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This Wood Plank Headboard is a lot more boy-ish than a traditional headboard and let me tell you, a lot cheaper than buying something fancy from the furniture store. Connor finally has his bedroom set up and actually has a bed up off the floor to sleep in. It's easy to tackle a DIY headboard project. King Size Wood Flooring Platform Bed and Headboard with Built-in Lights and Outlets and Hidden Drawers for 400!. Down stairs bedroom with wooden floor rather makavumi.
Sometimes they achieve so great results that their personalized and unexpected headboards are much better that ones you can find on the showroom floor. I gathered for you the largest gallery every of headboard ideas that can help you find the one that will fit your bedroom. Find ideas for creating inexpensive custom headboards for your bedroom or your kid's bedroom. And today we take a look at how a wooden headboard can define, refine and accentuate the style of your personal haven!. Floor-to-ceiling headboards obviously draw more attention than their petite cousins and often create an imposing backdrop for your elegant, rustic bedroom.
Beautiful collection. Spacious luxury master bedroom with hardwood floor and area rug. A quilted headboard rests against a rich wood wall. Light hardwood floors complement the beige walls. As a backdrop for rest and relaxation, this headboard design can't be beat. The wooden floor completes the contemporary design of wooden art and its pattern is making the room even more spacious. On its center is a large bed with white framing and black tufted headboard with gray and black beddings, making it stand-out from the blunt all-white background.
169 So Cool Headboard Ideas That You Need More
It s just as fashionable when it s used in furniture applications like for a desk, dining table, headboard, mirror, coffee table, or even a set of shelves. Harzinski built this one-of-a-kind bed headboard using reclaimed walnut wood. The special skip-planed walnut boards were milled by Longleaf as flooring, so the boards were surfaced and cut with tongue-and-groove profile, making the woodworking assembly a breeze.


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Opelousas Museum
Exhibits cover prehistory, agriculture, home and family, business and professions, music, food and a Hall of Fame. One room is dedicated to the Civil War, and two other rooms house the Geraldine Smith Welch Doll Collection of over 400 dolls. The museum is also home to the Louisiana Video Collection Library and the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival Archives.
Other Historic sites in this state by Type | ||
Architecture, Historic | Battlefields | Buildings, Historic |
Churches | Districts, Historic | Forts & Military |
Homes, Historic | Hotels & Taverns, Historic | Museums |
Navy Ships | Parks | Plantations |
Records & Research |

subset: commoncrawl


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Saturday, June 24, 2017 will mark the 36th running of the Front Runners New York (FRNY) Pride Run. Since the inaugural race in 1982, the Pride Run has grown to become the largest LGBT sporting event in NYC and one of the largest worldwide. This event, organized by FRNY in collaboration with New York Road Runners, is an official qualifier for the TCS New York City Marathon and donates a portion of proceeds to a charity beneficiary.
Registration for the 2017 Front Runners New York LBGT Pride Run is open. Sign-up now as the race sells out every year.
Course Info
Mile 1: Start on East Drive just south of the 102nd Street Transverse and head north around the top of the park. Climb the race's toughest incline, Harlem Hill, before the 1-mile mark.
Mile 2: Continue south on West Drive through a series of three rolling hills between the Transverse and the southwestern edge of the Reservoir.
Mile 3: Run downhill for about a half-mile, then turn left onto the 72nd Street Transverse and pass Bethesda Terrace on your left at the three-mile point.
Mile 4: Turn left again and run north on East Drive. Pass the Boathouse, then climb Cat Hill to the four-mile mark behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mile 5: Continue north on a flat section past the bronze statue of New York City Marathon co-founder Fred Lebow near East 90th Street, then downhill as you approach the finish at the 102nd Street Transverse.
Bib Pickup
Numbers (which include your timing tag) and shirts may be picked up at the NYRR RUNCENTER at 320 West 57th Street (between Eighth and Ninth avenues) on the following dates:
- Sunday, June 18, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
- Monday, June 19, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 20, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Thursday, June 22, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Friday, June 23, 7:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m
On race day, pickup will be available at Race-Day Central from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Check back soon for a course map. If you pick up on race day, please be sure to allow yourself enough time to get from Race-Day Central to the start.
For more information about Bib Pickup and Bagcheck please visit New York Road Runners
Awards will be available to the top three men and women overall, as well as in age and gender groups as explained in this article. A list of all award winners will be posted in the results for each race.
Award winners that wish to receive an award plaque should complete our online claim form.
Team Prizes
Mens & Womans Prizes
Getting to the race
Follow The MTA's Weekender schedule to plan your race-day transportation.
If you bike to the race, please follow New York Road Runner's bike parking guidelines.
Social Media
Make sure you follow us on Social Media for the most up to date information
When you talk about the race, be sure to use the hashtag #FRNYPrideRun so we can see just how viral we can make this race.


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Located on Florida's panhandle, Destin is known for its picturesque beaches and fishing communities. The city has been called the "world's luckiest fishing village," and the state of Florida docks its largest fishing fleet in Destin's harbor. When traveling to Destin, guests can enjoy shopping, biking and various water activities, and the city offers an array of pet-friendly hotels for both short- and long-term stays.
Candlewood Suites Destin-Miramar Beach
Candlewood Suites in the Destin-Miramar Beach area allows pets weighing less than 80 lbs. with a non-refundable fee that is based on the length of stay: $30 for one or two nights, $75 for three to six nights and $150 for more than six nights. Guests are required to sign a pet agreement upon check-in and should check with the hotel regarding breed restrictions. The hotel is a half-mile from public beach access and offers complimentary wireless Internet, a seasonal outdoor pool and a 24-hour fitness center.
Residence Inn Sandestin At Grand Boulevard
The Residence Inn Sandestin at Grand Boulevard, a Marriott family hotel, accepts pets with a non-refundable sanitation fee of $100. The Residence Inn Sandestin also offers guests and their pets 1.5 miles of private beach access, and provides complimentary wireless Internet, a seasonal outdoor pool and hot tub, a game room, a library and a 24-hour fitness center.
Sleep Inn Destin
The Sleep Inn Destin is across the street from the Silver Sands outlet mall. Pet rooms are based on availability, with a pet fee of $25 per stay and a maximum of two pets. Pets may weigh up to 25 lbs. but their combined weight can not exceed 25 lbs. Because pet rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, reservations for those with pets must be made ahead of time to guarantee a pet-friendly room. Guests have access to a seasonal outdoor swimming pool and receive a complimentary continental breakfast. For business travelers, free high speed Internet and workstations are available in every room.
Village Inn Destin
The Village Inn Destin is within walking distance of many restaurants and tourist attractions. Minutes from the beach, the inn accepts small pets at a charge of $10 per pet per day. Travelers should call reconfirm the pet policy and ask about breed restrictions when making reservations. The inn is three miles from the nearest public beach and offers guests a seasonal outdoor pool and in-room microwaves and refrigerators.


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Long & Lean
A carryover trend from spring, this Chloé scarf is the perfect accessory to update any look and it won't break the bank. Saint Laurent makes a silk-chiffon version, too.
Knew I wouldn't find one near, so found silk crepe myself and had one made.
SueM August 26th, 2015 9:04 AM -
Just picked one up from Nordstroms Echo line. Loved the YSL version but couldn't quite swing the expense! Such a fun way to slip into fall.
Rhea August 26th, 2015 12:21 PM -
Skinny scarves must be having a moment, just last week I read an article on Vogue.com about the brand that's responsible for Kate Moss' rock star scarves (http://www.vogue.com/13297644/rockins-skinny-scarves-kate-moss/)
http://plaidismyfavouritecolour.blogspot.com/Sophia August 26th, 2015 2:07 PM -
A fun update, but in my mind not one to spend a lot on.
Lisa Mac August 27th, 2015 4:46 PM -
Both ASOS and Express sell a polyester version below $20, if you want to try this look.
Ellen August 28th, 2015 10:49 AM


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Goddess Foot Domination – Goddess Esmi – Sinus Treatment JOI
Posted in Dirty Talk on January 11th, 2017 by bdsm-club_supportYou're in need of a visit to a medical expert, and Dr. Esmi has an opening just for you. Her remedy for your stuffy nose is a bit.. unconventional. Goddess Esmi removes her sexy, black stilettos and forces you to inhale her dirty scent until your senses return. You'll take deep breath after breath of her stinky soles, covering your face with her odor and tasting the sweat from in between her toes. Your doctor knows best, and breathing in her sweet essence is the only treatment for your painful, blocked sinuses. You're her next patient. Are you ready for your appointment?
Read more »


