still make an application for a certificate.
The application process itself is not complicated. The application form costs GHC 5.00 and processing fee is GHC 150.00 and an applicant has to complete the form, which can be obtained from the Regional office of the Factories, Offices and Shops Inspectorate and submit same with a building or structural plan of the premises which are then reviewed by the inspectorate.
When an application is made under a situation where the business had already commenced, the inspectorate inspects the property and if necessary makes recommendations for structural changes before business can continue.
When all necessary recommendations have been made the application is then forwarded to the head office for a certificate to be issued.
The Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF), earlier this year, with support from Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Funds commissioned a study into cross-sectoral licensing and permits requirements as an advocacy action to help regulators become more efficient and proactive in the delivery of their services to business operators, so as to remove the negative impact on the operations of the business community.
The study identified a number of challenges and lapses including the fact that the FID has no online application system thus making its procedure cumbersome.
It also has inadequate offices across the country to undertake timely inspections at the local levels, which is compounded by inadequate personnel to conduct inspection of applicant's premises
There was also periodic loss of documentations due to improper record keeping, as well as, limited contacts between the inspectorate and other agencies, and virtually no public education or awareness creation.
The PEF study recommended that, importantly, the department should be allowed to keep a percentage of the user fees paid by applicants to enhance internal operations in order to provide better and expedited services to the business community but not pay 100 percent of the user fees into the consolidated fund. Secondly, review of fees should be done in consultation with stakeholders.
It also recommended a general use of technology to speed up service delivery and creation of a one stop shop portal; precisely, online application or e-application platform, the creation of data base for research and analysis, and the need for an electronic notification system of application status.
There also should be the creation of more offices in the regions and districts to conduct inspections at the local level, while the Agency must adopt a Career development programme to attract young professionals.
The PEF study also noted that the FID needs to embark on numerous public education, publicity, and training of applicants on the various application procedures so as to eliminate confusions and other reasons for compromising on adherence to safety standards, thereby exposing workers and other users of the premises to avoidable dangers.
Send your news stories to and via WhatsApp on +233 55 2699 625.


text:
San Francisco Top Models & Talent Agency represents actors and "real people" for national TV, print, feature films, special promotions & more. Based in San Francisco, SF Top Models & Talent Agecny works internationally. We have two decades experience as a SAG/AFTRA talent agency for children and adults. We also specialize in Asian, Hispanic and multi-ethnic. Union and non-union talent are available.
Francisco Top Models & Talent Agency works with top corporations, advertising
agencies, and Hollywood and independent motion picture and TV
production companies. Please contact
us about representation or find out how San Francisco Top Models & Talent Agency
can help talent coordinate your next project.


text:
Presentation on testing frameworks
It's testing week in the Software Carpentry course. To commemorate the occasion, I've uploaded a presentation I gave a couple of years ago to evangelise the use of testing frameworks to make your life easier. Just for you, I've recorded an all new audio track to accompany the slides. The example uses MATLAB but the principle is applicable to any language.
A legitimate use for the stupidest variable name ever
The help page to
make.names describes how to make a valid variable name in R:
A syntactically valid name consists of letters, numbers and the
dot or underline characters and starts with a letter or the dot
not followed by a number. Names such as '".2way"' are not valid,
and neither are the reserved words.
What it doesn't tell you is that you can generate invalid variable names and still use them perfectly well, with a bit of trickery. To create and use such "invalid" variables, you enclose their name in backquotes.
`an invalid variable` <- 69 `an invalid variable`
You can get even more pathological, if your mind is suitably fiendish.
`FALSE` <- TRUE `...` <- "ellipsis"
The last example illustrates a danger of using these silly names. Printing
`...` throws an error, though you can retrieve the contents of the variable using
The main use of these silly names is for writing obfuscated code, so the first-person shooter you're writing in R looks like just another routine data analysis to your boss. However, I did recently find a use for what is arguably the stupidest possible variable name: a single space.
Sometimes when you view a CSV file, it is easier to see things when you have a bit of white space. Adding blank columns can provide such utility. The trouble is, since these columns have no real use from a data analysis perspective,
write.csv doesn't give you the opportunity to create blank columns willy-nilly. Here's a little hack to do such a thing. In your data frame, include a column with name
` ` and value
dfr <- data.frame(x = 1:5, ` ` = NA, y = runif(5), check.names = FALSE) write.csv(dfr, "blank column.csv", na = "")
Is this easier than right-clicking the column header in the CSV file and selecting Insert? Probably not, but doing things in code is always more satisfying.