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Quman Jibril Akli of Somaliland Focus quoted in the Guardian…. click here to read
Quman Jibril Akli of Somaliland Focus quoted in the Guardian…. click here to read A new post from Dr Michael Walls of Somaliland Focus… click here to read Somaliland Focus (UK) welcomes the attendance of a senior political delegation from Somaliland as a non-signatory participant at this week's London Somalia Conference Bearing in mind the long history of tension over the issue of recognition of Somaliland, the interest of the British government in having Somaliland's senior political representatives at the table is a positive step, as is the willingness of Somaliland's representatives to participate in an event bringing together key political actors from across the Somali region as well as international leaders. We hope the event can act as a springboard for a shift in international focus away fromSomaliaas a source of woe for the world and towards solutions that seek to offer lasting benefit and stability to Somalis themselves. Such solutions can only work in the long term by utilising local indigenous political and social institutions. Somalilandoffers many lessons in this regard. Since declaring independence fromSomaliain 1991 it has, through grassroots negotiation, defused fraught local rivalries to build a genuine democracy through a series of elections. In 2010, its presidential vote saw a peaceful and orderly transition of power, a rarity inAfrica, in an election declared free and fair by international observers. We thus urge participants in the conference to take note of the examples offered by practices in Somaliland in crafting a path forward forSomalia. WhileSomalilandcannot provide a transferrable model for peace, experience there demonstrates the importance of external support for locally-led processes. External military intervention has not served to promote Somali stability or development in the past, and cannot be expected to provide any more than interim stability in the future. There is, for example, a real danger right now that extremism which has plagued the south of Somalia could be displaced to Somaliland and neighbouring areas, and any decisions taken need to pay due attention to this risk. We welcome the UK Prime Minister's recognition that solutions to UK security concerns for the Somali areas must be built on local development. We urge his government and all those present at the conference to take this commitment seriously. Indigenously-based solutions require long-term engagement with localised groups, and demand willingness from international actors to engage with all groups who are able to demonstrate legitimacy at a community level, regardless of whether they claim religious or clan affiliation or both. Cecilia Milesi, chair of Somaliland Focus (UK) said: "Somaliland's quest for recognition is well-known. Less well-known are its efforts to build a state and democracy from the bottom up, with the recent launching of a national development plan showing how farSomalilandhas travelled. We urge all participants in this week's conference to learn fromSomaliland's example. Creative ways must be found to giveSomalilandassistance to keep following its path." NOTES TO EDITORS: Somaliland Focus (UK) was established in Londonin 2005 by a group of individuals with an interest in Somaliland. Founding members included a number who had worked as international election observers at the parliamentary elections in September 2005, as well as members of the Somaliland diaspora in the UK, and others with an interest in the territory. In June 2010, Somaliland Focus (UK) participated in the international election observation mission to Somaliland's second-ever presidential elections. Read about us at www.somalilandfocus.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @SomalilandFocus. For further comment, or to request an interview, please contact Cecilia Milesi at firstname.lastname@example.com, or Dr Michael Walls at firstname.lastname@example.com. …or lessons on some of the kinds that do (sometimes) A blog piece by Dr Michael Walls, outgoing SFUK chair, in response to media coverage of how Somaliland's lack of recognition supposedly has a bearing on the aid effectiveness debate. You can read the blog here. The below letter was sent by Somaliland Focus to Somaliland's Minister of Information, following reports about the lack of due process involved in recent arrests of journalists and closure of media outlets. The Committee to Protect Journalists' article on this subject can be found here: In Somaliland, crackdown on the press continues Ahmed Abdi Mahamud 'Haabsade' 17 January 2012 Dear Minister, We've been proud to be associated with the achievements of Somaliland. This is what moves us to write now, seeking clarification about recent arrests of journalists, the closure of Horn Cable TV, and the apparent lack of due process involved. We were frankly alarmed by reports that a large number of individuals associated with media organisations were targeted. It is extremely difficult to imagine a valid justification for such an action as the scale and scope of the arrests strongly suggest a political rather than legal motivation. We have complained in the past about threats from ministers and security personnel towards the chief editor of YOOL, a daily newspaper, following unfavourable coverage, and the arrest of Mahamud Abdi Jama, the editor of 'Waaheen', another daily newspaper and an award-winning African journalist, following articles which accused the government of nepotism. In January 2011, we are aware that he was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Following international protest (including from the Committee to Protect Journalists), he The latest actions seem to be far worse. They appear to be occurring on a greater scale, and as I noted above, this makes it extremely hard to imagine an adequate legal justification. We therefore call on the Somaliland Government to immediately and publicly explain the legal grounds behind these arrests and the closure of Horn Cable TV. Furthermore, we would like to understand how the government is ensuring freedom of expression in the country and the safety of media workers who hold the right to work As you know, the media is an important component in Somaliland's transition into a fully-fledged democratic state. There is a significant need for work on fully institutionalising the freedom of the media, particularly in such areas as making defamation a civil rather than a criminal offence. Actions against media were a regrettable hallmark of past Somaliland administrations and we are extremely disappointed to see this government continuing to employ such practices. Events such as these reflect poorly on Somaliland and make our task difficult in arguing that Somaliland is a democratising state when basic norms of media freedom are apparently violated. The UK Prime Minister's recent announcement of a conference on Somalia to be hosted by the UK presented an opportunity for us to lobby for greater recognition of Somaliland's achievements. This action makes that job extremely difficult. Yours faithfully, The fourth Hargeisa International Book Fair (HIBF) will take place on 22-26 July 2011. HIBF is the main cultural event in Somaliland and one of the largest public celebrations of books in East Africa. Every July, HIBF brings writers, poets, artists and thinkers from Somaliland and from all over the world to share and discuss their art and literary productions with the audience. The main aim of the festival is to promote a culture of reading and writing in the country, by producing and publishing high quality Somali literature and translating international classical literature, (including fiction, poetry and drama) into Somali. Redsea-online Cultural Foundation and its partners Kayd and Ilays, in collaboration with other Somaliland cultural organisations, present the 'moving library' tour as an integral part of the upcoming Hargeisa International Book Fair (HIBF) 2011. Taxation, Political Accountability and Foreign Aid, a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Development Studies by Nicholas Eubank from Stanford says that Somaliland's lack of eligibility for foreign aid has led to greater government accountability because of its dependency on local tax revenues. He argues that this has: "provided those outside the government with the leverage needed to force the development of inclusive, representative and accountable political institutions." You can read an Oxfam blog about the paper here: Is taxation better than aid for state-building? The case of Somaliland Somaliland: Change and continuity Report by International Election Observers on the June 2010 presidential elections in Somaliland This in-depth report, authored by Steve Kibble and Michael Walls, joint co-ordinators of the mission, goes into detail on the conduct of the mission and the presidential poll, and makes recommendations for the conduct of future polls in Somaliland. It details the huge role played in the mission by members of the Somaliland diaspora, and the wide support the mission had from locally-based organisations in Somaliland. After a peaceful election and transfer of power, May 2011 marks the twentieth anniversary of Somaliland's declaration of independence. At this event, participants presented the findings of the international election observer meeting, assessed Somaliland's progress over the past 20 years and discussed its future. The meeting launched both the observers report and the book Somaliland: the Way Forward. Participants were:
Women and young people are playing a key role in building a democratic society in Somaliland, says a report on Somaliland's 2010 presidential elections by the international election observation team. Sucaad Odowa-Nielsen, a member of the Somaliland diaspora in the UK who participated as an election observer, described the contribution of women to campaigning as "well-organised, resourceful and articulate in conveying party policy, not only in the country itself, but also in Somaliland enclaves throughout the world". Radio Live (New Zealand) interviewed Michael Walls and Conrad Heine of Somaliland Focus from Hargeisa just after the presidential election. Click here to listen. On August 4th 2010, Somaliland Focus chaired a meeting at Chatham House, at which Dr Mohamed Abdullahi Omar, Somaliland's Foreign Minister, spoke about the post-presidential election environment. We spoke with Dr Omar afterwards. As Foreign Minister in Somaliland's new cabinet, what do you see as Somaliland's main needs from the perspective of your new position, and what are your main priorities? Somaliland has enormous needs. From a Foreign Minister's point of view, I think Somaliland needs to be admitted to the UN and AU as a member of state, to have a fairer trade relations with the world, to access international financial systems and foreign investment and to contribute to the regional security. I will be taking a pragmatic approach to achieve these objectives. I will first focus on integrating Somaliland into the region and ensuring our voice is heard more loudly in Africa and will work on getting an effective co-operation with the UN and aid agencies. We seek a political and economic status that allows us to interact with the regional and international community freely and separately. We will also take a responsible role in addressing some of the prolonged conflicts in the region and ensure we live in peace with our neighbours. What are your plans and hopes for the relationship between Somaliland and its immediate neighbours – namely Ethiopia and Djibouti? We will continue to improve our relationships with the neighbouring countries. With Ethiopia we have security and trade relations for a long time and we are committed to that cooperation. Likewise with Djibouti, we have a good relationship. We have high-level delegations from both countries during our recent presidential inauguration. That is an indication of the existing good relationships. How do you propose to address the relationship between Somaliland and Puntland? And what about Somaliland's relationship with Somalia? We are willing to help Somalia where we can in bringing peace and security to that country. When stable and effective government is in place in Somalia, we can cooperate on matter such as security, piracy, trade and environmental issues. How do you hope to engage Somaliland with the various international organisations – African Union, IGAD, UN? We are now in discussions with IGAD about ways of integrating Somaliland into this regional organisation. Somaliland has a lot to contribute to the region- security, democracy, conflict resolution methods etc. With AU there are some issues to be resolved, which are now being dealt with. We have requested the UN to upgrade Somaliland's security level, taking into account of the recent successful and internationally declared free and fair election and the power transfer that was extremely peaceful. The question of recognition has been overaraching. But it may not be achieved. How should Somaliland address this reality? The search for a full political recognition will remain Somaliland's goal. But in the absence of this, the people of Somaliland will continue their journey to more peace, more democracy and more economic development. We will work with international community and with regional states in improving the regional security and we will work on generating resource to sustain the institutions and the systems we have put in place in Somaliland. What in your opinion is the chance of Somaliland achieving international recognition? I am optimistic that the people of Somaliland will achieve even more in the future and the cooperation with the world will increase too. Recognition will follow. Somaliland's Election: Reflections on the Result In association with Somaliland Focus, Chatham House hosted an event to discuss what the result in the presidential election means for Somaliland's developing democracy and international standing. Somaliland achieved a peaceful transfer of power from President Riyale to President Silanyo following its June elections, which were declared free and fair by observers. This is remarkable in a region known for conflict and where elections are often questioned by observers. Michael Walls, who was a key member of the international election observation team, discussed what the result means for Somaliland's developing democracy and international standing with Dr Mohamed Abdullahi Omar, Foreign Minister of Somaliland. The chair was Somaliland Focus member and IEO member Quman Jibril. A new president for Somaliland Somaliland's new president inaugurated in Hargeisa following final confirmation of June election results Progressio, the Development Planning Unit at University College London (UCL) and Somaliland Focus (UK)… |
Copyright © 2017 Somaliland Focus (UK) - All Rights Reserved |


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A friend of mine, Deb, whose husband works with Keith, put together this BEAUTIFUL quilt for Charlotte. She asked me to send a square to 26 people and assign each a letter of the alphabet. Each person (or family) was to put their letter on their square and decorate it any way they wanted. The end product is absoultely priceless!! Here are some photos of the quilt:
Two Ways to Add Journaling
34 minutes ago


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Front End Steering Rebuild Package KitPart Number: Moog-PackageDeal283Manufacturer: MOOGDiscounts Apply !5% Off Moog Package DealsPrice: $292.54
Front Strut Bellow / Bumper KitPart Number: MOOG-K90460Manufacturer: MOOGCovers Left or Right Side. Includes Bump Stop Price: $22.20
Front Outer Tie Rod End - Passnger SidePart Number: MOOG-ES3553Manufacturer: MOOGFits Passnger Side OnlyPrice: $36.29
Front Outer Tie Rod End - Driver SidePart Number: MOOG-ES3554Manufacturer: MOOGFits Driver Side OnlyPrice: $36.29
Front Alignment KitPart Number: MOOG-K90208Manufacturer: MOOGCam and Bolt Kit designed to adjust alignment in front wheels. Two Kits Required Per Vehicle.Price: $15.39


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Product description for Jetboil ZIP from our collection of Outdoor Sports & Fashion:
The Zip personal cooking system by JETBOIL is a simple and easy-to-use cooking system, featuring the same FluxRing® technology as the higher end systems, without the frills.
Rely on to provide hot food and drinks quickly and conveniently when you want them the most. Born from the original Jetboil PCS design, the Zip provides the essential function and features you expect from Jetboil.
The Zip is so compact and light-weight, you'll keep it on hand for day trips close to home and overnight adventures alike.
Pot Support and Jetpower fuel sold separately.
Dear customers,
with us you can save quite a bit!
On current seasonal goods, like products whose price has not been reduced, you can also save money by using the payment methods Paypal or cash in advance. During the checkout process, you are reminded about current savings for the products in your shopping cart so you're guaranteed not to miss any of our discount offers!
For the chosen product, we offer a list of savings.
If no discount is displayed, then the displayed price already includes the maximum discount available for that item. This is especially true of already heavily discounted items from our outlet and SALE range. For these articles, further discounts are available only for owners of the eXXpozed loyalty card.


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There are many things that Martha does, but Martha doesn't say sorry. When Martha discovers that cookies, piggyback rides, and hugs aren't for people who won't apologize, she decides it might be time to reconsider. And soon Martha realizes that apologizing isn't that bad. It can even be fun. Sometimes.
Click here to download a poster for Martha Doesn't Say Sorry!


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Horton Crossbow Legend Ul - W/Pkg 4X Scope
Legendary performance in an ultra-lightweight package born to drop any big game in its tracks. The Legend Ultra Lite combines a robust 175-pound bow assembly powered by 13-inch HL Limbs, with a lightweight carbon injected polymer barrel, all fitted to Horton's new ABX (Adjustable Bullpup Crossbow) Stock for personalized comfort and handling.
This product is sold out


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It All Started With A Yes! { News }
Posted by The YesBabyDaily Team on 30 October 2013
Win R40 000 in beautiful Sterns Bridal Jewellery!
Entries are closing soon for the amazing "It All Started With a Yes" Sterns Bridal Competition. One lucky winner will win a R40 000 Sterns gift voucher to purchase their dream engagement ring and all other jewellery requirements for their big day! What an incredible prize!
So today we're sharing the latest Bridal jewellery trends with you, to inspire you for your big day. We're also featuring the beautiful Sterns Bridal range to introduce you to a few of the lovely pieces you could pick if you win the prize! Enter the Sterns competition here.
Bridal Jewellery Trends - Unique Engagement Rings
Unique and unusual engagement rings are becoming increasingly popular. Add colour to your ring with precious gemstones or create a beautiful statement piece with lots of smaller diamonds instead of one large feature diamond! You can create beautiful geometric designs for a non-traditional engagement ring, think bold statement pieces!
A few beautiful rings from the Sterns range:
Bridal Jewellery Trends - Accessories on the Day.
If you're still deciding on accessories for your wedding day, there are a few popular trends you may want to consider!
Pearls - Pearls are a timeless and elegant choice for Brides and Bridesmaids. Choose pearls in beautiful shapes, glamorous designs and even in different colours!
Tiaras - Tiaras were re-introduced into Bridal fashion after Kate Middleton's exceptional Bridal tiara graced our TV screens and was splashed across the media. A delicate tiara can be the most amazing accessory for your wedding day!
Chandelier earrings - This season, chandelier earrings are bigger and bolder and have added details such as pearl drops and intricate designs.
Floral designs - This delicate and dainty jewellery trend is inspired by the natural beauty and shape of spring flowers. Gold is a popular colour choice for this fun trend.
Men's wedding bands - Men's bands are still simple and classic with various width options. The key trends for bands are a matte finish and alternative metals. Popular new metals include platinum, palladium, titanium, ceramic and tungsten. Tungsten is the most talked about new precious metal as it is tough and highly scratch resistant.
Find your perfect match at Sterns, explore their range below.