text:
Persistent hot weather in Southwest Colorado has forced American Eagle, US Airways and United Airlines to decrease passenger loads on certain flights leaving the Durango-La Plata County Airport recently.
Ten people on Sunday night and six Monday night were bumped from their seats and shuttled to Albuquerque to be booked on larger aircraft, said David Galus, owner of Buck Horn Limousine Service. Several other passengers returned to Durango until a later flight could be found.
All diverted passengers were volunteers and received ticket or cash vouchers from their respective airlines.
If you arent in a hurry to get somewhere, these can be a good deal, said Ron Dent, director of aviation at the airport.
Low air density is to blame for the complications.
Hot temperatures, among other atmospheric conditions, make the air thinner, raising what is called density altitude.
Durango-La Plata County Airport sits at 6,685 feet above sea level, but with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees, conditions are mimicking those in Leadville, about 3,250 feet higher in elevation.
The plane thinks its taking off at 10,000 feet, Dent said.
When density altitude is higher than physical altitude, it becomes more arduous for a plane to take off. Diminished power production in the engine slows runway acceleration, the wings dont give as much lift, and the plane climbs at a slower pace.
As a result, some aircraft require a lighter weight load fewer passengers to operate safely. Alternatively, airlines can reconfigure their schedules so planes depart during cooler hours of the day.
Upcoming fleet changes could limit the need for diverted passengers.
Dent said the airport is expecting a new assortment of planes for its United flights in late August: 700-series regional jets built by Canadair and a Bombardier Q-400 turboprop. They carry 25 more passengers than existing jets and are not as weight-restrictive when it comes to heat.
Dent said the airlines are taking every measure to prevent diversions, but are left with few options given the scorching weather and full flights during tourist season.
Integrating the revamped fleet should help.
They are more efficient, have more seats and are better performers under hot and high conditions. With the new mix of aircraft, I think well be all right, he said.
Until then, passenger diversions remain a possibility as long as the heat lingers.
Following in the footsteps of a warm winter and spring, June temperatures in the county have consistently stayed 5 to 10 degrees above average.


text:
Alec Baldwin announced that he has donated another $250,000 to a Hamptons based organization, this time the Hamptons International Film Festival. Mr. Baldwin currently serves on the board of the Hamptons International Film Festival and has been on it since the festival began.
In may, Alec Baldwin donated $250,000 to Guild Hall in East Hampton, totaling a grand figure of $500,000 in cash to arts in the Hamptons, as well as the priceless amount of attention he draws to the arts in the area.
The film festival begins in early October.
Last night he hosted the Guild Hall's SummerDocs series in East Hampton, which started with the film, "Page One: Inside the New York Times."
He spoke on stage after the film with New York Times editor Bill Keller and reporter David Carr for a Q&A.


text:
Original Trinity Hymnal, #638
Holy Spirit, hear us;
Help us while we sing;
Breathe into the music
Of the praise we bring.
Holy Spirit, prompt us
When we kneel to pray;
Nearer come and teach us
What we ought to say.
Holy Spirit, shine thou
On the book we read;
Gild its holy pages
With the light we need.
Holy Spirit, give us
Each a lowly mind;
Make us more like Jesus,
Gentle, pure, and kind.
Holy Spirit, keep us
Safe from sins which lie
Hidden by some pleasure
From our youthful eye.
Holy Spirit, help us
Daily by thy might,
What is wrong to conquer,
And to choose the right.
Page number: Blue 638, Right-Click Here to Download MIDI File
|© 2020 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Chaplains and Military Personnel


text:
Get started checking out restaurants and food - you will
have an option to create an account at checkout if desired.
Enter Your Address
We offer delivery and takeout for this restaurant.
Delivery Change
2020-08-04 at ASAP
Address Change
You currently do not have any items. Please add items to your cart before checking out.
Sunday - Thursday: 3:30pm - 11:30pm
Friday & Saturday: 3:30pm - 12:00am