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Thursday, 3 October 2013
Day 1A of the PokerStars UKIPT London got under way yesterday and when the registration desks had closed a total of 246 players had anted up the necessary £1,100 to play the tournament. Amongst the droves of online qualifiers swimming around EPT London's new home in the Grand Connaught Rooms were some of Europe's top grinders, including Richard Trigg.
Flanked by the likes of Jake Cody, Vicky Coren and Mickey Petersen, Trigg was able to soar to the top of the daily chip counts after scoring a number of eliminations throughout the day. Indeed, it was during the last level of the day that he really made his mark on the tournament, eliminating Chris O'Donnell and nabbing the chip lead in the process.The hand started with Trigg 3-betting with Kh 6h from the button and O'Donnell calling with Tc 9s. After watching the flop roll out Qh Jh Kd a bet from Trigg was called by O'Donnell allowing the 4s to fall on the turn. After checking to the river a final heart caused a flurry of betting activity and when O'Donnell finally committed the last of his chips he was faced with the bad news that Trigg had an unbeatable flush. With that O'Donnell was sent to the rail and Trigg was able to rake in bumper pot and close out the day with 226,100 chips. Day 1B is expected to attract even more pros as the UKIPT continues to enjoy its best season yet. Day 1A Top Five Chip Counts:1 Richard Trigg 226,1002 Jack Salter 181,5003 Tom Langley 166,0004 Kenny Hallaert 150,3005 Henrique Pinho 134,700 Check out our recent interview with Richard 'The Claimeer' Trigg here.
Juicy Stakes has just launched a range of new online poker tournaments and is celebrating by offering a limited-time 50% re-load deposit bonus worth up to $100.
Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes are offering online poker players the chance to take part in the main event at the upcoming St Maarten stop of the TK Poker Tour for as little as $1.10.
The Winter Poker Championship Seefeld 2017 is set to kick off from February 16 and one lucky online poker player will be taking part after winning a prize package worth $4,000 into the Austrian extravaganza's main event at Intertops Poker on Sunday.
The Winter Poker Championship Seefeld 2017 is set to run from February 16 to February 26 and online poker players are being offered the chance to win a prize package into the Austrian tournament series' main event for as little as $3.30.
Sunday Six Max and Sundowner.
Intertops Poker and Juicy Stakes.
Amateur wins at Intertops Poker.
Juicy Stakes and Intertops Poker.
Poker's unassuming killer steps back into the limelight.
Meet one of UK poker's rising stars.
We talk to WSOP bracelet winner.
By Paul Oresteen.
Just keep smiling...
By Adam Slutsky
Pushing the envelope for a new poker generation.
Jeff KImber on fish.
So says Dara O'Kearney.
Dara O'Kearney looks at game thoery.
Dara O'K on bounty tournaments.
Rob Yong calls for competition.
A critical eye on the poker world.
Nick Wealthall on unconscious decision making.
Structure changes don't suit recreationals.


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UPDATE: March 28, 2013- Loyalist Scouts with help from Capital Movers & Storage Kingston and Ken Kelly's Towing raised $2322 and 3550 lbs of food for us. Thank you to everyone!!!
It's that time of the year again! Scouts Canada with help from Capital Movers & Storage and Kelly's Towing will be hosting their Easter Food Drive for us at five Kingston grocery stores the weekend of March 22-23, 2013.
Loyalist Scouts will be onsite handing out collection bags for non-perishables and accepting monetary donations as well on Friday March 22 from 5pm-8pm and Saturday March 23 from 9am-3pm.
Participating stores in the Kingston area: Food Basics @ Frontenac Mall, Food Basics @ Princess St. (next to the Best Western), Food Basics @ Princess St. at Barrie, Metro @ Bath Rd. at Gardiners and Metro @ Taylor-Kidd at Bayridge Drive.
Last year's the Scouts efforts brought in over 5000lbs of groceries and $2365. Let's help the Scouts collect even more this year!
Scouts Canada Easter Food Drive
18 Mar 2013


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Would you look at this. Our house has been sold! Today is the end of the cooling off period, and it's all official! It's been an adventure trying to get this place sold, in the current economic climate and all. But we've learned quite a bit as well. What works, and what doesn't.
Ultimately we're excited (and relieved) to have this place sold, but it comes with a hint of sadness. While we got engaged and got married while living in this place, we technically were married overseas, so the attachment isn't there because of that. Where the attachment does lie is with Jake. He was brought home to this house, and this is where he grew up. It's where he saw his first thunderstorm and hid under mummies legs. It's where he drove dad crazy when he'd rip up the garden. But I think he's excited to go to the new place. Everytime we drive out there and he gets out of the car he runs and runs and seems pretty happy.
Fortunately, so are we.
This house was good to us. So were the neighbours. We'll miss them too, but they can come visit.


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Programming languages have many different ways of representing data. For example, two ways the C programming language can store a number are as an integer or as a double. An integer is a basic number that has no fractional component, like 1 and 2. A double is a floating point number, which can have a fractional component and an exponential component. This makes it suitable to store data like 2.718. Converting a double to an integer is guaranteed to lose a lot of precision, since all the decimal information is lost.
Things You'll Need
- C Compiler, such as GCC
- C Integrated Development Environment, such as Eclipse CDT
Load up your C Integrated Development Environment, by clicking on its icon, and start a new project. The workspace window will load up with a blank source code file.
Import these two libraries by writing the following lines at the top of the source code file:
include <stdio.h>include <stdlib.h> -
Create a main function by writing the following lines after the #include lines:
int main()
Declare an integer and double data type by writing the following two lines within the curly brackets of the main function:
int x = 0;
double e = 2.718;
Convert the double to an int by writing the next line of code:
x = (int) e;
Print out both the double and the int to see the results. You can use the function printf to accomplish this, like so:
printf("%d, %f\n", x, e);
Compile and run the program by pressing the "Run" button on the IDE. The program will compile and then execute. The output will be:
2, 2.718000


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Stay & Save
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Statistics tell us why Penn State beat Texas and won an unprecedented third National Championship - in a row!
Read More »NCAA Volleyball – ESPNU re-airing the 2010 Volleyball Championship
ESPNU will be re-airing the 2010 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship tonight, Tuesday, April 13th beginning at 9:30 p.m. EST.
Read More »NCAA Volleyball Finals – Penn State vs Texas Highlights
Keys to Blocking Effectively
After you become physically and fundamentally sound in volleyball, strategy and the mental part of the game becomes a greater factor.
Read More »Volleyball Sunday!
There was a great volleyball on TV today. Back-to-back-to-back matches on ESPN-2 and ESPN-U.
Read More »Comparing Penn State and Low Country Volleyball Club
The stats from the team's championship weekend (we have a parent keep stats), and just for fun ;) compared them with the offensive stats of the 2008 Final Four Teams: Penn State, Stanford, Nebraska, and Texas.
Read More »What is IPE?
I.P.E. is an acronym for In Play Efficiency. It is very simply the antonym or opposite of hitting error percentage (IPE = 1 - error %). It's putting a positive spin on hitting errors. Many coaches tell players, "Don't make hitting errors"; this focuses on the negative.
Read More »


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The new San Gabriel Valley extension of the Gold Line resumed regular service early Monday after crews repaired damage caused by a big-rig crash that sent wreckage into the middle of the tracks, Metro officials said.
The repairs were done just in time for the start of the route's first Monday morning commute, said Dave Sotero, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
"It's our first weekday service, and crews have been working very hard to get the trains running because we didn't want to disappoint the public," said Sotero, who said he was encouraged by the line of people purchasing tickets before 5:30 a.m. at the new Arcadia Station.
NEWSLETTER: Get essential California headlines delivered daily >>
The predawn crash Sunday morning shut down a section of the Gold Line less than a day after the extension opened. The big-rig driver lost control about 3 a.m. and hit the center median on the 210 Freeway near San Gabriel Boulevard, said Officer Francisco Villalobos of the California Highway Patrol.
The truck ignited and some wreckage from the crash landed on the center divider, where the Gold Line's tracks are located, Villalobos said. The driver suffered minor injuries and was sent to the hospital.
The heat from the fire damaged wires hanging above the tracks as well as insulators on the track, which have been replaced, according to Metro.
The crash occurred in a section of the Gold Line in Pasadena that opened in 2003. However, the rail service was closed between the Allen and Arcadia stations, covering part of an 11.5-mile Gold Line extension that opened Saturday with much fanfare.
Crews worked all day Sunday and throughout the night to repair the overhead wires, finishing their work about 2 a.m. Monday, Sotero said.
"We're back to normal. We're good," he said.
Twitter: @haileybranson
Twitter: @MattHjourno
'It appears that no one cares': Report slams Juvenile Hall for filthy conditions and poor leadership
When Chinese consumers want Western goods, they turn to these U.S. intermediaries


text:
Phospho-OSR1(T310) Antibody Blocking peptide
Synthetic peptide
Primary Accession | Q8TAX0 |
Clone Names | 80130111 |
Peptide ID | 80130111 |
Gene ID | 130497 |
Other Names | Protein odd-skipped-related 1, OSR1, ODD |
Target/Specificity | The synthetic peptide sequence used to generate the antibody AP3576a was selected from the region of human Phospho-OSR1-pT310. A 10 to 100 fold molar excess to antibody is recommended. Precise conditions should be optimized for a particular assay. |
Format | Synthetic peptide was lyophilized with 100% acetonitrile and is supplied as a powder. Reconstitute with 0.1 ml DI water for a final concentration of 1 mg/ml. |
Storage | Maintain refrigerated at 2-8°C for up to 6 months. For long term storage store at -20°C. |
Precautions | This product is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. |
Name | OSR1 |
Synonyms | ODD |
Function | Transcription factor that plays a role in the regulation of embryonic heart and urogenital development. |
Cellular Location | Nucleus. |
Tissue Location | Expressed in adult colon, small intestine, prostate, testis, and fetal lung. |
Thousands of laboratories across the world have published research that depended on the performance of antibodies from Abgent to advance their research. Check out links to articles that cite our products in major peer-reviewed journals, organized by research category.
firstname.lastname@example.com, and receive a free "I Love Antibodies" mug.
Provided below are standard protocols that you may find useful for product applications.
Odd-skipped related I (Odd1) is a zinc finger protein homologous to the Drosophila Odd-skipped class transcription factors that play critical roles in embryonic patterning and tissue morphogenesis.
Richardson,C., J. Cell. Sci. 121 (PT 5), 675-684 (2008)Coulter,D.E., EMBO J. 9 (11), 3795-3804 (1990)
If you have used an Abgent product and would like to share how it has performed, please click on the "Submit Review" button and provide the requested information. Our staff will examine and post your review and contact you if needed.
If you have any additional inquiries please email technical services at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
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Yankees drop series finale against Tampa Bay
The Yankees lead in the American League East is down to one game after a 3-0 loss here in St. Pete. The Yankees defense was bad, their offense was absent and ace CC Sabathia was outpitched by James Shields, who struck out 11 through 7.1 innings. Shields was positively dominant, much like Wade Davis on Friday, and the new-look Yankees will head home barely holding onto first place.
Associated Press photo of Nick Swisher