text:
Antitrust Case Filings
Antitrust Case Filings
To filter the list of cases, select desired options from the left navigation pane.
View the list of NAICS and SIC industry codes used by the Division. To view all industry codes, visit Census.gov.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
|Case Open Date
|Incident Date
|Case Type
|Federal Court
|Industry Code
|U.S. v. Standard Oil Co. (New Jersey) and Potash Co. of America
|October 22, 1964
|Civil Merger
|New Jersey, District of
|Potash, Soda, & Borate Minerals, Potash, Soda, and Borate Mineral Mining


text: Lionel is an American icon. Kids know Lionel, parents know Lionel, and even grandparents and many great-grandparents know Lionel! Just like the railroads themselves, Lionel is an integral part of American culture and history. Even for those who haven't touched a Lionel train in years, just the Lionel name alone evokes fond memories of childhood. With our great selection of Lionel train products parents can now share those fond memories with their childrens. All Aboard!


text:
I read this article about one man's ten best college football experiences and I started thinking about my ten best UMass football memories. This list only contains games that I was actually in attendance.
- Attending the National Championship game against Appalachian State in Chattanoogna.
- Attending the 1978 27-0 win over Boston College and the largest ever crowd (20,000) at McGuirk.
- Being at the 1996 UMass-UConn game at McGuirk. UMass was down 38-19 with twelve minutes to play. UMass TE Eric Henry catches a Jeff Smith pass with 31 seconds left for a UMass win 39-38. Greatest comeback in UMass history.
- The Fly0ver at the Navy game. Two S-3's go over the stadium 500 feet up. And UMass played great football. The UMass band wows the Navy crowd.
- Being at the BU game at Nickerson field when Frank Alessio ran for 337 yards.
- Watching the Hatchell brothers beat UNH in both 2006 games.
- Watching Steve Lemay's 102 yard interception for a TD against BU.
- Watching Ben Albert score a TD and beat Holy Cross 7-3 and end their long home win streak.
- Watching UMass beat Lehigh 27-21 in the first FCS playoff game at McGuirk since 1977.
- Watching UMass crush UConn 62-20 in 1999. UMass played everybody except the student managers.
UPDATE: Just purchased two Texas Tech tickets from the UMass Athletic Ticket office! An honorable mention favorite UMass memory would be the Kansas State game. UMass led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and there were 60,000 very, very quiet Cats fans at the game.


text:
Welcome to the Moran Realty web site, your REALTOR for your Longville Lakes
Real Estate and Hackensack Lakes Real Estate Search.
Here you can locate information on the Longville lakes real estate and
Hackensack lakes real estate, just south of Walker and Leech lake where you
will find excellent water quality on the Woman Lake Chain, Little Boy/Wabedo
chain, Long, Ten Mile, Birch, Leech, Pleasant, Stony, Blackwater, Mule,
Mann/Baby/McKeown chain and other area lakes and Minnesota real estate
waterfront properties.
Moran Realty specializes in northern Minnesota lake homes, lake cabins, and
northern Minnesota lake lots. Our experienced real estate agents can assist
you in buying or selling lakeshore, lake homes and lake lots in the
Longville, Mn lakes area and the Hackensack, MN lakes area.
Here you will find local real estate information, and listings for Longville
lakes property for sale in the Longville and Hackensack lakes area, located
just 45 minutes north of the Brainerd Lakes Area and Whitefish Chain of
Lakes, and just south of Walker and Leech Lake.
Contact us for professional expertise. Whether you are buying or selling
real estate in the Longville/Hackensack area on the Woman lake chain, Little
Boy/Wabedo, Long, Leech, Ten Mile, Birch, Pleasant, Stony or surrounding
lakes, contact Moran Realty, and take all the advantages of a full time Real
Estate Brokerage that has assisted thousands of buyers and
Moran Realty REALTORS, a real estate brokerage of professional sales people
with a combined 50+ years of experience exclusively in the Longville lakes
and Hackensack lakes area, will put our experience and knowledge to assist
you in your property search. Located 45 minutes north of the Brainerd lakes
area, in the heart of lake country, it is worth the drive to discover the
beauty the Woman Lake chain and Longville Lakes and the surrounding area has
to offer!