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CANADA | 2014 | 60 | Action . Drama |
Rush is called in to treat a suspicious medical emergency at a social club where Eve is confronted by someone from her past. Meanwhile, Rush reaches out to his estranged father to help Alex get his job back. However, Rush must navigate his rocky relationship with his father all while chaperoning a troubled actor back to set after he jeopardizes his last-chance comeback. |
Episode Title: | Learning to Fly | ||
Airs: | 2014-07-31 at 09:00 pm |
Rush is a pretty good pilot that could turn into an excellent addition to USA's lineup of complicated character dramas.
Zap2it (Inside the Box) Full ReviewWriter/director Jonathan Levine created Rush and he brings the show a confidence that new dramas are often lacking.
RogerEbert.com Full ReviewBasically, Rush is USA's answer to "House," albeit with a younger, hotter doctor. Unlike "Satisfaction," Rush doesn't seem overly serialized, which keeps it in line with traditional USA series, only this one is more gray-sky than blue-sky programming.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Full ReviewIt's as deeply cynical as its doctor anti-hero, but like Rush, it's aware of the path it's on and doesn't have the pretensions of being something it's not.
Hitfix Full ReviewEllis has one great, understated moment, when Sarah (Odette Annable), the love of his life, confronts him about his failings, and you can see Rush realizes the gulf between the man he is and the man he'd like to be is a chasm he'll never be able to breach. The show needs more of this. But no, it backs away from the edge.
Boston Herald Full ReviewWith "Satisfaction" an hour later proving even USA now knows what adult TV can really be, Rush doesn't deliver one.
Newsday Full ReviewEllis is fine, but it's all pretty tired stuff--"Entourage" with a medical degree.
Variety Full ReviewRush hits all its notes with a solidity often known as stomping--Love trumps all pain and Rush must change his ways--and while it does offer another version of USA's other freelance-doc drama "Royal Pains," this concept actually doesn't look better in black.
Los Angeles Times Full ReviewRush lacks the sunny disposition--and the "MacGyver"-like skills--of his "Royal Pains" counterpart, and while Ellis exudes a certain dangerous charm, I found it wearing thin before the first episode was over.
Philadelphia Daily News Full ReviewRush is apparently a fine surgeon, but whoever is writing this show needs to transplant more personality into him. The bad behavior and occasional wisecracks in the first episode aren't enough.
The New York Times Full ReviewWhile Rush is very much in USA's wheelhouse, bearing passing resemblance tonally (that is, quick and breezy) to series like Royal Pains and Burn Notice, it doesn't come together as well as some of the network's more memorable series.
The Hollywood Reporter Full ReviewThe ludicrous medical melodrama Rush is a reminder that, if you push the envelope too hard without the compensating virtues of wit or even an iota of humanity and realism, the impulse is to push back.
TV Guide Magazine Full ReviewA badly cast Tom Ellis stars as Dr. William Rush.... He's unlikable and unsympathetic, which can be fine. He's also uninteresting, which can't be.
USA Today Full ReviewThe show and its central character are thoroughly repulsive.
San Francisco Chronicle Full ReviewLanguage | Age | Quality | Votes | |
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In trading on Thursday, shares of Tidewater Inc. ( TDW) crossed below their last reported book value — defined as common shareholder equity per share — of $53.14, changing hands as low as $52.73 per share. Tidewater Inc. shares are currently trading off about 4.6% on the day. The chart below shows the one year performance of TDW shares, versus its 50 and 200 day moving averages:
Looking at the chart above, TDW's low point in its 52 week range is $45.19 per share, with $63.22 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $52.89. According to the ETF Finder at ETF Channel, TDW makes up 2.27% of the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services ETF ( XES) which is trading lower by about 2.1% on the day Thursday.