text:
Rocky start costs Ross, Padres
Righty allows three Dodgers runs in first inning
SAN DIEGO -- It's no secret that runs can be scare at spacious Petco Park, although a lack of run support seems to travel with Tyson Ross just about everywhere he goes.
A disturbing trend from last season rolled into Ross' 2014 debut Wednesday as the Padres did not back the right-hander with much offense during a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers before a crowd of 27,498 at Petco Park.
"I was going a little too fast," Ross said. "Once I slowed down and found a rhythm, I was fine. But when you're struggling with your fastball command, it's always tough."
Ross allowed three runs in the first inning, as the first four batters of the inning reached base. The big blow of the inning was a two-run double by Hanley Ramirez.
"I thought Tyson's stuff was good, but he just couldn't command the fastball early," said Padres manager Bud Black. "… Then the slider wasn't quite there early. The first two innings, 50-plus pitches … he had to work hard to get those first six outs."
Dating back to last season, the Padres have scored one run while Ross is in the game in each of his last nine starts.
Ross was diplomatic about the lack of run support.
"You have to go out there and put up zeros," Ross said. "It's tough to come up to bat and you're down 3-0."
After coming back late to win the first game of the series on Sunday, the Padres dropped a 3-2 decision on Tuesday and then couldn't muster much offense against Dodgers pitcher Dan Haren in the finale.
Haren, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, allowed four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in his debut with the Dodgers, who are now 4-1.
The Dodgers got behind Haren early, as Carl Crawford doubled to start the game and then moved to third base when Ross was changed with an error on a sacrifice bunt by Yasiel Puig. Ramirez followed with a two-run double and Adrian Gonzalez added an RBI single to make it 3-0.
The Dodgers added runs in the fifth and eighth innings. Ross was gone after five, having thrown 100 pitches. He allowed three earned runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.
The Padres (1-2) got a run in the fourth inning as Yonder Alonso knocked in his first run of the season on a single to center field. But with two baserunners on, Haren struck out Jedd Gyorko and Will Venable to end the inning.
Catcher Nick Hundley, getting his first start of the season, had two of the team's six hits. Leadoff hitter Everth Cabrera added two hits, including a leadoff double to begin the bottom of the eighth inning. But Cabrera was stranded.
The Padres finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Wednesay and 2-for-23 in the series.
Some of that, obviously, had to do with the Padres' offensive shortcomings. Some of that had to do with the Dodgers' pitching, first Hyun-Jin Ryu on Sunday, Zack Greinke on Tuesday and then Haren.
"[Haren] threw the ball well, but I think we had some bad at-bats, some on my part. I could have at least had better at-bats in big situations," Gyorko said.
Black said he tried to challenge a call in the first inning on Puig's bunt, that Ross' throw beat Puig and Alonso's foot had not come off the bag. He came out after several seconds and informed first-base umpire Sean Barber he was going to challenge the call. But the next batter, Ramirez, was in the batter's box and Ross had the ball on the mound, and Black said the umpires, after conferring, told him that the challenge wouldn't be allowed due to "time constraints" and that "he took too long" to issue the challenge.
Black said he asked what the time constraints were, but he wasn't given an answer.
"I thought the message was to get the play right," Black said of replay. "I don't have a timer."
The Padres have an off-day on Thursday. They will open a three-game series in Miami at 4:10 p.m. PT on Friday at Marlins Park.


text: Boo Individually wrapped shortbread cookie £20.00 Quantity: [Choose]Box of 10Box of 25 (+£25.00)Box of 50 (+£65.00) Quantity: at £20.00 each Add To Basket Have a faBOOlous halloween with these cookies! Delicious shortbread cookies, hand iced with sugarpaste then individually gift wrapped for the perfect gift or favour. Our cookies are made using an egg and dairy free* recipe, meaning vegetarians and vegans can enjoy them too. In short, here's what's inside them: Flour (gluten), Margarine, Sugar, Sugarpaste icing, Neutral merjel (sulphur dioxide (E220)), Food Colouring. Need more information on the ingredients and allergens? *Take a look here for the detailed version. Stored at room temperature in original packaging, our cookies will last up to 2 months (although we're sure you will eat them by then).