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Note from the author: I recently read a post by Nels Anderson on 'Moral Development' which has some comments on how different conceptions of morality can apply to games. I was distracted the first time I started reading it, and ended up deviating away to the Wikipedia page to read about 'Kohlberg's stages of moral development'. I finally went back to read the rest of the post weeks later and it got me so fired up in the passionate sense that I started writing a comment before realising that it would benefit from being posted here as an open letter instead. So here's my response to Nel's post: …plumbing the depths… 'who the fuck are these people?'… Neo-Nazi's of the Fourth Reich… deep in the Kalahari… the Continued Survival of The American Dream… Dear Nels, I started writing this because I wanted to say to you that I thought your post about moral development in games was a fascinating read and I wanted to thank you for bringing it to our collective attention. My fingers were rattling with a heat and fury, and I greatly desired to fire-off a vitriolic screed about very, very many games in some kind of Press Release from 'The Institute of Freak Power Gaming' saying how positively Neolithic it is that any game feature an incarnation of the dreaded good<–>evil slider system. But that wasn't going to be enough. No, my friend, the situation calls for going much, much, deeper. If a game is a conversation between the player and the developer, who the fuck are these people to tell me that I'm "evil" or "good" based upon… what? Their own standards for good behaviour… or maybe some arbitrary guidelines about proper conduct? In the immortal words of the pissed-off, progressively liberal Oz hip-hop collective know to the police as 'The Herd'; "Fuck that!" We know better than them, Nels. We know that in the real world there are no rules like this – the rules are what we write them to be, and doubly so for a made up simulation running on a computer! I don't mean this in a neo-Nazi, Fourth Reich kind of way, but in a passionate anarchistic, newly enlightened devotee of 'Kohlberg and his stages' sense. Count me among the greats in my newly acquired desire to reach Kohlbergian enlightenment. It takes some seriously sick and twisted fishhead logic to try and apply contemporary morality as reflected in our western legal system to a post-nuclear-winter future; a future that has been blown back to the stone ages, yet remains conveniently modern in it's application of morality. Have these people never seen The Gods Must Be Crazy? Even the idea of theft as crime or some kind of associated 'negative action' is contemporary! When your community has got shit-all to live on and you're eating the scum that grows on the walls of your cave, you don't really have anything worth stealing. Morality? What the fuck is that – they're too busy trying to stay alive to give a damn about some 'Karma points' bullshit. When that kid got hit on the head by the coke-bottle in the middle of the Kalahari, he had no idea he was about to witness the birth of theft in his tribe. When some crunched-on by middle-management Bethsoft code-monkey programmed in the bits that say a coke bottle can be 'owned' by a Non Player Character, some Deity higher up the food chain knew that they were inventing the concept of theft on a global scale. Did they even consider the idea that theft in this society would be different from our own? "Possession is 9/10ths of the Law" is the old saying, and I consider the Wasteland the perfect place to institute that final 1/10th. Theft is abstract and I haven't actually played Zeno Clash, but it sounds like the antidote to this kind of straight-faced craziness – at least it wears it's weirdness openly. I wager it's one of the few sensible and serious games to say "Morality means whatever you want it to". One of the others is Far Cry 2. Does Zeno Clash give you 'negative Karma' for kneeing people in the face? Does Far Cry 2 slap us on the wrist when we're defoliating swaths of the jungle for personal gain and a return on investment that includes safe-house upgrades? Hocking know's we're no fools – we are no babes in swaddling cloth to be told "bad boy!" and given a slap on the wrist for being caught with our hands in the proverbial cookie jar. And we are well able to tell that we are doing some seriously weird things and unnatural things in the name of Continued Survival and The American Dream. You an me Nels, we need to show these Neanderthal's that these "Karmic" games are the truly strange and the people who make them are more twisted than Richard Nixon's underpants on August 9, 1979. We need to start our version of Fight Club. Rather than fighting in basements and parking lots we're fighting on the blogs and the podcasts. Hit me Nels – hard as you can! Let us fish-punch the good & the bad out the glass windows on the thirty-third floor of whatever building these atavistic bastards call Their Office. If they want to keep making games for the man-children with neck-beards and mushroom kingdom tattoos then We Are Going To Have Something To Say about it. Yours Sincerely As Always, Ben. P.S. I am coming to
Monday, 27 July 2009
An Open Letter To Nels Anderson; or, Morality Needs to F*** Right Off
Permanent Death, Interstitial - Music on Mute
While chatting to some of my blogger friends the other day, some happened to mention that they liked to play Far Cry 2 without the music – either for added realism or some other reason. Since I'm experimenting already with permanent death, I thought I'd give it a shot and see how it changes the experience. I can now confirm that it is… different. I had always enjoyed the music for Far Cry 2, but even I must admit that after hundreds of hours of exposure to it my ear had grown weary and stopped noticing it. However, as soon as I turned it off the lack was entirely apparent and I realised just how much I had relied on the music to provide much of the game's pacing. When you get close to enemies, even if you don't know they are there, the music often adds a layer of tension to the mix and if you're experienced at playing the game you will probably pick up on this subtle change and prepare yourself. With the music gone, being ambushed can become truly a surprise… The first time this happened to me, it was indeed a surprise - but it was also less tense than it would have been with the addition of music. I was unconsciously waiting for it to ramp up and provide me with an emotional guide as to how I should be acting and responding. Lacking this musical signpost, I spent a lot of the early time in an emotional plateau – never feeling particularly bothered by the enemy soldiers. I became more brazen – I found myself charging through the middle of a series of checkpoints in pursuit of a weapons convoy and was hit by a sudden fear. I was apprehended by a feeling that I had dangerously over-stretched myself and that I could be only seconds from death. I came away from the encounter unscathed, but the tempo of the Far Cry 2 experience had changed. I started ramping my concentration levels up and down much faster– snapping from the baseline 'pseudo-boredom' of driving through beautiful scenery, to full-on attention which would then be paid to the effort of staying alive. Or perhaps that was what I was already doing when I had the music on and it just became more transparent without the music. I suspect not – for without music to tell me that the fight wasn't over, I had to judge for myself. and it subsequently felt like I entered a great many more discreet conflicts. In one instance I had just finished clearing a camp of soldiers and was searching around for some diamonds, when more turned up and I had to break off the search, bare seconds passing between the first and second encounter. If the music was there, it might well have stayed at that same level across the whole period because it often takes a reasonable period of time to 'calm down'. Whatever the case may be, I'm still convinced that the people responsible for the music of Far Cry 2 have done a singularly excellent job in creating a score, and implementing a system, that has held up for a hundred hours or more, in my case. If I keep it off for a little bit longer I hope Jeff Wesevich won't take it personally.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Permanent Death, Episode 6 - Return of the Dead
Qurbani Sing slouched onto the camp bed with a groan. Turning his face toward his companion, he paused before sighing. "How in the hell did I end up here, friend?" he asked.
The friend was Hakim Echebbi, a thirty-something Algerian man who looked like he could more than handle himself in a scrap – just so long as he doesn't have to do too much running. A stint in the Navy as a naval counter-terrorist expert gave Echebbi a hardness of spirit that it seemed his body was fighting not to betray, the first signs being a slight paunchiness around the middle.
"I have no idea how you came to this place, Sikh," he says drily, before continuing in a more light-hearted tone, "But here I am minding my own business – running a nice little operation in fact – when all of a sudden I hear everything has blow up in the north." He turns to face Sigh and says with a wry smile. "And now it's all ballsed up. I guess I really do have nothing better to do than save your sorry behind." Standing up and crossing the room he leans on a weapons crate. "So why don't you tell me how you got from… wherever you were before here, I suppose."
Sing sat up in the canvas stretcher bed and tried to recall how he came to be in this house, on the side of a cliff in the middle of a jungle.
"It was sunny and hot when I left Sefapane – Greaves paid me to go meet some guy and help him get a boat-load of the Jackal's guns into town. The idea was that we didn't wan the APR and UFLL boys to stop killing each other long enough to turn on the rest of us."
"Smart plan," Hakim added.
"I know, right? What kind of stupid idea is that?" He laughed. "Anyway, I got to the boat and you'll never guess who the captain is – Andre Hipolite!"
"No fuckin' way!" Hakim interjects, astonished, "I thought that guy was dead!"
"Me too", Qurbani replies before continuing. "So there we are, just the two of us and enough guns for, well, more than enough to ensure this war keeps on for years. And we've barely gone 100 metres when soldiers appear from out of nowhere – I didn't even figure out whose side they were on. Then all of a sudden I'm seeing mortar smoke on the roof of the barge and all around there this whistling, rushing noise.
"I look up and I'm staring at a rocket heading right for me –so I'm pretty certain I'm dead, right? I mean, there's no way the barge can survive more than a couple of rounds from a mortar and this rocket. But it does, yet each time we're hit the engine blows and I've got to stop shooting at these bastards swarming around us in attack boats to grab a wrench and some tape and patch the bloody thing up.
"I've eaten enough lead to make a paperweight by now, but at least the engine's running so I try and get to the front of the ship to see if I can't take out the rocketeer. I didn't see the incoming rocket until the last second so I barely had time to duck out of the way, but in the process I hurt myself pretty bad.
"I scrambled up to the top of the deck and crouched around behind the bridge – I was barely hanging on by a thread. I think something must have landed on my hand in the explosion because the little finger on my left hand was at this weird angle and I had to snap it back into place.
"I managed to pop a syrette with my good hand and that made me feel a little better. Somehow we managed to fight the rest off and got the barge into the port. My left hand is never going to be the same again. In town I talked to Doctor Obua – you were there, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember, but what'd he tell you? I was too busy watching the street – you should have seen the soldiers move when they heard they were all getting new AK's and PKM's! It was like those civilians when the aid workers were handing out travel passes." Hakim chuckled to himself at the irony of the reversal.
Singh continued. "Ostensibly I was there to warn him about the weapons, but when he sees that I've got malaria the Doctor says to me, in his thick accent, 'You must know that medicine is in short supply, but there are other altruists like yourself. If you return here when it is calm I would be happy to introduce you.' I nearly laughed – me, an altruist?!"
"Hahaha, that's pretty crazy," Hakim adds, "was he serious, do you think? Didn't he hear about what you did to that priest up north, bailing on him like that?"
"I don't know – shit all news came out of the north after all." Qurbani shrugged. "Anyway, I didn't have time to ask because that was just as the fight was breaking out and you were pushing me out the back door."
"Yeah, again, sorry about that mate. Couldn't be helped – if they found you in there with us we were all dead."
For a moment no one spoke and the silence stretched awkwardly.
"It's okay." Qurbani offered. "I would have done the same. Good thing I heard about that shortcut over the north wall though – if I had to run through the middle of town I don't think I would have made it."
"Yeah I stacked those crates up against that low roof just for this kind of situation. Glad you made use of them." Hakim relaxed.
"Me too. I made it out to the river just north of Soleo, so who do you think just then decides to ring me up and tell me he's in trouble?"
"I think I can guess." Hakim suggests.
Qurbani nods and continues, "So Andre says he's now being chased in the barge. The idiot probably planned to keep it and re-sell it rather than scuttle it in the lake like he damn well should have. So now he's being chased all the way down to the Marina and he decides that I'm the person to go to for help. Well, I figured I might as well try despite the fact that he might be dead by the time I get there.
"But when I did, the tough guy was still alive and putting up a bit of a fight. There were about 15 guys trying to get onto that bridge, but Andre kept firing out through the front window. He couldn't have had many rounds left though – he was chewing through them like candy.
"So I took some of them out from afar and cleaned up his mess. He was grateful and told me he was just going to scuttle the barge after all so it was all a bit of a waste, in the end. Still, the man was grateful and he owes me now."
"That could be useful – supposedly he's got a lot of contacts, Andre." Hakim suggested. "Maybe he'll be able to give you a lead on the Jackal?"
"Maybe. I left the Marina pretty much straight away after that and headed up here. I needed somewhere safe to rest and recover. Which reminds me – how did you even find me out here?" Qurbani asked, intrigued.
"It was pretty easy, man – I went to Mike's at the Marina and they said you'd just left. From there, I followed the sounds of gunfire and the trail of bodies. Hell - you're not that hard to find y'know."
Qurbani laughed. "Right you are, friend. I should be more careful in future."
"Don't worry about it. I got your back for now – you rest up." Hakim paced over to the door. "I'll be around if you get into any trouble, ok?"
"Thanks, Echebbi. Here's to never having to see each other - ever again." Qurbani took a swig from a nearby water bottle as Hakim departed the safe house, whistling as he went.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Permanent Death, Episode 5 - This Idiotic War
I woke up in a safe house and went outside, heading west to Pala. I passed a guard post along the way and got into to bit of a scrap, losing my vehicle to enough stray weapons fire to put it out of action. I picked up a new one at a safehouse, also picking up some more diamonds and a tape recording of Reuben's interview with the Jackal before I make my way back to Pala. In town, I go to pick up the only mission available to me. It's for the UFLL, as apparently the APR has given up on me. Gakumba meets with me alone – which is strange considering he's always had some other mercenary there as a witness before. It's unsettling, but his diamonds are good and I've still got no other leads on The Jackal. His mission is a dangerous one as the UFLL leader wants me to assassinate his counterpart in the APR and further destabilize the conflict. It would appear that he is feeling the strain from my work for the UFLL and is retreating to a house above the Goka falls. If I take him out then the other side can consolidate power here in the north and maybe I can finally make a start on tracking down the Jackal once and for all. As it is now I can't hardly drive 100 metres up the road without some mob of trigger-happy yahoo's deciding to shoot first and ask questions later. Maybe if the UFLL actually gains control I will be able to more around a bit more freely. The guard on the way out looks at me with shifty eyes. I know something is up. Before I head out of town, however, I visit Father Maliya for a third time. I'm running a little bit low on pills, but I'm not quite dry yet. I accept the fake passports he gives me, figuring if I get a chance I'll drop them off in exchange for some malaria meds. But I'm not going to go out of my way – not unless I get desperate. I check my map on the way out. Unfortunately for these civilians, it doesn't look like they're exactly on the way. I'll probably wait till I'm out in the desert somewhere and toss the papers. Arriving at the north-eastern most bus-station, I get in a car and, eschewing the roads for fear of running into a patrol, drive through the fringes of the desert until I reach the fort, where I rejoin the road. Passing through a checkpoint with a minimum of fuss, I reach the small foot-track leading to Goka falls. There is a sign in the middle of the scrub. An odd spot for it, to say the least. I started up the track, crouching low and staying underneath the waist-high palm fronds to stay out of view. I had no idea how well many guards would be protecting Tambossa so I kept my silenced MP5 at the ready. Reaching the point where the track doubled back, I could hear a guard whistling as he stood overlooking the path I'd just come up. I cut short his whistling and the body rolled away, becoming hidden in the long grass. I continued on and, pausing at the crest of the hill, noticed just how bright an evening it was. The full moon was bright enough to be casting shadows from the trees overhead and in this light I wouldn't be able to remain hidden for long. I had gone all of 10 metres when I had to make a mad dive for cover off to one side - a guard was walking up the path towards me and had I been a second slower would have spotted me instantly. Thankfully, he wasn't paying much attention and his body dropped to the ground with a dull thud, laying smack-bang in the middle of the path with no cover between it and my position. I ground my teeth and skirted off the right, taking up position behind a large moss covered rock. I could now see both the dead guard on the path and what I presumed to be the building that contained Tambossa inside it. The chatter of the guards increased, betraying a note of tension and I surmised that the body on the path had been discovered. Ignoring it for the moment, I whipped out my monocle and peered towards the hut. To my great surprise, I spotted Tambossa staring back out at me from an open window! It was too great an opportunity to pass up and, with his guards rushing about in a panic now, I took aim and fired. Suddenly, soldiers were all around me shouting and firing in my direction. Shards of the rock I was crouched behind sprayed my face and chest. The sound of weapons fire behind meant that, with a sinking feeling like a punch in the gut, the penny dropped. My attack was just meant to be a feint – the spearhead of the major UFLL push – and I was now caught in the middle between the APR in front and the UFLL behind. I turned and ran, desperate to punch a hole through the advancing UFLL troops. I took out three of four soldiers in quick succession, abandoning my stealthy MP5 for my PKM machine gun with its reassuring weight. Somewhat miraculously, I managed to take out most of the UFLL soldiers with my desperate attack. Behind their lines now, I spied a lone soldier guarding the track from behind and eliminated him. I made it back to the Goka falls signpost, my mind still reeling from the betrayal. It took me a second to realise that it was my phone ringing that was causing my pockets to vibrate and I answered to hear Reuben the reporter's voice on the other end. He said he needed to meet with me right away. Lacking a better plan, I agreed. When I got to the lumber mill, Reuben told me that the UFLL was making their push and consolidating power in the north, just as I'd suspected. They were also, however, rounding up all the civilians and foreign nationals for goodness knows what reason. Reuben seemed to think that it wasn't anything good, and I was inclined to agree. He gave me a choice – to meet with Michelle and Warren at Mike's Bar and try to hold out there, or to hot-foot it to the church in Pala and help the civilians (including Father Maliya) escape. Pala sounded like a death-trap to me, knowing how many soldiers would be in the town already and if the APR was truly coming apart in the north, then I'll bet they could count on a whole lot of defections. In hindsight, the choice was an easy one to make. When I'd tossed out the civilian papers I'd already written them off in my mind as a lost cause, but I pretended to consider the other option. When I got to Mikes and heard the gunfire I wasted no time in attacking them from behind. As the last one went down from a long range shot he pulled out a flare gun and launched a flare high into the air above the bar. Inside the bar, Michelle was visibly distressed and Warren and Nasreen had already taken up positions at boarded up windows around the bar. I helped Michelle push a heavy, 1950's style Icebox in front of the door. No sooner had we done so than all the windows in the bar blew open as the soldiers now surrounding the bar opened fire. The withering force of the opening volley took down Michelle and Warren, but dust obscured Nasreen. I couldn't tell how much longer she survived for but it couldn't have been long. I crouched in a corner next to the bar. I tried valiantly to take some of them with us, throwing grenade after grenade and emptying a plethora of slugs and then shells out the open windows. I don't remember what it was that eventually brought me down, but the next thing I knew I was on the back of a truck, having been mistaken for dead. The next thing I remember after that was the pavement rushing up at me as I fell off the back of the truck, reopening fresh wounds. The sand and wind was howling and the best I could do was turn my back to the brunt of it and try to get off the road and die in peace. I blacked out again. When I woke up it was because the pain was so intense, manifesting as a crimson sheen over my vision. I heard a voice say something like "stop squirming" and with a wrench the pain flared once more and subdued. To my intense surprise it was the Jackal to whom I now owed my continued survival. He sat next to me for a few minutes and gave me an update on the situation with the UFLL but at the sound of some jeeps pulling up outside he took off out a window. Greeves came inside and told me the same stuff as the Jackal, the UFLL was consolidating its hold and everyone was getting out and heading south. He said he'd leave me a jeep if I promised to go back up north and murder the bastard that turned on me and my merc friends. He said Tambossa would be easy to find as he was giving a speech somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Weird place to hold a speech. I wonder if Greeves had anything to do with it. Either way, it was only too easy to spot him when I reached a hill to the west of the convoy. It looked like they'd stopped on the road because of a broken down car or truck or something. It gave me an opportunity I was only too happy to take advantage of. After spotting him with my monocle I only needed one shot. And that was it – I was done with this whole mess and it was time to move on. The Jackal was obviously also heading south and I now felt a strange pull towards him - it wasn't the same as before where I just wanted to find him and kill him. Now when I next met him it wouldn't be enough to just end his life I wanted something more. I wanted to get understand – to get inside his head and see the world through his eyes. On the way south I passed the hut he had dragged me into and saved my life. I had to fight my way south, as Greeves had told me to meet him in the small town of As I walked into the room to meet Greaves he was on the phone. I overhear him say something like "problem solved" as he sees me and hangs up. He then proceeds to explain what he wants me to do – help someone sail a ship of guns into Port Soleo under a UFLL flag and basically drop the match into the gas tank that is this conflict. "We'll be back fighting this idiotic war in no time", he tells me. I believe him.