text:
Schoepf Receives Harold Spitznagel Medal for Achievement in Art
Senior art major Sarah Schoepf (Tea, S.D.) has been awarded the prestigious Harold Spitznagel Medal for Achievement in Art, the highest award presented by the Augustana Art Department to student-artists who demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in all their artistic endeavors throughout their Augustana careers. The award, which was presented earlier tonight during the opening reception for the 2013 Senior Art Show in the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery, is only bestowed occasionally and has been given only twice since 2007.
Schoepf left her private practice as a graphic designer to come to Augustana to complete her bachelor's degree.
"It was not until I enrolled in my first painting class at Augustana that I would find myself being sent in an entirely different direction," said Schoepf. "From the moment I started to paint again, I felt an awakening of my true purpose. I knew it would require me to make many sacrifices in order to achieve that purpose, and I took a leap of faith and started parting ways with my major clients."
View Photos
View photos from the opening reception.
She majored in art, electing to complete the 60-credit-hour pre-professional art major. Although she focused in painting, she also explored additional media, including printmaking and sculpture. The Art department faculty all noted that her willingness to be a beginner, to try new processes, and to take risks was an important quality in Schoepf.
"One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my art and in my life is there is no growth without risk," explains Schoepf. "You do not bring your work to the next level without taking serious chances."
"Sarah is just one of those hard workers," said Art Professor Steve Thomas. "She has managed to achieve a great deal while preserving her sense of grace, her sense of dignity and her sense of humility—she is a terrific inspiration."
Tom Shields, professor of painting and graphic design, worked with Schoepf extensively throughout her Augustana career.
"Sarah has maturity, a willingness to take risks, a high threshold to satisfaction with her work, and the all important work ethic," Shields said. "She not only has a very high level of energy, but she has the all important attributes of learning quickly from experiences, exhibiting keen self-criticism and feedback on work in progress as well as completed work."
Shields also recognized Schoepf's leadership and communication skills.
"She became my 'teaching assistant' in every meaningful way, sans the official title," he said. "Not only does she give excellent advice to other students, both beginning and advanced, but during group critiques she has been over the years the most consistent leader of all our majors. Her verbal skills in communicating the visual language and her insightful ideas in giving constructive criticism are highly developed."
Fellow students also felt the same way. Many have noted that she was highly approachable and personable, and they would freely approach her for critique of their work. She always gave detailed and constructive feedback, but in a way that still allowed room for individuality and stylistic differences.
While Schoepf left her private practice, she did not leave her graphic design work behind. While a student, her design for the Sioux Area Metro was selected and now adorns the Sioux Falls transit buses. Schoepf and Augustana art graduate Regina Brunz ('12) together designed wine labels for White Headed Robin Winery in Viborg, S.D. Most recently, Schoepf's shirt design was chosen for the 2012 Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival
"With each day and sleepless night that I am in the studio, I have continued to grow as an artist and exceed beyond what I thought was imaginable," Schoepf said.
View photos of the 2013 Senior Art Show opening reception.
The opening reception for the 2013 Senior Art Show in the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery.


text:
Whatever you are looking for, East Grinstead probably has it.
As a not for profit organisation we list free of charge all the businesses in the town (any missing will soon be added) to help residents and visitors keep things local.
Award-winning estate agency Connells was founded in 1936 and is one of the country's leading estate agents with a network of 171 offices throughout the Midlands and the South of England.
We take pride in providing customers with an efficient, personal service and we are committed to making your move as stress free as we can. Our team is knowledgeable about the local area and housing market, so we can offer advice on things such as local transport links, schools, amenities and facilities.
Connells has developed a comprehensive range of services where, as well as helping with your property sale and purchase, we can also sort out your mortgage, set up insurances such as Buildings and Contents cover, help you to produce a Will, arrange surveys and valuations and deal with the legal side of the transaction through Connells Home Conveyancing.
Connells has won numerous national and regional business awards year after year. In 2011, the Connells Group won Gold for Best Large Estate Agency and Best Financial Services at the Estate Agency of the Year Awards. These awards prove that Connells consistently performs to the highest level in any type of housing market.


text:
Score(redirected from knowing the score)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
Special Claim on Residual Equity (SCORE)
A certificate that entitles the owner to the capital appreciation of an underlying security, but not to the dividend income from the security.
In the United Kingdom, a slang term for 20 pounds.


text:
Performance Review
Coming Home to Chekhov
Seasoned Actress Sobel Directs "The Seagull"
The stage is a scuffed square in the middle of a black-painted room. Rows of chairs rise around it, bleacher-style, on all four sides. No curtains or fancy sets divide those watching the action from the action itself. This is the Vortex, Albuquerque's highly regarded community theater now in its 36th year—and, as it happens, a fitting home for the stripped-down intimacy of Anton Chekhov's classic drama-comedy, The Seagull.
Performance Preview
Bombshells of Burlesque at the Kimo Theater
The art and grandeur of burlesque is at its best when it's "classy," when sexy ladies in illustrious, vibrant costumes can entertain and entice you, as the world of the mundane drifts far into the background. That's the impression given by Gypsy Louise, burlesque legend, hall-of-famer, and performer in the 7th Annual Southwest Burlesque Showcase at the Kimo Theater this Friday and Saturday night.


text:
Upload Your Image
Digitally Printed Glass Splashback
Each digitally printed Glass splashback, is UV printed directly to Low Iron Toughened glass,this ensures that the image we print to the glass displays a crisp,high resolution image.
- Description
- Additional information
Digitally Printed Glass Splashbacks
Our toughened Digitally Printed Glass Splashbacks are manufactured using "Low Iron Glass" as standard. This is a premium glass type which has a lower "Iron" content in the glass, It is the Iron content that puts a green hue into ordinary glass – Using "Low Iron" glass will ensure that the image we print onto the glass will not be marred with the green hue..
- Toughened Glass
- Heat Resistant
- Large Sizes (Available)
- Bespoke Shapes
- Cut outs for Sockets
- Exclusive appearance with a magnificent depth and clarity
- Highly Polished Edges – with neat 1.5mm bevel to the face.
- Easy Clean Coating – 3M Easy Clean Coating
Additional information
|Image Category


text:
Easy links to Lefthand Networks software
As we have a site with HP Lefthand iSCSI san, today I checked for upgrades but…the "check for upgrade" of CMC console just can't connect to ftp.
So, I tried the hard way: looking for patches on HP website. If you have ever looked for something on HP website, you know that it's just no so "user friendly"…
Well, I think that now is easier to find patches for the Lefthand: go to http://www.hp.com/go/p4000 and select "HP Support & Drivers".
But I needed also the new SAN/iQ …that is not present on that link.
After looking here and there I found a really useful collection of direct (and easy!) ftp links to the various version here:
Also on the same blog I find this other interesting page:
Update: I've also found another interesting site about the new network raid feature os SAN/iQ 8.5:


text:
Core Dj Wrekk 1 Presents G-Fresh (Feat. Young Tone) - On My Momma [Unsigned Hype]
Core Dj Wrekk 1 Presents MUNKI BOI RECORDING ARTIST G-FRESH From H-TOWN TO NAPTOWN SONG TITLE "ON MY MOMMA"
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
Nokia 1800,1616,1280 Local
Mode Problem Repairing
Solutions are available in the
following article. Also you will
find Nokia 1800,1616,1280 Test
Mode Solution and other
repairing information in the
diagrams further in this post.
In Nokia 1800,1616,1280 Local
Mode or Nokia 1800,1616,1280
Test Mode problems occur
because of the Software
Problems, in some cases it may
be caused by hardware problems
too. Whenever you get this
problem First thing you should
do is Flash your phone with
same or Latest Firmware of the
Cell Phone available at the time.
Then write a good Permanent
Memory(PM) file of your phone.
Then Do a complete Unlock and
check if the Problem is solved.
Before Doing any hardware
solution you should clean the
Motherboard of the Mobile
Please Note that we will edit
these solutions or add new ones
if found in this page at any time
in the future. So feel free to
come back any time on this page
to stay up to date.
If you have further Questions
please don't hesitate to leave a
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Nokia1616,1280,1800 Test Mode Local Mode Problem Solution
Nokia 1800,1616,1280 Local