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Permanent Death, Episode 4 - Chekhov's Diamonds
Last we saw our intrepid hero, Qurbani Singh was somewhere in the deep, deep south where he had just avenged the death of his good friend Andre Hipolite (who wasn't actually dead in his own universe so much as in Nels' Since then, on his way to an assassinate mission Qurbani unlocked a safe house at dawn; ran over his first zebra and picked up a briefcase full of diamonds on the side of a cliff next to a burnt out car. I must admit that the fear of dying has more or less completely disappeared by this point. The worry and hesitancy with which I approached the earlier missions has atrophied to the point where I am confident enough to take out an assassination target head on, using explosives. I'm regularly flirting with danger now, and it remains to be seen whether I will get burnt. I was in a bit of an exploratory mood, so after swimming around and under a submerged house in the middle of the lake I wandered off down river and, passing through a checkpoint, spied a bridge overhead. I realised that in all the times I'd played the game, in quite possibly every game I had played, I'd seen the bridge but never actually visited it. I went up and explored the bride as well as three other checkpoints along the ridge, all of which I had never even seen before. At one of these checkpoints a jeep charged through the jungle at me and ended up having a car accident. You just can't scrip for the surreal. Under the bridge I spotted some diamonds and in the process of their retrieval got myself stuck half-way up a cliff with no immediately visible safe route down. Escaping any real ill effects by sliding down the space between two walls, I pretended that Qurbani Singh had lost the seat of his pants in his daring escapade and therefore had to put up with the shame until he reached the next safe house and was able to change his pants. The safe house was conveniently located near another scenic water fall and it amazed me that I'd been able to spend so much time with this game and still not ever have traversed this particular, admittedly quite large, patch of jungle. I thought I'd been everywhere. On my way back to Pala I spotted a hang-glider and wondered whether I could get all the way to Pala in one flight. It didn't look that far on the map… …but my short lived trip was ended by this tree branch and I ditched into the river. After slogging back to Pala, I stumbled into the hotel, purely out of curiosity. Nothing much had changed and no one had yet bothered to clean up any of the mess. Admittedly, they all probably have better things to do than rebuilt a hotel while there's a war raging. On the upside, my one time room has a lovely new skylight now. I got patted down by a guard with a huge scar on his lip and headed upstairs to a meeting with the UFLL and Carbonell. This time I'm sent off to locate some buried treasure and send an SMS with its location. I take my diamond filled dossier and go. Barely out the door, I stop for a second having noticed the green flashing light indicating a nearby briefcase of diamonds. On second thoughts, notice is not entirely accurate; perhaps 'comprehend the possibility of its acquisition' is a better description. I've known that particular briefcase has been there since my first play-through of the game as it shows up clearly on your diamond detector any time you are near the UFLL building, however given my new found brazen attitude I was suddenly very aware of how much more obtainable they now seemed. Thinking back over it later, it made me consider the difficult time developers have in employing traditional narrative tricks and techniques to game narratives. Specifically, in all of my previous games I had for various reasons never once picked up this particular briefcase before. Why is that important? Well, in drama there is an axiom known as Chekhov's Gun which says that "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." (A suitably violent axiom for a game like Far Cry 2, wouldn't you say?) In all of my previous games on varying difficulties, I had never even considered taking the diamonds because I didn't want to break the peace treaty. 1-3 diamonds just never seemed worth the risk of getting shot to pieces before. Why then, in all those earlier games, did the Diamonds exist? Chekhov's Gun says that if no one is ever going to fire it, don't put it 'on stage' since it is not necessary for the narrative. It's clear, however, that a game designer has absolutely no way of knowing if a certain player is going to want to take the diamonds or not and so has no choice but to place them in the world and let whatever happens happen. If they were to remove the diamonds, then the player would be denied even the possibility of taking them. I should also add that after I decided for the first time that I didn't want to collect those diamonds in my very first game (having been effectively deterred by warnings from soldiers, etc) that until this most recent game I didn't even consider taking the diamonds. I didn't even decide each time to deliberately not collect them; I just didn't even consider it as an option. According to Chekhov's Gun, those diamonds should not even exist! If all of the previous games where I ignored the diamonds were written as a story similar to the one you are now reading, the diamonds wouldn't get a mention and you, the reader, would have no way of know they even existed – even though they clearly existed in the game each time. So obviously games have a distinct disadvantage in storytelling when it comes to the 'Chekhov's Gun' rule. The game, by having to show/render/populate the world with this diamond case, was resisting my own attempts to organise and tell a good story and obey the rule of Chekhov's Gun. Perhaps Chekhov's gun simply doesn't apply to games, I will freely acknowledge that I have no practical solution to this problem, and indeed, you might disagree with me that it even is a problem. I think that, were Chekhov still around today, he would either be an obsessive, completionist player or he would stop believing his own rule. I can just imagine him saying about all 200+ briefcases that, "If they put it in the game, it needs to be collected!" But the problem as I see it is that when we as the player are forced into acting in a specific way like this (or face compromising the narrative integrity) then we are dominated by 'the story' and must obey it – even if it that 'story' makes for a really, really boring narrative! (Who after all really wants to read about a guy collecting 200-odd briefcases of diamonds? Where's the story in that?) Moving right along – Qurbani went to go meet Michelle at someplace called 'lakeside' which didn't seem upon arrival to be in close proximity to any lakes. Taking a boat, I reached my stop (don't worry – the soldier is just sleeping). In the Safehouse, Michelle tells me to go and kill the king who's gold the UFLL are after and to collect his signet ring so that the King's son can skip the country and get access to the swiss bank accounts. I decide to take a slightly subtle approach to the fort where the king is hiding and slink up under the cover of darkness. I scout some snipers on the ramparts and take them out first, continuing my journey up to the fort along a track that brings my up to a back entrance to the fort. On my way, I alert the guards and it's on for young and old. Crouching at the corner of a wall, I wait for a soldier to appear, hearing his footsteps approaching. Even though I knew he was coming my reaction time was not quick enough to prevent him getting off a shotgun blast, the brunt of which slammed into the wall beside my head. Inside the walls of the fort I made a dash for the tower in which the King was residing. Upon reaching him, I finished him off with a shot from my flare gun – leaving a trail of burnt corpses is becoming a bit of a trademark of mine. I also noticed that he is a very fair skinned King compared to his son, a fact that I noticed when I gave his son the ring. Maybe his mother had a darker complexion? Or maybe he wasn't really the king's son! We may never know. I handed the ring over anyway. Then it was time to go save Michelle and find the buried treasure. I took the sturdier of the two Jeeps the son-formerly-known-as-Prince left as a gift for me. I ended up parking it next to the hole down which I had to climb to reach the treasure to use as cover. It came quite in handy and I had to revive Michelle after the fight. Tempting, so very, very tempting… Back to Pala I went to start the second last mission for the UFLL, continuing my inexorably march to the scary part of the game where I would be without a buddy – the inter chapter section. For this mission, Greeves sent me into the jungle to blow up some pumps on a farm the APR were protecting so some multinational corporation could "mess with the ecosystem" as he put it. When I caught up with Michelle, she sent me into a chemical plant and retrieve some super-defoliant. I started a lot of fires to get it. I dropped the big canister off with Michelle at the airport – she had some harebrained scheme where she was going to spray the stuff all over the farm to deny the soldiers their cover. I couldn't see how this could possibly work. I took a circuitous route from the airport in the south up to the farm in the central-east section of the map, stopping off to see this crashed Cesna 150. I also had another minor car accident… Followed by another… I picked up some silenced weaponry at the armoury on the way and crept into the farm with a silenced MP5, Flare Gun and RPG. In hindsight, not exactly a super sensible load out but I wanted to try and destroy the pump from far, far away with an RPG. Unfortunately I had to get rather close to the pump before I landed a direct hit enough to disable it, just in time to hear Michelle's light aircraft go flying overhead, defoliant streaming out the back. I could practically taste the carcinogens and I wanted to hold my breath. The stuff must have been super-strong because it worked fast. As Michelle's plane disappeared into the distance I heard the sound of far off anti-aircraft fire and hoped she was okay. I quickly ran out of ammunition, my weapon load out coming back to bite me in the butt. I couldn't find any loose on the ground even as the guards kept coming, so I swapped my MP5 for a rusty old Homeland shotgun (as you can see above). Thankfully, the thing was practically unstoppable. Michelle called to let me know she had been shot down and that soldiers were closing in. I hurried to her and came upon her crashed plane first, with the sound of machine gun fire coming from a small depression to the south-west. There looked to be just one soldier nearby and he had her in his sights. I fired a flare gun hoping to either distract him or perhaps score a lucky direct hit. I misjudged my aim and it bounced off the trunk of a fallen tree and landed in the grass, starting a fire perilously close to Michelle. I swapped to my grimy, mud-encrusted shotgun and prayed the slugs would fire. They did, and he went down. Tired of being the Knight in Shining armour for the N-th time, I headed off to a safehouse for a nap. That was Episode 4 of Permanent Death – thanks for sticking with it. I should mention that in the space between my last episode and this one another blogger has started a Perma-Death game and reached it's conclusion. Elliott Richard's tale can be read here. Also, if you somehow missed it, Far Cry 2's lead creative director Clint Hocking wrote some lovely things about Permanent Death and you should absolutely go read it – that man is the future of gaming or I'll eat my hat.
If you are just tuning in, I'm currently in the middle of an attempt to complete the 2008 game Far Cry 2 without getting killed and examining how the new found permanence of my characters death changes the experience.