text:
Platform-as-a-Service company dotCloud has combined its cloud knowledge base with its JavaScript pedigree to produce the logically named dotCloud JS, a new environment for the prototyping and development of web applications based entirely on JavaScript and HTML5.
Promising functionality resulting after "just a few lines of code", web developers are offered a curated selection (no less!) of cloud APIs, which are presented without the need to write backend code or worry about servers. The beta release includes APIs for data storage, real-time data synchronization, as well as integration with the Twilio and Twitter APIs.
"What the cloud needs right now is a 'starter pack'; an environment that is super-simple and lets you build new things very fast, without locking you into a proprietary straight jacket. That's what we're building with dotCloud JS," says Solomon Hykes, CEO of dotCloud.
Hykes details dotCloud JS' main features as a fully featured JavaScript SDK and an open stack — based on NodeJS, MongoDB, Redis, and websocke. The platform offers free deployment, with unlimited sandbox applications and what the company likes to label as a "complete ecosystem" of 14 cloud services via the dotCloud platform.
"With this release and our recent announcement of new pricing and support services, we are beginning to redefine the role of PaaS and its responsibility to developers and IT organizations," Hykes said. "Cloud platforms are now a legitimate alternative for critical business applications. The technology works and it scales. Smart technology leaders are looking for the right PaaS vendor that they can trust with reliability, long-term support, and compliance. That trusted vendor is what we're building."


text:
Adele would only lose weight if it affected her sex life.
The 24-year-old singer - who recently gave birth to her first child with partner Simon Konecki - is happy being her size and does not think she needs to change unless her health worsens.
She said: "I read a comment on YouTube that I thought would upset me 'Test pilot for pies' - but I've always been a size 14-16 and been fine with it."
"I would only lose weight if it affected my health or sex life, which it doesn't."
Karl Lagerfeld has previously criticised her size, saying that despite having a great voice she is a "little too fat".
However, weight woes are not the only problem in Adele's life - she is also terrified of audiences when she performs, and admits she once escaped from a fire exit to get away from them.
Speaking in new book 'Adele: The Biography', she said: "I'm scared of audiences. One show in Amsterdam, I was so nervous I escaped out of the fire exit. I've thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectile vomited on someone."
tagged in Adele Karl Lagerfeld


text:
Lufsen75 wrote:I won Game 12116386 That must take me up in the stats. =) GG all that were in it.
You're up to 11 points. Still some work to do...
benga wrote:traffic133 is deadbeating
Yes, and a few others, too.
Current Scores (Jan. 13th):
(For those who don't want to read the whole thing)
Top of the scoreboard:
Iron Maid remains on top with 30 points, but cwinslow with 26 and Benga with 25 are definitely moving up there!
Bottom of the scoreboard:
Four more player have been eliminated in addition to the two that were eliminated earlier. Prince Jazbo, traffic133, and crazycolin have managed to deadbeat themselves into the negatives. DaveH assassinate the wrong target and knocked himself down to -2. We therefore have 98 active players. Whydelilah, however, will not be invited this week, because he seems to be absent from CC for the last week. At present he still has a positive score in this tournament and is not eliminated, but that could change if he deadbeats one of his remaining active games. Anyway, for now I'm not inviting him, but it is without prejudice and he can return if he reappears. There will therefore be 97 invitations this week: 15 six-player games and 1 seven-player.


text: Arcuz is an Action Role Play Game (Like Zelda or Diablo). You fight with the monsters, train your hero, learn skills, search better weapons and equipments, compose new items using your creativity…and more! Don't be addicted! You got 18 different maps to discover, 25 quests to accomplish, 21 battle skills to learn, more than 10 types of monsters to kill, more than 100 weapons and gears to choose, and unlimited possibility of composition…Those are not all. We translated this game into 7 languages so half of the whole world can enjoy it! Hope Arcuz could bring you a lot of fun!


text:
White chocolate & ricotta cheesecake
Nutrition and extra info
- kcal484
- fat28g
- saturates15g
- carbs47g
- sugars33g
- fibre1g
- protein15g
- salt0.79g
For the base
- 50g butter, melted
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 150g digestive biscuit
- 50g amaretti biscuit
- sunflower oil, for greasing
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is made from pressing sunflower seeds and extracting the oil. It's usually…
For the filling
- 200g white chocolate, chopped
White chocolatewhy-t chok-lit
To purists, this is not chocolate because it is made only from the fat or butter of the cacao…
- 5 leaves gelatine
A colourless, tasteless and odourless setting agent made from the boiled bones, skins and…
- 6 tbsp milk
One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a 'complete' food…
- 500g tub ricotta
Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from whey and traditionally a by-product of…
- 300ml pot double cream
- 50g icing sugar
- 2 large eggs, separated
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
To decorate
- white chocolate curls
White chocolatewhy-t chok-lit
To purists, this is not chocolate because it is made only from the fat or butter of the cacao…
- pomegranate seeds
Now mainly grown in America, Spain, the Middle East and India, pomegranates originated in the…
- icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in a pan or microwave. Very finely crush the biscuits together, stir with the butter, then press very firmly into the base of a 20cm round loosebottomed cake tin. Bake for 6 mins. Cool, then wipe around the inside of the tin with a little oil on kitchen paper.
Soak the gelatine in water while you make the filling. Tip the chocolate into a bowl over a pan of simmering water, then add the milk. Gently heat until melted, then stir together. Squeeze the gelatine dry, add to the chocolate mixture and stir to dissolve.
Beat the ricotta, cream, sugar and egg yolks together. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites.
Stir the chocolate and ricotta mixtures together, then gently fold in the egg whites. Carefully pour onto the cooled biscuit base. Cover the tin with cling film, then chill until firm, preferably overnight.
To decorate, very generously top the cheesecake with the white chocolate curls, then remove from the tin, scatter with the pomegranate seeds and dust all over with icing sugar, if you like.
Recipe Tip
Prepare aheadThe cheesecake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep in the tin and cover with cling film. The chocolate curls will keep in a cool place in a plastic container for up to 2 days.


text:
Episode 200, June 23, 2014
Hosts: Paul, Shah, Lianne, Julie, Ryan, Harrison, Ted, Jesse
Title: The 200th Episode: Just getting warmed up!
York Universe began in 2009 with the International Year of Astronomy (called 'Live from York University' at the time). Over the last 5 years, we've grown from a couple hosts and a twinkle in our eye to a full team of motivated individuals, captained by our resident Australian (and Dundee lookalike) Paul Delaney. Now celebrating our 200th episode, we look back over the history, and talk about the future. In this episode we also feature 2 panel discussions: The Human Exploration of Mars and Life in the Universe. We've had a great time with every episode, and look forward to the next ones. Thanks for listening everyone, podcast and show notes below.
The 200th Episode: Just getting warmed up!
Episode 200, June 23, 2014


text:
Seasons have passed, and their second spring season is almost upon them… The "irregular" elder brother and his younger sister, who is an academic star. Their first year at Magic High School is about to draw to a close.
Tatsuya, Miyuki and the others have decided to spend their spring break at a certain private villa on Ogasawara Island.
Tatsuya and the others are making the most of their brief vacation. That is until a young girl named Kokoa appears before them.
She has escaped from the naval base, and tells Tatsuya her one wish…


text:
The first full-length trailer for writer-director J.J. Abrams' "Super 8" has finally arrived, bringing with it not an iota of disappointment.
When the first teaser dropped last summer, it looked fantastic, and this new clip builds on the action and drama. And it is absolutely brimming with imprint of Steven Spielberg, the film's producer.
And there's even an official synopsis:
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth — something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined."
The kids happen to be out on a shoot the night a train carrying some mysterious - and very angry - cargo for the U.S. Military gets derailed. Despite falling over on its side, the Super 8 camera catches most of the accident. But enough our blather, just watch it. The rest of "Super 8" opens June 10.